Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk

Warbirds Over Scone March 2022

P-40F Warhawk 41-14112 VH-HWK

Constructed as a P-40F by Curtiss at Buffalo, New York and taken on charge with the United States Army with s/n 41-14112 on 20 December 1942. Based at Efate with 44 FS/18 FG & named ‘Bonecrusher’ it force-landed on Erromango 20 December 1942 on a training flight. Recovered in November 1989 and shipped to Australia. Acquired by Judy Pay 1990 and restored with registration VH-HWK.

Curtiss Kittyhawk IV (Curtiss P-40N) 42-104687

Built in 1943 by Curtiss in Buffalo, New York 42-104687was disassembled and then shipped to New Zealand for reassembly at 1 Aircraft Depot at Hobsonville Airfield, Auckland. Brought on Charge at Hobsonville on the 25th June 1943 as NZ3125 and assigned to 2 Operational Training Unit (OTU) at Ohakea Airfield. After the war NZ3125 was sent for disposal at Rukuhia, Hamilton. NZ3125 was purchased on the 2nd March 1948 as a wreck and stored for future restoration. After a number of different owners NZ3125 was eventually restored to a flying condition in 2006. NZ3125 is in the livery of RAF Kittyhawk III (FR309) which served with 112 “Shark” Squadron as GA-Q of the Desert Air Force against Rommel before moving on to Sicily and Italy. FR309 (42-45899) had entered RAF service during July 1942 and was Struck Off Charge on the 14th March 1946.

Curtiss P-40E Kittyhawk VH-KTY

Constructed in Buffalo New York USA in 1942 and originally allocated to the RAF as a Mk. Ia Kittyhawk, ET433 this aircraft was diverted to Australia later in 1942 and allocated to the United States Army Air Corps 68th Pursuit Squadron, Tonga. On the 27th of October 1942 the P-40 was transferred to the RNZAF as NZ3094. It is believed that the aircraft served in RNZAF 15 Sqn at Fuamotu, Tonga from 27 October 1942.

Finished in the colour scheme of a 3 Squadron RAAF P-40E serial ET953 Sqn code CV-V, as flown by Squadron Leader Robert Gibbes, the Commanding Officer of No. 3 Squadron, North Africa.

Curtiss P-40N-5-CU VH-PFO

Curtiss P-40N-5-CU Serial No. 42-104986 was delivered to the 49th Fighter Group, 8th Fighter Squadron in mid-1943. Flown operationally in Papua New Guinea, it was involved in a dogfight with a Kawasaki Ki-61 Tony on 14 February 1944. The Ki-61 was shot down, but damage to the engine coolant system force the P-40 to crash-land 100km from base. The pilot 1st Lt. Nelson D. Flack, Jr was rescued by Australian and US forces and returned to base.

The wreck was recovered in 2004 and restored to flying condition in March 2016.

Curtiss P-40N-5-CU of the 49th Fighter Group, 8th Fighter Squadron

Curtiss P-40E Kittyhawk Hunter Warbirds 2 April 2022

Wings Over Illawarra 2021

Curtiss P-40E Kittyhawk VH-KTY belongs to Vintage Fighter Restorations based at Scone NSW. It is finished in the colour scheme of a 3 Sqn RAAF P-40E serial ET953 Sqn code CV-V, the aircraft of Robert Henry Maxwell (Bobby) Gibbes, DSO, DFC and Bar, OAM (6 May 1916 – 11 April 2007), as Commanding Officer of No. 3 Squadron, North Africa.