Warbirds

The Path to Australia Has Not Been All Plane Sailing. Along the Way It Looked Like the Aircraft Would Be Stuck in S-e Asia as a Result of a Problem With Not Having Enough Sponsor Money for Fuel. But at the End of the Day She Has Managed to Get Here. Without Doubt the Crew Will Have a Few Interesting Tales to Tell When the Dust, or is That the Water, Settles Down Regarding Their Ferry Flight to the Cat’s New Home.
The Catalina Has Gone From the Marking of Cc-cnp to the Australian Registration of Vh-dul and Later Vh-cat to the Ferry Marking of N160at. No Doubt It Will Take Up the Vh-cat Marking Again After Arrival Here.

If the Cat is to Fly Here It Will Need Funds for Fuel and Maintenance Plus Pay Off the Bills That Will Have Without Doubt Been Built Up During the Ferry Flight.

Can You Help? For Any Reader That Cares About Seeing the C.f.m Ltd Catalina Flying Here the Answer is to Assist With a Tax Deductible Donation to Assist With Those Expenses.

Readers Can Help With Donations, Big or Small. They Can Be Sent to the Catalina Flying Memorial Fund at Building 2, Ground Floor, 35-41 Waterloo Rd, Macquarie Park, Nsw, 2113 or Direct to the Catalina Flying Memorial Fund, Anz Bank, Bsb 012 172 Account Number: 8370 26202.

Remember, Every Dollar Helps. Please Help.

Trojans Fly-in for Vietnam Memorial Meet

The Rumble of Radials Will Be the Order of the Day on Sunday May 3, 2009, When the David Hack Classic Aircraft and Vehicle Meet is Held at Toowoomba Airport, Queensland.

Hosted by the Rotary Club of Toowoomba North and Aerotec Queensland the Event Will Be Both a Vietnam Memorial Fly-in and a Gathering of Trojans. North American at-28d Trojan Aircraft Were Active Vietnam War Combat Aircraft and a Number of the Type Are Now Flying in Australia as Civilian Operated Warbirds. The 2009 Gathering Will Be the 10th David Hack Ca&v Meet Held at Toowoomba. The Organisers Have Extended an Invitation to All Owners of Australian Trojans to Attend the Gathering. This Will Be the First Australian Mass Gathering of Trojans and as Such Has the Potential of Being One of the Biggest Warbird Meets Held in the Country.

Other Types That Flew in Vietnam Such as Cessna 0-1 and L-19 Bird Dogs, Cessna 0-2 (Cessna 337a/b), Cessna 180s’, Huey Uh-1 Choppers (Civil Versions Are Bell 204/5) and Even Cessna 172h Models (Cessna T-41 Military Variant) Are Also Welcome as Are Antique and Classic Aircraft Given That the Meet is a Classic Aircraft and Vehicle Gathering.

For More Information Contact Toowoomba North Rotary at [email protected]. Ph. Trevor Mackenzie (Rotary) 07 46307026 Ah. Or Aerotec Qld. [email protected]. Ph 07 46331315.

Aviation History Book and Warbirds Cd

This Month Comes News for Aviation Enthusiasts and Researchers Alike.

For Warbird Enthusiasts Comes Good News That the 5th Warbirds Directory Has Been Released, This Time on Cd. The New Release Updates the Many Changes and Additions to Warbirds Around the World in the Years Since the Last Release and Indeed It Will Become the Warbird Bible for Most Enthusiasts. The New Cd Covers the Pre-1970 Aircraft That Had Been Excluded in the Last Edition Due to Space Requirements but Now With the 5th Edition the Cd Can Accommodate Much More Information and Much More There is. And It Can Be Revealed That This Directory is the Work of Local Aero and Warbird Historian, Mr Geoff Goodall. For Those Wanting to Obtain a Copy of the 5th Warbird Directory Go to Http://www.warbirdsdirectory.goodall.com.au.

Aviation Historian and President of the Aviation Historical Society of Australia, Mr Keith Meggs Has Announced That He is Taking Orders for His Long Awaited Book on the History of Australian Built Aircraft. The First Volume Covers 1884 to 1939 and is Titled Australian-built Aircraft and the Industry. Volume One Comes in A4 Format With a Two-book Slip Case Set of 1,264 Pages in Total. The Intent is to Publish a Four Volume Work on Every Aircraft Type Proposed, Designed or Manufactured in Australia From 1884 to the Mid-1980s.

It is Thought That These Books Will Become a Must Item for the Serious Reference Library. A Former Korean War Raaf Pilot Keith Meggs Dfm, Am(Us) Has Been Compiling His History of Australian Aircraft for More Than Thirty Years. For Details of the Book Contact Finger-four Publishing at Po Box 918, Seymour, Vic. 3661, or Contact Keith Direct at 03 9580 0140.

Hawker Hunters and Memories

Why Does a Man Sit in an Aircraft for an Extended Period of Time and Smile While He Touches Various Items in the Cockpit? Because He is Reliving Memories of an Earlier Life Connected With Flying That Machine.

Such Was the Case in Mid November When Retired British Pilot, Peter Lewis, Who Was on Holiday From the Uk, Renewed His Acquaintance With Hawker Hunter 533 Now on Display in the Queensland Air Museums Collection at Caloundra.

Peter Had Last Flown ‘533 Some 45 Years Earlier. He Had Then Been the Commanding Officer of the Raf’s 1417 Fighter Reconnaissance Flight in Aden in 1963-64. With Five Aircraft and Five Pilots in the Flight Each Pilot Had the Luxury of His Own “personal” Mount. The Hunters Were Further Personalised With Radio Call Signs Derived From the Initials of the Pilots. Thus, Hunter Fr Mark 10, Raf Serial Xe614 Became Peter’s Aircraft With the Call Sign “pl”, or as Peter Still Calls Her Affectionately, “papa Lima”. After Some Time Reminiscing Alone in the Cockpit Peter Declared Himself a ‘happy Man’.

Hunter Xe614 Went on to Serve With the Republic of Singapore Air Force Where It Was Renumbered as ‘533’. The Fighter Was Retired in 1969 and Was Eventually Obtained by the Qam in 2006.

Register Notes

This Month There Has Been a Few Additions and Changes of Note. The North American T-28b Trojan That Was Noted as Coming to Australia in the August Aa Has Now Been Registered as Vh-zsh to Anthony Freer, Toowoomba, Qld. The Aircraft, With Serial 137743, Was Put on the Register on November 27. A New Nanchang Cj-6a Took Up the Marking Vh-vpr, Serial 5132009, on November 18 to Mark Norman, Albany, Wa. A Casa (the Other One!) Built Bücker Jungmann 1-131e Has Taken Up the Registration, Vh-kil, on November 11 With C/n 295, to Bert Filippi of Mount Pleasant, Wa. Mr Filippi Has an Expanding Collection of Interesting Antique Aircraft.

Metasokol L40 Vh-duy, C/n 150601, Has Been Returned to the Register on October 26 to David Harris of Norwood, Sa. The Czech Built Four Seater Has an Unusual Reverse Tricycle Undercarriage. Yak-52 Vh-kgy, Was Added to the Register on November 6 With Serial 844510 to Frederick Matthews of Kingaroy, Qld. Boeing Stearman E75 Vh-pwd, 75-8255, Had a Change of Owner to Richard Eastman of Spearwood, Wa, on October 25.

Gliding Museum Opened at Bacchus Marsh

Over 200 People Attended the Opening of the Australian Gliding Museum Bruce Brockhoff Annexe at Bacchus Marsh Airport, Vic. On Saturday November 15.

The Facility Was Made Possible Through the Generous Support of Former Australian Champion Glider Pilot and Australian Representative at World Gliding Competitions, Bruce Brockhoff. The Annexe Now Houses a Large Collection of Rare and Historic Gliders That Range From the 1920’s Through to the 1970’s. Construction of the Gliders Ranges From Wood and Fabric Right Through to Composite Construction Aircraft. The Australia Gliding Museum President, Mr Alan Patching Am, Said “the Establishment of the Bruce Brockhoff Annexe is a Necessary Step in the Achievement of Our Ultimate Goal of Establishment of a National Aviation Museum Representing All Aspects of Aviation in Australia. The Museum is Deeply Indebted to Bruce for His Generosity and Support in the Establishment of This Facility”. The Opening Acknowledged the Very Generous Donation of $100,000 From Mr Brockhoff Who Was Present at the Opening of the Facility.

Lost Waco to Fly Again in New Zealand

There Have Been Two Editions of the Movie ‘flight of the Phoenix’ but That Title Rings a Chord With the Pending Return to the Air of a Waco Uoc Biplane That Came to the South West Pacific in 1936.

The Cabin Biplane Was Put on the New Zealand Register in May 1936 With the Marlborough Aero Club as Zk-ael. Impressed by the Rnzaf as Nz575 During Ww11 It Was Returned to the Aero Club in 1946. By Now It Had Become Zk-ala. After Many Years of Flying Around the Land of the Long White Cloud the Machine Had a Landing Accident at Rotorua in July 1958. It Was Then Exported to Australia Where It Went on Display at the Gilltrap’s Auto Museum on the Gold Coast. There the Intention Was to Repair the Aircraft and Put It on the Australian Register. In Those Days the Regulator of the Day, the Department of Civil Aviation, Required Type Certification Data for New Aircraft and as This Was Not Forthcoming the Aircraft Remained on Display With Gilltrap’s. After a Time the Machine Went Into Storage and Disappeared From View and the Thoughts of Most Aviation Minded People. More Recently New Zealander, Jay Mcintyre, a Recent President of the Marlborough Aero Club and Proprietor of Restoration and Maintenance Specialists Jem Aviation of Omaka, Tracked the Biplane Down. Jay Managed to Purchase the Aircraft With Current Mac President Rex Newman and Member Stuart Leslie. Now the Unique Aircraft is Well on the Way to Going Back Into the Air. Already the Rebuild Has the Four-place Radial Engine Powered Aircraft on Its Undercarriage and the Wings Are in the Workshop Being Rebuilt.

The Aircraft, Still Under Rebuild, Will Be on Display at the 2009 Classic Fighters Airshow at Omaka.

In Brief

● Tiger Moth, Vh-ben ‘a17-736’ Was Substantially Damaged at Point Cook, Victoria. On November 15 When It Was Overturned by Gusty Winds After Landing. The Aircraft Was Being Operated on Joyride Activities. The Pilot and Passenger Were Uninjured.

● the Temora Aviation Museum Received Gold Award for the Heritage and Cultural Tourism Category of the 2008 Nsw Tourism Awards in November. The Museum Also Won a Silver Award for the Festival & Events Category for the Tam’s Monthly Flying Days.

● the Beech Tri-gear That Was Noted Inbound to Australia (See Aa Dec.2008) Has Arrived. The Radial Engine Powered Beech, N2500, Was Noted at Cairns on November 5. It Was Being Flown to Redcliffe, Qld. Later That Day. It is Expected to Remain in Australia for a Period Before Being Flown Back to the Usa via Hawaii. When Spoken to at Cairns the Owner/pilot, James P. Barnum of Saint Augustine, Florida, Spoke of Having Had Two Uplifts of Sub-standard Fuel on the Trip Out to Australia. The Tri-gear Beech is Listed as a Model D18s Built in 1951. With a Dark Blue Colour Scheme the Aircraft Delighted Local Aircraft Enthusiasts at Cairns When the P&w Radial Engines Emitted a Cloud of Smoke as They Rumbled Into Life.

Contact Dave at [email protected]