North American NA-66 Harvard Mk.IIB

North American NA-66 Harvard Mk.IIB

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01/31/2008. Remarks by Malcolm V Lowe: "The restoration of this aircraft from a large number of parts began in earnest at the Bournemouth Aviation Museum in 2000, and the work was completed in the late summer of 2007. The re-build was based mainly upon major airframe parts of the Noorduyn-built ex-RAF Harvard Mk.IIB KF488, but with many components from several other unidentified Harvards as well, including the vertical tail from a former Fleet Air Arm-operated example.

The aircraft has been painted in early World War Two RAF training colours (albeit with some dummy armament also installed), and is now on show in the Museum’s outside public display area at Bournemouth Airport in Dorset, southern England. The aircraft is named 'Billie' in memory of the late Bill Hamblen, a Dorset-based collector and aviation enthusiast who saved many aviation artefacts from destruction including parts for the Harvard, but who sadly died during 2003.


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01/31/2008. Remarks by Malcolm V Lowe: "The restoration of this aircraft from a large number of parts began in earnest at the Bournemouth Aviation Museum in 2000, and the work was completed in the late summer of 2007. The re-build was based mainly upon major airframe parts of the Noorduyn-built ex-RAF Harvard Mk.IIB KF488, but with many components from several other unidentified Harvards as well, including the vertical tail from a former Fleet Air Arm-operated example. The aircraft has been painted in early World War Two RAF training colours (albeit with some dummy armament also installed), and is now on show in the Museum’s outside public display area at Bournemouth Airport in Dorset, southern England. The aircraft is named 'Billie' in memory of the late Bill Hamblen, a Dorset-based collector and aviation enthusiast who saved many aviation artefacts from destruction including parts for the Harvard, but who sadly died during 2003.