Worldwide Numbers of Warbirds Flying by Type

[bdk]

So who is doing the T-6/SNJ/Harvard list? (Not me BTW)

[JohnTerrell]

Also spotted on Facebook- The Warbird Heritage Foundation's FG-1D flew for the first time in almost 50 years yesterday....

Just added! I'm really looking forward to the video and photos from the first flight.

Adding to the recent news - the F8F-1 Bearcat, N4752Y, which was restored by Ezell Aviation for Texas Flying Legends, and which just recently flew again for the first time since its one flight in 2019, is now listed in FAA documents as having been sold to ECHO MATRIX LLC, which is the name that Steuart Walton's warbirds are registered to, based in Bentonville, Arkansas.

[Dan K]

Adding to the recent news - the F8F-1 Bearcat, N4752Y, which was restored by Ezell Aviation for Texas Flying Legends, and which just recently flew again for the first time since its one flight in 2019, is now listed in FAA documents as having been sold to ECHO MATRIX LLC, which is the name that Steuart Walton's warbirds are registered to, based in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Good spot, John...

But *groan* will this Bearcat ever be seen north of the Mason-Dixon line?

[JohnTerrell]

Bearcat N4752Y arrived at Bentonville, Arkansas for its new owner, Steuart Walton, this past week (March 16th I believe). There are some videos and a photo posted to pilot Cristian Bolton's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/cristianboltonracing

I have updated the B-25 list to reflect the paint scheme/name change of Yankee Air Museum's B-25D, which is now "Rosie's Reply".

I have also updated the Wildcat list to reflect the recent sale of FM-2 N909WJ, which will soon be exported/shipped to a new owner in Germany.

[JohnTerrell]

Newly added to the flyers list is Spitfire Mk.IX MH415 (G-AVDJ), which had its first flight today at Sywell Aerodrome in the UK. This is the ex-Connie Edwards Spitfire, which he had acquired following the end of the making of the movie, "Battle of Britain"; having accepted it, along with the numerous Buchons, as payment for his many hours of flying for the filmmakers. From 1973 until 2014 it was stored away until when sold to a new owner in Australia. In early 2016 it was sent to Vintage Fighter Restorations in Scone, Australia, where the restoration commenced. At the time it was sold, it was considered perhaps the most complete and original of any unrestored surviving Spitfire and with very little in the way of any corrosion. In early 2020, the restoration was all but completed at Scone when the aircraft was shipped to the UK for final completion at Air Leasing. The plan was to have the aircraft take part in some of the UK airshows last year, but of course COVID shut everything down. With Air Leasing, the Spitfire was also repainted in more authentic colors (the right spec colors), and is finished in the markings of 222 Squadron, in which it served from October 1943 until the start of '44, during which time it regularly took part in missions/fighter sweeps over Europe. It is one of the most completely original Spitfires now flying. I am not sure who the current owner of the aircraft is (there is some indication it may have been sold). It is registered as chartered to Air Leasing.

This is one of the photos posted to the Ultimate Warbird Flights Facebook page last October. https://www.facebook.com/UltimateWarbirdFlights/

[bdk]

Fury/Sea Fury VH-SFW flew on 7 April after an engine change according to a Facebook posting.

[JohnTerrell]

That must have been a repost of old news from April 2016. That Hawker Fury, which was formerly registered as VH-SFW, moved to England a few months later, in the summer of 2016, and flies there as G-CBEL.

[bdk]

That must have been a repost of old news from April 2016. That Hawker Fury, which was formerly registered as VH-SFW, moved to England a few months later, in the summer of 2016, and flies there as G-CBEL.

Never trust the internet!

[JohnTerrell]

I've had a couple individuals contact me to let me know this morning that the UK-based Navy Wings Sea Fury T.20, G-RNHF, was involved in a forced landing in a field near RNAS Yeovilton after its Centaurus engine was reportedly running rough. The crew is reported to be okay. The aircraft is quite significantly damaged, with the engine/QEC and wings separated from the fuselage and with the fuselage resting upside down.

[ErrolC]

Don't forget that Spitfire TB252 has changed country. Fingers crossed that the P-40E for Italy is able to display at the Ardmore show 6th June (it was a quiet possible for Omaka at Easter, but still hasn't flown).

[JohnTerrell]

Thank you for the reminder, Errol!

I've updated the Spitfire list quite a bit, to reflect all of those which had been airworthy up until recently, but currently are not, for various reasons. I've also updated all of the lists to remove those belonging to the Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum (at least for the time being).

[phil65]

I saw a video of the PBY "Miss Pick Up" back flying today.

Phil

[JohnTerrell]

Yeah, that PBY was one of the stars of this past weekend's Shuttleworth airshow event at Old Warden.

[Rajay]

I thought it would be interesting to share here some complete/full lists (at least hoping so) tallying the number of currently active or "ready-to-fly-when-desired" examples of various/particular warbird types and where they are located around the world - the hope is to be as accurate and comprehensive as possible for any given warbird type. My stipulations for these lists are to only include examples which are known to have flown within the past 5 years, and could, at the present time, be taken out and flown. These lists only cover certain types, and does not attempt to cover all - especially those such as the AT-6 and Stearman, of which there are an extremely large number flying today. Feel free to post any corrections you may see fit and/or lists of flying examples of other types.

There are at least 33 flying examples of the Grumman Goose in the world:
Australia: 2 (VH-GWH,VH-MBA)
Canada: 5 (C-FIOL, C-FUAZ, C-FMXW, C-GDDJ, C-GYVG)
United States: 26 (N9KL, N42GL, N70AL, N77AQ, N119AA, N401SJ, N600ZE, N640, N642, N703, N789, N985R, N1019N, N22932, N48550, N68157, N95467, N39FG, N159F, N121SR, N9074U, N69263, N7211, N778, N87U, N6DF)

I didn't see such a caveat anywhere, so I have to take exception to the characterization of "flying" at least in regards to the type for which I have some expertise - and wonder if the same "mistake" has been made or applies to any or all of the other types listed here. "Registered" does not mean "flying" and in several cases I know that the Gooses listed are barely extant and probably not even complete, much less flyable or airworthy.

The word I have is that s/n 1164 VH-MBA has been stored in Australia for many years because of corrosion.

Serial no. B-9, r/n N9KL, last I heard (and saw in a photo shared with me) is still disassembled and waiting to be restored in Missouri.

N119AA and N121SR are one and the same (s/n 1084) but it has been undergoing required work in FL over the past couple of years to return it to airworthy status.

Restoration of N48550 (s/n 1061) was abandoned several years ago after, as I heard it, the wings were rebuilt by Sealand Aviation in BC without the use of a proper jig and apparently ruined in the process. I was directly consulted by representatives of the current owner and they told me that the decision had been made to relegate it to static display in a museum, but I don't know where.

N9074U (s/n B-142) is, like B-9 N9KL, in pieces, maybe not even complete, and not even on the stove, much less the back burner.

And to be picky about it, N70AL, N77AQ, N642, and N640 are technically (i.e. "officially") speaking no longer "Grumman" aircraft at all. They were all at some point rebuilt or converted under the auspices of the McKinnon type certificate (albeit only the first two done "correctly" and actually by McKinnon) such that they are now officially "McKinnon" aircraft. Furthermore, N70AL has been undergoing a major restoration for the past 5 years or so during which time it had its entire wing rebuilt (correctly so in a jig by West Coast Wings in Ukiah, CA) the entire airframe repainted, avionics updated, and the engines only just recently overhauled and re-installed, but it has not yet flown again AFAIK.

AND... in a recent video posted by Wilderness Seaplanes on Facebook, N39FG can be seen parked in Port Hardy, BC with almost all of its empennage removed - rudder, horizontal stabs, and elevators all off and apparently being repaired, re-covered, or whatever. SO, at least for the time being, not "flying."

Finally, given the questionable track record of their operations in Croatia, I would bet that C-FMXW (s/n B-101) may not exactly being flying any more with European Coastal Airlines either. I'd have to check with my contact in BC who helps to maintain it to learn its exact current status.

Last edited by Rajay on Mon May 03, 2021 1:10 pm, edited 2 times in total.

[Rajay]

double post