Thanks Wojtek and Paul, and I know what you mean Paul. I feel that way about the P-51 and P-47, particularly the latter, as there aren't any airworthy examples over here at the moment.
I watched the P-47 'razorback' being restored over the years at Duxford, but missed it's brief flying programme before it was exported to the 'States, the nearest I got to seeing it complete being the shipping container it was in, ready for export !
I haven't seen a 'live' P-47 since the early 1980's !!
And now, what do you call a Bucker Bestmann when it's not a Bucker Bestmann ?
A Heliopolis Gomhouria MkVI, of course !
The Gomhouria was a Bestmann, built under Czech licence, by the Heliopolis aircraft factory in Egypt in the 1950's. The example shown here was built by Kader Industries in Egypt in 1966, and is powered by a 105hp Walter-Minor engine, rather than the Hirth powerplants used by Bucker-built machines. This aircraft served in a training role with the Egyptian Air Force up until 1989, before being retired and sold on the private market, residing in Germany until 2011, when it was bought by William Greenwood, and is currently based on his farm in the south of England.
The aircraft wears the colours and markings of a WW2 Luftwaffe Bu181 Bestmann of Flugzeugfuhrerschule AB/32, based at Oldenburg-Pardubitz.
A neat machine, and a practical 'warbird', it provided a very smooth display of basic aerobatics.
Back soon with the final selections, featuring the Catalina.