Warbirds

More Than 10,500 Dc-3s Have Been Built Since the Prototype Was Rolled Out for Its First Flight at Douglas’s Santa Monica Plant in 1935. During Wwii the Dc-3, in Military Colours It Was Known as the C-47, Was the Mainstay of the Allied Air Transport System as They Plied Around the World. Post War the Dc-3 Became the Start of Many a Small Airline That Grew to Be a Bigger Airline, and Then Flew Later and Larger Douglas Aircraft. In Australia a Small Number of Dc-3s Are Still Flying on Passenger Carrying Roles. There Are No Known Plans to Introduce the Eu Design Requirements

General Aircraft Monospar Update

The Curator of the Uk Newark Air Museum Recently Had a Letter Published in the Casa Magazine ‘flight Safety Australia’ About the Museum’s General Aircraft St-12 Monospar, Vh-uth.

Following the Magazine Article the Museum Received a Huge Influx of Emails and Letters Which Helped Fill in a Lot of Hitherto ‘missing’ Details About Vh-uth’s Operations in Australia.

At the Museum’s Winthorpe Showground Site Work Continues on Refitting Parts and ‘scratch-building’ Missing Items. The Starboard Wing is Now Structurally Complete and Awaiting Fabric to Be Applied. Similar Work is Now Underway on the Port Wing. The 1934 Monospar Was Flown to the Uk From Australia by Dr John Morris in 1961. It Never Flew Again and Has Been Dismantled and in Storage Since Its Arrival There. Dr Morris Wrote a Book ’two Men in a Flying Machine’ (Robert Hale, London, 1969) About the Flight. The Monospar Was Powered by Two Dh Gipsy Major Mk.3 Engines. While the Museum Has a Lot of Knowledge About the Aircraft It is Seeking Design Drawings to Assist in the Completion of the Rebuild. Can Any Reader Help?

Warbird Pilot Accident Report Released

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (Atsb) Has Released the Final Report on the Fatal Accident of Well Known Warbird Pilot, Geoff Milne. Mr Milne Was Killed on November 17 2007 When the Cessna 337g, Vh-chu, That He Was Flying Crashed Into the Sea Between Venus Bay and Cape Liptrap on the Victorian Coast. The Four Occupants of the Aircraft Died in the Accident. Mr Milne’s Body Was Not Recovered.

The Report Noted That Mr Milne Was a Vfr Pilot but With Little or No Ifr Experience. The Flight Departed From Moorabbin Airport and Was Bound for Merimbula, Nsw. The Investigation Found That While Manoeuvring Over Water at Low Level in Conditions of Reduced Visibility the Pilot Probably Became Spatially Disorientated and Inadvertently Descended Into the Water.

Geoff Milne Obtained a Private Pilots Licence in 1963. Although Logbook Records Were Poor It is Reported That He Had Some 5,600 Hours Flight Time. He Had Experience in Mustang, T-28 Trojan, Harvard and Wirraway Aircraft. The Report Also Noted That There Was Some Evidence That He Had Done Some Agricultural Flying in New Zealand. Geoff Had Once Been a Partner in an Albury Based Wirraway. In the Period Shortly Before His Death He Was Reported to Have Bought a Spitfire (Now in New Zealand) and a Hawker Sea Fury.

Register Review

This Month There Have Been Several Register Changes of Interest to Warbird Readers. Supermarine Spitfire Mk. Xiv, Vh-xiv, Was Struck Off the Register on February 3 as Being Not Airworthy. The Aircraft, Owned by Randal Mcfarlane of Hamilton, Qld. The Former Thai Air Force Fighter, Previously Rm-797 and U14-16, Was at One Stage Owned by Australian Pilot Gary Cooper Before Being Obtained by Randal Mcfarlane in 2002. The Aircraft Was Always a Long Term Restoration Project. New Aircraft of Interest on the Register Are Former Us Registered Cessna 195, N1530d, Now Vh-jtm. With C/n 7752 the Aircraft Was Registered on February 2 to Tim Hesford of East Fremantle, Wa. An Interesting Warbird Addition is Cac Ca-12 Vh-xbl. With Serial 886 This Boomerang Was Added to the Register on January 30 to Boomerang Aviation Pty Ltd of Gilbertson, Sa. It is Understood to Be a Hitherto Unknown Restoration Project.

Former New Zealand Beech D17-s, Zk-amu, With C/n 203, Took Up the Australian Marking Vh-wee on February 2 With Owner Doug Drummond of Wentworth Falls, Nsw.

Of Keen Interest is the Junkers A50 ‘junior’, Vh-ucc. One of Two of the Type Brought to Australia Vh-ucc Was Imported in 1936. It is Very Unique in That It Has a Corrugated Surface to the Aluminium Fuselage and Wings. A Two Seat Open Cockpit It is Powered by an Armstrong Siddley Genet Junior Five Cylinder Radial Engine. Brought to Australia by Perce Parker of Colac, Victoria. Named ‘rena’ After Perce Parkers Wife, Rene, the Aircraft Was Restored in the 1970’s but Did Little Flying and Went Into Storage. It Was at One Stage Re-registered as Vh-mrr. Current Owner Mal Rose of Port Macquarie Has Sold the Aircraft to a Museum in Germany. Back to the Land It Came From.

Another Junkers A50 Came to Australia in 1930. That Aircraft, Vh-uno, Did Not Last Long as It Crashed at Broken Bay, Nsw, on July 5 1930 in Poor Weather. The Passenger Was Killed but the Pilot, Famed Aviator, Goya Henry, Survived.

From New Zealand Comes News That Locally Based Lockheed 12a, N14999, Commenced a Long Flight Back Across the Pacific to the Us in Late January. It Had Been Hoped That the Aircraft Would Meet Up With Other Lockheed Aircraft in January at Temora but That Gathering Did Not Eventuate.

Ouch!

Aeroplanes Unfortunately Occasionally Have Accidents and the Last Few Months Have Seen Some Minor Accidents to Our Warbirds and Antiques.

Great Lakes Biplane 2t-1a-2, Vh-lke, Suffered a Heavy Landing at Torquay, Vic. On December 7 That Collapsed the Left Undercarriage Leg.
Aero L29 Delfin Jet Zk-sss Departed the Runway at North Shore Airfield, Auckland, New Zealand, on February 1 During a High Speed Run. The Aircraft Skidded Off the Runway, Through a Fence and Ended Up in a Private Driveway With a Collapsed Nose Gear Leg. The Pilot Was Not Injured.

Two Seat Supermarine Spitfire Mk.ix, Zk-wdq, Suffered Damage When It Had a Heavy Landing and Undercarriage Collapse at Masterton Aerodrome, New Zealand, on January 15. Owned by Doug Brooker, It Was Later Reported That a Sudden Wind Change Was Responsible for the Event.

Back in Australia Ron Jackson’s Sopwith Pup Replica, Vh-sor, Was Damaged When It Was Overturned by Wind at Riddell’s Creek on February 5.

Vale Arnold Glass

Arnold Glass Passed Away in Sydney on January 9 Aged 83. Arnold Was a Warbirder Before Warbirds Became Popular. He Developed an Early Interest in Engines, Motorcycles and Cars. Born in Newcastle in 1926 He Worked in Engineering Plants as a Fitter and Turner. He Then Moved on to Work on Avro Anson Aircraft at Butler Air Transport. In 1947 He Acquired a Tiger Moth and That Started a Long Time Interest in Owning and Flying Ex Military Aircraft. Founding Sydney Based Capitol Motors He Sold Motorbikes and Later Cars Including Holding the Datsun Franchise in Australia. With the Business and Cash Flow Established Glass Developed Interests in Fast Aircraft. He Also Raced Cars but His Aviation Involvement Included Buying and Flying Mustang Vh-bvm, Several English Electric Lightning Fighters, Dh Vampires and Even a Folland Gnat. He Also Travelled to Czechoslovakia and Poland to Fly Mig-21s. He Owned and Flew a Lear Jet. A Speedboat Enthusiast He Lived and Raced These Craft Out of Monaco for Some Years Before Returning to Australia for His Remaining Years.

In Brief

*vintage Gliders Australia Held a Nine Day Rally in January at Bordertown, Sa Which Attracted Some Twenty Vintage and Classic Sailplanes.

* Former Raaf Spitfire A58-441 is to Be Restored in the Uk as G-cfga. The Aircraft Was Registered to the Pembrokeshire Spitfire Aeroplane Company Ltd, Hangar 2, Withybush Airfield, Haverfordwest on January 5. After Wwii the Spitfire Was Scrapped at Oakey, Qld. But Enough of It Remained to Find Several Owners in Australia Before Being Sold in the Uk as a Restoration Project.

*the Temora Aviation Museum Cancelled Both Its February and March Flying Weekends as a Mark of Respect for Tam Aerobatic Pilot, Tom Moon, Who Died in the Crash of His Extra 300 Aircraft at Temora on January 20. The Next Tam Flying Weekend Will Be April 11 &12.

Contact Dave by Email at: [email protected]