Warbirds

The aircraft brought comprise seven single seat FGA74BS Hunters, RSAF sin 521, 529, 531, 533, 535, 538 & 546. Next come seven FR.74S sin 502, 503, 506, 512, 517, 526 & 545. As well as the single seaters there are four T.75S two seaters, sin 528, 532, 536 & 540 plus two T.75 two seat trainers, sin 500 and 516. 500 went to Arnjet in the USA There is one F.74B, sin 543. All aircraft are complete less radio, guns and safety equipment. Instruments were upgraded during the 1980s. All aircraft are reported to be in excellent condition.

Two aircraft have been sold to Captain David Phillips in New Zealand. These are sin 517, an FR.74S single seater and sin 516 a T.75 two seat trainer. Hunter sin 528, a T.75S trainer has been sold to Captain David Currie. Currie lives in Singapore but it is planned that the aircraft will be based at Archerfield. Serial numbers 503 and 536, an Avon 207 powered single seat FR.74S and a T.75S trainer are being retained by Geoff Moesker. While Geoff Moesker has advised that no aircraft have been sold locally sin 540, a T.75S, has the name Allan Arthur, for storage against it while sin 512 an FR.74S has the name Jim Czerwinski of Caboolture against it. The fatigue lives of the aircraft are documented and the highest life-used aircraft is sin 543, the sole F.74B. This aircraft may be broken up for parts.

The Hawker Hunter jet is no stranger to Australia with numbers having visited this country when in military service. Since 1989 the Queensland Air Museum at Caloundra has had an ex-RSAF Hunter T.4 in its museum collection. This aircraft is apparently an ex-RAF aircraft, sin XF311, that was used by the RSAF as a ground instructional aid with the RSAF serial Tech-11. This machine was saved from the scrappers torch and brought to this country along with a DH Sea Vixen, also an instructional airframe and a Meteor.

As with any high performance aircraft operated by civilians the Hunters safe operation will require owners and pilots who have not only the interest and money to purchase the machines but to also have the skills and experience to safely fly these very graceful aircraft. For those wanting more details on the background and history of the Hawker Hunter series try the new Legends of the Air series publication, entitled Sabre, MiG-15 & Hunter, by Stewart Wilson. The Legends series is produced by Aerospace Publications, the publishers of Australian Aviation magazine. Refer advert elsewhere this issue for details.

Mustang Exported, Mustang Imported

In what may be seen as a strange move by some, the Pacific Ocean has seen the passing of two Mustangs in recent months. From Toowoomba it was noted that CAC Mustang A68-187 was removed from the airport in late June in a shipping container apparently destined for the USA This was the aircraft that at one stage had the registration VH-UFO reserved for it and it was to be re-engined with a Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engine. Finished it would have been a close comparison to a Cavalier or Piper Turbo Mustang aircraft. The conversion was never completed at Canberra and the aircraft ended up at Toowoomba. It is understood that problems arose in recent times between the owner and the company which was to rebuild the aircraft and reinstall a Merlin engine in the machine.

Local aviation trading papers have carried several adverts for Mustangs in recent months. All the aircraft have been in America and would be imported after purchase. A deal separate from these adverts has been the recent import of sections of a Mustang, reported to be a two seat dual control aircraft, to a syndicate of airline pilots at Caboolture, Queensland. Reports have it that the fuselage is soon to follow. A two seat dual control configuration would allow not only proper instruction in this Mustang here in Australia but also have the potential for other pilots to be checked out to fly the other Mustangs that are in this country. More news on this exciting project is being sought.

Ansett Air Race Nears

There are air races and there are air races but one upcoming cross country air race that should have a lot of appeal for the owners, pilots and spectators of warbirds, antiques and classic aircraft is the 1996 Ansett Air Race. The race will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the 1935 commencement of airline operations by the late Sir Reginald Ansett. It was on February 17 1935 that the single engined Fokker Universal of the fledgling Ansett company flew from Hamilton, Victoria, to Melbourne’s Essendon airport.

To celebrate the 60th anniversary an air race is to be held that will commence at Archerfield, Brisbane, on Monday February 12. The race will fly to Tamworth and then on to Bankstown airport, Sydney. The next leg will be from Sydney via Wagga to Moorabbin airport, Melbourne. Moorabbin, Nhill and Parafield will comprise the third day of flying. The last day will be from Adelaide to Hamilton, Victoria, on Saturday February 17. The stops at Sydney and Melbourne will probably be for two nights.

Organiser Graham Soawyer has said that older aircraft are most welcome to be part of the race. The race will be more of a rally than a speed race with the result that even slower aircraft can win and take part of the prize pool of $100,000. Graham Soawyer, who is the research and promotions officer for the Sir Reginald Ansett Transport Museum at Hamilton, has advised that the entry fee is to be $150 per aircraft, rising for late entries. The 1964 Ansett air race had 164 entries and it is felt that the 1996 race will be able to cater for at least that number and then some. If excessive numbers of entries are received limits might have to be imposed. Acceptance would be on the basis of when received.

Ansett Airlines is the major sponsor of the race although there is still capacity for additional sponsorship. Race entry forms are now available from PO Box 651, Hamilton, 3300, or contact Graham Soawyer direct on (015) 33 4654.

Ex Royal Navy Chipmunks in Tasmania

Skywise Aviation at Devonport has taken delivery of two ex Royal Navy DHC-1 Chipmunks, WK574 and WD374. The aircraft arrived by container in March and both are reported to be in excellent condition. Only minor touch ups will be required to the paint and the airframes appear to have been well maintained. WK574 is owned by Skywise Aviation while WD374 by Skywise partner, Rob Edginton.

At last count both aircraft were nearing completion with engines fitted and just waiting for some parts to arrive from the UK. On completion both aircraft will be offered for sale. A real boost in numbers for the Australian Chipmunk fleet.

Can readers help? Chipmunk WD374 is missing a spinner. Skywise Aviation is keen to get one to put on the aircraft. Is there anyone who may have a serviceable Chipmunk spinner surplus to their requirements?

Bruce Mcgarvie’s Tiger Flights Remain at Surfers

Of all the commercial Tiger Moth joyride operators in Australia probably the longest operating is Bruce McGarvie on the Queensland Gold Coast. In the last few months it was thought that Bruce may have to move or even pack away his joy riding goggles with the reported closure of the International Raceway Airport “Raceway Park”. The reports have all been a bit premature and inaccurate at that. Bruce is to remain where he has been delighting tourists with his Tiger Moth rides for the last 18 years.

When Bruce first started operating from the raceway airstrip the property was owned by an Australian. In 1987 ownership changed to a foreign owner but the McGarvie ‘Come Fly With Me’ signs stayed at the strip and the operation continued. Recently the ownership changed again and with the view to getting a better return on the investment the new owner chose to turn the 289 acres into a turf farm. The few aircraft that were based there moved out by June 30, and, for a short time it looked like Bruce may also have had to relocate.

One of the great tragedies of aviation history is that so few surplus WW2 era aircraft survived the scrappers torch. In Australia, many aircraft were sent to Tocumwal in NSW for storage prior to eventual scrapping. AA reader Mick Beltrame recently rediscovered a series of colour slides which his father took at Tocumwal in 1962. Mick’s family had stopped off at Tocumwal from Griffith on the way to Adelaide whilst on a family holiday. By 1962 few aircraft remained at Tocumwal, but those that did included a Wirraway (top right), Boeing Washington (bottom left) and Gloster Meteor (bottom right). Mick’s father bought a pair of surplus drop tanks, which he used to convert into a catamaran which was used on a number of fishing trips, and a Mustang canopy, which, minus perspex, became a water ski sled. The tanks and the canopy are pictured (top left) loaded on the family trailer. According to our records none of these aircraft survive, despite their significant historic value. Do any other AA readers have private historic aircraft shots such as these? We’d love to hear from you.

Bruce McGarvie looked around at a number of sites but for one reason or another they were found to be unsuitable. He then went back to the new owner of the property and successfully negotiated to move his operation onto a new strip at the site, the old strip having been closed. Part of the negotiations were an excellent piece of diplomacy for the new owner is Japanese and of course a good number of the people who enjoy taking Tiger Moth joy flights with Bruce and his Vintage Aircraft Flights operation are Japanese visiting Australia and the Gold Coast. Indeed it has been found that a lot of the Japanese tourist business has come from word of mouth advertising in Japan. Bruce now has exclusive use of a new airstrip next to the old airstrip. This new airstrip is aptly named the Tiger Paddock.

Now very much part of the Gold Coast tourist scene Bruce McGarvie’s Vintage Aircraft Flights can be found six kilometres from Jupiter’s Casino on the Broadbeach to Nerang Rd. For those wanting to sample the delights of flying in an open cockpit Tiger Moth above the Gold Coast, rides start at $50 and depend on how long the passenger wants to stay in the air and where they want to go to. Aerobatic flights are optional. Vintage Aircraft Flights can be contacted at (075) 38 9083. Australia’s original Tiger Moth one passenger airline looks like staying at the Gold Coast for many years to come.

Strikemaster News

Of the ex-RNZAF BAC Mk.88 Strikemasters that International Air Parts imported to Australia one has now turned up in the USA. The aircraft, sin NZ6364, arrived at Bankstown in July 1993. When next seen it was being repacked for shipping during September that year. The machine has now turned up on the US civil register as N6364Z, a real play on registrations if ever there was one. Added to the register on February 2, 1995, it is listed as owned by Falcon Helicopters, Lees Summit, Missouri.

Meanwhile, back in Australia, another of the ex-Kiwi Strikemasters, NZ6361, has been registered as VH-ZEP. This was added to the register during June. The owner is listed as International Air Parts. A photo of the aircraft being moved into the Bankstown hangar of Winrye Aviation featured on page 76 of the July issue of AA.

Where Have We Heard Those Words Before?

Remember the flood of exported warbird and antique aircraft from Australia during the 1960s and 1970s? A number of these aircraft ended up in Britain. Collectors and aviation enthusiasts in the UK at the time commented that the free flow of such aircraft was good for the preservation movement and that if the local (Australian) market could not afford to purchase the machine then it would be better for it to go to a caring owner in another country. No comment was ever made about the fact that the majority of the subject aircraft were never offered for sale in Australia. Australian aviation heritage was something to put on the back burner.

To 1995. The Shuttleworth Trust, strapped for cash and in a fund raising move, sold its Percival Gull G-ADPR to the Auckland Airport Authority for £80,000 ($A175,000). The Gull was the machine that New Zealander Jean Batten flew from England to NZ in October 1936. In commenting on the sale, the British Aircraft Preservation Council (BAPC) noted that the machine was one of 149 British manufactured aircraft in UK air museums “whose export overseas would represent a significant loss to the heritage of the UK.” The sale was reportedly made without the aircraft being first offered for sale in the UK.

At the last minute UK preservation enthusiasts attempted to halt the export but in the end this came to nothing. It is without doubt that the New Zealanders will give the Gull the down under home and due recognition that the historic machine rightly deserves.

In summary one could make the comment that UK preservation enthusiasts should have perhaps turned back the pages of recent history books in order to realise that the very words they used in 1995 were almost echoes of the words used by some Australians (and cast aside by the British) only a few years ago in relation to keeping historic aircraft in Australia. Or perhaps they did? One could also say that had our UK preservation friends supported the Shuttleworth Trust to a greater extent, instead of talking about it, then the sale would possibly not have come about.

Register News

Recent additions to the Australian civil register include a new T-6 Harvard, or, considering its background, a Texan. Registered as VH-TOA to Norleigh Aviation of Hervey Bay, Queensland, in June. The previous identity is quoted as ‘412227’ which as one register buff stated is a nonsense. This machine is one of the recent imports by a WA dealer and came from Paraguay via the USA. The machine had Paraguay Air Force serial 0108 and later a not taken up American civil registration of N3171K. Perhaps an entrant for the 1996 Tasmanian Skyrace?

Another exciting entry to the Australian civil aircraft register is Spitfire Mk.V, B1628. Discovered as a hulk in 1977 this aircraft has been brought from the brink of oblivion and in recent times has been in the UK being rebuilt. Registered as G-BTNN to Aero Fab in 1991 it was struck off the UK register on April 12 this year and brought to Australia where it was put on the register as VH-FVB on June 8 to Peter Croser of Mt Eliza. It may be a time before this aircraft actually gets back into the air but it is yet another exciting happening in the Australian Spitfire movement.

In Brief

Even the best laid reporting plans can go astray! Readers will recall the item in the July issue of Australian Aviation that detailed the work that went into getting Winjeel VH-AGR/A85-444. A number of contributors to the rebuild project were mentioned but one was not there, Richard Hourigan. Melbourne based Richard was pivotal in the completion of the aircraft having a wealth of information on CAC aircraft including the Winjeel, Wirraway and Boomerang. He has worked on rebuilds of all three and owns one of each. Over the years owners of these types have often contacted Richard over problems encountered during rebuilds and have seldom been disappointed with the knowledge that Richard has passed on to them.

While we all admire the completed warbird or antique our thoughts seldom get past the pilot or owner to acknowledge the blood sweat tears and work put in by the unseen and usually unknown engineers. In the case of Winjeel VH-AGR it is hoped that the record has now been set straight.

Several reports have been received of a Sydney warbird owner having purchased a couple of ex-Vietnamese Air Force Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighters for shipment to Australia. Closer to home Sydney warbird owner Gordon Glynn is understood to have purchased two Cessna O-2 (push pull) FAC aircraft in the USA. Both are from the Davis Monthan storage centre at Tucson.

While Jet Provosts and Strikemasters are now all the go it is to be noted that the first JP to fly in Australia was not the Tasmanian machine, VH-JPP, but a T.2 model purchased by the RAAF (as A99-001) in 1959 to evaluate all through jet training in comparison with the CAC Winjeel. The Winjeel won out in the year long trials and the Provost ended up in the Sydney Technical College at Ultimo for apprentice training. In more recent years the Provost was sold by the College and is now understood to be in storage at Point Cook for the RAAF museum.

As this issue of Australian Aviation goes to press this writer will be leading the Australian Aviation/Torii Tours aviation tour group to Oshkosh and across the USA. During previous tours news items have been uncovered that have been of special interest to Australians. No difference is expected this year. We look forward to running these items in forthcoming issues of AA in addition to an in-depth colour report on Oshkosh itself in our October edition.