BORN AGAIN KITTYHAWK

Oct. 5

Some time well before May of 1943, a young James Francis "Stocky" Edwards shut down P-40 HS-B, serial number FR350, and walked away from it for the last time. In May of 43, he finished a year-long and stunningly successful tour with 260 Squadron of the RAF - with 13 confirmed kills, a DFM and a DFC. He was only 22 years old. HS-B would come to represent the quintessential “Stocky” Kittyhawk of all the ones he flew. He knew then he would never see it again. What happened yesterday would change all that.

After years of constant and highly skilled effort, Vintage Wings of Canada's “new” fighter, a Curtiss P-40N-1 Kittyhawk, took to the New Zealand skies on April 23, 2009. The Test Pilot was Frank Parker, P-40 owner, Airline Captain, leader of a Harvard display team, and all-round NZ warbird guru.

The first flight was near-perfect, the aircraft touching down after 35 minutes with only a minor aileron trim adjustment required. After wiping the grin off his face, and downing a cup of tea, Frank was airborne again.

It’s the culmination of 4 years of detailed restoration. This airframe, 42-104827, known as “Come in Suckers” during WWII, was hauled out of the New Guinea jungle by recovery expert Rob Greinert in the late ‘90s. It suffered a landing accident in 1944 while flying with RAAF 78 Squadron. (They were moving to a recently-captured airfield, Tadji, and the shell-holes on the runway were not completely filled-in causing the Kittyhawk to nose over onto its back). Vintage Wings of Canada took over the project in 2006. It has been almost exactly 65 years since the aircraft’s last flight.

The aircraft has been restored by Pioneer Aero, of Ardmore, New Zealand. Their uniquely skilled team specializes in P-40s. Every effort has been made to preserve the aircraft as it was in 1944. It has the correct engine for the model, an Allison V-1710-81. A close inspection of the airframe reveals very little change from the original, very few “upgrades”. However the paint and markings are designed to honour James F. “Stocky” Edwards, the highest scoring surviving Canadian fighter pilot, during the time he flew with 260 Squadron, RAF, in the North African desert. As you can see in the photos, final markings have yet to be applied.

Even the sparse instrument panel reflects the original “lightened” N-models. Modern radios have been covered with a false-front oxygen panel for static display authenticity.

Though the aircraft has been re-built as a 2-seater, with a basic set of flight controls in the rear cockpit, the original scalloped panels have been preserved, and can be inserted to restore an original appearance when the pilot is solo, or for ground display.

After the Flight Test hours are flown off, the Kittyhawk will be shipped to Gatineau. Expect to see it (flying, we hope!) at the first Vintage Wings of Canada Open House, June 06, 2009.