Warbirds

Completed Too Late to Go Into Combat It Was Put Into Storage After Delivery to the Usaaf. Sold Off as Surplus in 1945 It Became Nx34920 With Hughes Tool Co. It Was One of Five a-20s Acquired by Hughes for Us$3000 Each, Two Were Certified and the Others Used for Spares. Later the Machine Became Nl34920 and Was Converted to Six Seat Configuration With Passenger Windows. Later Again It Became Just N34920. It Has Been Reported That It Made Its Last Flight on July 11 1957 and Then Went Into Open Storage From 1957 Until 1973.

Several Air Museums Owned the Aircraft Before It Was Acquired by Steve Searle.

During Ww2 7385 Douglas a-20s Were Built. It Was Named the Havoc in Us Service but Became Known as the Boston in Raf and Raaf Service.

The Raaf Operated 69 of the Type as Light Attack Aircraft Until Replaced by Beaufighters Late in the War.

Two Bostons Have Been Rebuilt in Australia in Recent Years, and One is on Display at the Raaf Museum at Point Cook. Although Built in Large Numbers Less Than a Dozen Survive Intact in the World Today.

Meanwhile, Steve’s Avenger Vh‑vti Made Its First Australian Flight at Coolanagtta on December 22. It Was Later Joined in the Air by Steve’s Other Avenger, Vh-mml.

The Avengers and Havoc Will Form Part of a New Flying Museum and Aviation Theme Park That Steve, Managing Director of Swagman Motor Homes, is to Open at His Property at Beaudesert in Queensland. The Museum Will Ultimately Feature a Dozen Rare Aircraft, Vintage Ww2 Hangars and Even Play Host to an International Airshow. The Park is Predicted to Attract 80,000 Visitors When It Opens Four Times During the Year. The Avengers and Havoc Will Join Steve’s Piaggio P. 149d and Stinson L-5 There.

Catalina for Bull Creek Museum

the Raaf Association Museum at Bull Creek in Perth Took Delivery of Former Usn Pby-5a Catalina on January 4. The Catalina Will Be Stored, Dismantled, for a Few Months Then It Will Be Reassembled Inside the Museum.

The Aircraft, Former Us Navy Aircraft Bu46624 C/n 1988, Became N9502c When It Was Sold Off After the War. From 1964 to 1969 It Was Owned by Southland Flying Service of Tchula, Mississippi. It Was Acquired From David Tallicet by the Australian American Catalina Memorial Foundation and Rebuilt at Hawkins, Texas.

The Intent Was to Display the Aircraft as the Centre Piece of a Memorial to Raaf, Raf, Usn and Dutch Catalina Crews Who Flew From Crawley Bay, Perth, in Ww2. The Memorial Was to Be Located Near the Old Ww2 Catalina Slipway at Nedlands on the Swan River.

Following the Rebuild the Cat Was Shipped to Australia, Arriving on the Uss Comstock in Darwin in 2001 and Was Then Shipped Down to Perth by Merchant Freighter. After Being Initially Placed in Storage at Perth Airport It Was Moved to the Old Railway Workshops at Midland in 2002. But Plans for the Catalina Memorial Evaporated for Various Reasons.

To Make Room for the Machine at Bull Creek the Museum’s Junkers Replica Will Be Dismantled and Moved Out.

Other Exhibits Have Also Been Movedand It Understood That a Wackett Trainer Will Be Swapped for an East Coast Cac Sabre, to Be Received Later This Year.

Threat to Warbird Adventure Flights

Following the Fatal Accident of the Bac Strikemaster Vh-aky on October 5 Near Bathurst, Casa Conducted a Review of Warbird Adventure Flight Operations. As a Result It Advised the Australian Warbirds Association Limited (Awal) on December 20 That It Planned to Withdraw the General Exemption Against Civil Aviation Regulation (Car) 262an That Allows Limited Category Aircraft to Operate in the Absence of an Approved Selfadministering Body to Oversee Those Operations.

The Limited Category of Airworthiness Was Created Specifically to Enable Greater Freedom of Operation for Australian Warbirds, and in Particular, to Allow Aircraft to Be Used for ‘adventure Flights’.

While Some Warbirds Hold a Standard C of a and Some an Experimental Certificate, Most Are in the Limited Category.

In Allowing Limited Category Aircraft to Be Operated Casa Was Expecting a Self-administering Body to Produce an Approved Manual of Operations and Have All Members Adhere to That Manual.

Notice to Produce the Manual Was Given by Casa in 1999 but to Date Has Not Occurred. Following the Strikemaster Accident Casa Has Chosen to Take a Stronger Stance and Thus the December 20 Issue a Notice of Intent to Withdraw the General Exemption. The Next Day Awal Met With Casa and Obtained a 30 Day Reprieve From the Proposed Exemption Withdrawal on the Basis That by That Time It Would Show a Plan for Achieving Self-administration.

If Casa Found That Plan Acceptable the Intention Was to Extend the Car 262an Exemption for a Further 60 Days to Allow Awal to Implement the Agreed Plan. By the End of That 60 Day Extension Casa Would Withdraw the Exemption Unless the Awal Was Self-administering Limited Category Operations by Then.

In the Meantime Casa Has Written to All Registered Operators of Limited Category Aircraft and, if They Are Conducting ‘adventure Operations’, Ask Them to Demonstrate to Casa That They Are Compliant With Car 262an (Which Sets Out Requirements for Fee-paying Participants on So Called Adventure Flights).

While the Time Span for Action is Short Australian Warbirds Has Indicated That Much Work Has Already Been Done to Design the Procedures and to Generate the Required Manuals.

Uk Auster for Nt Museum

Auster J5p G-aofm, C/n 3178, Will Form the Basis of a Display Commemorating the Life of Brigadier Vic Pedersen, Who Passed Away in September, Aged 93.

Purchased From Auster Enthusiast Chris Harrison of Broken Hill by the Aviation Historical Society of the Nt, the Aircraft Departed Melbourne on November 7 and Arrived at Darwin on the 13th.

First as a Lieutenant in the Salvation Army, and Later as a Captain, Vic Pedersen Used Austers as His Means of Transport Around the Top End to Meet and Greet People in the Outback. He Spent the Years From 1945 to 1972 Flying His Parish and Became Known as the Salvation Army’s Flying Padre.

Vic Flew a Variety of Aircraft Types Over the Years but He Will Probably Be Best Remembered for Flying Austers.

He is Known to Have Flown Auster J5b Vh‑bys, J5q Vh-ued and J5p Vh-btg. The Remains of the Last Two Will Be Included in the Memorial Display. A Memorial Plaque to Brigadier Pedersen Was Unveiled by Nt Chief Minister Clair Martin, at the Fannie Bay Headquarters of the Darwin Museum and Gallery on December 5.

We Shall Remember Them

It’s Sad to Have to Report the Deaths of a Number of Prominent Aviators.

The Founder of the Mosquito Aircraft Association of Australia (Maaa), Allan Davies, Passed Away at Traralgon, Vic, on November 29 Aged 88. Allan Flew With the Raaf During Ww2 Serving With No. 454 and No. 87 Squadronsthe Maaa Was Founded in 1992 Not Only to Link Retired Mosquito Air and Ground Crew but Also to Assist in the Restoration of Mosquito A52-600. The Restoration Was Commenced at Raaf Richmond but Later Transferred to the Point Cook Raaf Museum Where Work is Steadily Moving Forward.

At 1400 Hours on Wednesday December 5 a Flare Was Released Above the Threshold of Runway 17 at Coomalie Creek Airstrip, Nt, to Guide Allan Davies Home. Coomalie Creek Was the Landing Site of the Last Operational Mosquito Flight at the End of Ww2. Allan Had Been Based There.

Well Known Aviator Arthur Whittaker Passed Away on December 14. He Would Have Celebrated His 100th Birthday on January 22. A Resident of Boort, Victoria, and a Farmer and Engineer by Occupation Arthur Started to Learn to Fly in 1947 but Due to a Lack of Funds It Was Not Until Into the 1950s That He Obtained His Private Licence. In April 1953 Arthur Purchased 1928 Westland Widgeon Vhuhu and Was to Fly It Up Until the 1980s. It Was Sold to the City of Wangaratta in 1995 to Display in the Airworld Aviation Museum.

A True Gentleman, Arthur Was One of the Founding Members of the Antique Aeroplane Movement in Australia.

The Pilot and Owner of Auster J1b, Vh-alo, Don Workman, a Resident of Waikerie, South Australia, Died When His Aircraft Crashed Shortly After Takeoff From Nelson, Victoria. On December 24. Although the Aircraft Impacted Powerlines the Exact Cause of the Accident is Not Known. The Atsb is Investigating the Accident.

Don Was a Keen Auster Enthusiast and Flew Regularly.

Airacobra Rebuild Having Just About Completed Its P-38 Lightning Rebuild the Classic Jets Fighter Museum (Cjfm), at Parafield, South Australia, Has Now Started to Divert Its Attention, and the Skills of Its Rebuilding Crew, to Its Bell P-39 Airacobra.

The Aircraft to Be Rebuilt Will in Fact Be a Composite of Several Aircraft. Current Plans Call for the Cobra to Be Painted in 24 Sqn Raaf Colours, and Marked as 24 Sqn’s First Airacobra, A53-1, That Flew in the Defence of Sydney, After the Japanese Submarine Attack in Sydney Harbour in May 1942.

Meanwhile, the Cjfm Will Host the Sixth Annual Antique & Classic Aircraft Fly-in Spectacular on Sunday March 18 at the Museum’s Hangar 52 Site.

Register News Yak-18t Vh-tmk, C/n 7200116, Was Removed From the Register on December 4.

It Was Burnt Out Following a Forced Landing Soon After Takeoff at Batchelor, Nt, on November 19.

Morane Saulnier Fi‑156d Storch Vh-fis, C/n 45. 9. 340, Was Added to the Register on December 8 to Judy Pay of Tyabb, Victoria.

This Aircraft, Also Known as the Ms500, is Powered by a 240hp (179kw) Argus As10c-3. Built in 1945 the Aircraft is Not Flying as Yet.

At Least One Other Original Storch is in Australia, in Queensland.

Percival Proctor 1 Vh‑bcx Was Added to the New Zealand Register on November 21 to Mr E W Clapshaw of South Auckland as Zk-dpp.

Aero L-39c, S/n 131848 Was Added to the Nz Register as Zk-tcs on January 5 to the Copter Shop Ltd of Nelson.

In Brief • the Port Stephens Council Has Reconsidered a Decision Not to Support the Restoration of Cac Sabre A94-959, Currently on Display in Bettles Park, at Raymond Terrace. On Display Since 1981 the Aircraft is Showing the Effects of Exposure to the Elements With Faded Paint and Corrosion Showing.

$80,000 Had Been Allocated for the Restoration but Then Deferred. Following Lobbying by Various Groups the Council is Looking at Other Sources of Funding Including Grants.

• the South Australian Aviation Museum is Expecting to Soon Take Delivery of an Aero 145 Twin. The Aircraft is Currently Being Restored at Port Pirie for the Museum.

• Brocklesby, Southern Nsw, Was the Site of Two Avro Ansons Making a Piggyback Landing, Interlocked After a Mid Air Collision on September 29 1940. Of the Two Aircraft, L9162 and N4876, the Later Was to Fly Again. The Pilot Who Flew the Pair to the Forced Landing, Lac Leonard Fuller, Died in 1944 in a Bicycle Accident at Sale, Victoria. In January an Interpretive Display Was Opened Near the Brocklesby School of Arts Hall as Part of Its Centenary. The Display Included a Recently Acquired Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah Radial Engine and Propeller, the Type Used in the Anson.

In 1990 an Historic Marker Was Erected at the Site of the Landing. O Contact Dave at Flyer02@ Optusnet. Com. Au