Warbirds

The T-28, a nosewheel aircraft, was originally designed as a T-6 replacement. Built by North America during the 1950s more than 1000 were supplied to the USAF and the US Navy. Some were also supplied overseas.

The Trojan is powered by a Wright R-1300 800hp radial engine. This aircraft promises to be an exciting addition to the Australian warbird scene. As a side note it would also appear that Mrs Pay is to become the only current female warbird pilot in the country.

Southern Cross Replica Flies – At Long Last

Parafield, South Australia, saw the first flight of the Fokker Tri-motor Southern Cross replica on Friday 14th August.

Working under the banner of the Southern Cross Museum Trust, construction of the replica was commenced in 1980 but ran into problems and all work ceased until 1985 when private sponsors and the Federal Government stepped in. The pilot of the new Southern Cross was RAAF Squadron Leader Nick Coulson of ARDU at Edinburgh, SA who was more used to flying supersonic F-111s or Macchi jets.

Special permission was also required to be able to use the registration, VH-USU, on the replica. This was the registration of the original Southern Cross, now on display at Brisbane’s Eagle Farm Airport.

Externally the replica is almost identical to Kingsford Smith’s original Southern Cross, or the ‘old bus’ as he affectionately called it, save for a modern tailwheel in place of a skid. It is reported that during high speed taxi trials this tail wheel became detached which caused at least one observer to make the comment “They don’t build them like they used to”.

As Warbirds closes for press the replica, probably the largest flying replica in the world, was scheduled to leave Adelaide on September 21 for a 13 week national tour, taking in more than 50 towns across Australia, to raise funds for the Royal Australian Flying Doctor Service. The new Southern Cross replica will no doubt be used in conjunction with the Australian Bicentennial celebrations during 1988. Smithy would have approved.

On the Wings of a Dove

Another De Havilland DH104 Dove is to come to Australia.

The Dove, G-LIDD, is being imported by Captain Dave Pyett of Sydney who intends to operate the machine on charter and special flights whereby enthusiasts can travel to such events as airshows etc.

Captain Pyett wanted the latest and best Dove available and after much searching found constructors number D4-525 at Coventry Aerodrome, England. Built in 1961 for the Irish Government, it went into storage with DH until 1969 when prepared for a new role, that of navigation aid checking. The aircraft, G-ARSN, as it was first registered, now has a mere 1200 hours flight time and still has its original engines. The Dove is due to arrive in Australia in November and will be based in Sydney where this fine lady of the sky will carry the registration, VH-OBI.

Miles Messenger on Display

A Miles M. 28 Messenger that was once owned and flown by the Australian statesman, the late Lord Casey, is to go on display in Melbourne.

Now owned by the Moorabbin Air Museum the Messenger, last registered as VH-AVQ, has been painted up in the D-Day invasion type camouflage and stripes colour scheme of the Messenger that Field Marshall Lord ‘Monty’ Montgomery used in 1944 as his communications aircraft.

The aircraft is to go on display as part of the decor at ‘The Pipe Works’, a new leisure centre in a former pipe manufacturing works at Campbellfield on the northern side of Melbourne. Appropriately enough the machine will be suspended from the ceiling in an area known as the Control Tower, in fact a restaurant and bar.

The Messenger was one of a number of British built aircraft that were grounded in Australia in the 1960’s following deterioration of the glue joints in the all wood structure. The aircraft has been in store ever since.

Buyers Beware – “Yesterday’s Wings”

We have carried an advertisement in our last three issues for a book with the above title said to be a guide to Australasian aviation museums. We carried this advert in good faith but apparently, we may have been deceived.

To date our account has not been paid and we have also been informed of three readers of this magazine who when they sent their payment off in the mail did not receive the promised book. A follow up letter also produced no result. We have endeavoured to contact Mr. Evans on the phone but he is never there and does not return the calls. We recommend caution.

Avro 504- One Becomes Three

For many years there has only been one WWI Vintage Avro 504 biplane in Australia, that however is soon to change.

Clerget rotary engine powered Avro 504K, A3-4, arrived here after the first World War as part of the Imperial Gift. In later years it became the property of the Australian War Memorial but was unable to be displayed due to lack of space. In 1965 Qantas obtained the Avro on loan, re-engined it with a Sunbeam Dyak in-line water cooled engine and dressed it up in the colour scheme and markings of G-AUBG, the first aircraft employed by Qantas. The ‘new’ non-flying Avro was then used by Qantas as a display and promotion machine and in the excellent ‘Spirit of Australia’ advertising campaign.

It was recently decided to return the aircraft to the AWM so Qantas will once again effect a change of colour scheme and refit the original rotary engine. At the same time the Qantas Engineering and Maintenance division, at Mascot, is to build not one but two Sunbeam-powered Avro 504 replicas.

One of the replica machines will be given to the Stockman’s Hall of Fame at Longreach in Queensland where it will forever help show the role the young Qantas played in opening up the Australian outback.

The second of the replicas will be retained by Qantas for use in promotional activities. Alas, while this aircraft will be a full working replica and capable of flight it is destined to never get off the ground.

Warbird Feature: Vultee Vengence 1A, EZ999

At Narellen, NSW, the Camden Aviation Museum has a number of warbirds on display but one in particular is unique for it is the only complete example of its type on display in the world, Vultee Vengence dive bomber, EZ999.

Built as a close support dive bomber during WWII some 1528 of the type were manufactured, mainly for the RAF. Of these 342 were taken on charge by the RAAF. A big aircraft for a single-engine machine it had a wing span of 48ft was powered by an 1800hp Wright R-2600-19 radial engine and had a gross weight of 16,400Ib.

At the end of the War almost all the Vengences were scrapped however the last Mk. 1A built, EZ999 (RAAF s/n A27-99), survived to be used by the Sydney Technical College as a training aid. Sold off in 1963 it was obtained by Mr Harold Thomas who subsequently displayed it in his Camden Aviation Museum.

In 1979 the Museum moved from Camden Airport to its present location at nearby Narellan, south of Sydney, NSW. Over the last three years the Vengence has been restored to ground running condition and recently the Wright radial engine came to life for the first time in 40 years!

Due to the size of the Museum, the dive bomber had to have its wings removed to allow exit into the yard area for the engine run. As this is quite a task it is thought that once the machine is back in the Museum and its wings in place it will only be removed and ground run on special occasions.

The remains of another Vengence, a Mk. IV, A27-247, is stored for the collection of the Perth branch of the Air Force Association but this machine requires a considerable amount of work to bring it to static display standard.

Vengence EZ999 is certainly worth while seeing (how the Americans would like to obtain it). Other aircraft in the Museum include Wirraway, Sea Venom, Beaufighter, Sea Fury, Meteor and Fairey Firefly.

The Camden Aviation Museum, one of this country’s oldest and most significant Aero Museums, is open between 10am and 5pm on Sunday and public holidays. Narellan is situated some five km north of Camden travelling along Camden Rd. (the old Hume Highway) and in turn is 40km south-west from Sydney.

Coming Events

Mangalore, Vic. is to be the site of an Airshow on February 28, 1988. Organised by the Australian Sport Aviation Council (ASAC). The Airshow will have RAAF and Army involvement as well as that of commercial operators and the member organisations of the ASAC. The ASAC is hopeful that the Airshow will also be the date that the Federal Government officially hands over the airport to the Council for use as a National Sport Aviation Centre.

At Canberra, ACT, a major Airshow is to be held on Sunday 13 March, 1988 to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the City of Canberra. Sponsored by UNISYS there will be considerable involvement by the RAAF.

Lockheed 12A Anniversary

The year 1987 is the 50th anniversary of Lockheed 12A, VH-ABH, better known as ‘Silver City’.

Originally imported by Associated Airlines of Melbourne (refer p120 Sept AA), in 1937 and now owned by Airworld Aviation Museum, Wangaratta, Vic. the Lockheed will be the centrepiece of a birthday celebration on Sunday November 8th at both Essendon airport in the morning and then again at Moorabbin airport in the afternoon. A spokesman from Airworld advised that a number of other historic and military aircraft will also be in the display which will be free to the public.

At Essendon the Silver City will be re-united with the two pilots who flew her for her first 20 years, one man is now 79 and the other 80.

Awm C-47 to Keep Flying

In a rather unique move the Australian War Memorial has made arrangements whereby its camouflage-painted Douglas C-47, A65-71, will be kept airworthy and displayed at various flying events and occasions.

The C-47 has until recently been held at Canberra as an AWM charge following the acquisition from the RAAF some years ago. Now, under a newly struck agreement, the Dakota transport will be loaned back to the RAAF. The aircraft will be put onto the RAAF register and therefore have access to the spares inventory. The RAAF still uses Dakotas to support its Edinburgh-based ARDU unit.

The C-47 is now at Richmond AFB, NSW, where it will be based, and maintained by No. 486 Hercules Maintenance Squadron as a line aircraft. The C-47 aroused a lot of interest when first displayed in its WWII colour scheme and the AWM is to be commended now that the aircraft, like the RAN Historic Flight, is to be kept airworthy and displayed at various events.

Bad News Overseas

The last few months have not been good for the warbird and historic aircraft movement overseas with no less than four serious accidents. In the USA an F-86 Sabre jet fighter crashed on April 25 at Shafter, California, killing the pilot Dave Zeuschel. Zeuschel was very well known for his Van Nuys, California, facility where he specialised in the rebuilding of high-performance engines, including Merlins.

Meanwhile, in the UK, Supermarine S. 5 Seaplane replica, G-BDFF, crashed on May 23 following a reported tailplane failure. The owner/pilot Bill Hosie was killed. Readers will recall the visit to Australia two years ago of the partly rebuilt DH88 Comet racer, G-ACSS. Following its return to the UK the rebuild was completed and the machine took to the air on May 17. Since that time the aircraft has been damaged in a ground handling accident with major damage to the tail, a wing and engine. A loss of directional control and resultant ground loop is reported as the culprit.

Last but not least was the destruction of Bristol Blenheim, G-MKIV. The Blenheim was the only airworthy aircraft of its type in the world when it took to the air on May 22 following a long and total rebuild. Alas the smiles were soon to disappear when the machine was written off on June 21 following engine failure during a go-around at the annual show of the Air Pilots at Denham Airfield, Bucks. Both engines were torn out and the cockpit area destroyed but luckily the three crew members was not seriously injured

Zuccholi Fiat G. 59 Flies!

The news has just been received that Guido Zuccholi’s Fiat G. 59 is now back in the air following a lengthy rebuild at Chino in the USA. The very rare Merlin-powered fighter, sometimes dubbed an Italian Spitfire, recently put on its first public display with a run around the circuit at the Reno Air Races. No doubt the aircraft will shortly be shipped to Australia. A welcome newcomer to the Australian warbird scene.

In Brief

• The two Bristol Tourer replicas niade in Queensland for the Telemovie ‘A Thousand Skies’ are reported as being readied for use in another film. When used in ‘Skies’ both replicas were powered by Continental 10-520 engines however one is now said to have a water-cooled automotive-based engine installed.

• In mid-September an expedition was to visit the site of the wartime forced landing of Spitfire Mk. V, BR545, on mud flats on the far North West coast of Western Australia. The Spitfire apparently had engine failure. Recently the basically intact machine was spotted by an Australian Coastal Surveillance Patrol aircraft. It is intended to salvage the remains if at all possible. However, problems to overcome are not only the remoteness of the area but the thick mud and the large crocodiles that reside nearby!

• August 7th saw two retired Mirage fighters airlifted by Chinook helicopter from Laverton to Point Cook RAAF base for display in the RAAF Museum. The aircraft were A3-13 and A3-84, the second machine had originally been scheduled to arrive back on May 21st.

• In New Zealand a former RAAF Ryan STM Trainer is being restored at Dairy Flat near Auckland by local warbirds engineer ‘Ace’ Edwards.

Airworld Activity

At Wangaratta, Vic. Drage Airworld Air Museum has changed its nanie slightly, to just Airworld. Research found that while most aviation-orientated people knew of Joe Drage, the public at large were ignorant of this name and indeed some even looked for the town of ‘Drage’ when attempting to find the Museum.

New exhibits are being added to the Museum and recent acquisitions include the Gyrocopter of the late Mr Harley Newman, the C-47 of Malcolm Long and a Miles M. 28 Messenger which is being put into display condition at present