The Vintage Aviator Ltd (TVAL) has not participated in any public displays this season, but they have continued with their flying days at Hood Aerodrome on the last weekend of the month. These flying days have focussed on getting more pilots familiar with the various TVAL aircraft.
The most recent flying days were over the weekend of 27 - 28 January, and the weather co-operated although it was scorchingly hot. A lot of flying was done and around 20 TVAL WW 1 replica and reproduction aircraft were out in the sun.
And in an unexpected highlight TVAL revealed their two latest creations which are exact reproductions and are the latest in the lines of Albatos D VAs and Sopwith Pups:
TVAL Sopwith Pup ZK-AFS2 (c/n 0008) was first registered on 27/2/17 and is powered by an original 80 HP Le Rhone rotary engine. It is painted up as N6185 from 4(N) Squadron of the RNAS and which was the aircraft flown by 21 year old Australian pilot Flight Lt Charles J Moir. It originally bore the code A but the letters NZAC were added. Flight Lt Moir scored 2 victories in this Pup when he was shot down by German anti-aircraft fire near Zeebrugge on 10 May 1917, while he was on a bomber escort mission.
This is the third Sopwith Pup reproduction to come from The Vintage Aviator.
And the other new aircraft was TVAL Albatros D VA-1 ZK-ALB2 (c/n 0147) which was first registered on 15/3/17. This is the sixth Albatos D VA reproduction to come from The Vintage Aviator (as well as one Albatros D II). It is powered by a TVAL built water cooled 200 HP Mercedes D III au engine. It is painted up as a Jasta 11 machine of unknown serial, that was flown by Ltn Carl-August von Schoenbeck. It has the Jasta 11 red forward fuselage and struts and has the pilots personal colour on the tail surfaces - in this case lilac. The German WW 1 aircraft were much more colourful than their British opponents. Carl-August von Schoenbeck had seven confirmed victories in WW 1 as well as four unconfirmed. He was highly decorated and survived the war and he then went on to have a long flying career.
He was an instructor during the covert founding of the Luftwaffe in Lipetsk, Russia in 1935 and rose to the rank of Group Commander in 1938. He later served as the Air Attache to Bulgaria and was a prisoner of was from 1945 to 1948. He later founded the Luftfarht-Technik Company and represented such aircraft companies as Hiller Helicopters, Piper Aircraft, the Bristol Aeroplane Company and the Beech Aircraft Corporation. In 1954 he gained a multi-engine pilot's license and in 1975 he took up hang gliding at the age of 77! He died on 4 September 1989.
Thanks very much to Ray Deerness for supplying the long awaited photos.
The most recent flying days were over the weekend of 27 - 28 January, and the weather co-operated although it was scorchingly hot. A lot of flying was done and around 20 TVAL WW 1 replica and reproduction aircraft were out in the sun.
And in an unexpected highlight TVAL revealed their two latest creations which are exact reproductions and are the latest in the lines of Albatos D VAs and Sopwith Pups:
This is the third Sopwith Pup reproduction to come from The Vintage Aviator.
He was an instructor during the covert founding of the Luftwaffe in Lipetsk, Russia in 1935 and rose to the rank of Group Commander in 1938. He later served as the Air Attache to Bulgaria and was a prisoner of was from 1945 to 1948. He later founded the Luftfarht-Technik Company and represented such aircraft companies as Hiller Helicopters, Piper Aircraft, the Bristol Aeroplane Company and the Beech Aircraft Corporation. In 1954 he gained a multi-engine pilot's license and in 1975 he took up hang gliding at the age of 77! He died on 4 September 1989.
Thanks very much to Ray Deerness for supplying the long awaited photos.
Am I right in thinking that these 2 new aircraft will be joining the Fokker as part of the Warbirds fleet at Ardmore ?
ReplyDeleteI think that was the plan
ReplyDeleteZK-ALB deregistered (exported) 29/06/18
ReplyDelete