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http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/indian-air-force-plans-to-fly-refitted-vintage-aircraft/1/163301.html

Indian Air Force plans to fly refitted vintage aircraft

December 8, 2011

They ruled the skies when flying had just taken off. But in this supersonic era of military aviation, the Indian Air Force is trying to get some of its old birds back in air.

Vintage flying may be popular abroad, but for India, it is a new beginning. The IAF has one of the largest collections of vintage aircraft in the world.

Two of these aircraft, the Tiger Moth - a bi-plane basic trainer of the 1940s - and Harvard, an advanced trainer used in the Fifties and Sixties, are being restored in the UK for the IAF. The latest on the project is that the two aircraft should become air worthy by April or May, IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Gerard Galway said.

It might sound simple but getting these birds off the ground again was a gigantic task considering that it hadn't been attempted in the country earlier.

Some of these aircraft were flying till a Mirage combat jet crashed during the annual Indian Air Force Day show in New Delhi. Stringent safety measures were announced and flight displays of single-engine aircraft before the public was banned. Coming just after the first formal vintage flying wing in the IAF came into existence, the move marked the end of such flights. Most of these aircraft were single-engined.

Nearly 20 years later, Wing Commander Mukesh Sharma, a young aeronautical engineer with a passion for flying, started work on a Tiger Moth in 2007. In three months, the IAF officer and his team managed to fire up the engine of the ancient bird, which was housed at the IAF museum in New Delhi. Mike Edwards, a commercial pilot with a keen interest in vintage flying, also contributed in the initial stages.

WITHIN a year, the IAF was ready with an elaborate plan to restore old aircraft in a phased manner. The Tiger Moth and a Harvard were selected for the first phase and sent to the UK. The second phase will see the restoration of the Hurricane, the Spitfire, the Lysander and the Tempest. In the final phase, the Wapiti - the IAF's first aircraft - would be revived to fly again. All phases are expected to be completed in 15 years.

After making them flight worthy, the IAF can use them in a number of ways. One proposal was to use them on the lines of the Battle of Britain memorial flights which is considered to be the Royal Air Force of UK's tribute to the World War II aviators. They can also be flown at the Aero India show or the passing out parades of various military, paramilitary or civil services academies.

The Tiger Moth and the Harvard were chosen first as they are perhaps the easiest and cheapest to restore. A Tiger Moth can be had for around Rs.1 crore in the vintage market and a Harvard could come for Rs.2.5 crore.

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747-237 · Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2011 6:01 pm Post subject:

Great seeing the IAF Tiger Moth. It was the first airplane my Dad flew in the IAF, close to 60 years ago.