Warbirds

A later RAAF enquiry found that the engine seizure was due to a loss of oil.

Denny went on to a successful career with Qantas and passed away a few years ago. The SE5a was found in April 1963 and the engine retrieved by a timber cutter.

The wreckage recovered included metal fittings and the remains of the fuel tank When asked if the RAAF museum had any thoughts about rebuilding the remains, W/O David Gardner of the Museum advised that it would only be displayed as recovered and not rebuilt. The engine has also been donated to the Museum.

The photographic plates were not found.

1992 the Year of the Boomerang

It was on May 29, 1942 that the first CAC Boomerang took to the air at Fisherman’s Bend aerodrome, Vic.

Now, 50 years later, it promises to be the year that the Boomerang is not only remembered but seen in the skies over Australia again. In Queensland Greg Batts and Matt Denning have made good progress with the rebuild of two Boomerangs. Meanwhile, well known warbird enthusiast, Guido Zucoli of Darwin, has had a Boomerang rebuilt in California and this is expected to arrive in Australia very shortly. Already a ‘Boomerang” look-a-like that was built up out of a T-6 is flying in the USA, while at the Antique Aeroplane Association’s annual Antique Fly-In, which this year was held at Kyabram, Victoria, over Easter, featured the display of a Boomerang that Richard Hourigan had rebuilt to static condition.

Latein May, No 83 SquadronAssociationis to hold at Coolangatta what may be its last major reunion, and along with members of several other squadrons that flew Boomerangs, it is hoped that the Zucoli Boomerang will be in Australia by then and that it will be possible to again see the stubby little stop gap fighter that they flew during the war.

There can be no doubt that all warbird enthusiasts will be keen to see a Boomerang up close and in the air, as it is a real case of the phoenix rising as well as being a locally designed and built warbird.

Ex Australian Viscounts in Indonesia to Return Home?

In a frantic race against time, members of the Queensland based Australian Flying Museum are endeavouring to save three former Australian Viscount airliners now serving with Mandala Airlines of Indonesia.

The Viscounts currently fly on domestic routes within Indonesia, but are due to be phased out of service in the next two to three months as new BAe ATP aircraft are delivered. Mandala Airlines officials have told the Australian Flying Museum that unless strong interest is shown in the aircraft and a purchaser is found, they will be broken up for scrap. So far there has been no firm interest in the aircraft. Scrapping the aircraft would represent a lost opportunity to retrieve what are extremely valuable examples of our aviation heritage.

These three historic aircraft served both with Ansett-ANA and TAA between 1959 and 1970. The survivors are VH-RMG, formerly with Ansett-ANA, while VH-TVP and VH-TVQ were originally with TAA.

The Australian Flying Museum urgently requires assistance to make this ambitious project a reality. Any support, financial or otherwise, to bring these aircraft back home is desperately needed and would be greatly appreciated. Already, British Aerospace are providing technical support. This is a once only opportunity to preserve at least one of these examples of Australia’s aviation heritage. Time is very much of the essence. Robert Hickling of the Australian Flying Museum can be contacted at 34 Gotha St, Cleveland, Qld 4163 or on (07) 286 1387 or fax (07) 277 6878.

Amelia Earhart Mystery Solved?

On July 2, 1937, American Aviatrix, Amelia Earhart, departed Lae, PNG, bound for Howland Is. as part of her quest to fly around the world. The Lockheed lOE that she was flying never arrived and since that time the American media has turned the event into a mystery that has overshadowed even the disappearance of our own Kingsford-Smith. Now it appears that Earharts Joss has been solved. Maybe.

In mid March the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (HARS) announced that artifacts had been recovered that proved that the Lockheed came down on the island of Nikumaroro, in the South Pacific. This island, now part of the island nation of Kiribati, is south ofHowland ls.

For some time there has been a theory that Earhart got lost.

HARS believes that Earhart ran out of fuel and made a crash landing on Nikumaroro ls. A shoe of the correct size, an aluminium box and a section of fuselage skin are apparently the main items that the group bases its conclusion on. The box is reported to be the chart case of navigator Fred Noonan.

HARS plans to return to the island next year for a more thorough investigation and search for more relics. The belief is that the Lockheed was washed away by a storm.

The fuselage skin is said to be from the belly of the Lockheed but already a skeptic has claimed that a copy does not match the belly of the model JO. It appears that further advice from HARS will be awaited with extreme interest. One historian summed up the search by saying “W hen they find the two skeletons and the makers plate (from the Lockheed) the mystery will finally be solved”.

Darwin Trojans

News of the Trojans at Darwin which now number four.

As reported in the December AA, VH-AVC and owned by John Wey mouth is now flying. Another machine not previously known to be in Darwin is a T-28D sin 55-138232. This aircraft is owned by Dr Arthur Smith of Darwin who is gaining warbird time by flying a North American T-6 Harvard.

Next on the listing is s/n 51-7576 ex 3401 of the Laotian Air Force and the sin 51-7521 ex 3403 which is not being worked on at present. These four Trojans were joined recently by a visit from Judy Payin her T-28 VH-NAW on a flying visit from Victoria to join battle of Darwin celebrations.

Meanwhile back at Melbourne another T-28 is reported to be at Essendon and looking like it will soon fly as is another Mig-15UTI, this machine in a Polish Air Force colour

Pacific Gallery Hangar Opened at Moorabbin Museum

Sunday March 15 saw the opening of the Moorabbin Air Museum’s Pacific Gallery hangar by Sir Brian Inglis, the Chairman of Aerospace firm, ASTA of Avalon, Vic.

The opening, which coincides with the 30th anniversary of the MAM, was also attended by Victorian State Minister for Transport, the Honorable Peter Spiker, who presented the Museum with a cheque for $1,000. The Pacific Gallery comprises a Beaufighter, Wackett trainer, Wirraway and the fuselage of Curtiss P-40E, A29-53. All will be surrounded by typical field equipment.

The event was also used to display two new additions, comprising Victa Airtourer VH-BWI and CAC Ceres VH-WOT.

The museum revealed plans for yet a further expansion of its undercover display area that will be erected as finance allows.

Viscount Survivor

Contrary to popular belief, even amongst some people who perhaps should know better, there is a complete Vickers Viscount surviving here in Australia, the last of the Viscounts that were flown by the airlines.

The aircraft is a Viscount 816, VH-TVR, last operated by Trans Australia Airlines and named ‘John Murray’. Built in 1958 the airliner was delivered to Cuba where it was operated by the Cuban national airline, Cubana. Later being purchased by TAA it was flown to Australia.

Retired from service in February 1970 the four engined turboprop was later donated to the Moorabbin Air Museum. Lacking the space to display or even store the machine it was leased out and today serves as a picture theatre at Wobbies World, a childrens adventure park, in the eastern Melbourne suburb of Vermont South. The park also has two retired Bell 47 helicopters on display. The remains of at least two other Viscounts are understood to be held by museums elsewhere inAustraliabutitis pleasing to report that a complete machine survives, the last of these modern airliners to come to Australia CANADIAN MUSEUM DIRECTOR VISITS

In February the Director-General of the Canadian National Aviation Museum at Ottowa, Mr Chris Terry, made abrief visit to Australia. During his stay he gave a public talk at the soon to be opened Victorian Science Works Museum at Spotswood, a suburb of Melbourne.

Mr Terry, who has an engaging personality, talked about his museum and the 120 aircraft that it contains, some 60 of which are on display at any one time. The museum is run by a staff of33 and has a budget of $2. 4m, 90% of which comes from the Canadian Government. The collection covers both civil and military types and even includes one former Australian aircraft, a Maurice Farman Shorthorn, VH-UB C. The most recent type is a DH C-7. Another unique type in the collection is the very first DH Beaver. Mr Terry noted that aircraft are not suspended from the roof as this stresses them in a way they were not designed for and that they get dirty. Another reason was that the buildings roof was not designed for the suspending of aircraft, unlike the Smithsonian at Washington.

The museum does not run airshows due to the amount of manpower required for the restricted flying available but engine runs are made at regular intervals. These dates combined with a performance by the Canadian Snowbirds aerobatic team bring out crowds of up to 15,000. Some 200,000 visitors go through the museum each year. Rather than collect every aircraft available Mr Terry explained that they instead prefer to obtain aircraft that fit into certain themes. During the talk, which was organised by the Aviation Museums Association, Mr Terry mentioned that when they were rebuilding one of the two Me163s in the collectionthe words ‘My heart is not in it’ were found penciled on the inside of the structure, apparently a note by a forced labour workerwho helped build the rocket powered fighter during WWII. It is interesting to note that hidden inside a jumo engine from an Me262 that the Moorabbin Air museum has a similar note was found during restoration work, again, appars ently put there by a forced labour worker.

In Brief

• Planning to go to Hawaii? If you are and you would like a ride in a T-6 Texan then it may be of interest to know that there is one of the type that you can ride in as it traces the flight path that the attacking Japanese aircraft took when they raided Pearl Harbour on December 7, 1941. The T-6 is based at Dillingham field, a small airport on the north side of the Island of Oahu. The latest phone number and details of the ride can be found in any of the many tourist brochures around Hawaii. A pick-up service to and from Dillingham is available Following the note in the November AA,regarding the Airshow to be held on May 3 at Bairnsdale, Vic, it is of note that the display will be both a reunion of former RAAF Bairnsdale aircrew and the opening of a memorial to commemorate the efforts of the men and women based there during WWII. In conjunction with the event the memorial committee is keen to list the names of the aircrew lost in accidents during that period and has asked for assistance from anyone with knowledge of names, dates, places and aircraft types. Contact can be made by writing Cl-MrKimFawkes, 1 Albert Road, Carnegie, Vic. 3163.

• There are old pilots and there are bold pilots, the saying goes, and one of the old and still flying pilots is John Bange of Clifton, Queensland. John first flew on March 15, 1932 when he made a flight in a primary glider that he had made. John is reported to be the oldest pilot in Queensland and the sixth oldest pilot in Australia. These days John owns and flies a Porterfield that he has had since 1955. The aircraft was previously owned by the late Sir Reginald Ansett. As a side note,John held an open day at his flying field in 1982 during which he again flew the primary glider that was towed by the same 1926 Chevrolet Tourer that towed it aloft back in 1932.

• No 455 Squadron RAAF was the first Australian bomber squadron to see action in Europe during WWII, flying Hampdens and later Beaufighters. Following the war squadron members formed an association that in later years has assisted invalid members and their dependents.

Recently the association has had a collection of four placemats made, the sale of which will assist with much needed funds. The four placemats depict the Squadron Crest, a Hampden, a Beaufighter and OperationalArea Map. Sealed in acrylic they measure 420 x 300mm. They are both an excellent set of mats to use or just collect and are priced at only $29. 00 post paid within Australia. Write to the Honarary Secretary, 455 RAAF Squadron, 23 Vaughan Avenue, Pennant Hills, 2120, for your set.