Warbirds

Of the other 18 some 13 are in storage with the rest at Archerfield. VH-FGA is one of these. Another Archerfield Hunter has been sold to Steve Murray of Brisbane. The serial is unknown at present.

A detailed article on the Hunter import featured in the September 1995 issue of Australian Aviation.

Dive on a Fairey Firefly Wreck

While one normally thinks of diving on aircraft wrecks as being the stuff of World War 2 and the South Pacific islands, it is possible to dive on one particular wreck a little closer to home.

As recently featured in the Channel Nine ‘Getaway’ series, Jervis Bay, on the southern New South Wales coast, not only hosts fascinating marine growth, spectacular underwater terrain and interesting fish, but also has the wreck of a Fairey Firefly that ditched there in 1956.

Jervis Bay is southeast of the Royal Australian Navy’s Naval Air Station, Nowra. It was over the bay that a Firefly flight was flying during November 1956 when one aircraft inexplicably flew off course and into the formation. Two aircraft, WD887 and VX381, collided. WD887 crashed into the sea killing its crew of two and to this day has reportedly never been found. The second machine, VX381, ditched in the southern end of Jervis Bay and the crew escaped. Today the wreck of VX381 is still there, lying in some 12m of water. While the scallop boats have dredged a lot of aircraft wreckage from the ocean floor around the Jervis Bay area, VX381 is apparently in what the scallop fishermen consider shallow water and so it remains there today, upright on the bay floor, the cockpit canopy slid back and damage to one wing still evident from the 1956 mid air collision.

For those who would like to combine scuba diving with a touch of aviation archaeology contact Jervis Bay Liveaboard Charters on (044) 417 107 or 018 230 834. Adrian and Annie Nute operate the 16 metre MV Victory on dive expeditions in Jervis Bay and include the Firefly wreck in their itinerary.

On the subject of underwater wrecks of aircraft off the coast of the Australian mainland, do any readers have knowledge of any other accessible wrecks that can be dived on? Drop ‘Warbirds’ a note at Australian Aviation magazine. Other readers would no doubt be keen to hear of such interesting underwater relics.

Warbird People Names

It was back in 1992 that this column reported on the fact that although the Australian aviation industry is only relatively small in people numbers, and the warbird movement smaller again, there were no less than five people with the same surname. In that case it was Pay. There is of course Col Pay and his son and daughter, Ross and Helen, all of whom fly the aircraft of the Scone based Pay’s Flying Museum.

In Victoria there is Judy Pay at Tyabb and Alan Pay further north at Mt Beauty.

Now that warbird enthusiasts have just managed to grasp the fact that the Pay’s are not all from the same family we have another same name duo to confuse everyone; Rayner.

John Rayner in Melbourne is well known for his successful aviation art business as well as having owned the North American T-28D, VH-LAO, and more recently the Noorduyn AT-16 Harvard IIB, VH-JHP. The machine is a Harvard IIB model built under licence from North American by Noorduyn Aviation in Canada.

Now, as if to confuse warbird enthusiasts, Margot Rayner of Sutton, in southern NSW, has joined the warbird movement and the ranks of female warbird pilots with her recent purchase of Cessna L-19 Bird Dog, VH-CAM. The olive drab painted aircraft is based at Canberra (refer last issue).

Let it be said that not all the Pay’s or Rayner’s in the Australian warbird movement are from the same family! Heaven forbid that they should all fly warbirds at the same airshow!

Fatal British Accidents — the Australian Ramifications

July 1996 was one month that the British warbird movement would rather not have happened.

The Flying Legends Airshow at Duxford on July 14 saw Lockheed P-38J Lightning 42-67543/N3145X of the Fighter Collection attempt a roll at low level. The aircraft crashed in a fireball and the pilot was killed.

The Lancashire Aero Club Midsummer Madness show and swap meet at Barton airfield, Manchester, on July 21 saw the end of de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito T Mk.38 RR299/G-ASKH. The aircraft, operated by British Aerospace, dived into the ground killing the two crew members.

As a result of the destruction of the Mosquito there is now only one remaining flying Mosquito in the world, that of well known warbird and aviation enthusiast, Kermit Weeks, of Florida. That aircraft, N35MK, was flown to the USA from the UK in 1987. In 1995 it was noted at the Oshkosh Convention but that it had not flown for some time.

The two fatal crashes in the UK came so close to each other that the British CAA will without doubt be looking very closely at the operation and handling of warbirds and antique aircraft that are displayed on the UK airshow circuit.

Both accidents will be under investigation for some time however the destruction of the Lightning would appear to be a classic case of loss of control at an altitude too low to recover. While a low roll is certainly spectacular to view it is unfortunate to note that often the only spectator to see it is in the front row. A little higher, a little more altitude to recover, and every spectator sees the action. It should also be recorded that there are good numbers of British airshow pilots who have been safely displaying warbirds and antiques at airshows for many years without incident.

Australia and New Zealand have both had their share of well publicised warbird and antique aircraft accidents in recent years. Canberra had the MiG-15 crash and Launceston the T-28. New Zealand had the DH Chipmunk accident at the 1994 Wanaka airshow. All spotlighted public attention on historic aircraft flying in a manner that was not wanted by the aviation industry. The same will happen in the UK.

Operated properly, older aircraft are a delight to all that fly them or enjoy seeing them in the air. Operated improperly those same machines can be a hazard to the occupants and others on the ground. The authorities have a responsibility to ensure that the latter does not occur and the end result is usually new restrictions on the operation of those aircraft.

Time will tell as to how the British authorities react and whether we are likely to see any change to local airshow operating limits as a result.

West Aust AFA Museum Seeks Donations for Auction

The Royal Australian Air Force Association Aviation Museum of Western Australia, situated at Bullcreek, an outer suburb of Perth, is both a privately funded museum and certainly the largest aviation museum in the west.

As with all museums today continued funding is crucial to meet the ever expanding needs of the AFA museum and the public that it serves.

With this in mind the museum plans to hold a ‘Monster Auction’ on October 19 1996. To be conducted by a licenced auctioneer the funds raised at the auction will be used to increase exhibit space, restore the AFA Vampire, Macchi cockpit, Vultee Vengeance, Percival Proctor and the ‘aircraft’ used for hands on experience by children visiting the museum.

To have a successful auction and fund raising the museum has to have items to actually put under the hammer. With this in mind the museum is appealing to readers of Australian Aviation and indeed anyone for donations of goods, services and even aviation interest items that can be auctioned on October 19. Acknowledgements will be made in the auction catalogue as well as the museum’s newsletter.

This auction is an innovative idea to raise funds for a worthy cause and one that will assist the AFA museum preserve aviation heritage for both present and future generations.

For those who would like to assist the museum with donations suitable for the auction please contact: The Secretary, Aviation Museum Branch, C/- 2 Graphic Court, Beldon, Western Australia, 6027 or contact the AFA museum on ph (09) 332 4234, fax (09) 310 4162.

Oz Biplanes to New Zealand

Those Kiwis are at it again and more the power (dollar power that is) to them!

From Murwillumbah in northern NSW it is reported that a DH.87 Hornet Moth is soon to be transported across the Tasman to take up residence in the South Island of New Zealand, probably at Wanaka. Meanwhile, in the bigger biplane department, Queensland Boeing E75 Stearman VH-HLV has been purchased by Jon Anda and has taken up residence at Motueka airfield. It is the second Stearman in New Zealand.

To cap off the biplanes to NZ, Grumman G-164A Agcat VH-MFW has been resident in New Zealand since 1991. Owned by Peter Maguire of Pionair Adventures Ltd the P&W R-985 powered yellow painted former bug masher is now used for taking tourists on sightseeing and barnstorming flights around the Queenstown area in the south island. The aircraft is still operated under Australian registration as a mark of convenience in relation to its passenger carrying modifications.

RAAF Spitfires Past and Present

Designed by R J Mitchell the first Supermarine Spitfire flew on March 5, 1936. Well over 20,000 were built by various makers over the next 10 years. During WW2 the Spitfire was the main fighter of the RAF. The RAAF ordered 656 Spitfires and operated more overseas.

Today, more than 50 years since the end of WW2, a small number of Spitfires survive in Australia, not all ex RAAF machines. Three Spitfires are at present on the civil register with only one being flown on any sort of regular basis. Given these facts it is easy to think that the WW2 RAAF Spitfires are just about the stuff of history books and photo albums. But is this really the case?

In the next issue of this column we will take a look at the number of RAAF Spitfires and RAAF Spitfire rebuilt projects that are around. The number may surprise you.

And the Winner Is …

The winner of July’s Spitfire Competition is Mr I McKee of Port Macquarie in NSW.

Thanks to everyone who entered the competition and for those who were unsure of exactly which Spitfire was which, the answers are: (a) PR.XI, (b) PR.XIX, (c) FR.XIVe, (d) Tr.9, (e) LFIX and (f) FVe.

In Brief

The Australian Aviation Museums Association Inc (AAMA) was the brainchild of Mr Mark Clayton as a method of bringing the various Australian aviation museums together via a newsletter and an annual convention to discuss topics of mutual interest. Mark was the driving force behind the Association. Mark is now living in New Zealand and the AAMA has not been active for some time. As the Association is an incorporated body requiring an annual general meeting and returns to Business Affairs it has been mooted that the AAMA be voluntarily wound up. The records and assets could be held, however, so that the AAMA could be reactivated in the future. It is planned that a special general meeting of the AAMA be held at HMAS Albatross, Nowra, NSW on September 15, 1996, at 2pm. At that meeting the main item of business will be the possible voluntary winding up of the AAMA and that the records and assets be held by Mark Clayton. Mike Lehan of the Naval Aviation Museum at Nowra is keen to maintain the AAMA and has volunteered to host the special general meeting.

A new local television series entitled ‘Big Sky’ is to commence filming in August. The production is set around the adventures of a team of charter pilots. The lead actor is Gary Sweet, well known for his roles in ‘Police Rescue’. Also featuring in the show will be Martin Henderson of ‘Echo Point’ and ‘Home and Away’ fame. One wonders how long it will be before the series involves warbirds and antique aircraft.