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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2018 15:11:40 GMT 12
Hi all, Tomorrow the Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum will open its newest exhibition hangar. For the past few weeks their social media team has been teasing the reveal of a new aircraft project and this week narrowed it down to either the Me262 or the long-stored Stuka. Today their social media manager shared a video on Facebook touring the new hangar, and at the end revealed the still-in-progress Stuka. The video can be seen here (apologies for non-FB people, I hope you can see it without being part of the site): www.facebook.com/flyingheritage/videos/221346615247103/Here are some screenshots I took from the video for those who don't do FB:  Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr  Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr  Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr  Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr  Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr  Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr She said there's about 18mth-2yr of work until it flies, and heavily implies the Jericho Trumpet sirens WILL be installed. Interestingly much of the original wreckage is on display - she said it's a composite of two wrecks - and the restoration will continue and be completed in full view of the public with engineers working Monday to Friday on the Stuka in the new hangar. Jason Muszala headed the project. This is fantastic. Since I was a child I've wanted to see and hear a Stuka fly, and reading that the late Paul Allen had acquired this project was tremendously exciting to this then-teenager. A historic project that will now be completed and seen by anyone who visits! |
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Post by vultee43 on Nov 11, 2018 0:34:51 GMT 12
Absolutely fantastic! This is probably one of the most important restorations in years and would only be complemented perfectly by an airworthy Ju88.
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Post by suthg on Nov 11, 2018 10:38:15 GMT 12
Well snapped Zac!!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 11, 2018 12:09:23 GMT 12
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2018 12:12:43 GMT 12
Thanks for the heads-up Dave, I'm off to take a look now!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2018 22:52:15 GMT 12
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Post by johnnyfalcon on Nov 12, 2018 7:24:25 GMT 12
Is this the Stuka once owned by the Alpine Fighter Collection?
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Post by Mustang51 on Nov 12, 2018 7:45:29 GMT 12
This is just incredible. I am now going to UK next year via USA just to see this and I am definitely going to be there for the first public outing if not first flight. And.... the comment ref the JU.88 absolutely correct!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2018 10:17:39 GMT 12
Is this the Stuka once owned by the Alpine Fighter Collection? The two AFC Stuka wrecks went to the Deutsches Technikmuseum in Berlin in 1996. Nine-year-old Zac wrote to Sir Tim asking if this was true and he confirmed it. Later Glenn Lacey in the UK registered one as G-STUK and was to restore it to fly, but the story there remains unclear and neither machine left Germany. Both are still in Berlin and parts are on display. This is from the FHCAM website: "This Stuka, an R-4 version modified to fly long distances, was built in 1941 and was destined for North Africa before being diverted to the fighting in Russia. Serving with Lehrgeschwader (demonstration wing) 1 and then Sturzkampfgeschwader (dive bomber wing) 5, the plane operated in northwest Russia, near the border with Finland and Norway. "The aircraft was on a mission to bomb Murmansk in April of 1942 when it was attacked by Soviet fighters and crashed to the west of the city. The wreckage remained in the wilderness until the early 1990s, when it was acquired by a private collector and shipped to England. The rare plane was eventually obtained by the Deutsches Technikmuseum (German Museum of Technology) in Berlin in 1997. " |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 12, 2018 12:44:13 GMT 12
So what you're saying is, yes, it is one that Sir Tim had?
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davem2
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 98
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Post by davem2 on Nov 12, 2018 15:27:43 GMT 12
Edit, I am now not confident in my first statement after receiving more info - two wrecks provided the bulk of parts / patterns etc, but I am in the process of confirming which ID is going to be used......
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 12, 2018 16:50:35 GMT 12
Thanks. How many of them exist as survivors these days, Dave?
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davem2
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 98
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Post by davem2 on Nov 12, 2018 20:25:45 GMT 12
IIRC only one substantial addition to my CW list way back in 2003, the wreck recovered for the Greek AF Museum. So off the top of my head - two relatively complete originals, three reasonably complete wrecks, numerous quite substantial 'bits' and the FHCAM rebuild.
Got to be more around in Russia's Far North, aside from the sea wrecks in the Mediterranean area.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 13, 2018 0:14:22 GMT 12
The river next to Stalingrad may have a few in it.
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Post by ErrolC on Nov 13, 2018 7:29:41 GMT 12
The Volga is or at least was a major trade route, even if the conditions are good for preservation they have probably been dredged up in the intervening decades. Generally its swamps, lakes and forests for recoveries, isn't it?
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Post by Brett on Nov 13, 2018 8:55:52 GMT 12
davem2 -
Your comment about two contributing wrecks clears things up for me.
6234 is an R-4 which is ex-AFC, DTM, RLM Aviation etc and was at one point registered G-STUK. The history of this airframe corresponds to the history Zac posted above, and would indicate that this is the identity they are going with. Possibly more due to the fact that it has a legal civil identity already rather than because it was the most viable project.
0875709 is an R-2, recovered in 1998 and part of the FHCAM collection since 2004.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 13, 2018 9:14:35 GMT 12
So are you saying part of this Stuka IS ex-AFC?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2018 16:33:52 GMT 12
The thing is, at this point we only know one of the two identities involved in the FHCAM project: 0875709. As far as I know both former AFC wrecks are still with the DTM in Berlin. So what you're saying is, yes, it is one that Sir Tim had? DaveM can confirm, but no - neither of Sir Tim's ever left Berlin after going there from Wanaka and this is entirely separate. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 13, 2018 16:49:32 GMT 12
How do we know this though? I mean Allen's organisation is very secretive and they do some very secretive deals and have moved other significant warbirds about the world without the general public having any idea.
What strikes me as most odd is the DTM has supposedly had three Stuka wrecks on site since the 1990's and made no effort to restore one from them.
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davem2
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 98
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Post by davem2 on Nov 13, 2018 22:47:30 GMT 12
I have yet to confirm with FHCAM /DTM, however I BELIEVE Brett's post above is correct with regards to the second machine contributing to this rebuild, so the poorer of the two wrecks once with the AFC and later stored with DTM. R-4, 6234 was supposedly purchased by Glenn Lacey (RLM), but I think it never left DTM, and Lacey was later to become a guest of Her Majesty circa 2006/07 and his collection auctioned off (no Stuka was present).
The image I have of R-2, 5709, taken from a helicopter, although blurry, does show a decent rear fuse- but whether its condition was viable for rebuild or it made it to the UK intact, hard to say.
It is also possible that the R-4 identity was chosen given the engine being used (something else I am confirming). The R-2 flew with the Jumo 211D, the R-4 with the Jumo 211J.
So, as I mention, this is just joining the dots, but to answer your question Dave, it does indeed seem likely that one of AFC's wrecks is part of this rebuild and nice to see another of FHCAM's superb collection has Kiwi connections.;-)
cheers
Dave
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