Warbirds, Vintage & Veteran

Of the aircraft put up for tender, with few exceptions, all were flying until late in 1995. Americans expressing an interest in buying some of the aircraft make the point that the aircraft have been maintained to a high mechanical standard but not to a high cosmetic standard. Most airframes have between 5,000 and 10,000 hours (not bad for 50-year-old aircraft that have trained over 40,000 pilots). Actual aircraft being sold will be 1940s’ models of Harvards, SNJs and T-6s. Many of the aircraft have hardpoints for external weapons, an indication that they were used for more than training.

Like the last big sale of T-6 Harvards, that took place in New Zealand when the RNZAF sold off its fleet of the popular North American trainer, there is bound to be a lot of keen interest from the Americans, but even more so as warbird interest has increased enormously since that time 20 years ago.

Ten Harvards are to remain in South Africa in flying condition and will not be sold out of the country.

Vale: John Bell

It is unfortunate to report that an air crash on March 13 took the life of Albany pilot, John Bell, and his three passengers. John Bell was the operator of the Whaleworld museum at Albany, Western Australia, and was in the process of restoring a Catalina, a Vultee Vengeance, and a WW2 Vought Sikorsky Kingfisher floatplane. A brief article and photos of this collection was featured in the October ’95 edition of AA.

John had been working on the aircraft for a number of years and would correspond with anyone who might possibly be a source of parts for the aircraft. He made a number of trips around the world in his quest for parts to complete the machines.

A former whale-spotting pilot, John became involved in the historical side of the whaling station when it closed its processing operations in 1978. The museum not only contained the above aircraft but several others that had been connected with whaling operations. The museum featured relics and photographs from the whaling days.

Details of the accident are unclear at this stage but the Cessna 337C, VH-FAM, that John Bell was flying, came down near the beach at Mt Manypeaks, 30km east of the town of Albany. The other occupants of the aircraft were law enforcement officers. It has been reported by one source that the aircraft was being used to spot for containers that had been said to have been washed up on the beach. Another source indicated that the plane was being used for a joint operation by Federal Police and Customs.

Classic Ryan Surfaces

One of the most graceful production aircraft ever built was arguably the prewar Ryan STM Trainer. A number of these aircraft were operated by the Netherlands East Indies Army and Navy (in what is now Indonesia). When the Japanese advanced through South East Asia, almost 40 of the type eventually ended up in Australia and were subsequently inducted into the RAAF. After the war, numbers turned up on the civil register. Over the years, a number were purchased by American collectors and returned to the USA. Several are flying or being rebuilt to fly here in Australia. Others disappeared off the register for one reason or another. One of these off-the-register Ryans was construction number (c/n) 474.

A recent issue of the American aviation industry classified newspaper, Trade-A-Plane, carried a for-sale advert for Ryan STM c/n 474, along with two engines, and therein lies a story.

Ryan 474 started out as NEI Navy serial number S-38 but soon became s/n A50-19 with the RAAF. In August 1947, it turned up on the Australian civil register as VH-AHE. Although reported to have been written off in an accident on January 27, 1956, the Department of Civil Aviation accident summaries for that year do not list a Ryan accident on that date. It is understood that the machine suffered damage of some sort around that time and was subsequently taken off the register. Off the register and out of mind would be a good summary of what became of the machine for more than 30 years. Now it is being offered for sale. Already several Americans are expressing interest, as is a Dutchman who has plans of obtaining aircraft operated by the Dutch military for a museum. Given the rising interest in Ryans in Australia of late, it would be nice to see it stay here, but that may not be the case.

One thing that the for-sale sign on this resurfaced Ryan indicates is that there are still interesting, potentially rebuildable antique and classic aircraft hidden away just waiting to be found. All it takes is a little research plus a touch of blood, sweat, and tears, and you never know what you may turn up.

Vickers Viscount Takes to the Air

Out of the air for more than a quarter-century, former Trans Australia Airlines Viscount VH-TVR took to the sky once again when it was hauled into the air by a crane prior to a move across Melbourne to its new home at Moorabbin Airport.

Vickers 816 Viscount c/n 318 VH-TVR was built by Vickers at Hurn Airport in England in 1958 and was originally sold to the Cuban airline Cubana de Aviación, or Cubana, where it was registered CU-T622. It was delivered to Cubana in 1959 and commenced services soon after. This was the period when the Cold War was at its chilliest and in Cuba, revolution was causing great upheaval with Fidel Castro ousting the incumbent President Batista.

When Castro assumed power, he used the Viscount as his personal transport for various state visits including, it is believed, his abortive visit to the United States in 1960.

In 1961, Trans Australia Airlines commenced negotiations with Cubana to purchase the aircraft and it was delivered in 1962. Overhauled by TAA, it was registered VH-TVR and named John Murray. The aircraft flew with TAA until it was retired in 1970, having clocked 27,500 hours.

Destined to be burned for fire training, it was rescued by the Moorabbin Air Museum in 1971. Lacking the space to display the aircraft at the museum site at Moorabbin Airport, the Viscount was leased to the Wobbies World amusement park at Nunawading.

With the end of the lease in sight, plans were made to move the machine to Moorabbin. In the years since the airliner was installed at Wobbies World, trees and other fixtures had been built up around it, making it harder to move out than it was to move in. With a plan that would have done the military proud, the aircraft was dismantled on site and on Friday, February 23, was hoisted up by one of the largest mobile cranes available and placed on a long transporter. Next day, the journey to the airport went without a hitch.

Now at the Moorabbin Air Museum’s airport site, VH-TVR awaits an overhaul prior to reassembly and display as the last complete Vickers Viscount airliner remaining in Australia.

Whatever Happened To…

Yes, whatever did happen to that elusive Spitfire, the one that was seen flying in Northern Australia a few years ago and that every warbird enthusiast has heard about?

Over the years, the story, like the fisherman’s tale, has altered somewhat, so much so that today almost every enthusiast has a theory about the machine or knows someone who knows all about it but doesn’t want to talk about it.

The origins of the Spitfire story go back to an item that was run in the Melbourne Sun newspaper of August 28, 1967 (yes, all that time ago!). The item was titled “Outback Spitfire Puzzle”, and reported “Adelaide — A WW2 Spitfire has been reported ‘buzzing’ planes in the outback.

“The first report came about three months ago. It was made in an issue of Aviation News. The magazine’s executive editor, Mr. Brian Creer, said a charter aircraft pilot had been told by a DCA (Department of Civil Aviation) pilot of an Aero Commander that he had been buzzed by a Spitfire in the Northern Territory. Following this report, another pilot told Mr. Creer that a Spitfire had flown near him in the north-west of WA. The Spitfire had afterwards looped around the pilot’s aircraft and made off. Mr. Creer said that he had no reason to doubt the stories. He knew of aircraft being flown illegally in the Australian outback. He said that he knew of three men who often flew Mustangs in the far north-west of NSW. The acting regional director for DCA in the SA and NT, Mr. J. E. Schofield, said last night that there were only a limited number of DCA Aero Commander pilots. They had been interviewed and none had acknowledged the original story. He was satisfied the report concerning the DCA pilot was not correct.”

Mr. Creer was quite correct about the Mustangs in NSW, and these aircraft were later to come onto the civil register as VH-BOB and VH-DBB. An article in the May 1995 issue of AOPA Magazine tells all about the operation of these aircraft at Jerilderie, NSW.

Given the lapse of time that has occurred since the original newspaper report of 1967, and remember that warbirds have become legal since then, it is noteworthy that no flying but unregistered Spitfire has turned up, nor has anyone gone into print or produced a photo to support the claim that a Spitfire was being operated in outback Western Australia or the Northern Territory.

Perhaps the best way to put this story to rest once and for all would be for the two pilots, who reported that they had been buzzed, to stand up and be counted. Perhaps also Mr. Creer could add some more detail to the story. When last heard of, Brian Creer was working in Darwin. Mr. Creer, if you read this column, we would be keen to hear from you regarding that outback Spitfire! Did the aircraft actually exist or was it just a good story?

Who Wants to Care a Continental?

A company’s corporate image is seen as all-important in this day and age, and one of the best-known images and logos in the aviation scene is that of Pratt & Whitney.

While P&W piston engines are not the most numerous type in use in Australia, it is the brand that receives the most acclaim by the enthusiasts, be they engineers, pilots, or budding pilots who proudly display the P&W logo of an eagle in flight crossing a circle that has the words “Pratt and Whitney Aircraft, Dependable Engines” around the outside of it.

The much older logo was similar except that the eagle looked a bit on the tired side and the words read “Pratt and Whitney USA, Dependable Engines”.

Go to any airport or airshow and the P&W logo will be seen on window stickers, tee shirts, jacket patches, caps, and of course belt buckles.

Now in a new surge of company promotion, Teledyne Continental Motors, the makers of Continental aircraft engines, has resurrected its old logo. That logo comprises a circle with the dome of the (Washington) Capitol building in the center and around the outside are the words “Continental Motors America’s Standard” while the script words “Powerful as the Nation” adorned the center with the Capitol Dome. The outer circle of the logo was colored red while the remainder is black.

With general aviation coming out of the doldrums and with the market success of its IO-550 and O-240 series engines, Continental appears to be riding a new wave of morale in its chosen field. The increased use of its dusted-off logo will no doubt help that along. It would appear reasonable to expect that in the future we are likely to see the Continental logo being proudly displayed on the tee shirts and belt buckles of pilots who actually fly behind this brand of engine rather than promoting a brand that most have never flown. Good one, Mr. Continental.

In Brief

There are only a few CAC Wirraways flying in Australia but of those, the most recent in the air is VH-WWY, based at Caboolture, Qld. Painted up as A20-176, although it is in fact A20-81, it is understood that a share in the aircraft is becoming available at $35K as syndicate member Darryl Hill wants to finance the rebuild of his Avro Cadet, A6-8. The machine is in full wartime configuration, weapons, equipment, and finish. Contact Darryl Hill at Intl-852-23581971.

In South Australia, the SA Historical Aviation Museum, situated at Port Adelaide, recently took delivery of a small number of missiles and models of missiles that were surplus to the requirements of the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO). With South Australia having always been the center of missile testing in Australia over the past 45 years, it is most appropriate that the collection has gone to a museum in that state. The missile collection acquisition also highlights the fact that Australian aviation museums need to look to the future and to obtain and display not only aircraft but also to preserve the hardware, artifacts, and history from the involvement that Australia has had with missiles, both for defense and scientific use.

If you happen to be making a scenic flight over the city of Melbourne or flying into the Melbourne heliport at Fishermans Bend in your S-76, you might just happen to look down at the Hawker de Havilland complex and sight two aircraft in the factory grounds. At the front is a Sabre, understood to be A94-101, while at the back and not visible from the outside street is a Canberra, A84-245. Both are a small reminder of the aeronautical manufacturing history of the area.

Sir Tim Wallis’s crashed Spitfire Mk.14 was advertised for sale on an as is, where is basis recently.