Vintage Flying Machines

30/12/2025

2025 In Review: In April VFM took our TBM Avenger to Virginia Beach to join the Commemerative Air Force R4D shortly before it headed across the Atlantic for its European Tour. Both aircraft are finished in the Atlantic Sea Search paint scheme used for anti-submarine operations in the Atlantic Theater. NAS Oceana granted us permission to fly over their base for photographs.

29/12/2025

2025 In Review: In April VFM was invited to particpate in a warbird display during Embry Riddle's Aviation Week. During the event we put over 400 students in the cockpit of our TBM Avenger. Hopefully we inspired some of them to get involved in vintage aviation!

28/12/2025

2025 In Review: In early March it was time to pull the fabric control surfaces off of our Western Airlines DC-3. Some of the controls were still covered in cotton, but they still got us across the Atlantic in 2024. Again, we were assisted by a crew of young men who helped us remove them and load them in our C-47 so we could fly them to a shop in Texas for recovering. This would mean that the Western DC-3 would not be operated for four or five months, but is an important element in keeping it airworthy.

27/12/2025

2025 In Review: The first weekend in March the collection's C-47 Wabbit Express participated in the second annual Leeward Warbird Roundup. We were joined by a great group of young men from the area who we were able to take flying in the airplane. They also pitched in and helped us when we had some minor maintenance to accomplish. With the enthusiasm of young men like these, vintage aviation should survive well into the future.

26/12/2025

2025 In Review: In February VFM aquired a Douglas AD-5 Skyraider from its long term caretaker, Eric Downing. The Skyraider fills an important role in the collection as it allows us to tell the story of aviation in both the Korean War and Vietnam War.

25/12/2025

Merry Christmas from all of us at Vintage Flying Machines. We have been blessed this year to interact with so many of our fellow aviation enthusiasts. Over the next few days we will be looking back at some of the collections notable events of 2025.

22/12/2025

At the end of October, Vintage Flying Machines’ aircraft participated in a young aviator’s flyin at our home base. One of the missions of our museum is to inspire and equip younger aviators to become active in preserving and flying historic aircraft. We use our Fairchild PT-26 to “mint” new warbird pilots. This weekend our chief pilot Job Savage checked out six young people in the airplane. Included in that group were four brand new warbird pilots and one who accomplished her initial tailwheel solo flight. We were excited to share this experience with these outstanding young men and women! Visit our website at www.vintageflyingmachines.org to learn about our collection.

16/11/2025

16/11/2025

WD –Hadley Page Hamden P1344 (RAF Museum),
Then & Now

Report and Images by George J Land

Handley Page Hampden TB Mk.1, P1344, PL-K, No 144 Squadron RAF P1344 initially entered RAF service with No. 14 Operational Training Unit at RAD Cottesmore, Bomber Command in late 1939, before being modified to a torpedo bomber (TB Mk.I) variant in 1942 for RAF Coastal Command and subsequently joined No.144 Squadron RAF N.18 Group RAF Leuchers, Coastal Command.

Handley Page Hampden TB.Mk.1 P1344, along with P1273 and AE436 where amongst the 32 Hampdens flying from the Shetland Islands to northern Russia in 1942 piloted by PO Esmond Perry in support the Arctic convoys intended to support of the Russian war effort against the Nazi-German invasion of Russia.

P1344 PL-K After suffering icing on the aircraft was forced it to change its route and thus became too close to a German Airfield and was intercepted and shot down by a pair of. Messerschmitt Bf109s over the Kola Peninsula subsequently crashed landed into a bog.
Only the pilot, Pilot officer Esmond Perry and (passenger) technician/engine fitter Corporal George Shepard surviving to be taken prisoner. The other three perished in the crash, the navigator Flight Sergeant G.E. Miller (RCAF), wireless operator/gunner Sergeant t James Robertson and gunner Sergeant Daniel Garrity.

Having laid in the Russian bog for 47 years the wreckage was discovered in 1989 with recovery taking place in 1991, it was then subsequently acquired by the RAF Museum in 1992, for long term conservation and restoration.

After a long and painstaking restoration including conserving and restoring some the parts and making new sections from the original drawings by the skilled fitters in the Michael Beetham Conservation Centre at The RAF Museum Midlands (Cosford) it went on display at the RAF Museum London (Hendon) in 2025 83 years after it had been shot down.

Currently believed that of the 1430 built by Handley Page (UK)at English Electric’s Cricklewood factory and by Canadian Associated Aircraft (Canada), The HP Hampdens served with the Royal Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force, Maritime Military Fleet Aviation (Soviet Union) and the Swedish Air Force with only 4 examples existing today in one form or another.

Unfortunately, there are no airworthy examples surviving, with only a few surviving in restored condition or currently sections being restored, these are

P1273 Wings and Tail at the Wings Aviation Museum
P1344 restored fuselage in the RAF Museum London at Hendon (subject of this post)
P5436 Restored to static display with the Canadian Museum of Flight (complete)
AE436 at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre being restored for static display