Warbirds

PORTRAITURE YOUR NAME YOUR AIRCRAFT KITTYHAWK MIRAGE BOEING 727 LIBERATOR ETC, ETC Frame 620×497 from $98 DUNCAN BOWE 17 Bolwell St Werribee 3030 (03) 9741 2240 62 Australian Aviation July 1996

The offer was later withdrawn because there were no entrants, even though the closing date was extended several times. It did however give a number of locals the incentive to design and build an aircraft. This Marshall did. His aircraft had several configurations, the last of which was a monoplane. On February 17 1912, Marshall flew his aircraft at Fairfield, Melbourne, rising to some 30 feet and travelling for 150 metres. Another flight was reported to have taken place in April 1912. In June 1912 Marshall attempted to fly his aircraft at Northcote Park but the engine could not be started. Marshall was later to become the Mayor of Collingwood as well as being a champion boxer and wrestler. The engine is at present undergoing a program of conservation and when this is finished and the engine rebuilt it is planned that the unit will be put on display at the museum’s Moorabbin airport site. While Marshall flew his aircraft in 1912 it would appear that the engine was manufactured some time earlier, possibly as early as 1908. This aspect is being checked with a noted researcher of the JAP firm in the UK and if proven it could be that the engine is the oldest aircraft powerplant in Australia.

Kittyhawk News

The month of May saw American Kittyhawk rebuilder, Tom Wilson, visit Australia on a business trip. Tom, who comes from the American state of Georgia, specialises in the Curtiss Hawk series, the best known of which is the Kittyhawk. Following a look at the growing Kittyhawk scene in New Zealand Tom came to Australia to obtain parts and also to advise and arrange the shipping of two sets of P-40 wings back to the USA for rebuilding. The wings are owned by Judy Pay and Ian Whitney. With regard to parts Tom was pleased to find a few items at Harry Wallace’s Aircraft Parts Supply at Moorabbin airport. He noted that while there are many such places in the USA not all had the same stock and it was refreshing to find a new source of possible supply. In an interview with AA, Tom commented that when obtaining specially made parts he would typically get extras made up at the same time, be they extrusions or fittings, to have on hand when another job came on the scene at a later time. Tom noted that while he has sets of copies of original drawings for the P-40, his experience had shown that the aircraft were not always built exactly as per the drawings. A point that other rebuilders have found over the years, such were the expediencies of wartime aircraft production. In 1993 Tom Wilson was one of a party that went to Russia and recovered six P-40s which included B, E and K models. These were taken back to the USA for rebuild and one has been sold to Murray Griffith of Deniliquin, NSW. Tom Wilson’s Australasia visit would seem to reinforce the idea that while numbers of airworthy Curtiss Kittyhawks are not very high at present, certainly compared to the likes of Mustangs and Spitfires, in the future we should see more back in the air, many years after the end of the conflict for which they were built to have been operated in.

Mohawk For Queensland Air Museum

The Caloundra based Queensland Air Museum (QAM) has recently taken delivery of Nord Mohawk airliner, VH-NIX. The machine will join a growing number of civil transports with the QAM, including a DH Dove, P.166, Aztec, DC-3 and GAF Nomad. Starting life with its first flight in France in November 1967 as a Nord 262A, the twin engined airliner moved to the USA in the early 1970s. In 1976 it was converted with P&WC PT6s to become a Mohawk 298. September 1987 saw the aircraft arrive in Australia along with four others of the same type. After use by a number of operators the aircraft was retired in mid 1995. The QAM obtained the aircraft minus the re-usable engines and instrumentation and after dismantling it during February moved the machine from Bundaberg to Caloundra.

Amberley Raaf 75th Anniversary Airshow Wash Out

One of the most asked questions in the planning of an airshow is what is the weather going to be? The question was answered early for the planners of the RAAF’s 75th Anniversary Air Show, to be held at Amberley RAAF Base Queensland on the weekend of May 4/5. The clouds closed ranks, the rain never stopped, and the show was sadly cancelled! For those that attended they were able to walk the wet flightlines and see the RAAF and international aircraft including the visiting USAF B-1B bombers and the just restored WW2 Douglas Boston bomber amongst the aircraft parked there. A number of ex RAAF civil warbirds were unable to get to Amberley due to enroute weather. One interesting warbird that did get there was the Queensland Air Museum’s Gloster Meteor. Recovered from Singapore by the QAM the aircraft, WA-880, was transported to Amberley from Caloundra by the Australian Army as part of a training exercise. At Amberley the twin jet fighter was painted up as RAAF 77 Squadron Meteor F.8 A77-721, the first RAAF Meteor to be lost in combat when it was shot down in Korea on August 29 1951. The pilot, Warrant Officer Ron Guthrie, ejected at 38,000 feet when his elevators were shot away by a MiG-15 fighter. The QAM also had several aircraft engines on display at Amberley for the rain-coated spectators to inspect. It is unfortunate to record that the washed out RAAF Amberley show was the only airshow the RAAF had planned to celebrate its 75th anniversary. Other RAAF bases had open days with some flying but a full blown airshow is something else. One has to have some sympathy for the RAAF plus those enthusiasts and flyers who travelled long distances to attend the show only to find it a wash out. There are currently no new plans to reschedule the airshow although there was some possibility of an open day with a limited flying show. Like the weather, it is all now in the lap of the gods. Time will tell.

Bankstown A-37b Dragonfly Nose Gear Incident

Friday can be the best or worst day of the week, depending on how you look at it. So it was that Friday May 10 saw Cessna A-37B Dragonfly, VH-XVA, on a local flight out of Bankstown airport. The nose gear developed a mechanical problem and eventually the jet had to make the landing with the main gear down and the nose wheel still in the up position. A newspaper photo indicated that the aircraft landed on the extended nose gear doors and so saved a lot of damage to the underside of the aircraft. The occupants, pilot Steve Crocker and the owner, Dr Michael Silva, were not injured. Bankstown was also the place in early January where Dragonfly, VH-DLO, apparently had a problem with standing surface water and finished up off the end of the runway.

A Gathering Of News

With those Chinese built CJ-6A Nanchang trainers in the west and several in the east it was not surprising that the interest generated resulted in another changing hands. From Canberra Graeme Carnage advises that one of his CJ-6s, VH-NNN, has recently been purchased by Cathay Pacific pilots, Nick Caudwell and Phillip Thomas and that the aircraft is to be based at Tyabb, Victoria. Graeme mentioned a tale he heard recently and one that has been heard from other sources over the over the last few years. Basically the story goes that a fellow flew a particular type of aircraft and decided that he wanted to have one. There was not one readily available in the country and so the intending buyer/flyer put down a good deposit or even the full price. Many months later, years in one case, the subject aircraft had not been delivered and there was no sign that it was ever going to turn up, nor the deposit refunded. The deposit or full purchase money had probably been lost in an offshore deal that went wrong. Let the buyer beware is an old saying that still applies today. While there are trustworthy importers around it would seem that buy what you can see is one way to ensure that you get what you want. On the T-6 front, Harvard VH-JHP looks set to have a registration change to VH-TXN, a good original type registration and one that is very easy to remember. The aircraft is owned by John Rayner of Melbourne. The ex Peter Croser T-6, a former Italian Air Force aircraft, MM-53652, is about to fly in the West following restoration. The machine is to become VH-ITN (read Italian). In Sydney a former US Army L-19 Bird Dog arrived during late April for warbird enthusiasts, Rob Annette and Peter Anderson. Both have worked on other peoples warbirds and thought it about time that they obtained their own. With a 51- serial prefix the machine is an unconverted machine complete with olive drab paint and a few dayglo panels. Brisbane is the site for another ex US military machine. On Wednesday May 16 well known warbird owner and pilot, Randel McFarlane took delivery of an ex USAF Cessna O-2A, the military version of the Cessna 337 ‘push pull’ series aircraft. The aircraft was best known as the replacement for the Bird Dog and was used to great effect in the Vietnam conflict for FAC (forward air control) work. The USAF obtained 513 and a number are now turning up as surplus to the USAF requirements, having been in storage at the Davis-Monthan base in Arizona for some years. Oshkosh ’95 saw a good number of privately owned O-2As. Randel’s O-2A aircraft is an M-337B Cessna c/n 337M0137 and USAF serial 67-21431. Previously registered in the USA as N7025V in October 1983 it later took up the marking N337JC when owned by Gem Aviation of Carmel Indiana (not to be confused with Carmel, California).

Fatal Sea Fury Accident At Florida Sun-N-Fun Fly-In

The EAA world went into mourning in mid April when a Hawker Sea Fury overturned during landing at the annual Sun-N-Fun Fly-In at Lakeland Florida killing the pilot Charlie Hillard. Hillard was best known as the lead pilot of the Eagles aerobatic team flying Christen Eagle biplanes. The other pilots in the team were Gene Soucy and Tom Poberezny, now President of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). The Eagles retired at the end of Oshkosh 1995 after 25 years of flying together. Charlie Hillard learnt to fly at age 15. He later became a champion skydiver before becoming a member of the aerobatic team, initially flying Pitts Specials and later the Christen Eagles. In recent times Hillard had shared his time between his automotive dealerships in Texas and being the Flight Operations Air Boss at the annual EAA convention at Oshkosh. The death of Hillard comes as a second blow to the EAA and the Poberezny family. In April last year long time EAA icon, Steve Wittman, a very close friend of EAA founder Paul Poberezny, was killed in an aircraft accident. The cause of the accident is unknown at this stage.

In Brief

Well known air museum and warbird enthusiast, Pierce Dunn, of Mildura, Victoria, is importing a Fieseler Storch. The aircraft is coming from the USA. Reported to have American registration of N43FS the high winged WW2 STOL army co-operation aircraft is one of five Storches that were registered in the N40-45FS block back in 1980s. Pierce is best known for his now closed Mildura Warbirds Museum. John Rayner’s North American T-6 was imported from Sweden by Pierce in the early 1980s.

Last month we made mention of Graham Hosking’s Kittyhawk being swapped for a Corsair in storage with the RNZAF at Wigram. The identity of the Corsair is now known to be ex USN, BuAer 124493 and ex Honduran Air Force s/n 608. The model of the aircraft is an F4U-5NL. Also at Wigram, being rebuilt for display in the RNZAF museum is a Sopwith Pup replica that was swapped for the Republic P-47D Thunderbolt, 42-8066, now at Classic Aviation at Bankstown. The Pup was damaged in an accident in the UK before it was brought to Australia. It was registered in the UK as G-BIAT and carries the marking N6160 on the fuselage.

The Pacific Aviation Museums Conference was held at the RAN HMAS Albatross base at Nowra, NSW, over May 3-5, 1996. The conference was opened by Senator Michael Baume. The keynote address was made by Contessa Maria Fede Caproni, Director of the Caproni Museum of Aviation, Italy. During the conference it was noted that Air Commodore William (Bill) Belton is now Project Director of NASMA, replacing Wing Commander Peter Allen AM. The 1997 Museums Conference is tentatively planned to be held at Darwin. There will be no 1998 conference as Melbourne will host the world’s most important aerospace heritage forum, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) aviation subgroup convention.

The Moorabbin airport based regional airline Aus-Air celebrated its 40th anniversary in May. The company started out in 1956 as Australian Air Charterers Pty Ltd with a Percival Proctor III VH-GGB. The name Aus-Air was adopted when it began flying daily services to King Island in Bass Strait. The Proctor has long since gone and today the firm operates to Launceston, Devonport, Burnie Wynyard, King and Flinders islands plus Merimbula, using Piper PA-31s and Bandeirantes. Appropriately enough the aircraft are registered in the VH-OZ block. Aus-Air is one of the oldest regional airline firms still operating in Australia.