Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Mustang on Internet Modeler


My Airfix Mustang model has been published on Internet Modeler. Click here to read the article.

Monday, July 18, 2016

Boeing 100th Birthday Party


A few photos from Sunday's version of the Boeing Centennial Event.  The event to celebrate the aviation borg's 100th birthday was more of a fair than an airshow, but a few nice vintage types were on display to accompany the 7-7 family.  Outside of the Boeing B-25, Boeing AT-6, and Boeing P-51D from the Historic Flight Foundation, military types were in short supply.

Addison Pemberton's Boeing Model 40B restoration was clearly the highlight of the display.  It is the oldest Boeing type still flying.



Bob Dempster's recreation of the Seattle Douglas World Cruiser is as impressive as it is ugly.  It will soon be mounted on floats and hopefully attempt to recreate the around the world journey of the original DWCs in 2017.



The Hamilton Metalplane H-47 is the only surviving type manufactured by this forgotten firm which was later absorbed by Boeing.


Sunday featured flybys of famous Boeing types such as the DC-3 and the TA-4 Skyhawk.  Sadly, the laser light show/movie fell flat during the daytime.  I bet it was nice Friday and Saturday night though.




Alaska has painted up a Boeing Centennial 737.  Oh how I wish they had
copied the Dash 80 prototype scheme instead!

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Canada's Sea Hornet

TT193 taxis out at Watson Lake while operating with WEE. (Photo courtesy of the Canada. Dept. of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada/RE68-1785.)

While the RCAF had much experience with the de Havilland Mosquito, both in Canada and in Europe, only one de Havilland Hornet was ever operated by the RCAF. DH Sea Hornet F.20 TT193 was taken on strength in late 1948 and operated by Winter Experimental Establishment (WEE) undertaking cold weather trials.

The Sea Hornet during its time with Spartan Air Service. (Photo courtesy of
Joseph J. Scott/Library and Archives Canada/R3883-1-2-E.)

After being struck off by the RCAF in the summer of 1950, it was sold to Spartan Air Service as CF-GUO. Spartan intended to use the Sea Hornet for photo survey work, but decided to standardize on Lockheed P-38s. Later it was traded by Spartan to Kenting Aviation Ltd for a Lightning. The aircraft had an accident in British Columbia in 1952 and was long thought to be scrapped, but parts of the aircraft are still extant in Canada.

Modeler's Note: The Hornet family has been poorly served in plastic. The best bet to build TT193 in 1/72 is the Special Hobby Sea Hornet F. 20 kit. Consisting of short run plastic, resin, and photo etch it has some accuracy issues, but will look like a Hornet when finished. Sadly, it will take some work, and filler, to get a good looking Sea Hornet on the shelf.