An iconic symbol of the Second World War, the Curtiss P\u201140E will bring the skies to life at our event with an exceptional flying display. Instantly recognisable thanks to its famous shark mouth, this legendary fighter embodies both the robustness and effectiveness of the aircraft that took part in the major aerial campaigns of the conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Introduced into service at the end of 1941 with the US Army Air Forces, this aircraft, originally registered as #41\u201113570, was quickly transferred to the Soviet Union under the Lend\u2011Lease program. Integrated into the 20th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, it took part in the strategic defence of the Murmansk region and the Kola Peninsula.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On June 1st, 1942, piloted by Lieutenant A. V. Pshenev, this P\u201140E took part in an escort mission alongside other Allied fighters to protect Soviet bombers engaged in an attack against a German airfield. Like many aircraft of the era, it was shot down in 1942, temporarily marking the end of its operational career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
The story of this aircraft does not end there. After spending more than 50 years at the bottom of a lake in Russia, the aircraft was recovered and beautifully restored, regaining its original appearance and capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, this P\u201140E is maintained in airworthy condition according to the highest maintenance standards and now flies under the Belgian registration OO\u2011WHK. It is flown by its owner, Bernard Van Milders, an aviation enthusiast dedicated to preserving aeronautical heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
During the BAFDAYS, this historic fighter will offer the public an emotional flying display, combining historical authenticity with the elegance of warbirds. Powered by its Allison V\u20111710 engine, the P\u201140E stands out for its remarkable flight characteristics, reflecting the aeronautical expertise of its era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Its presence in the flying display offers a true journey into history, allowing spectators to see in motion an aircraft that has endured the battles of the Second World War and stood the test of time.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Symbole embl\u00e9matique de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, le Curtiss P\u201140E fera vibrer le ciel lors de notre \u00e9v\u00e9nement \u00e0 travers un flying display exceptionnel. Reconnaissable entre tous gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 sa c\u00e9l\u00e8bre gueule de requin, ce chasseur mythique incarne \u00e0 la fois la robustesse et l\u2019efficacit\u00e9 des avions engag\u00e9s dans les grandes campagnes a\u00e9riennes du conflit. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2680,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"saved_in_kubio":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[59,55,93],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aircrafts","category-avions","category-warbirds"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2679"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2679\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2689,"href":"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2679\/revisions\/2689"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}