Warbirds

The aircraft are expected to arrive in Sydney in August. All three will be in Chinese Airforce colours complete with red star. Serial numbers and cowl numbers are s/n 2751248 (76), 2951208 (46) and 2132048 (24).

The Yaks have tricycle retractable undercarriage and this plus the 260hp engine should allow for easy average pilot operation of the machines compared to a tail dragger with large horsepower. The aircraft being imported, which were built circa 1970, were selected from the Air Force reserve fleet and the engines and airframes will be overhauled before shipping to Australia.

The CJ-6/Yak-18A is not an unattractive aircraft and the arrival of these machines in Australia, coupled with other recent warbird imports, must surely put Australia close to the top of the world’s warbird active countries. Pilots, engineers and enthusiasts alike, having been brought up on a diet of British and American aircraft, will without doubt find these Chinese aircraft of immense interest.

Mustang Moves

Saturday March 24th saw the dismantling and trucking of Mustang A68-105 from Point Cook RAAF base to Tyabb, Vic.

Owned by well known aircraft restorer and warbird owner, Richard Hourigan, the CAC built Mk. 21 Mustang is to be overhauled at Tyabb Airport in order to be flown again.

Sold as surplus in 1960, the Mustang has been on display at Laverton, Moorabbin, Mildura and more recently at the Point Cook RAAF Museum. Now it is scheduled to be put on display in its natural element – the air.

High Flying Liberators

The acquisition of not one, but two, WWII Consolidated B-24 Liberators is currently in the wind.

At Moe, Victoria, the fuselage of Liberator A72-176, remarkably preserved, is the property of Mr Gearge Toye who obtained the aircraft 42 years ago when it was sold for scrap at East Sale RAAF base. Plans are afoot to restore this fuselage combined with a set of wings currently in Alaska.

The B-24 Liberator Memorial Fund Inc is keen to buy this machine and is seeking funds and donations. The Chairman of the fund is Mr Bob Butler, 2/12 Camperdown St, East Brighton, Vic 3187. Ph (03) 592 2838.

The second Liberator is more distant – China to be exact. It has been reported that well known warbird enthusiast, Guido Zuccoli, has paid a deposit of $25,000 on a Lib recently ‘discovered’ at an Air Force base in Northern China. The Chinese have said the aircraft is capable of flying but could need work to bring it up to an acceptable standard. The Americans are also keen to obtain the machine and are already making counteroffers. At last report Guido was inspecting the B-24.

It has also been advised that the big bomber was formerly used as a transport by Chinese leader Mao Tse Tung. If this is so it is an even more unique aircraft.

Some 18,188 B-24s were built during WWII, even more than the B-17 (8,685). Today no more than 20 remain including 3 that are flyable. The RAAF had a total of 290 on strength

Boeing B-29 Recover Y: Can You Help?

In 1947 a B-29 Super Fortress was forced down by bad weather and made a gear up landing on ice and snow in the Elizabeth Islands near the North Pole.

The crew were rescued some days later but the B-29 has remained intact at the landing site all these years. Now it is planned to not only recover the aircraft but to fly it out!

Australian photographer, Robert Hichiling of Brisbane, has been entrusted by the recovery team to take still and video photographs of the recovery operation but has one big problem; the cost of transport for himself and his equipment to the site.

Although his departure was originally to be in May, Robert has written to ask is there a reader prepared to sponsor him. Robert can be contacted at Brisbane on Phone (07) 286 1387 (AH) or (07) 391 0141 (BH). This promises to be a very interesting project and one that we will be keen to follow.

Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation

A Sydney group led by Neptune owner, Bob De La Hunty, is negotiating to buy, import and operate an L1049 ‘Super Connie’.

Should the plan be successful, it is planned to put the aircraft into the colours that Qantas had its L1049s in and operate the graceful aircraft at promotions and airshows. Following unsuccessful plans by another group to import a Super Connie at the time of the Bicentennial Air Show in 1988, Mr De La Hunty advises that this time the proposal looks better to import and operate the aircraft given the experience his group has gained on the Neptune.

Import and operation of a Super Connie would be a real boost to aviation heritage in Australia. The present location of the aircraft in America and its identity have not been disclosed.

Overseas

• In Taiwan Customs officials are looking for the owner of a lost item of cargo- a Chinese-built MiG-19 fighter. It is suspected that the aircraft is part of an arms shipment that got consigned to the wrong port. It is not known if the lost aircraft will be part of a periodic Customs sale.

• In the UK radar photos are being used to try and pin point the location of six surplus WWII Lancaster bombers that were buried at Elsham Woods aerodrome, South Humberside (refer p6, May 90 AA). Following the war the Lancasters had their wings strapped to their fuselages and then buried. At least it was different to the usual technique of cutting up and smelting down surplus aircraft.

In Brief

• Recently imported from America by new owner, Rob Black of Tyabb, Vic is Stinson SR-9E Reliant, VH-ISR. Previously owned at Desoto, Kansas, the big Stinson, formerly N17138, c/n 5209, was built in 1937 and has the plush leather seats, wood trimmed control wheels and wind down windows that were typical of that era. Painted red, the bigclassic carries the name ‘The Queen’ on the cowl and is powered by a 350hp Wright R-780 radial engine. Several Reliants came to Australia prewar but only VH-CWM, a model SR-BC, remains, now on display at Airworld, Wangaratta Vic.

• The classic Beech D18-S, VH-FIE, is now operating out of Albury, NSW, with new owner, John Love. John is well known as the restorer and former owner of Lockheed 12A ‘Silver City’, VH-ABH, which is on display at Airworld, Wangaratta Vic. The twin Beech will be used on charter, parachuting operations and special interest flights.