RESTORATION PROJECTS
Curtiss P40E Kittyhawk –  A29-53  
 

KITTYHAWK REPORT
By Ashley Briggs

As quite some time has passed since my last report, I thought it must be time for an update.

Well, work has steadily progressed on the upper section of the fuselage with all the riveting being completed with the internal painting about to take place.  Rob Weir has been overhauling the windscreen assembly and this assembly is now ready for riveting also.  Next step will be the lower fuselage to be fitted into the jig and then work will commence on this section. 

 

Seen here the museum’s P40E Kittyhawk is undergoing restoration at the Precision Aerospace facility, Wangaratta, under the direction of Ashley Briggs.  Our P40E, serialled A29-53, was one of 163 ‘E’ models to see service with the RAAF.  It was allocated to No. 76 and 77 squadrons and served in the defence of Darwin, north-west Australia and Perth.  The fuselage was recovered from a farm in western Victoria and was, for many years, displayed at the museum without wings.  The re-build will include new wings and an over-hauled engine. 

The P40 Project has been touring Victoria in recent years, having left Wangaratta to move to Point Cook where the work on the lower section of the fuselage progressed in readiness for re-attachment to the upper fuselage, however in mid 2006 the project had to leave Point Cook when civil aviation tenants were required to vacate Bellman Hangars on the Southern Tarmac.
 

2006 Point Cook





 

Since late 2006 the project has been underway in a private workshop in Western Melbourne where the lower fuselage has now been re-attached with the upper fuselage.

2007 Western Melbourne

A reminder of what the Museum started with, all those years ago!

Until next time…stay tuned!