Historic Aircraft Collection Ltd. HAC was formed by Guy Black and Angus Spencer-Nairn to operate a collection of piston engined military aircraft. These are not necessarily from WWII either, as they also own and operate a genuine Hawker Nimrod II. 

HAC is now a major part of the warbird scene in the UK, with its aircraft appearing at events throughout the UK.

Spitfire Mk.Vb BM597 is a genuine WWII combat veteran. Like many Spitfires, BM597 was built at Castle Bromwich and was delivered to the RAF on 26th April 1942. It served with 315 and 317 (Polish) Squadrons at RAF Woodvale. After sustaining damage in a landing incident on 13th  February 1943, it was repaired, there are no records of the aircraft seeing further action. Post war, BM597 survived the scrap yard to be assigned to several 'gate guardian' postings, finishing these duties at RAF Church Fenton. BM597 was acquired by the Historic Aircraft Collection in 1993, and restored to its original specification.

The collection's Morane Saulnier MS505 Criquet returned to the airshow circuit in 2003. Many would correctly identify this machine as a German Fieseler Storch light observation aircraft, in fact the MS505 Criquet is a French built version of the Storch. The Storch is famous for it's short take off and landing capabilities, demonstrated by the daring and highly successful operation to spring Mussolini from captivity in September 1943. 

This particular machine was formerly owned by the Aerial Museum, however after a change of ownership, the aircraft once again moved to Duxford under the ownership of the Historic Aircraft Collection.

Originally bought into the UK by Graham Warner in 1988, this MS505 was built in France in 1942, and currently wears the Luftwaffe markings of I/JG54. It's no stranger to the airshow circuit, however the aircraft was under restoration for the two years with work being carried out on the wings and the engine. 

As well as flying historic aircraft, a series of rare 1930's Hawker aircraft are currently being restored to flying condition. These are a Hawker Hind, Hawker Audax, and the Hawker Fury. The first of these interwar types was completed in 2006 when the rare Hawker Nimrod II K3661 returned to the sky.

K3661 was delivered to 802 NAS as late as 1936, and served with the FAA in the Mediterranean. She suffered two landing accidents but was repaired on each occasion, she was last recorded at Lee On Solent in December of 1939, and it's here that her known service record finishes. The aircraft came to light in a scrap yard in Ashford Kent in 1972 where her remains were taken into storage at the RAF Museum's storage facility at RAF Henlow, and it was from here that the aircraft found its way into the hands of Mike Cookman when the Henlow storage facility closed. In 1991 it was purchased by Aero Vintage Ltd, and after many original parts surfaced from the Battle of Britain Museum at Hawkinge, restoration began in 1992 by Retrotec the restoration arm of Aero Vintage and Historic Aircraft Collection Ltd. The Nimrod II K3661 joined the collection's airworthy fleet in November 2006. The Nimrod II is powered by a Rolls Royce Kestrel VI engine complete with a gas start system, and differs greatly from the mark 1 variant previously operated by HAC in that it has a steam condensing cooling system, swept wings, and a tailwheel.

Another exciting project is a former Soviet Air Force Yak 1. Built in 1941 as serial No 8188,  the aircraft was recovered in 1991 from a lake in Russia. The aircraft was shot down in 1942, but survived the forced landing on the frozen lake only to sink to the bottom when the lake thawed out. This is very likely to be the only surviving Yak 1 in the world, and is being restored to flying condition using an original Klimov V-12 engine. 

All photographs: Copyright © UK Warbirds.  Unauthorised use of any of the images found on this site prohibited.  Please note that UK Warbirds is in no way officially connected to any of the owners or operators mentioned on this site. The views expressed on this web site are those of the authors, and not necessarily those of companies or individuals mentioned.

r