BLENHEIM IF 'L6739'

Gracing the airshow circuit once again in 2015 is a magnificently restored Bristol Blenheim, thanks to the Aircraft Restoration Company. This versatile aircraft served in many roles during the Battle of Britain - as a day and night fighter, as a light bomber, as a reconnaissance aircraft and more. The heroism of all Blenheim crews is honoured by the ARC's example, originally built in Canada as a Bolingbroke IVT trainer. It was the second such aircraft restored to flight by what used to be the British Aerial Museum, latterly the Aircraft Restoration Company, at Duxford - the first crashed in 1987. This one, registered G-BPIV, flew again after restoration in May 1993. After a successful decade of flying, it suffered significant damage in a landing accident at Duxford during August 2003. The rebuild was completed last year, the opportunity being taken to reconfigure the aircraft as a Blenheim IF with a short nose. The nose section in question came from a Blenheim serialled L6739, which served in the early part of the war with No 23 Squadron; the aircraft, re-flown last November, now appears in those markings. It made its post-restoration public flying debut at IWM Duxford's Spring Air Show this May.