Warbirds

Previously Registered to Murray Griffiths of Glenrowan, Victoria, the Aircraft Was a Popular Visitor at Warbird and Airshow Gatherings.

The Aircraft, Complete With the Title Little Jeanne, Leaves Behind Four Other P-40 Series Kittyhawks on the Register. P-40e Vh‑kty and P-40n Vh-zoc Are Flying, Merlin Powered P-40f Vh-hwk is at the Taxi Stage, While Mareeba Located Vh‑mik, a P-40n, is Well on the Way to Flying Again.

More Than a Dozen Kittyhawks Are at Various Stages of Rebuilt Around Australia and New Zealand, and Indeed Nz Has Become the Kittyhawk Rebuild Centre of the World in Recent Years.

… and Yak-9 Sold in Germany

Archerfield Based Yak‑9 Vh-yxi Has Been Sold to Germany.

The Russian Ww2 Fighter Has Been a Popular Warbird at Queensland Airshows With Owner, Nigel Arnot, at the Controls. With Serial 0917918 the Fighter Was Put on the Register on July 28 2003, So It Has Been Around for a Good Enough Time for Enthusiasts to Be Able to Sight the Machine, in the Air or on the Ground. It Was Still on the Casa Register in Late February.

Vh-yxi’s Departure Still Leaves Behind in Australia Another Yak-9, a -9um.

That Machine, Vh-yix, is Owner by Jim Wickem of Moorooduc, Near Tyabb on the Victorian Mornington Peninsula. It Has Been on the Register Since July 2004.

Atsb Releases Auster Report

the Atsb Has Released Its Report on the Fatal Crash of Auster J1/a1 Vh-alo Which Collided With a Powerline at Nelson, Victoria, on December 24 2006.

A Routine Service Had Just Been Completed on the Aircraft, With the Owner Collecting the Machine to Fly It Home to Akuna Station in South Australia. After the Aircraft Lifted Off From the Airstrip It Turned Right and Flew at Low Level Towards the Two Hangars Where Three People Were Standing. It Then Climbed Steeply Before the Propeller Struck a Powerline Adjacent to the Hangars. The Engine Noise Died and the Left Wing Was Seen to Drop and the Aircraft Impacted the Ground Almost Vertically. The Pilot, the Sole Occupant, Was Fatally Injured.

The Atsb Report Noted That the Pilot Conducted a Non-standard Takeoff by Turning Right Soon After Becoming Airborne and Flying at Low Level Towards the People on the Ground. The Aircraft Struck a Powerline Above the Observers, Shattering Its Propeller, Before Stalling and Impacting the Ground at a Steep Angle. The Pilot Was Found Not to Have Been Wearing the Shoulder Harness That Was Fitted to the Aircraft. The Powerlines Were Not Located in a Place That Would Normally Be Considered a Risk to Aircraft Operations at the Airstrip.

The Auster, Built in 1946, Had a Total Time of 3730 Hours. The Pilot Had 1458 Hours Logged With 528 Hours on the Auster, and a Post Mortem Found That a Preexisting Heard Condition May Have Contributed to the Crash.

While the Aircraft Was Destroyed in the Accident Photos Show the Steel Tube Cockpit Structure Basically Intact.

New Albatros on Register

an Interesting and Well Travelled Aero Vodochody L-39c Has Recently Surfaced on the Register. Registered on January 16 as Vh-wfy to Southern Corporate Air Charter of Beaconsfield, Nsw, the Jet Has Serial 630742.

Built in 1976 the Machine Started Out With the Czech Air Force. Later It Became a Czech Military Demonstrator as Ok‑002 and Later as Ok-gxa. It Was Noted in Switzerland in 1988 as a Demonstrator. Noted at La Ferte-alais in 1991 It Was Probably With the Jean Salis (Aeroplane) Collection at That Airfield. Next the Machine Went Onto the Us Register on January 16 1998 to Richard Neil of Newark, Delaware, as N39rn. A Change of Ownership Took Place on November 4 2002 to Agbm Inc of Newark, Delaware.

Cancelled From the Us Register on December 26 Last Year the Aircraft is Soon to Take to the Skies in Australia, Probably in an Adventure Flight Capacity.

Beagle for Qam

No, the Queensland Air Museum Has Not Acquired a Guard Dog but It Has Recently Taken Delivery of an Interesting but Rare Beagle 206s.

The British Built Piston Twin, Vh-uni Has Been Donated to the Museum by Dr Russell and Jo Broadbent of the Gold Coast.

The Qam Took Delivery of the Aircraft at Archerfieldin January. After Being Dismantled It Was Transported to Join the Qam Collection at Caloundra. It Has Since Been Re-assembled to Become One of the Most Complete Acquisitions That the Museum Has Obtained. Built in 1966 the Beagle Came to Australia as G-atzr, a Demonstrator.

It Toured the Country for the Australian Agent, Helicopter Utilities. In 1968 It Became Vh-unl, Later Vh‑uni, and Was on the Register Until a Year or Two Ago.

Prince Phillip is Recorded as Having Sat in the Aircraft When It Visited Norfolk Island the Day That He Was There. The Beagle Was Used by Westernair of Archerfield, Brisbane, for Cloud Seeding Work in 1969.

In 1969-70 the Aircraft Was Used for Commuter Work by Jetair, the Firm That Tried, Unsuccessfully, to Break the Two Airlines Policy in Australia.

Withdrawn From Service in 1991 It Was Not Until Early 2006 That the Machine Made a Flight to Archerfield for a Survey With the View to Putting It Back Into Service. This Did Not Eventuate and the Aircraft Was Donated to the Qam in November 2007.

Now the Qam Has a Fine Example of a Modern British Built Twin That Has a Fine Pedigree and a Touch of History Behind It.

A Gander at a Goose

a Rare Bird It Might Be but Grumman G-21a Goose N121gl is Reported to Be en Route to Australia. The Aircraft Passed Through Malta in January.

With C/n B-49 This Goose Became Bu37796 With the Us Navy Before Going to Royal Navy as Fp472. It Later Moved to Become 110 With the Honduran Air Force.

Back to the Us in 1951 It Took Up Civil Registration N3945c.

Later That Changed to N755g Before It Took Up Canadian Registration C-grcz in 1982. After Several Canadian Owners It Was Back to the Usa and a New Marking of N121gl. Currently Owned by Joel Thompson of Mooresville, North Carolina, the Big Water Bird Was Flown to England in October and Was Noted at Gatwick Airport on October 23.

Powered by a Pair of P&w R985 Radial Engines It Will Be a Welcome Sight in Australian Skies. Australia Has One Grumman G-21a Goose on the Register at Present, Vh-mba, C/n 1164, With Bob Keys of Noosa Heads, Queensland. That Aircraft Was Put on the Register on April 17 2000.

Meanwhile Back in the Usa There is a Plan to Put the Goose Back Into Production.

A New Firm, Antilles Seaplanes of Gibsonville, North Carolina, Has Purchased the Type Certificate for the G-21a With a View to Building More of the Type.

Buyers Will Be Offered Both the Pratt & Whitney R985 Radial Engine Version as Well as a P&w Pt-6 Turbine Model.

Antilles Seaplanes Was Started by a Pair of Knowledgeable Aviation Enthusiasts Who Heard About a Goose for Sale. When They Went to Florida to Look at the Machine They Found That the Seller Not Only Had Tonnes of Spares in His Warehouse – 13 Trailer Loads to Be Exact – but That He Also Had the Original Drawings Held the Manufacturing Rights.

The Pair Bought the Lot With the View That They Could Sell Off the Parts and Get a Goose for Nothing.

With Time They Came to the Conclusion That They Could Manufacture New Aircraft for Which They Were Already Getting Serious Sales Queries.

Antilles Has Already Rebuilt and Sold Several Goose Aircraft Using the New Parts That They Had Acquired, With Full Production of New and Improved Super Goose Aircraft to Being Soon.

In Brief

• Dc-3 Vh-abr Has Now Been Sold to the Ansett Dc-3 Group From the Ansett Administrators, and at This Stage It Will Remain at the John Holland Aviation Complex at Melbourne Airport, Reports Kevin Weymouth.

• Funny Stuff. The Queensland Air Museum Has Long Held the Cockpit Section of Royal Navy Dh. 110 Sea Vixen Serial Xj607. The Cockpit Was Acquired From a John Hallett in the Uk, Who Owned the Aircraft After It Was Broken Up at Raf Dunsfold in 1996. Shipped to Australia the Cockpit Was Mounted on a Trailer and in Recent Years Has Become a Mobile Advertisement for the Museum. Recently the Qam Had an Email From a Woman in the Uk Who Had Found a Part of Xj607 Buried on Her Property! She Sent a Photo of the Right Boom of the Vixen, Complete With Painted Serial, as Evidence. But Why Would Anyone Choose to Bury the Remains Whe

They Could Have Been Sold for Scrap Metal Value?