The Yokosuka D4Y1 Judy in the POF restoration hangar at Chino on December 4. It will be fitted with a Pratt & Whitney R-1830 engine, comparable with the Aichi Atsuta 14-cylinder radial engine fitted to the D4Y-3 variant.IN THE PLANES of Fame Museum (POF) restoration hangar at Chino, California, USA, Yokosuka D4Y1 Suisei (Judy) s/n 7483 had its newly completed wings mated with the fuselage in late November 2011.

The Suisei, one of only two surviving examples of this late-Second World War dive bomber/reconnaissance/nightfighter, is being restored to taxiable condition by a group of POF volunteers led by Duane Lundgren. Recovered from Babo Island, Irian Jaya, Indonesia, in 1991, it spent many years on display in an unrestored state at POF East in Valle, near the Grand Canyon, Arizona, before being moved to Chino in 2009.

Lundgren reports that many of the Suisei’s systems and fittings, including the undercarriage, are in amazing condition considering their long exposure in the South Pacific jungle, requiring only disassembly, a clean-up and lubrication before re-use. The Aeroplane reader tour in May 2012 will visit both Valle and Chino. However, in mid-December 2011 the dates for the POF Chino air show were changed from the weekend of May 20-21 to May 5-6. To enable readers to visit this world renowned show, the tour has been rescheduled from the original May 19-June 4 dates, and will now take place from May 5-20.