In Australian Service – Hudson

Spurred on by their success, Lockheed moved on to a more ambitious heavier development which emerged as the Model 14 Super Electra. Having its first flight on 29 July 1937, the Model 14 provided accommodation for three crew members and 12 passengers. Engines were two 750 hp Pratt and Whitney Hornets, span was 65′, length 44′ 2″ and gross weight 17,500 lb. Other versions were available with either the 760 hp or 820 hp Wright Cyclone.

A modified Model 14 was flown by Howard Hughes in July 1938 to demonstrate the long legs of the Super Electra. Additional fuel tanks were installed which increased total capacity to 1844 U. S. gallons. Most of this fuel (1200 gallons) was carried in the fuselage. To boost performance more powerful 1100 hp Wright Cyclones were substituted. Departing from New York on 10 July 1938, Hughes flew a route via Paris, Moscow, Yakutsk, Fairbanks, Minneapolis to return to New York on 14 July. Flight time was 3 days 19 hours and 8 minutes for the 14,791 miles giving an average speed of 206 mph. Although admittedly not a standard version, the flight served to illustrate other potentials for the airframe apart from the carriage of 12 passengers.

However, even before this flight, it seemed that the Model 14 was destined for a wider role. The inadequate state of Britain’s coastal reconnaissance forces had compelled the RAF to look abroad for additional aircraft. To boost their defences the British Purchasing Commission signed a contract for 250 aircraft during June 1938 for a version to be known as the Model 414 Hudson. The maiden flight of the Hudson took place at Burbank on 10 December 1938. Numerous changes were made to convert the Model 14 to military use. A transparent bomb aimers nose was fitted, a bomb bay was situated in the base of the fuselage and two fixed forward-firing machine guns provided some fire power. These Hudsons were shipped by sea to England where the Boulton Paul dorsal turrets, which were power operated, were installed. This transformed the Hudson into a fairly well-defended bomber.

At the time the contract was signed, eyebrows were raised in Britain as it was considered an insult to buy an overseas-produced machine for the RAF. Later events were to vindicate the acquisition of the Hudson. They in fact served with distinction in many theatres of operation and one Hudson claimed a first when on 8 October 1939, it shot down a German Dornier Do 18 flying boat over Jutland. This was the first UK-based RAF aircraft to shoot down an enemy aircraft in World War II.

If the British air defences in the era before the outbreak of hostilities were in a poor position, the situation in Australia was none too good either. So it was no surprise when in November 1938 the Australian Government ordered 50 Hudsons for the RAAF. Initial deliveries were received at Richmond, NSW where the aircraft were assembled during 1940. The first operational squadrons, No 1 and No 8, left for Singapore in July 1940 to commence the long valuable contribution the Hudson made in the RAAF’s sphere of operations. A total of 247 Hudsons eventually entered RAAF service during World War II. When Lockheed concluded Hudson production in June 1943 it had entered service with many air forces around the world. Other aircraft to trace their lineage to the Model 10 were the Lodestar, Ventura and Harpoon. This last version was powered by two 2000 hp Pratt and Whitney R-2800-31 Double Wasps, had a wing span of 75′, length of 52′ 1½” and loaded weight of 29,305 lb. Quite a change from the original Model 10 and certainly a classic example of the amount of stretch available from a sound basic design. Although it must be said that there were enormous developmental changes that gave the Harpoon a much changed appearance to the Model 10. It was the conversion of the Model 1 O to the Hudson that set the pace for the later military examples to follow. In its day it was most unusual to convert a civil aircraft to military configuration. When one looks at later developments, Comet to Nimrod and Electra to Orion, it appears that several other design teams saw similar merit in the idea.

At the conclusion of the war, Australia in common with many other countries had a veritable treasure trove of aircraft available at ridiculously low prices for potential operators. Certainly, not all of these aircraft were suitable for conversion to civil use. However, this did not dissuade many hopefuls from putting ex-military machines into service. The pool of Hudsons available was to make a useful contribution to post-war aviation development in Australia.

The Commonwealth Disposals Commission was the authority established to arrange the disposal of surplus military aircraft. Amongst the many aircraft in their inventory were the remaining 48 Hudsons. Some of these were sold as scrap, others in much better condition were to find their way into civilian use. All of the Hudsons, which were to eventually find their way onto the civil aircraft register came from No 2 Aircraft Depot at Richmond, NSW.

An early operator was Guinea Air Traders Pty. Ltd. incorporated in September 1946. They asked one of their pilots, Lionel Van Praag, to obtain some larger capacity aircraft for their operations in New Guinea. Three Hudsons were purchased and prepared for service. The overhauls were carried out at Camden and during May 1947 the first aircraft VH-ALA left for New Guinea. Its period of operation was short-lived when on 18 April 1948 it crashed in the Markham Valley killing three crew and 34 passengers. The second Hudson VHBLA entered service during July 1948. Aircraft number three, registered VH-BLB never reached New Guinea. If left Sydney in February 1949 and after a checkered flight it eventually saw service with the Israeli Air Force. The surviving Hudson of the trio, VH-BLA was subsequently sold to Adastra Aerial Surveys in 1950 when Guinea Air Traders ceased operations.

Another aspiring operator was European Air Transport formed in 1947 and based at Bankstown. They bought three Hudsons registered VH-BFQ, VH-BIA and VH-8I8 to be used for charter flights carrying migrants from countries in the Mediterranean area such as Greece and Italy to Australia. VHBFQ and VH-BIA eventually were flown to Israel and subsequently served with the Israeli Air Force. VH-8I8 never flew and was finally scrapped bringing to a close the career of European Air Transport.

Curtis Madsen Aircrafts Pty Ltd purchased two Hudsons VHJCM and VH-BKY for use in country areas of New South Wales in addition to general charter work. Points serviced were Cootamundra, Temora and West Wyalong flying from Sydney. Despite much enthusiasm, financial problems caused the cessation of operations in November 1951.

Various other individual Hudsons entered service with other operators. W. R. Carpenter & Co. flew Hudson VH-BDN as a freighter during 1947/48 in New Guinea. It was then purchased by Fawcett Aviation at Bankstown and leased to Mandated Airlines. During a test flight at Lae on 25 March 1950 an engine failed and VH-BDN struck a house while endeavouring to make an emergency landing. The three men on board survived although the house was demolished and the people inside were killed. Warren Penny of Sydney formed a company called Intercontinental Airlines (Pty) Ltd for charter work. Amongst various aircraft used mainly for charter flights outside of Australia was Hudson VH-ASV purchased in 1947. It was sold a year later to a US pilot who flew it to Burma. C. R. Penny Warren Penny’s brother, also acquired a Hudson registered VH-BIH. This aircraft purchased in 1948 eventually flew with the Israeli Air Force.

The Sydney newspaper publishers, John Fairfax & Sons formed a subsidiary called Herald Flying Services for the purpose of delivering newspapers to country towns. A fleet consisting of DC-3s and Hudsons was built up and a unique method of delivery was implemented by which large bundles of newspapers were discharged through a chute during flight. Two initial Hudsons were obtained in 1947 and registered as VH-SMJ and VH-SMK. While on a trial dropping flight on 30 October 1947, VH-SMJ crashed near Muswellbrook and the crew of two were killed. The sister aircraft VH-SMK was also lost on a newspaper run on 1 January 1950 in an accident that claimed the lives of the two crewmen. Despite these accidents, the method of newspaper delivery by ejection through a chute was quite efficient. A third Hudson which was purchased in 1949 also crashed creating a mystery at the time of its disappearance.

This aircraft was VH-SML which vanished without trace on a flight from Sydney to Tamworth on 14 September 1954. Despite an extensive search by both RAAF and civil aircraft the wreckage could not be found. The mystery remained unsolved until 22 December 1955 when the crew of a Butler Air Transport Heron sighted wreckage near Dungog. A search party set out the following day and confirmed that VH-SML had been found at an altitude of 2800 feet on the South Western side of the Mountaineer Range, about 25 miles from Dungog. The remains of the pilot, Captain D. H. Swain and two other men were found at the site. The searchers were assisted by Mr A. “Titus” Oates who piloted an aircraft circling the wreckage for about 20 minutes. This helped the search party to get a bearing on the Hudson which lay in heavy timber. Other Hudsons operated at different times by John Fairfax & Sons were VH-SMM and VHSMO. Both these aircraft were later to see service with Adastra Airways Pty. Ltd.

East West Airlines based at Tamworth NSW was the only major user of Hudsons in Australia for passenger operations. In 1949 East West purchased six Hudsons which were parked at Camden, together with additional engines and spare parts. Only one of these Hudsons was made airworthy and the remaining five aircraft were cannibalised for parts. The Hudson to enter service (ex RAAF A16-112) was flown to Tamworth for overhaul and conversion to a 16-passenger airliner. It subsequently entered service on 22 December 1949 in its new guise of VH-BNJ “Peel City”. Flying time for the Tamworth Sydney journey was 70 minutes, a significant improvement over the 100 minutes the Avro Ansons had previously taken. This Hudson was later re-registered to the flagship letters of VH-EWA.

In 1950 the Hudson fleet expanded with the acquisition of the two aircraft previously owned by Curtis Madsen Aircrafts Pty. Ltd. These two Hudsons VH-BKY and VH-JCM became VHEWB “Cathedral City” and VH-EWE “Namoi City”. The Hudsons were the mainstay of East West’s operations until the DC-3s were gradually phased in. As good as the Hudsons were, the superior economics of the DC-3 were a distinct advantage. When the first DC-3 was purchased by East West and introduced into service. Hudson VH-EWA was sold to Adastra. As more DC-3s joined the fleet the remaining Hudsons became redundant and were transferred to other duties during 1957. VH-EWE was re-registered VH-BPT and later VH-EWR and introduced into service Hudson VH-EWA was sold to the Snowy Mountains area. The remaining Hudson VH-EWB was re-registered VH-EWS and served as a high-altitude survey aircraft for the NSW Department of Lands. After a period of inactivity following the rainmaking flights carried out over the Snowy, VH-EWR was based at Essendon in 1962 and carried out further experiments over Victoria. Later that year Hudsons were sold by East West. VH-EWR went directly to Adastra and VH-EWS was bought by John Fairfax and Sons who then leased it to Adastra.

The largest operator of Hudsons in Australia was Adastra. Airways Pty. Ltd. is based at Mascot. One of the oldest aviation companies in Australia, Adastra can trace its history back to 1930 when it was formed by F. W. Follett and H. T. “Bunnie” Hammond. Some years were to elapse before Adastra turned their attention to Aerial Survey work. In 1944 the Adastra Aerial Surveys division was formed as a subsidiary company. In the initial stages, Avro Ansons were used and although they were useful workhorses they lacked the performance needed.

In June 1950 Adastra purchased their first Hudson. This was The aircraft previously operated by Guinea Air Traders as VHBLA. After an extensive overhaul, it emerged as VH-AGG in March 1951. Several modifications had been made to make it a suitable platform for use as an aerial survey aircraft. During the period of service of the Hudsons, six additional aircraft flew with Adastra. In May 1953 VH-AGO joined the fleet. This had been in storage since being purchased from disposals in 1948. Others to follow were VH-AGX during November 1954 and VHAGS in January 1956. This latter aircraft was the old East-West Hudson VH-EWA. All of these four Hudsons were Mark Ill versions powered by Wright Cyclone GR1820-G205A engines.

These aircraft became a familiar sight at Mascot for many years as they came and went on survey work. Whenever there was a fine clear day over Sydney you could generally count on one of the Hudsons taking off to take advantage of these Conditions, to engage in high-altitude photography. Adastra gained numerous survey contracts for work throughout Australia and Papua and New Guinea. Two of these early Hudsons were tragically lost in accidents. VH-AGO crashed on 1 July 1957 on Horne Island, North Queensland killing six people on board. On 8 June 1958 VH-AGG came down into the sea off Lae while approaching to land with the starboard propeller feathered, with the loss of three crew.

To help fill the gap left by the loss of these two Hudsons, Adastra arranged the lease of the John Fairfax aircraft VHSMM in 1959. As a further supplement to their fleet two additional Hudsons joined the fold during 1962. These were both ex-East West Airlines aircraft. VH-EWR became VH-AGE with a magnetometer under the fuselage and VH-EWS which had languished in storage for some time, was purchased by John Fairfax and leased to Adastra as VH-SMO. Some years later VH-SMM and VH-SMO were re-registered VH-AGJ and VH-AGP. These three later Hudsons were all Mark IV versions powered by Pratt and Whitney SIC3G Twin Wasps.

Two of these aircraft were also to meet with accidents. At Tennant Creek, N. T. on 24 June 1966, VH-AGG crashed while approaching to land and the crew of six and a young boy being carried as a passenger were killed. The fourth Adastra Hudson to have a mishap was VH-AGX which crashed at Horne Island on 21 December 1973 during an abandoned takeoff. The Hudson overran the airstrip and came to a stop in a creek bed. Fortunately the crew of three received only minor injuries.

When Adastra’s operations were taken over by East West in 1973 an association with Mascot spanning 43 years came to an end. As for the remaining Hudsons, there are still some in an airworthy condition today. VH-AGP now flies carrying the colours of a RAAF aircraft with the assumed identity of A16-123. VH-AGS has been flown to Point Cook for rejuvenation as has VH-AGX following her Horne Island accident. VHAGJ was sold to the Strathallen Collection in the U. K. and left Australia during May 1973.

Of the Hudson, it would be fair to say that its contribution of over 25 years of service made a useful addition to Australian civil aviation development. Despite an apparently high accident rate it filled a gap until more modern types gradually became available. Regarding the Hudsons lost, several reasons have been advanced which could possibly offer some explanation. It does appear that a common factor in some of these accidents was associated with engine failure. While the Hudson showed a good engine out performance above 100 knots, any power loss encountered below this speed made the chances of recovery very slim.

Specifications of the Hudson Ill are as follows:
Span 65′ 6″.
Length 44′ 4″.
Height 11″ 10½”.
Wing area 551 sq. ft.
Weight empty 12,536 lb.
Weight loaded 18,500 lb.
Max speed 275 mph.
Cruising speed 223 mph at 8000 ft.
Landing speed 72 mph.
Service ceiling 24,500 ft.
Powerplant Two Wright Cyclones or Pratt and Whitney Twin Wasps of 1200 hp.