Warbirds

The two seat MiG-15s, in fact Polish built LIM-3s, are now being worked on with the view to having them in the air as soon as possible. In Melbourne the Essendon Airport firm of Airepair is working on four of the aircraft, one having been diverted from Sydney, while the fifth MiG is now at Richmond RAAF Base where it is stabled in the same hangar as the RAAF Historic Flight Sabre, A94-983 (VH-PCM). The Korean War was not like this!

For all those disappointed to hear about the lack of single seat MiGs, we now have some good news as Randel has advised that two MiG-17 fighters are being imported and will arrive in Qld around the end of the year.

The MiG-1’s are also coming from Poland where they were licence built as the model LIM-5. The MiG-17 was evolved from the MiG-15 as a successor to the earlier aircraft. Powered by a Klimov VK-1A turbojet the prototype first flew on 13 January 1950. The MiG-17 has been built in even greater numbers than the MiG-15. Small numbers of the MiG-17, like the MiG-15, are now in the USA where they will be operated as warbirds. One MiG-17, owned by Morgan Merrill and registered N1VC, is already flying.

The import of the MiG-1’s is a further significant boost for the Australian warbird movement and can only leave local enthusiasts to gasp that after all this, what will be next?

New Warbird Organisation

Australian Warbirds is the name of the newly formed Association that aims to encourage the preservation, restorations and safe operation of warbird aircraft in Australia.

The new body is a properly constituted limited liability company. The key personnel of the newly elected committee are President, Randel McFarlane, Vice President, Bruce Andrews with committeemen Col Pay, Guido Zuccoli and Jack McDonald.

Australian Warbirds is open to membership from not only warbird pilots and owners but also others such as engineers, potential warbird owners and pilots and of course enthusiasts. A newsletter is planned. As a newly formed organisation Australian Warbirds has taken over and will further the aims of the old Warbirds of Australia association. Most members of Australian Warbirds were the members of Warbirds of Australia.

A Fly-In and dinner was scheduled to be held at Canberra on September 30 as an early get together by members of the new organisation. Those interested in becoming a member of Australian Warbirds are invited to write to: Australian Warbirds Ltd, PO Box 1593, Woden, ACT 2606.

15 Year Engine Overhaul Rule Scrapped

In the last Warbirds (and Newsdesk) it was revealed that a CAA Directive (AD) required all piston engines to be overhauled at 15 years even if they had not yet reached their full hours between overhaul (TSO). Owners can now breath a collective sigh of relief. The AD has been cancelled.

The issue of the AD by some faceless bureaucrat was supposed to be a said and done exercise with those most effected shutting up and putting up. The AD instead had the opposite effect with all sections of the aviation industry, both as individuals and organisations, protesting long and loud to Canberra that there was no technical justification and that there had been no consultation. The lack of consultation was summed up by one engineer involved with older aircraft who said, “I must have been out the day the CAA called for my opinion”.

It is understood that following the adverse reaction to the AD the Minister for Aviation Support and Telecommunications, Ms Ros Kelly, had strong words with the CAA people concerned and that the end result was a CAA back down on the implementation of the 15 year AD.

It is understood that the CAA will now do what would have been expected of it before this issue blew up and that is to consultant the people most affected via an ARP. While the feelings of the aviation industry have already been echoed in the corridors of the CAA camp, the AD has had an effect like no other and that was to unify those most affected with one voice that said “Enough is enough, we object”. Perhaps there should be more reactions like this.

Bad News From the UK

In the UK there have been no less than three warbird accidents that have resulted in one fatality and the loss of three historic aircraft.

On June 10, Fleet Air Arm Historic Flight Sea Fury FB. 11, TF956, was written off following a mechanical problem that eventually forced the pilot to bale out. The Sea Fury was taking part in the Scottish International Airshow at Prestwick when the port undercarriage leg locked up and the starboard leg locked down. No amount of effort or expertise would get the leg down and eventually,. with fuel running low, the pilot, Lt Cdr John Beattie, baled out of the aircraft from an altitude of 6,000ft. The machine crashed into the sea off the coast of Ayr at Turnberry and Beattie was fished out of the water by a Sea King helicopter. It is not possible to safely land a Sea Fury in the one up, one down configuration.

The fatal accident happened when Charles Church was killed in the forced landing of recently rebuilt Spitfire Ve EE606/G-MKVC on July 1 near Blackbushe.

Church was flight testing the machine when he experienced engine trouble. Charles Church had commenced a production line for the rebuilding or manufacture, as you prefer, of a number of Spitfires. Spitfire G-MKVC was the second aircraft off this production line. The machine was built by Westlands in 1942 and shipped to Australia. Following surplus sale in 1946 it reportedly ended up on a farm near Darwin. Apparently spirited out of Australia in unknown condition, probably in the early 1980s, it was acquired by Charles Church and after a long rebuild took to the air again on 20th November 1988. The Spit was painted up in the colours and markings of Douglas Bader, the famed one-legged WWII fighter pilot. Now it is no more.

During July a film, ‘Memphis Belle’ was being shot in England when one of the six Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses being used crashed during a takeoff sequence. The aircraft, French registered B-17G F-BEENA (ex 44-85643), is reported to have suffered an engine fire during takeoff at Binbrook then ran off the strip and hit a tree.

Owned by the French firm IGN the Fortress was destroyed by fire but amazingly the 10(!) occupants escaped with minor injuries. The film is based around the last mission of a B-17F Flying Fortress during WWII. The original Flying Fortress ‘Memphis Belle’, a B-17F, was preserved after WWII and is now on display at Memphis, Tennessee, USA.

As well as the Warbird accidents an historic DH89 Rapide, G-AJHO, was written off earlier this year when it suffered an inflight engine/wing fire. During a forced landing the aircraft turned over and was burnt out but pilot Charles Shea-Simonds escaped unhurt. The fire was caused by a reused exhaust gasket that failed. Hot exhaust gases on an unshielded fuel line consequently resulted in a fire that quickly spread into the wooden wing.

In Australia fuel lines are required to be shielded as no doubt Charles Shea-Simonds would have preferred to have been the case with his Rapide.

Catalina to Go to Raaf Museum

Following hot on the news that Catalina VH-EXG was for sale by tender it can now be advised that the Cat’ is to stay in Australia and will go to the RAAF Museum at Point Cook, Vic.

Although final details are not yet available, it is understood that half the purchase price of the aircraft will be split between the RAAF Museum and the Museum of Victoria while the second half is to come from corporate sponsorship The plans are to formally secure the machine and have it brought back to airworthy condition. The aircraft has reportedly not flown for some 18 months. The RAAF Museum is keen to get

the Cat’ to Point Cook as soon as possible where it will be secure and can be further worked on. The initial intention is to remove the large survey aerials. At a later stage the blister and nose turrets will be sought and installed (Can any reader help?). The machine is to be kept airworthy and flying and will carry a suitable WWII colour scheme.

For those interested in RAAF Catalina operations the book ‘Catalina Chronicle’ by David Vincent is the best publication on the subject.

UK to Australia Vintage Air Rally

One of the most exciting events to happen for many years is due occur in March 1990 when a Flying Rally from England to Australia commences.

This however is no ordinary Rally because all entrants will be flying pre-1950 Vintage aircraft! In announcing the Rally, organiser and originator Lang Kidby, indicated surprise at the number of nominations already received including entries, so far, from no less than 1 0 countries.

The Rally will cover some 16,000kms passing through 16 countries and is expected to take about 40 days to complete. The event will ‘kick off’ in London with a 1940’s style ball and finish in Australia with an equivalent extravaganza. Flying along the path of aviation pioneers, the World Vintage Air Rally will relive the days of real flying when pilots flew by visual contact with the ground and leather jackets and goggles were standard equipment.

The departure date is March 25, 1990, from White Waltham Airfield. Aircraft types expected to participate in the Rally read like a spotters book of antique aircraft and include Aeronca, Auster, Beech Staggerwing, Fairchild, Luscombe, Tiger Moth and Piper Cub aeroplanes. The Rally promises to be a major aviation event in 1990. For those keen to enter contact World Vintage Air Rally Pty Ltd at Interaction Associates (Aust) Pty Ltd, 112 Kent St, Sydney 2000. Tel (02) 241 3041, fax (02) 251 4962.

Neptune Arrives

Bob De La Hunty’s second Lockheed Neptune has arrived safely in Australia.

The former French Aeronavale Neptune, registered N8187Z, flew from Tahiti and arrived at Brisbane on July 16. Later the big maritime reconnaissance bomber, s/n Bu147566, flew on to Nowra RAN Naval Air Station where it joined Bob’s other Neptune, VH-IOY. The arrival of N8187Z brings to three the number of the type airworthy in Australia. N8187Z and VH-IOY are at Nowra while in Western Australia Neptune N54317 awaits a future career as a freelance firebomber.

In Queensland ex RAAF Neptune A89-281 is slated for a long term restoration to airworthy standard following some years on display at Chewing Gum Field Museum. The future for Neptunes in Australia indeed looks good.

Airworld Update

At the Airworld Air Museum at Wangaratta, Vic there have been several recent changes worthy of note.

Miles Messenger VH-WYN is now on display having been obtained from Barry Hodson of Hay, NSW. In 1955 this aircraft was flown to Australia by Nancy Leebold Ellis for the owner C J Wynne of Yarram, Vic. The aircraft was grounded some years ago following problems with the glued wooden structure.

Of particular interest is the full-scale replica of the three engined low wing Stinson A model ‘VH-UHH’ that featured in a telemovie starring Jack Thompson about the loss of this aircraft in Queensland in 1937. The Stinson replica can be entered and a continuous video shows excerpts from the movie. Anson VH-BAF is now on display at Airworld as is Bell P-39 Airacobra, 42-19993, on loan from owner Monty Armstrong of the Essendon Maintenance firm of Airepair.

The museum also recently took delivery of an 85hp Armstrong Siddeley Genet radial engine. Another new exhibit is a non-flying Penguin trainer, marked VH-AAL, built by the Australian Air League in 1938. Powered by a 4 cylinder Henderson in-line motor cycle engine the machine was meant to teach Air League cadets the basics of aircraft ground handling. Long held by Sid Marshall at Bankstown, NSW, the little machine was not meant to fly but is strongly reported to in fact have been flown by a light weight pilot (Reader comment welcome).

A large exhibit expected shortly at Airworld is the Bristol 170 Freighter, VH-ADL, at present located at Deniliquin, NSW. It is planned that a mini theatre will be run inside the huge fuselage of the Bristol.

T-28 to Queensland

A T-28 is being imported from the United States of America and will go to Queensland. The aircraft, a North American T-28B, has been purchased by Kim Rolph-Smith and is due in Australia around the end of the year.

Kim is already involved in the warbird movement with the ongoing rebuild of a North American P-51 that he obtained in Indonesia some years ago. The T-28B is powered by the 1,425hp Wright R-1820 series radial engine.

On the subject of North American T series trainers, it has been reported that an ex Spanish T-6 has been purchased in the USA by Bathurst engineer, Mick English, in partnership with a Qantas Captain. This machine is also expected to be in Australia sometime close to the year’s end.

The T-6 is becoming a very popular machine with around 20 of the type now locally owned. May the rumble of those P&W radial engines continue for many years to come.

Warbirders Beware

As shown elsewhere in this column accidents can and do happen to warbird aircraft. Thankfully, however, the Australian warbird scene has been free of major accidents in recent years but that is not to say that all those concerned can relax their vigilance.

It could take only one serious accident to have bureaucracy descend on local warbird activity with such excessive rulings and requirements that it would virtually kill the activity of operating and displaying this type of aircraft. Not only would warbird aircraft be affected but almost certainly increased requirements would spill across to involve other airshow display and antique aircraft.

The last year or so has seen quite an increase in the number and type of warbirds being brought into the country. With this increase has also come a new set of owners, pilots and even maintenance people. Now one can say that most warbirds were originally flown by pilots with very little experience and that therefore today’s new breed of general aviation pilot should have no problem coping with the aircraft. What is so easy to forget is that when these warbirds were operational aircraft with the military, the training and discipline, both on the ground and in the air, was hard and long and that the acceptable attrition rate was higher than is allowed today where pilots and warbird aircraft are simply not expendable. Warbirds are in the main heavier, faster, less forgiving and have far more complex systems than a common GA aircraft. As such they need to be treated differently and if that means more and better pilot training, then so be it. If treated otherwise the end result could well be front page news and repercussions for others to bear. In short, respect the beast.

In Brief

• Bruce Andrew’s Hawker Sea Fury, VH-HFX, has been advertised overseas as up for sale. The ‘Fury has a low 40 hours logged since it was rebuilt and put back in the air. The advertising of VH-HFX follows close on the sale of Sea Fury, VH-HFA, that was sold late last year and went to America where it is now owned by Texan, John MacGuire. While the sale of VH-HFA was Australia’s loss and John MacGuire’s gain, one can only hope that somewhere in Australia there is someone able to buy and fly VH-HFX and keep it in the skies of the land of down under.

• De Havilland DH100 Vampire FB31, A79-202, is reported to have been obtained from the Mildura Warbirds Museum by the South Australian Aviation Museum Group. De Havilland DH115 Vampire T35A, A79-816, long a gate guardian at the RAAF stores depot at Tottenham, Vic has been obtained by a former aeronautical engineer and now occupies pride of place in the backyard of his home at Brighton, Vic. Garden gnomes beware, you can be replaced!