ICONS OF FLIGHT
Old souls with a new drive
Aircraft restoration is a relatively new phenomenon. In the 1960s, the practice barely existed, and the few survivors of iconic types were merely preserved as static examples in museums. But just when memories of these special aircraft began to wane, a new passion was ignited — to restore them to flight. Today, the sight and sound of vintage aircraft back in the air draw millions of people to air shows around the world. They are the fruit of the tireless efforts of those who work to keep them flying, in the process digging up old manuals, hunting down obsolete parts, and relearning long-forgotten engineering skills.
BLÉRIOT XI
There are only a handful of places in the world where one can witness the flight of aircraft built before the First World War. Given that the youngest of these is well over 100 years old and that, by their nature, they are flimsy, underpowered and hard to control, their survival is a miracle in itself. The most iconic of these is the Blériot XI, the type in which Parisian lamp-maker Louis Blériot achieved lasting fame by becoming the first person to cross the English Channel in an aeroplane on 25 July 1909.
Today, original Blériot monoplanes can be seen flying at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome just north of New York and at the JeanBaptiste Salis collection at La Ferté-Alais near Paris. One of the most original examples is operated by the Shuttleworth Trust at Old Warden Aerodrome in England. Built for the Blériot Flying School in 1910, it was acquired by collector Richard Shuttleworth in 1935 as his first historic aeroplane, and comes with the earliest aero-engine in flying condition.
DE HAVILLAND DH.88 COMET
Another iconic aircraft in the Shuttleworth Collection is the de Havilland 88 Comet. It was built for the MacRobertson Air Race of 1934. CWA Scott and Tom Campbell-Black won the race after flying the Comet over the 11,000-mile route from England to Australia in 70 hours and 54 minutes.
The all-wooden Comet’s design was focused on aerodynamic efficiency, with its long nose housing the fuel tanks for twin engines. This allowed a very slim wing profile to be used for pure speed. The aircraft’s uncompromising design, though, meant it was challenging to fly, and particularly to land.
The aircraft set further records before being stored during WW2 then exhibited as a static display. By 1987, it had been restored to flying condition, before being grounded again in 2002 owing to an undercarriage failure. It took a further decade of work by the Shuttleworth engineers to get the aircraft airworthy again in August 2014.
DE HAVILLAND DH.89 DRAGON RAPIDE
The commercial contemporary of the de Havilland Comet, the Dragon Rapide was developed as a short-range airliner carrying up to eight passengers. It shared the Comet’s elegant Art Deco styling and was constructed entirely of wood.
A number of Dragon Rapides continue to fly today, as far afield as Europe, America, Australia and New Zealand. One particular restoration stands out, though. G-AGJG was built in 1941 and, with camouflage livery, was operated by Scottish Airways on wartime airline services. It was later acquired by father and son team David and Mark Miller, who undertook an award-winning restoration.
SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE
Perhaps the most iconic aircraft of the Second World War era, the combines sleek lines, distinctive Rolls-Royce engine notes, and curved elliptical wings. Its epic wartime record includes the defence of England during the Battle of Britain in 1940. Between 1936 and 1948, 20,341 were built in 22 different variants. Around 55 remain airworthy today, with six being operated by the Royal Air Force’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
Perhaps the most original restored is maintained at Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida. Over a six-year period in the 1990s, this aircraft was restored by Personal Plane Services in England using almost 90 per cent of its original structure. Owner Kermit Weeks insisted that the aircraft be restored to original condition as closely as possible. Machine guns, cannon, gun sight, and original working radios are all installed.
The sight and sound of vintage aircraft back in the air draw millions of people
LOCKHEED SUPER CONSTELLATION
Some of the most daunting restoration projects involve propellerdriven airliners, with their sheer size and the complexity of their power units and systems. The Breitling Super Constellation, for instance, has four 18-cylinder Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone engines. Merely changing the spark-plugs requires removing and replacing 144 of them. And imagine the challenge of reupholstering 70 passenger seats!
Initially designed in 1939 at the instigation of the notorious Howard Hughes, the Lockheed Constellation came to life in the post-war era. Its distinctive curved fuselage and triple tails made it a hallmark of power, speed and style. Its first scheduled transatlantic service began in February 1946, while Pan American World Airways offered a round-the-world service in June 1947.
Today, only a handful of Constellations remain airworthy. One, named Columbine II by Dwight D. Eisenhower, was the first presidential transport to use the call sign ‘Air Force One”. Another, Connie, is maintained by volunteers at Illawarra Regional Airport in Australia, while watch company Breitling operates the Breitling Super Constellation out of Basel, Switzerland.
AVRO VULCAN XH558
If there’s an ultimate aircraft restoration project in terms of size, complexity and cost, it has to be the return to flight of a former cold war nuclear bomber. The Avro Vulcan XH558 is giant delta-winged four-jet bomber that served with the Royal Air Force between 1957 and 1985. After being withdrawn from active service, XH558 was retained for air display use until it was retired by the RAF in 1992.
The Vulcan to the Sky Trust was established to raise over £6.5 million to fund the restoration of one example to flight. It returned to the air on 18 October 2007 and, funded by continuing donations to shoulder running costs of £2m per year, flew on until its final air display season in 2015. Its last two preretirement flights took it around the whole of the British Isles, with more than two million people bidding it farewell.