The Norseman In Australian Service

The products of de Havilland Canada have long established a foothold of the Canadian aviation industry in Australia. However, another rugged Canadian aircraft was used in some numbers several years earlier. This was the Noorduyn Norseman, an aircraft whose design evolved 50 years ago and it Is still in widespread use in Canada today.

The founder of the Noorduyn company, Robert Bernard Cornelius Noorduyn, was born in Holland and had extensive experience with aviation companies in Europe and North America. In England he had been employed by Armstrong Whitworth, British Aerial Transport and Sopwith and in 1920 he joined Anthony Fokker in the United States he was associated with the design of the Fokker F. Vll/3 m. He worked later for Bellanca in 1929 and Pitcairn in 1932.

During 1934 he received financial backing to form Noorduyn Aircraft which was re-organised in 1938 as Noorduyn Aviation Ltd. One of the purposes of the company was to represent the products of the Canadian Wright Company. Later that year the design of the Norseman was commenced and on 12 N!) Vember 1935 the prototype aircraft CF-AYO was assembled on floats at Point Aux Trembles. Two days later the Norseman I took off from the St Lawrence River on its maiden flight.

Designed as a bush aircraft, it was a large rugged machine slightly smaller and lighter than the much later de Havilland Otter. Accommodation was provided for the pilot and six passengers on chairs or nine passengers on bench seats. Power was provided by a Wright Whirlwind of 420 hp. The wing was constructed of routed solid. ,spruce spars with walnut packing pieces under fittings, spruce ribs, duralium-covered leading and trailing edges and was fabric covered. The fuselage and tail unit were constructed of welded chrome-molybdenum steel-tube framework and were fabric-covered. It was the first Canadian aircraft with wing flaps and the first bush aircraft with an insulated cabin.

The prototype production Norseman II CF-A2A was test-flown on 2 May 1936 at Cartierville. It was very similar to the Norseman I but had a slightly higher gross weight and a rectangular cabin window in lieu of the original circular one. During this stage of development it was apparent that the Whirlwind provided insufficient power. The Norseman Ill was re-engined with a 450 hp Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior SC with only a slight lift in performance. However, the Norseman IV, which first flew on 5 November 1936 and which was fitted with the 550 hp Pratt & Whitney S3H1 Wasp, was a positive step. Although the Wasp engine at 863 lb was 224 lb heavier than the 640 lb Wasp Junior, this was more than compensated for by the increase in available power. This made the aircraft more attractive to prospective purchasers and sales during 1938 were made to both the RCAF and various Canadian civil companies.

Production was running down during1941 as the RCAF requirement for Norsemen had been almost filled. Noorduyn had other commitments on its hands, not the least of which was North American production, the manufacturing rights of which were obtained in 1938 and Noorduyn constructed a total of 2800 Harvards by the war’s end. The entry of the United States into the war during December 1941 was to change the outlook for Norseman production.

An initial batch of six aircraft for the USAAF, designated the YC-64 were diverted from an RCAF Norseman IV order and were delivered towards the end of 1941. The renowned Norwegian aviator Bernt Balchinhad been approached by the USAAF during July 194Uo plan a ferry route for aircraft from North America to Europe over Greenland and the first six Norsemen were earmarked for that purpose. The events at Pearl Harbour drastically accelerated the need for all types of aircraft and the Norseman was caught up in this aftermath.

The USAAF received Norsemen modified for its requirements, the first of which was the C-64A. The fuel capacity was increased by 96 gallons to 201 Imperial gallons following the installation of two belly tanks in the fuselage which could be further augmented by a 32 gallon cabin tank if reql. !ired. This increased fuel requirement coupled with the internal equipment modifications lifted gross. weight by 950 lb. This version was identified as the Norseman VI by Noorduyn. A variety of designations was applied by the USAAF to the Norseman including C-64A, UC-64A and C-64B. Total production for the US forces amounted to 746 for the USAAF, three for the USNas the JA-1 and six C-64B on floats for the Corps of Engineers.

US military C-64 derivatives operated in a variety of theatres on general transport duties. They were equipped with either wheels, skis or flats, making them a particularly versatile aircraft. One of the most publicised incidents involving a Norseman was that of a USAAF C-64 which left on a flight from England to Paris on 15 December 1944. It had been carrying amongst its occupants the celebrated Glenn Miller, who was at that time a Major in charge of the USAAF Band. Despite an exhaustive search the aircraft was never located. Some years ago, enthusiasts of Mr Miller’s music suggested that a search for the aircraft should be made as it had been speculated that some unpublished musical manuscripts had been on board. Whether such a search will ever come to fruition remains to be seen.

The feverish activities created by wartime demands saw peak employment at Noorduyn rise to 12,000 people during 1944. As the war drew to an end, demand waned and brought about a swift reduction in production and the Noorduyn company ceased production with the Cartierville plant being taken over by Canadair Ltd. The last Noorduyn version of the Norseman was the Norseman V, a civil version of the C-64A. The Canadian Car and Foundry of Montreal acquired the Norseman design from Noorduyn during 1946 and continued limited production until late 1959 by which time a total of 904 had been produced by both manufacturers. The number of the final Mark V version produced by both Noorduyn and Canadian Car and Foundry amounted to only 54 aircraft between 1945 and 1959. The large number of surplus readily available C-64s had severely hampered sales of this civil variant.

Australia’s association with the Norseman began with a batch of 14 aircraft purchased by the RAAF and allocated serials A71-1 to A71-14. These were all UC-64A versions originally ordered by the USAAF during 1943. The RAAF Norsemen were attached to various Communication Units such as No 3 formed at Mascot, No 4 formed at Archerfield, No 5 formed at Garbutt and No 7 formed at Pearce. These Units were subsequently disbanded during 1946 and their aircraft placed in the hands of the Commonwealth Disposals Commission. Eleven Norsemen were ultimately to pass to civil ownership and appeared on the Australian Civil Register.

Some of these aircraft were initially used by Silver City Airways (Australia) Pty Ltd and were based at Broken Hill. By the early 1950s all of the remaining Norsemen had been sold to aviation interests in New Guinea and of these all but one were operated by Gibbes Sepik Airways. This aircraft was VH-ASS, originally operated by Gibbes Sepik but sold to Carsair Air Service of Port Moresby in 1956.

The arduous flying conditions of the Territory gradually took their toll and the number of serviceable Norsemen was gradually whittled away by accidents. During early 1961 a rationalisation of aviation activity took place following the acquisition of Mandated Airlines by Ansett Transport Industries Ltd. Accordingly, the three surviving Norsemen were transferred to Ansett-Mandated Airlines Ltd in 1961. The aircraft were VH-GSB, VH-GSE and VH-GSF. VH-GSB had a change of registration to VH-RHG during June 1962, the latter initials being those of R. H. Gibbes, the founder of Gibbes Sepik Airways. This Norseman was finished in a silver colour scheme and carried the name of the Tremearne Tea and Coffee Estate on the side. VH-GSE and VH-GSF continued flying for Ansett-MAL and had side-saddle seating. As more modern aircraft were introduced the Norsemen became surplus to requirements and ultimately moved south to Australia to assume new roles.

The three remaining flyable Norsemen were purchased by Pay and Williamson of Narromine and Scone and were converted to crop dusting configuration. The first to arrive was VH-GSF which landed at Bankstown on 10 November 1963 to be converted for agricultural use. The other two aircraft, VH-GSE and VH-GSG arrived soon after and these three aircraft were painted in a variety of colour schemes. The fuselage of the other surviving Territorian Norseman, VH-ASS was noted at Bankstown early in 1962. The Norseman was a useful agricultural performer and had a maximum hopper load of 2180 lb. VH-GSE was damaged by impact and fire soon after take off near Armidale, NSW on 26 September 1966 during agricultural operations. Fortunately the pilot, Col Pay, was uninjured. The remaining duo soldiered on performing their rural duties but they were eventually retired and sold to Skyservice Aviation Pty Ltd of Camden, NSW in the late 1960s.

In Skyservice’s employ the Norsemen were used for a variety of general flying duties. One interesting application investigated was aerial firefighting. On 28 February 1969 the Sydney Branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society conducted a symposium on the subject and a demonstration was held the following day at Camden. Various agricultural aircraft including the Norseman VH-GSF participated but despite the effort expended, no positive moves to use the aircraft as firefighters followed the trials. This particular Norseman met a watery end the following year during, of all things, a surf carnival. It had been engaged to carry aloft a team of eight skydivers who were to stage a drop during the carnival at Queenscliff, NSW. The Norseman suffered a major oil loss passing through 10,000 feet and the skydivers and the pilot, Mr Ken Andrews, who was also parachute equipped, made a speedy exit. VH-GSF subsequently crashed into the sea about five miles off the coast.

The sole remaining Norseman VH-GSG continued flying but it was eventually to return to its homeland. On 21 July 1973 it was sold abroad to Canada and an association of nearly 30 years of the type with Australian aviation was brought to an end.

Specifications of the Noorduyn Norseman VI are as follows: Power plant: One Pratt & Whitney S3H1 or R1340-AN-1 Wasp developing 600 hp for take off. Span: 51’8″. Length: 31’9″. Height: 10’1″. Wing area: 325 sq ft. Weight empty (landplane): 4420 lb. Weight loaded: 7400 lb. Cruising speed: 148 mph. Climb to 5000 feet: 6. 5 min. Climb to 10,000 feet: 15. 5 min. Climb to 15,000 feet: 28. 5 min. Service ceiling: 17,000 feet. Cruising range at 75% power with max fuel: 1150 miles.