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Awarbird is any vintagemilitary aircraft now operated by civilian organizations and individuals, or in some instances, by historic arms of military forces, such as theBattle of Britain Memorial Flight, the Royal Australian Air Force'sNo. 100 Squadron, or theSouth African Air Force Museum Historic Flight.
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Although the term originally implied piston-driven aircraft from theWorld War II era, it is now often extended to include all airworthy former military aircraft, includingjet-powered aircraft andhelicopters.[1][2]
The several different types of warbirds include thefighter,trainer,bomber,jet,transport, utility, etc. Examples of aircraft types include the North American P-51 Mustang,Vought F4U Corsair,Curtiss P-40 Warhawk,North American B-25 Mitchell,Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, North American T-6 Texan,Beechcraft T-34 Mentor,Messerschmitt Bf 109,Hawker Hurricane,Douglas C-47 Skytrain,Avro Lancaster,Grumman TBF Avenger, andSupermarine Spitfire.
Sometimes, modern production aircraft such asAllison V-1710-poweredYakovlev Yak-9s fromYakovlev and replicas and reproductions of vintage aircraft are called "warbirds", such asMesserschmitt Me 262s built by theMe 262 Project andFocke-Wulf Fw 190s byFlug + Werk; this can include any one of a large number of different aircraft designs from between World War I and the late 1930s, when military aircraft design was less complex. Such replicated warbirds may even be powered by vintage engines from the era of the aircraft design being flown, asCole Palen and others associated with his institution did at Palen'sOld Rhinebeck Aerodrome aviation museum with accurate and airworthy reproductions of theFokker Dr.I,Fokker D.VII,Fokker D.VIII,Sopwith Camel, andSopwith Dolphin World War I aircraft.
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Vintage warbird restoration, or classic aircraft restoration, is the process of taking aircraft from the previous era, and performing processes such as maintenance, repairs, and refurbishments to restore the aircraft to its original military configuration (minus any working weaponry). According toClassic Warplanes, some of the tasks performed on these vintage aircraft include:[6]
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Restored warbirds are a frequent attraction atairshows. Airshows are held all over the world annually.Warbird Alley claims that some of the best-known airshows that feature warbirds are:[7][failed verification]
In Europe, one of the best-known warbird airshows is the annualFlying Legends arranged inImperial War Museum Duxford in UK.La Ferté-Alais air show in France collects warbirds annually, too. Warbirds fly also in most of theShuttleworth Collection flying days in UK every summer.
In Australia a biennial event, Warbirds Downunder, is held at theTemora Aviation Museum in Temora, NSW"for a two-day celebration of Australian aviation history".[8] The event features warbirds from private and museum collections around the country (such as theHARS collection), both in flying and static displays, as well as being regularly supported by current squadrons of theRoyal Australian Air Force, includingNo. 100 Squadron and the RAAF formation aerobatic display team, theRoulettes.
In New Zealand there is an airshow over the Easter Weekend each year, this alternates between the Warbirds Over Wanaka in Wānaka, Otago and Classic Fighters in Blenheim, Marlborough. These are well supported by the large fleet of warbirds in NZ, as well as the RNZAF and RAAF. There are also smaller shows held in Masterton, Tauranga and Auckland.
Highly modified and "stock" warbirds can also frequently be seen atair races, since World War II-era fighters are among the fastest propeller-driven airplanes ever built.
The premier event for warbird air racing is theReno Air Races, held each September nearReno, Nevada. There are several classes of racing that facilitate the application of warbirds in the sport, including the:
Some of the most popular warbirds for racing are theNorth American P-51 Mustang, theHawker Sea Fury, theGrumman F8F Bearcat, and theNorth American T-6 Texan.
In more recent years, straight wing, jet-powered warbirds such as theAero L-29 Delfin,Aero L-39 Albatros,BAC Jet Provost,De Havilland Vampire, andPZL TS-11 Iskra have seen the conception of their own racing class, known simply as the Jet Class.[9]
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The Australian Warbirds Association represents warbird owners in Australia and is responsible for oversight of warbird operations, a function delegated by Australia'sNational Airworthiness Authority, theCivil Aviation Safety Authority.[10] Canadian groups include Warbirds Canada, Western Warbirds and the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association. The New Zealand Warbirds Association supports warbird owners in that country.
Some organizations in the United States are:
