Warbirds

Barry, a long-time aircraft restorer working in conjunction with the RMF Air Museum at Pt Cook, has purchased the four-engined WWII bomber and is now endeavouring to have it shipped to Australia and Pt Cook, via Fiji. There have been many problems in obtaining ownership and more problems, including a deadline, are being encountered in the proposed dismantling and shipping out.

The Lancaster is one of a number that the French Air Force used for South Pacific reconnaissance work. It was abandoned at Wallis Island in 1962 after it developed a malfunction during takeoff. Until it came to Barry Goran’s notice Lancaster’s whereabouts were all but unknown. It is planned to restore the aircraft and eventually include it in the Pt Cook Air Force Museum.

Since the surplus sale of most of the RAAF Winjeel trainers, a small number of the type have appeared on the civil register as privately owned Warbirds. Costing less to operate than the mustang or Harvard type aircraft, the number of Winjeels flying in Australia will soon be swelled by two rebuilds being undertaken by Dick Hourigan of Harkaway, Vic. and the partnership of Jeff Trappett and Peter Furlong of Morwell, Vic. Jeff Trappett, a serving RAAF Officer, is probably best known as the owner of Mustang VH-AGJ. The Winjeel he and Peter Furlong are working on will be flying before the end of this year. Engine runs have already been carried out.

Antique news from Tyabb, Vic. is that local importer, Ken Ingersoll, is bringing into the country a Cessna 195 and three Boeing Stearman Kaydet trainer aircraft. All four aircraft are coming from America. The Kaydets are reported to be former crop dusters and one or two will be powered by a 450 hp Pratt & Whitney radial engine while the third will be powered by the more usual 220 hp Continental R-670 radial engine.

Long considered the American equivalent of the English and Australian Tiger Moth, the Kaydet is bigger and heavier. An open-cockpit biplane, it is equipped with at least two refinements, brakes and a tailwheel.

There are already two Kaydets in Australia, one being rebuilt in NSW and one already flying in Victoria. The Cessna 195 will bring to three the number of this type of Classic wing monoplane in this country. Powered by a 300 hp Jacobs radial engine the C195 was built between 1947 and 1954.

Twin Beech VH-FIE has been retired from service. Owned by Flinders Island Airways of Moorabbin Airport, the classic twin-tailed Beech D18S was transferred to the historic registration category in June pending sale.

Powered by two 450hp Pratt & Whitney radial engines the Beech was originally built in the USA in 1952. In September 1956 it was flown out from the US to Australia, via the UK, registered as VHCRT The new owners were Thiess Bros. of Queensland. In March 1967 the machine was sold to FIA and later reregistered as VH-FIE. The aircraft was then used for charter and freight work, particularly the air delivery of the Herald newspaper to major centres in Victoria. Time, however, has taken its toll and rising costs including fuel and air navigation charges have made the machine less economical than the other Beech and Piper aircraft in the FIA fleet with the end result that the twin Beech is now up for sale. It has a low total time of only 7600 hours.

One more time. In 1982 antique aeroplane buff and film processing magnate, Neil Cottee, donated his Fokker Triplane replica to the Australian War Memorial at Canberra to be put on public display.

The Fokker and a Transavia-built Sopwith Pup replica had previously been centrepieces for a tourist project called Old Bowral Aerodrome that Cottee was setting up. Shortly before the Fokker went to the AWM the Pup replica was bought by Geelong doctor, John Pettitt.

As Australian Aviation was going to press it was reported that the RAAF Pt Cook Flying Club had been able to borrow the triplane and was having an airworthiness inspection carried out on the machine with a view to flying it at the Pt Cook Air Base open day on August 21st. As the Sopwith Pup replica is already hangared with the Pt Cook Air Museum it would appear that the Fokker and Pup are once again to carry out air combat sequences.

Shades of Snoopy and the Red Baron!