1984 Warbirds Register

After World War II most countries had a glut of combat and transport aircraft to dispose of. The transport aircraft were turned into airliners and became the basis of the airline system we use today. The combat aircraft were in the main considered only fit to scrap and were broken up and melted down in the hundreds of thousands, never to be seen again.

A small number of combat type aircraft missed this fate and eventually fell into the hands of civilians who, for one reason or another, wanted to operate these machines or Warbirds. In America, the Experimental or Limited certification system allowed for the operation of Warbirds while England used a Permit-to-fly system. Here in Australia, the Airworthiness Authority insisted on full certification for Warbirds and the result was that only a few Mustang aircraft got onto the Civil Aircraft Register. The rest were scrapped or sold overseas.

There were many reasons for this attitude. One was that civilians did not have the experience to safely operate heavy, fast, single-seat, single-engine aircraft, which were in the main table types. Another reason was that civilians could not safely maintain these aging combat aircraft which had been designed with a short life expectancy, or at least that is what owners were told.

Perhaps there was some merit in the operational aspect for in America and the UK small numbers of Warbirds were written off by pilots, usually the owners, who just did not have the experience required to fly some of these aircraft. However, at the same time pilots were doing the same thing to aircraft as simple to operate as Tiger Moths, Austers and even Cessnas and Pipers. One should be weighed against the other.

In the mid-1970s, the then Department of Transport called for input from a number of individuals and organisations that were concerned about the lack of provision to operate Warbirds in Australia. The late seventies saw the promulgation of Air Navigation Regulation108A which allowed the operation of _ some types of aircraft in Australia that had not been previously certificated by an Airworthiness Authority. There were, however, some restrictions.

Permits to Fly had to be obtained for each flight although these have now been stretched out to a one-year duration. Pilots and Engineers must be named and approved and suitable for the type. Passengers are not allowed to be carried, only the pilot and essential crew. Commercial use was not allowed, e. g. charter or flying school type operations were out. And of course the Warbirds had to be registered and the owner pay Air Navigation charges.

These regulations were on a similar line to those applied in the USA and the UK.

Despite all of this the Australian Warbird scene has flourished.

The number of available Mustangs has more than doubled. From New Zealand came a timely batch of Surplus Air Force T-6 Harvard two-seat trainers. In Australia, a good number of locally made Winjeel trainers came onto the surplus market and were snapped up. And added to all of this have been a number of imports and major rebuilds. Are these Warbirds appreciated? Yes, is the answer given by the crowds that attend Airshows with the sole interest in seeing the ‘Warbird’. Gone is the interest in the trade display of the latest all-metal four-banger plus. Now it is the Warbirds and Antiques that the crowd go to see, the aircraft of yesteryear in their original colours, the ones that Daddy flew in the war or whenever.

Film audiences also appreciate Warbirds and in recent years a number of films have been made that would not have been but for the Warbirds.

And of course, owners and pilots appreciate Warbirds. The privilege and pleasure of owning, working on or flying a living part of history.

What of the future? The Australian Warbird scene will continue to expand but not at a rapid rate. The cost and availability of aircraft, the cost of fuel, the lack of new stocks of parts and the cost of restoration and service of aircraft that cannot be used for commercial use will all be reasons that will limit the growth rate of the Warbird scene.

One thing is certain, however, and that is the rising public interest in Warbirds, of any type. Perhaps a Warbirds-only Airshow would be one way of displaying most of the Aussie Warbirds at once. But where would it be sited to allow the most people to see it and what of the costs involved?

As a result of the interest in Australian Warbirds, Australian Aviation has compiled the most complete list of these aircraft yet seen. There have been some exceptions. Tiger Moths, Chipmunks and the like have been excluded as the title Warbird really covers the heavier ex-service types. The civil aircraft register in this issue of Australian Aviation lists the above-mentioned aircraft.