Warbirds

Although His Career Had Been One of Involvement With the Air Agriculture Business (See Aerial Ag Column Page 87 This Issue), He Has Long Been Involved With the Restoration and Flying of Warbirds, and Was a Pioneer of the Industry It Its Early Days. Over a Number of Years Col Had Owned and Flown a Mustang, Bird Dogs, Two P-40 Kittyhawks, a Spitfire and Three Cessna a-37 Jets.

He Had Been Involved With the Import of a Number of Warbird Aircraft From Overseas.

Col Pay Learnt to Fly at the Narromine Aero Club in 1951. He Gained His Private Licence in 1953 and by 1957 He Had His Commercial and Instructor’s Licence. He Then Instructed at the Narromine Aero Club for Several Years.

In 1957 Col Became Involved With Ag Flying With a Tiger Moth. He Was a Part Owner of the Pay and Williamson Crop Dusting Firm Based at Narromine for a Number of Years. Later He Relocated to Scone Where He Ran His Own Company, Pay’s Air Service, Which is Still Operational Today. Along the Way Col Ferried Aircraft Around the World, Did Aerial Crop Dusting and Restored and Flew Warbirds. He Lived an Aviation Life That Most Could Only Dream About.

Col Was Heavily Involved With the Australian Warbirds Association and Its Aims of Both Preserving and Flying Airworthy Warbirds.

Col Pay Was Born on October 26 1932. He Amassed Over 30,000 Hours of Flight Time in More Than 100 Different Aircraft Types. He Will Long Be Remembered as Having Been a Part of Both the Australian Aerial Agricultural Industry as Well as the Australian Warbird Movement.

Col is Survived by His Wife, Dianne, Son Ross and Daughters Jillian and Helen.

Rip.

Sea Fury Import Cancelled

Following the Death of Geoff Milne in an Aircraft Accident in Victoria on November 17 the Intended Import of His Sea Fury, Nx20md, From the Usa, Will No Longer Go Ahead.

The Aircraft, Once Ex Royal Navy Wg655, Has Since Gone Back on Sale With Provenance Fighter Sales. The Two-seat Folding Wing Fighter Was on Display at Both Oshkosh and the Reno Air Races Last Year.

It Was Powered by a Bristol Centaurus Engine, Unlike a Number of American Sea Furies That Have Been Reengined to Pratt & Whitney Powerplants.

Register News

Macair Managing Director Randal Mcfarlane’s Douglas B-26c, C-fpgp, Ex 44-35898, Was Registered as Vh-vni on January 4 to Aviation Investments of Archerfield, Queensland. It is Currently at Archerfield Awaiting Work to Put It Back Into the Air Under the New Marking.

Vh-wfy is an Aero Vodochody L-39c, 630742, That Was Registered on January 16 to Southern Corporate Air Charter of Beaconsfield, Nsw.

A Garlick (Bell) Uh-1b Iroquois, Ex 63-8699, Was Registered as Vh-dhy on December 12 to Tude’s Choppers Pty Ltd of Giru, Queensland. While the Adf May Have Retired the Type (See Rotor Torque Page 82) the Famous Chopper Lives On

vale Captain Jack Ellis

Captain Jack Ellis Passed Away on October 17 Last Year.

One of the Real Characters of the Australian Aviation Scene, Jack Will Long Be Remembered as a Man Who Held Strong Opinions and Was Not Reluctant to Express Them! Born on December 29 1921, Jack Joined the Raaf in October 1940. After Training He Was Shipped to the Uk Where He Flew Wellington Bombers. Later His Squadron Was Relocated to the Middle East Where Its Wellingtons Were Used as Torpedo Bombers Over the Mediterranean.

Following His Discharge From the Raaf He Flew in Airline Operations in Europe and Later Around the World.

He Flew With Ansett Airways but by the 1960s Jack Was Engaged in the Australian General Aviation Scene in Victoria. Jack Did Many Things in His Career. He Was a Dc-3 Captain With the Short Lived Jetair Australia Airline in the Late 1960s. He Imported and Flew Piaggio Vh-acv for Several Years on Charter.

His Plans to Import Two Carvair Freighters for Freight Operations From Geelong to Tasmania Were Thwarted by the Government. He Operated at Tyabb Airport, Moorooduc Airfield, Safety Beach Airfield, Dromana and Lovely Banks, Geelong. Jack Operated Under Several Company Names Including Gold Crown Aviation, the Pilot Makers, City Centre Air Taxis and Geelong Airlines.

He Was Instrumental in Proposing the General Aviation Instrument Rating and Had Input Into Reg. 203 Commuter or Supplemental Airlines. Today These Are Known as Regional Airlines. Another Proposal Jack Had Was That the Ww2 Fisherman’s Bend Airstrip Be Turned Into a Commuter Airport for Aircraft Flown in From the Country.

From the Late 1960s Into the 1990s Jack Operated First From Tyabb and Then Moorooduc Airfields as the Pilot Makers Flying School.

His Preferred Aircraft Was the Auster Although He Did Operate Other Types.

He Featured Heavily in the 1985 Doug Thompson Book Turbulence Over Tyabb. In 2003 He Wrote a Book Titled the Murder of an Airline About the Demise of Ansett Airlines.

Jack Had Strong Views About the Aviation Regulator of the Day and Often Put Pen to Paper to Express His Views.

Jack Ellis Passed Away in His Sleep Aged 86. He Had Logged Over 28,000 Flight Hours.

In Brief

• Steve Searle’s Douglas a-20j N3wf, Ex 43-21709, is Still in the Usa. Rather Than Undertake the Long Over-water Ferry Flight Across the Pacific to Bring It to Australia, Other Options Are Being Considered, Such as Shipping It as Deck Cargo or Ferry Flying It via Europe.

• the Raaf Museum is Holding an Air Pageant at Its Point Cook Home on Sunday February 24. Aircraft Scheduled to Be on Display Include a Spitfire, Mustang, Kittyhawk, Yak 3 and Vampire. An Event Worth Attending.

• the Albury Dc-2 Has Moved. Following on From the December 2007 Aa Report the Old Airliner Has Recently Been Moved Into the Worland Aviation Hangar at Albury Pending a Decision by the City Council on Its Fate.

The Machine Was Deteriorating Outside in the Elements.

• the Seventh Annual Antique & Classic Aircraft Fly-in Spectacular Will Be Held at Parafield Airport on Sunday April 13. This Event Has Grown Each Year and Visitors Will See Not Only the Aircraft of the Classic Jets Fighter Museum but a Number of Antique and Classic Aircraft on the Ground and in the Air. The Cjfm Will Have Its Restored Lockheed P-38 Lightning and the Part-restored Bell P-39 Airacobra on Display.

• the Tyabb Airport Airshow Scheduled for March 9 Has Been Cancelled. Event Organisers the Peninsula Aero Club Advises That the Increasing Workload, Cost and Weather Considerations Are Behind the Cancellation. The Club Has Held the Show Every Two Years but Has Indicated That a 2010 Show is Still Being Planned. While the Labour Day Weekend Airshow Will Not Take Place a Fly-in Will Still Be Held at Tyabb That Weekend.

Visitors Will Be Able to See Vintage and Classic Aircraft Plus Warbirds on Display.

Entry Donations Will Go to Local Charities. O Contact Dave at Flyer02@ Optusnet. Com. Au