Warbirds

This Rendered the Hydraulic System Control Rods Which Operate the Gear Operation Mechanism, and Thus the Landing Gear, Inoperative.

This Information Was Emailed Around the World to Other Mustang Owners and Engineers. As a Result, One Other Aircraft Was Found to Have a Suspect Gear Door Hinge Casting.

Vh-bob Has Long Been a Stalwart of the Local Warbird Scene, So It is Terrific to Hear That It Will Be Repaired to Fly Again.

Hudson for Qld

a Former Lockheed Hudson is Bound for Queensland With New Owner Noted Warbird Collector Steve Serle. The Big Twin Started Out as a Lockheed Hudson With C/n 6124 and Serial 41-23307.

But Despite Being Allocated Raf Serial Bw445, It Apparently Stayed in the Us.

After Ww2 the Aircraft Became Cf-esj With Arctic Airlines of Edmonton, Canada. By 1954 It Had Flown South to Become N4980v With Gordon Hamilton in Arizona. Later Rebuilt as a Model 18 Lodestar in 1954, It Was Again Modified in 1964 With an Extended Tailcone and Cabin Windows. In 1964 the Aircraft Became N880v and Had Several Owners Until Hawkins & Power (H&p) Aviation of Wyoming Bought It in 1972. In 2006 H&p Had a Closing Down Sale and the Machine Went to Ironworker Supply Inc in California, With the Registration Changing to N41cw.

Steve Searle Plans to Bring the Hudson to Australia to Operate It as Part of His Flying Museum. It is Understood That It Will Be Modified and Painted Up as a Ww2 Hudson.

The Only Hudson Currently Flying in the World is Also in Australia, With the Former Malcolm Long Machine With the Temora Aviation Museum.

New Bird Dog Takes to the Air

April 7 Was a Big Day for Cessna Bird Dog Vh-fac Owner Lindsay Mckee When His Long Term Restoration Project Finally Took to the Air.

The Flight Was Made by Darcy O’connor at Point Cook, Where the Vietnam Veteran Had Been Rebuilt Over the Last 16 Years. After the Successful Shake Down Flight Darcy Successfully Checked Out Lindsay in the Bird Dog Later That Day.

Vh-fac’s Registration Harks Back to Its Vietnam Service as a Us Air Force Forward Air Controller. It Has Been Painted in a Grey Colour Scheme and Sports Usaf Titles and Markings, With the Serial Number 0-12134 on the Tail.

Lindsay Reserved the Vh-fac Registration Back on January 15 1997, After Obtaining the Aircraft as a Wreck – Complete With Bullet Holes – in Vietnam in 1992.

He Had It Transported to Australia, and It Has Been in the Rebuild Shop at Point Cook Since Its Arrival.

New Harvard Import

Another Harvard is Inbound From the Us. The Aircraft is a Canadian Built Mk. Ii With Military Serial 43-12970.

This is a Well Travelled Harvard, Having Originally Taken Up Military Service With the Raf as Ft229. Later It Crossed the Channel and Became B-45 With the Royal Netherlands Air Force Between 1947 and 1968, Before Taking Up Dutch Civil Registration as Ph-skm, and Then Crossing Back Across the Channel to Become G-azki in 1971.

Several Uk Owners Later the Aircraft Went to France in 1986 Where It Became F-wzds, and Then Later Took Up Us Registration as N15014 but Was Struck Off the Register in April 1997.

Catalina Import Fund Raiser

the Catalina Flying Memorial is Working Hard to Secure the Funds Needed to Purchase Two Replacement Engines for Its Aircraft Vh-cat (See Warbirds Last Issue). In Order to Help Obtain the Needed Funds, the Memorial Has Devised a Simple Plan to Run a Dutch Auction of a Print of Pg Taylor’s Catalina Frigate Bird Ii Taxying on the Open Sea at Easter Island. The Print is a Limited Edition by Sydney Aviation Artist David Marshall.

While the Original Painting Hangs in the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, a Print Can Be Had by One Lucky Bidder. The Online Auction is Up and Running Now and Will Run Up to June 7. Just Go to Www. Catalinaflying. Org. Au and Click the ‘bid Now’ Button – It’s a Great Way to Assist Getting Replacement Engines for the Cat and to Help Bring It to Australia.

Miles Geminis to England

Two Miles M. 65 Geminis That Had Been in Storage in Wa Have Returned to the Uk.

Lyn Foster, Who Runs Aerobuild Vintage Aircraft Restorations at Brooklands, Has Long Had Geminis C/n 6486 and 6522, Both of Which Were Taken Out of Service Many Years Ago.

The British Built Gemini Was Introduced in the Late 1940s and Was One of the First Ga Aircraft to Feature Retractable Undercarriage. The Two Wood Construction Light Twin Engined Four-seaters Were Sold and Exported to Peter Turner of Stratford-upon-avon in the Uk Earlier This Year With the Intention to Restore Them to Flying Condition.

The First Aircraft, C/n 6486, Has Been Given Its Original Uk Registration, G-aken.

In Australia It Was Originally Vh‑btp From February 1954 and Then Later Vh-gbb Before Being Removed From the Register in July 1963.

The Second Machine, C/n 6522, Has Also Taken Up Its Original Registration, G‑akhu. It Became Vh‑bmv in 1950 and, After an Accident Near Canberra in 1951, Was Rebuilt With Two Lycoming O-290 Engines.

It Later Became Vh-wej in 1956 and Also Wore Vh-wek and Later Vh-bob Before Being Removed From the Register in November 1963.

Nord News

in Addition to the Two Nord 3202 Trainers Noted Coming Onto the Register in the Last Issue of Aa, There is Already Another of the Type on the Register. Vh-ufb, S/n 97, Was Put on the Register on December 4 1991 to Owner Bert Filippi of Mount Pleasant in Wa.

Of the Two That Were Put on the Register Recently, Vh-iwd, S/n 93, is Now Know to Have Come From the Us and Before That Was in France as No. 93. Sold as Surplus in 1978, It Took Up Us Registration N2256u With Owners David Tallichet and John Hawke at Long Beach, and Later Had Three Owners in Illinois Before Being Struck Off the Us Register on January 10 2008 Prior to Export to Australia.

The Second Nord, ‘06308’, is a Veteran of the French Army. Sold as Surplus It Became N320zm in 1994, and in 1996 Turned Up at Oshkosh With a Us Navy Colour Scheme and the Markings Usn 06308/rm.

It is Now Vh-jmv With the Owner Listed as Kaldumb Pty Ltd, in Victoria.

In Brief

• Yak 9 Vh-yxi, S/n 0917918, Formerly Owned by Nigel Arnot of Brookfield, Qld, Was Removed From the Register on April 11 After It Was Exported to Germany (See April Issue Warbirds for a Full Report on Its Sale Overseas).

• Cac Wirraway A20-652, the Subject of an Ownership Dispute for Its Online Auction Sale on Ebay, Has Finally Changed Hands and Was Flown to Adelaide on April 7 After Being on Static Display at the Albury Airshow.

• Auster J/5b Vh-byp Has Gone on Display at the Queensland Air Museum at Caloundra. As Vh-kbz, the Machine Suffered an Accident at Cobar, Nsw, When It Was Flown Into a Tree. The Pilot and His Two Passengers Survived and the Aircraft Was Later Rebuilt. O Contact Dave at Flyer02@ Optusnet.Com.Au