Indian Warbird News

Vintage Flight Tigermoth Debut over Delhi

Tigermoth HU512 debuts over the Delhi Skies on 6th October 2012 during the rehearsal flights for the Air Force Day at Hindan. The Indian Air Force released several photographs of the aircraft  during the rehearsals. The Tigermoth has been now re-painted in Indian Air Force markings. 

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Yelahanka Dakota Sold in an Auction?

Google Earth SnapFor years the identity of the Dakota in Yelahanka was a mystery. A recent tender ad, announcing its auction reveals its origins - but puts its fate in balance..

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Delhi's Mystere and Gnat


A Mystere is crumbling in the back alleys of New Delhi, while a Gnat returns back to its 'home' at Vayu Bhavan.

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Cochin aerospace museum taking shape

A new museum is coming up outside the Cochin International Airport. Despite some ambitious plans, only one Iskra aircraft has been confirmed to be an exhibit as of now. 

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Gnat Restored in Kozhikode

Gnat E-1982 on display outside a cultural center in Kozhikode has been restored by a group of Indian Air Force Veterans. The restoration began in August 2010 and was completed on Air Force Day 2010. Two Newsreports in this regard are reproduced here.

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Gulbarga Me-109's presence in UK acknowledged

Click to Enlarge

After many years of speculation, Rare Aero Ltd of UK had addressed the elephant in the room by releasing the following statement on various Aviation Forums.  Noted historian Andy Saunders was contacted by Rare Aero Ltd to release it to the public.

The Statement acknowledges for the first time that the aircraft is in UK in the Channel Islands and also makes several sensational statements. These include claims that it was approached by people offering it services that would ensure it is covered up in India ... for a fee.

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A rare MiG-21 unearthed

Deolali MiG01_Small

 

12 Feb 2010: A very early example of a MiG-21 that served in the Indian Air Force has been re-discovered.  Sandesh Kanchan (aka ghostrider) had correctly identified the MiG-21 displayed in Artillery Center Deolali  as an early MiG-21 PF (Type 76). Previously the aircraft was reported as a MiG-21FL. 

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Radial Engine fished out near Kochi

The Hindu reported in May that an aircraft engine was fished out by fishermen off the Beypore coast at Kochi in Kerala. The Radial Engine, which appears to have come  off either an Avenger, Hellcat or a Corsair was later heli-lifted by the Navy to one of their bases.

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Tejas TD-1 "Wfu"

A Photograph of the LCA Tejas first prototype "TD-1" being cannibalised for usable spares. The aircraft is officially "withdrawn from use" after 233 flights.

Colonel Ajai Shukla, who writes the popular Broadsword Blog reports that the first LCA Prototype / "Technology Demonstrator 1" is in the process of being canibalised and used for spares for other aircraft.

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British Era Plane Debris recovered!

CHHINDWARA October 26, 1999 : The debris of an Army Dakota plane that crashed in 1938 have been found recently near village Ambadi under Sausar tehsil in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh.The Dakota plane belonged to ..

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HAL Heritage Center to be unveiled!

BANGALORE, August 5th 2001: HAL is all set to unveil its heritage center located on the Airport road, at the HAL Complex. Set up in thier erstwhile the theatre complex, the center will have on view several aircraft on display as well as models of Rockets contributed by ISRO.

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Benares Hindu University sells its Warbird to Briton

Varanasi, - June 2001 - Peter Vacher, a flier and aviation enthusiast from Briton has suceeded in buying the World War 2 aircraft on display at the BHU Campus. ...

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Chance Vought F-4U Corsair recovered from sea off Quilon

Corsair wreckKerala , April 2001 - The wreckage of a small aircraft that was reported by the fishing boat Hansantony off the Kollam (Quilon) Coast was retrieved at the Shaktikulangara Beach. Naval experts from INS Garuda identified the wreckage as that of a Vought F4U Corsair aircraft. This aircraft is a World War II

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B-24 "Hot as Hell", Found in Paradise

[Frontier India.Net]

It has been over 60 year wait for the family members, including Gary Zaetz, of the ill fated World War Two plane B-24 J nicknamed “Hot As hell.” On January 25, 1944, B-24 J “Hot As Hell” with a compliment of 8 crew members took off from Kunming, China for a routine flight to Chabua, India. The plane never reached its destination. The crews were declared dead on November 20, 1944.

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Wreckage recovered off the Kerala Coast

20061129A_008101007s.jpg (25263 bytes)Dec 2006:  Wg Cdr V G Kumar (Retd) first pointed out that local Kerala news agencies have reported that fishermen have recovered an aircraft wreckage from the sea near Trissur.  at Chakkavad village. Subsequently the Hindu newspaper carried a couple of photographs 

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Missing Bf-109 surfaces in the UK?

-Sept 2006:  The UK Civil Aircraft Register G-INFO shows a new aircraft registered with the same werk number as the previous missing Indian Bf-109.

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Akash Mess Warbirds Removed

Akash-MiG_Small.jpg (10627 bytes) Sept 2006: Sandeep Unnithan reports that the Warbirds at the Akash mess are to be relocated elsewhere. A new MiG-21 nose has been added as a display inside the main building.

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MiG-25 Foxbats Phased out

- The Indian Air Force has phased out its MiG25s at a ceremony on 1st May 2006. An exclusive report on what is going to happen to each warbird and how some of them have already arrived at thier final destinations!

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MiG-23 Unveiled at Gandhinagar

-Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi recently unveiled a plaque on a MiG-23 MF at Gandhinagar. This is the first MiG-23 MF on public display in the country. News reports on the event are featured in this page....

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Heritage Museum, Jodhpur

Click to ReadOct 2005, : Heritage Museum at Air Force Station, Jodhpur is one of the prestigious museums established by the Indian Air Force. The Museum features a Sukhoi, Marut and a MiG-27 on display

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