R Palimaka

Great work! These sorts of details take it way above the kit offerings and bring it alive. Love all the small additions...not sure why, but I'm especially liking the folded and stowed pilot armour plate. Richard

A couple more:

Well, exiled to Page 21 of Works in Progress. Guess it's time to resurrect this one now that colder weather is here and get started again. There isn't really a lot left to do, although some of what's ahead is a bit delicate, and some tedious. The big barrier has been the sliding portion of the canopy which has fought me. I have assembled a huge arsenal of different glues and adhesives to try to see if I can tame it. More later. In the meantime I took better photos of where I'm at right now. Hope it won't be too repetitive, but these have less cluttered backgrounds. T

This is going to be a wonderful tribute, regardless of the different aircraft type, and I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with it. The Lancaster is such a magnificent aircraft, and we are lucky here in Ontario to have a flying example within a few hours drive. The sight of her taking off is breathtaking...and that sound! It always moves me to see how silent the crowds get when she goes to power to take off. I'm not in Hamilton as often with COVID, but I work with the Museum and will be there a couple times over the next month. If I can help let me know. Richar

Avro Vulcan anyone? This aircraft always impressed the audience at airshows in Canada when it made it over this side of the Atlantic. What a majestic beast! John Dibbs photo...of course Richard

Osprey did a book on V-1 aces, Aircraft of the Aces #113. The best book on the subject is Diver! Diver! Diver!, published by Grub Street. Tipping was frowned upon, as it was extremely dangerous. However there are many cases of it being used by pilots after they ran out of ammunition. Richard

I believe you might be thinking of "slats" not ailerons, and yes the Whirlwind had them. Slats are extendable devices along the leading edge of the wing which increase lift at low speeds, like take-off and landing, climbing. From what I understand the slats on the Whirlwind were ordered wired shut after a couple of them crashed after the slats malfunctioned. I'm no Whirlwind expert, others will know more. Still though, cool looking aircraft! Richard

Yes!! An RCAF example in the mix of decals. That 442 Vampire had to be in the mix...I hope that they get the right maple leaf in the roundel. Richard

I will always be biased toward the Mustang, but...if I can step back and be objective for a moment, I think the De Havilland Hornet has to be in the running. I wish there was one still flying, and that there was an injection moulded 1/32 scale kit. Artwork by Steven Heyen Richard

This may be old news to some, but I thought I would share. The Polish Aviation Museum in Krakow has digitized and made available hundreds of documents, photos, log books and printed material. There are notes and manuals of Polish aircraft and interests of course, but there is also material on French, British, German, Russian and Czech aircraft amongst others. As an example, I've included a link to a number of manuals/pilot's notes for German aircraft. Thought they might prove useful to some. If you click on each of the photos of the folders, there are manuals for different versions for each ai

Thank you for all this gentlemen. All excellent suggestions. I was looking for a one-volume history, hopefully more recent than Chris Shores’ book. I should have been more clear. It was meant as a thank you gift for a friend who is Finnish, and involved in aviation and the restoration scene. The one Brad suggested looks good, but it’s listed as unavailable. Hopefully I can find one in Finland or Europe. I’m always amazed by the depth of knowledge on this site. Thank you! Richard PS: Have to get the Caudron C.714 book for myself. An enormous book dedi

Thanks Brad, especially for that one recommendation, which looks like exactly what I was looking for. I’ll see if I can find a copy somewhere in Europe. I had tried general searches on Amazon, Abebooks, Book Depository and a couple of European bookshops with not much luck. It’s as you said, some available on specific aircraft or units, but mostly 1939-45. Richard

Hope this is the right place to ask this. I've been trying to find a good history of the Finnish AIr Force in English, or otherwise, without success. I've seen the old Aircam history but it only goes up to 1968. There is the old Squadron Signal history that covers 1939-45, but it is commanding stupid prices on Amazon. Osprey also has "Finnish Aces of Second World War" and "Lentolaivue 24" in Elite Units. Seems like a bit of an omission for a small but important air arm. FInland has held a delicate place in international power struggles for almost 100 years. Just curio

The smoke reached Kingston, Ontario at the eastern end of Lake Ontario yesterday! The late afternoon/evening sky was a weird dusty rose colour, and the sunset, in a clear sky, was a dark orange with the sun just a small disc. It must be horrific on the West Coast. Richard

The Grumman Avenger AS3 owned by the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, Ontario performed engine tests and taxi runs on Saturday, September 12, after a long restoration. Everything went smoothly and they will be performing other checks while waiting for certification to fly. She looks beautiful in Royal Canadian Navy colours, and they had the proper canopy fabricated. Photos by Museum photographer Derek Mickeloff. Richard