Warbirds

In Preparation for the Display’s Opening, the Pfalz Was Suspended From a Gantry at the Memorial’s Mitchell, Act Annex, in Mid August for a Final Cable Tension Check. This Was to Ensure the Aircraft Can Be Safely Hung From the Ceiling in the Memorial Without Placing Unnecessary Pressure on the Pfalz’s Plywood Fuselage, and Marked the Completion of a Painstaking Restoration. The Cable Tension Check Was Open to Media, and Provided the First Glimpses of the Pfalz Fully Restored in Its Accurate Ww1 Markings and Camouflage Pattern.

The Pfalz is Just One of Four Surviving Examples Worldwide, and, Like the Alabtros, Was Brought to Australia as a War Trophy.

Vale Barry Hempel

August 31 Was a Very Sad Day for the Warbirds and Aviation Communities With the Death of Well Known Pilot, Barry Hempel, in a Fatal Air Accident.

A Larger-than-life Character, Barry, Aged 60, Died in the Crash of His Yak-52 Trainer, Vh-ult, in the Sea Near Stradbroke Island, Queensland. He Was Performing an Aerobatic Joy Flight With a 20 Year-old Male Passenger Onboard.

Barry Was the Consummate Aerobatic Pilot and Had Competed in Aerobatics for Many Years. He Was Also an Enthusiastic Warbird Pilot, Having Owned a Mig-15, Vh-die.

The Fleet of His Archerfield Based Hempels Aviation Charter, Flight Training and Adventure Flight Company Including a Russian Yak-52 Trainer, His Huge Antonov an-2 12-seat Biplane, Vh‑cce, and a Tiger Moth.

Barry Obtained His Private Pilot Licence Aged 17, Before He Could Legally Drive a Car. By 23 He Had Obtained His Atpl and in Later Years He Had a Career as an Airline Pilot. Barry’s Trademark Was a Huge Moustache and an Easygoing Manner. He Will Be Missed.

Trojan Moves

North American T-28d Trojan, Vh-pfm, Has Swapped Sides of the Country, From the East to the West! The Big Warbird, With Serial 51-3588, Changed Ownership on August 7 to Tony Mitchell of Como, Wa.

Next Day the Trojan Commenced the Two Day Ferry From Sydney to Jandakot.

The Aircraft Was Previously Owned by Bill Hamilton of Sydney. It Carries a Green and Brown Two Tone Camouflage Colour Scheme.

Meanwhile T-28b 138122 Ex N28rf Was Added to the Register as Vh-fno on August 13 to Murray Moule of Whitfield, Queensland.

The History of This Ex Us Army Trojan Was Detailed in the August Issue of Warbirds.

Murray is a Member of North Queensland Warbirds Based at Mareeba.

Another Albatross for Australia?

While Australia Already Has One Grumman Hu-16 Albatross on the Register, Geoffrey Hunt’s Vh-mah, a Recent Change on the Us Register Shows That Another Hu-16, N98hu, Has Had a Change to a New Owner With a Forest Lake, Brisbane, Address.

N98hu, C/n G-33, Was Built for the Us Navy as Bu12499, but It Was Delivered Instead to the Us Air Force in 1950 as 49-0075. Later It Was Transferred to the Brazilian Air Force. Retired in 1980 It Later Became Registered as Pp-zav to Lindalvo De Carta of Sao Paulo, Brazil. In 1994 It Was Registered as N98hu to Paragon Ranch Inc of Broomfield, Colorado. In 1996 It Was Registered to Aerocrafters Inc of Santa Rosa, California, a Firm Which Specialises in Hu-16 Rebuilds.

A Second Hu-16 Would Add Much Interest to the Local Warbird Scene and Be a Practical Water Craft for an Owner as Well. We Will Await Its Arrival With Interest.

Sabre Restoration Progress

Restoration Work on the Temora Aviation Museum’s Ex Raaf Cac Sabre Continues, With Its Fuel Tanks Having Been Recently Overhauled.

The Sabre’s Five Tanks – a Forward Fuselage Tank, a Centre Section Tank, an Aft Fuselage Tank and One in Each Wing – Are Now Sealed, and Were Checked With a Filling Test.

Other Progress Includes the Non-destructive Testing of the Vertical Stabiliser and Aileron Actuator Fittings, While Work Continues on Its Electrical Wiring Installation.

While the Tam is Not Able to Give a Firm Date at Present the Intent is to Have the Machine Back in the Air Before the End of 2008!

Army Museum Founder Passes Away

the Founder of the Museum of Australian Army Flying, Terry Egan, Passed Away on August 29 at Toowoomba, Queensland, Aged 72.

Terry Joined the Australian Army Reserve in 1954 and Transferred to the Regular Army in 1969 Where He Continued Serving Until Retiring in 1986. He Remained in the Army Reserve Until 1989, After 36 Years of Continual Service. Terry Served With the Australian Army Training Team in South Vietnam In1967 and 1968, and Was Awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. In 1987 He Accepted an Invitation to Establish the Museum of Australian Army Flying. This He Did and the Result is the Magnificent Maaf Museum Located at Oakey, Queensland.

One of Terry’s First Tasks Was to Organise the Donation of a Replica of the First Army Aircraft, a Bristol Boxkite, From Cliff Douglas.

The Maaf Museum Will Be a Lasting Memorial to the Efforts of Terry Egan to Preserve the Aviation Heritage of the Australian Army.

Register Notes

the Last Few Months Has Seen an Increase in New Owners and Aircraft Being Added to the Register, Perhaps Aided by a Strong Australian Dollar.

Boeing Pt-13d Stearman, Vh-dnn, is a New Addition to the Register. With C/n 75-5620, the Biplane Was Registered to Owner Ronald Dunn of Bracken Ridge, Queensland, on June 30. The Aircraft Was a Visitor at the August Watts Bridge Festival of Flight Gathering. It Carried an Orange Colour Scheme With a White Cheat Line Giving It a Pre-ww2 Look. Most Stearman Aircraft in Australia Carry a Us Military Colour Scheme. It is Understood That the Aircraft Has Never Been in Ag Use, Unlike a Lot of the Other Stearman Biplanes in Australia.

An Interesting New Aircraft for Wa is Great Lakes 2t-1a-2 Biplane Vh-wqw.

With C/n 003 the Aircraft Was Built in 2001 and is Powered by a Lycoming Io-360 Flat Four Engine. The Pre-ww2 Version of the Great Lakes Would Have Had an Inline or Radial Engine.

The Machine Was Registered to Francisus Smit of Byford, Wa, on July 28. Another Great Lakes, Vh-lke, Was the First of Type in Australia.

It is Based in Victoria.

Also in the West, a Fouga Cm-170 Magister Jet Trainer Was Registered Vh-fgu on August 7 to Lenora Enterprises of Canning Bridge. The Machine Will Be Operated by Jandakot’s Fighter Combat International. It Carries C/n 548.

Ca-16 Mk. 3 Wirraway Vh-wir Formally Changed Ownership on August 14 to Reevers Pastoral of Greenwith, South Australia.

Bac Strikemaster 167 Vh-rba Has Had a Change of Owners to Hastings Fighter Flight of Port Macquarie, Nsw.

Waco Yks-7, C/n 5222, Was Added to the Register on 13 August as Vh-ykx to Mark Shipton of Kangaroo Point, Queensland.

Cac Boomerang Vh‑bom/a46-206 Was Removed From the Register on July 30. It Has Been Donated by Lynette Zuccoli to the Museum of Australian Army Flying at Oakey, Queensland.

In Brief

• Douglas C-54e Vh-paf Formally Changed Hands on August 7 to the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (Hars). At Last Count the Big Four Engined Airliner Was Being Prepared for Its Flight South to the Hars Albion Park Base. Meanwhile, at Tucson, Arizona, Hars is Now Working on a Former Military Convair 340, the Likes of Which Flew in Australian Airline Service in the 1950s. It Will Not Be an Overnight Job to Make the Aircraft Airworthy Again, but Once Back in the Air It Will Be Flown to Australia to Join the Growing Hars Collection.

• Time Flies. The Warbirds Column First Appeared 25 Years Ago in the September 1983 Issue of Australian Aviation.