The last flight of the only original World War One German aircraft still airworthy.

The Shuttleworth Collection - http://www.shuttleworth.org/

Autumn Air Display
Sunday 5th October 2003
Gates Open 9AM
Flying Starts 2PM
The last air display of 2003 will close our anniversary flying season with
more great flying, a vehicle parade as well as trade stands and the jubilee
play centre for younger visitors. In this show we hope to showcase training
aeroplanes from the Boxkite of 1910 to the Jet Provost and Bulldog that was
only recently retired from RAF service. We also hope to have the final
display flight of the LVG C.VI before it joins the RAF Museum collection at
Hendon. In addition we will have aerobatics by Denny Dobson and many
visiting aeroplanes. A fitting finale to our 75th anniversary year and the
100th anniversary of powered flight.

L.V.G. C.VI
'7198/18' / G-AANJ
on loan from the RAF Museum
The Luft-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft (L.V.G.) Company built many reconnaissance
and light bomber aeroplanes during World War One. An L.V.G. C.IV was the
first aeroplane to make a daylight raid on London in November 1916. The C.VI
was an improved version of this aeroplane.

Although this aeroplane bears the constructors number 7198/18 it is actually
a composite of three L.V.G.'s. It was sent to Martlesham Heath for
evaluation and remained there until 1919 when it was displayed at the
Imperial War Museum's Crystal Palace exhibition. In 1921 it was decided that
there was no room to display the aircraft and it was put into store at the
Science Museum. It remained there until 1932 when the Imperial War Museum
requested that the RAF take the L.V.G. back; the RAF put the L.V.G. in store
at Cardington.

In 1936 the L.V.G. was rediscovered and taken to Hendon for restoration.
Flt. Lt. Buckle and Flt. Sgt. Scott restored it, replacing the faulty
original radiator with a new radiator from a Renault car, which allowed 15
minutes of flight before overheating. After its restoration was completed in
1937, it was displayed at many RAF displays and Hendon Pageants. After its
second flying career had ended it was placed back into storage at
Cardington, where it remained until 1945, when it was moved to Kemble.

The L.V.G. reappeared at the RAF display at Farnborough in 1950. In 1959 the
L.V.G. was placed on a long-term loan to the Shuttleworth Trust and
restoration to flying condition began in 1965. The L.V.G. made its first
post restoration flight on September 28th 1962 in the hands of Air Cdre.
Allen Wheeler. The L.V.G. still flies at Old Warden today as the only
original World War One German aircraft still airworthy. This year is due to
be the last season that the L.V.G. will fly before it is preserved
statically in the new RAF Museum at Hendon.

Height: 10ft 4in
(plus exhaust 11ft 6in)
Length: 24ft 5in
Wingspan: 42ft 5in
Engine: one 230hp Benz 6 cylinder in-line
Max. Speed: 105mph
Armament: one forward firing Spandau machine gun
one Parabellum machine gun mounted in rear cockpit

--
Regards,

Roger

"Time Flies at Old Warden" - http://www.shuttleworth.org/

British Columbia Aviation History - http://www.bcam.net/index.htm

British Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum -
http://www.mts.net/~krallen/catpm.html

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