Warbirds

Bristol Boxkite replica, several Austers, two Bell 47G Sioux helicopters, a Cessna L19 Bird Dog, Cessna 180 and CAC Winjeel. Other aircraft are on short and long term loan to the Museum.

Two Fatal Classic Aircraft Crashes

The Australian antique aeroplane movement was shocked to learn of two fatal aircraft accidents that occurred only a few days apart. In late July Aeronca 7AC, VH-HXY, apparently stalled and plunged into the ground at Rowland Flat, NE of Adelaide, South Australia. T he pilot, who was not the owner, was killed and his passenger, a young boy, was seriously injured. The Aeroncahad has only recently been imported into Australia. The second accident, some two weeks later, involved Zlin, VH-ILZ. The aircraft had been engaged in a spin manoeuvre when it struck the ground near Cranbourne, SE of Melbourne, killing the pilot and owner, Alan Shiels and the passenger, Rodney Frost. Alan was well known throughout the antique and aerobatic scene. He had helped build a Lazer aerobatic aircraft and was at the time rebuilding a 1930’s BA Swallow low wing wooden monoplane. The Czechoslovakian-built Zlin was the only one of its type in Australia and was purchased by Alan during a visit to the UK some years ago.

Aircraft in Central Melbourne

Some years ago the Museum of Victoria had three aircraft on display at the Swanston St, Science Museum site. With recent changes in direction of policy and a pending new Museum at Spotswood, all the aircraft are now in storage. T he Duigan Biplane of 1911 was stored at ASTA at Avalon Aerodrome, the wooden prototype of the Millicer Airtourer, VH-FMM, is in storage at Port Melbourne while CAC Wirraway, A20-651, was loaned to Hawker de Havilland at Port Melbourne. Recently the Wirraway was returned to storage as the historic HdH storage hangar site was to be sold off as part of a sale of assets deemed to be surplus to State Government requirements. At the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, the School of Mechanical Technology, Department of Aircraft Technology, has no less than four aircraft as instructional air frames, one of which, Cessna 150H, VH-DVA, is airworthy and flown at Point Cook AFB. The other aircraft are Enstrom F. 28 Helicopter, VH-FSL, Cessna 172N, VH-IQG and Cessna 3100, VH-ENE. The Enstrom was obtained as a trade for a former Army Bell Sioux helicopter that the aircraft department had.

Going, Going, Gone

The last few years has seen a small number of local warbirds disappear from the scene. In most cases themachines will never fly again. For the record some of these lost warbirds are as follows:

DH Mosquito A52-600. On display and later stored with the Warbirds Aviation Museum at Mildura, it was sold to an Albury group in 1983 and the intent was that it would fly again. Allocated registration VH-JUX, the Mossie was later traded for a C-47 and is now in storage at the Point Cook RAAF Museum. The North American TB-25J Mitchell VH-XXV is one aircraft that was much admired on the local airshow scene from 1983 until 1987. Aero Heritage Inc of Melbourne brought the aircraft from the USA and operated it under a purchase arrangement with the Australian War Memorial. After the purchase was completed the Mitchell made its last flight on 30th November 1987 from Point Cook to Canberra before being part dismantled and put into long-term storage for static display with the AWM. Another popular machine, now gone, was Sea Fury VH-HFA. Brought into Australia and rebuilt by Guido Zuccoli of Darwin, the former Iraqi Air Force fighter went toTed Allen of Proserpine, Qld. In 1988 the ‘Fury was sold and exported to the USA where, as N57JB, it is now owned and flown by John MacGuire of Fort Hancock, Texas. Perhaps not lost forever is Fairey Firefly WD828NH-HMW. Obtained from the Moorabbin Air Museum by Mike Wansey of Newcastle, the machine was rebuilt at Ballarat and, like the Mitchell, became a popular airshow circuit aircraft. It had a crash landing near Camden on 4th December 1987 but recently the badly damaged machine was obtained by Classic Aviation of Sydney and is to be surveyed with the view to a rebuild and then to hopefully go back into the air once more.

Vampire to Moorabbin Museum

A recent acquisition for the Moorabbin Air Museum is DH Vampire A79-835.

The Vampire, the last T. 33 converted to T. 35 standard, has had a varied life, including reported use as a squadron hack and later as a training aid at RAAF Wagga . Recently obtained from a private collector in Melbourne, the two seat Vampire fills yet another slot in the Museum’s quest for Australian-manufactured aircraft. The Museum already has a DH112 Sea Venom, WZ901 .

Alice Springs Air Museum

Better known as the Central Australian Aviation Museum or CAAM, the Museum is situated at the old townsite aerodrome site (now closed) on the southern edge of the town.

Opened in 1979 the CAA Museum houses an interesting group of aircraft comprising former Connellan Beech D18S, VH-CLI, AusterJ1/N, VH-ASQ, Wackett CA-6, VH-BEC , Percival Proctor, VH-AVG. De Havilland Dove Drover ‘John Flynn’ VH-FDC, de Havilland Dove, VH-DHH and Kookaburra, VH-GNM.

A collection of piston and jet engines is also on display. The Museum is open daily, except Christmas Day and Good Friday and has a sales shop.

As the only aviation museum in the centre of Australia, the CAAM has on display a unique slice of NT aviation history and all those visiting Alice Springs should make a point of visiting it.

In Brief

• In the UK an enquiry was to beheld following a crash on 14July That destroyed the Royal Navy’s last remaining flyable Sea Fury. The two seat T. 20 suffered an engine failure soon after takeoff from RNAS Yeovilton and the pilot carried out a wheels up forced landing. The machine hit trees and was torn apart. The two occupants suffered minor injuries. As it is not long since a single seat RN Sea Fury was abandoned in flight, due to a gear leg locking up, there is a possibility that the RN will be looking closely at the operations of its historic flight.