Warbirds

A Messerschmitt Bf 109 also from the Marshall collection was to have followed the Spitfire overseas but it was intercepted by Customs and eventually ended up with the Australian War Memorial.

After its arrival in the UK it was rebuilt to flying status and made its first flight at Filton on May 28, 1994. The aircraft has also been used as the mould for the production of fibreglass Spitfire replicas and appeared in the movies Pearl harbour (2001) and Dark Blue World (2001).

The Spitfire is now owned by Max Alpha Aviation and will be based at Bremgaten airfield near Eschbach in Germany.

Cessna Classics Inbound

Cessna classic enthusiasts will be delighted to hear that the Australian register is soon to be graced with new entries in the form of a Cessna 195B, a Cessna 190 and a Cessna 170A.

All three aircraft are currently in the USA but will be coming via Florida in a shipping container, and are due here in a few months.
The Cessna 195B is a 1953 model powered by a Jacobs R755B radial and has been bought by Allianz Aviation Insurance manager, Mike Dalton. The aircraft, N2126C, c/n 16111, has a yellow and white colour scheme, and was acquired from John Maxfield of Northville, Michigan. Mike reports that the aircraft is to take up the local registration of VH-VLD (his wife’s initials), with the aircraft to be based at Tyabb, Victoria.

Also being imported with the 195B is a Cessna 190 for Victorian Craig Taberner, while a Cessna 170A is to come out with the two bigger Cessnas, reportedly for a South Australian owner.

Nice one guys!

Point Cook Raaf Museum Pageant

Some great flying by historic aircraft was enjoyed by an estimated 25,000 spectators at Point Cook on Saturday February 28 when the RAAF Museum at conducted its 2010 Biennial Flying Pageant. Fortunately the weather held out as a fine selection of former RAAF aircraft and other interesting former military types went on display in the air and on the ground.

The Temora Aviation Museum had its Spitfire, VH-HFT, and Lockheed Hudson, the only Hudson flying in the world, giving great solo displays. The TAM had the CAC built RAAF Sabre, A94-983/VH-IPN, in the air. Based from Avalon due to runway considerations this was the first time that the Sabre had been in Point Cook skies since 1993.

Two flying displays of real interest were the trio of Spitfire, Mustang and Merlin powered Curtiss P-40F Kittyhawk, the later from Judy Pay’s Tyabb based collection. This was followed up with a Sabre, Spitfire and Mustang trio. The show closed with a display by the RAAF Roulettes team in their PC-9s and a C-130H Hercules that departed after a brief fly past.

The four NA Harvards of the Southern Knights formation aerobatic team gave several displays and were complimented by a display of an earlier trainer, the Tiger Moth from PCK based Tiger Moth Joy Flights. And the recently rebuilt CAC Boomerang, VH-XBL, flew across from South Australia to give a flying display of what Australia’s own home grown fighter was all about.

A PC-9 was on ground display and a visiting sales tour PC-21, HB-HZD, gave a display of what the maker, Pilatus, hope will be the PC-9 replacement.

Several items on the ground held the interest of the spectators including the new Strike hangar with its collection of Canberra bomber, F-111G and F-4E Phantom.

Perhaps pride of place was the part-built 1913 Bristol Biplane replica. The open longeron fuselage structure and a starboard wing were on display. The replica is scheduled to be flying before the end of the year and will be on display at the 2014 Centenary Celebrations of the RAAF at Point Cook. The Bristol Biplane, Deperdussin and BE2a were the three types of aircraft that the Australian Flying Corps had at Point Cook in 1914. All three will be represented at the 2014 celebrations.

The RAAF Museum 2010 pageant was a great success with many interesting aircraft and displays. We look forward to the next pageant.

Smithy Altair Replica Planned

Brisbane pilot and businessman Michael Costello wants to build a flying replica of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith’s Lockheed Altair, The Lady Southern Cross.

Costello’s vision is to raise $1.5 million to build the replica Altair on the Sunshine Coast, and he has approached the Queensland Aviation Museum at Caloundra with the idea of building the replica there where visitors can watch the construction.

Costello has obtained original Lockheed drawings for the aircraft, which will be powered by a 550hp (xxxkW) Pratt & Whitney R1340 radial, as per the original, while the build will likely be overseen by aeronautical engineer Bill Whitney, well known for his previous replica aircraft and more recently for designing the new two-seat Whitney Boomerang trainer.

Whitney has said that this could be his last project and is one of great importance to Australia, as it was in the Lady Southern Cross that Smithy disappeared over the Bay of Bengal near Burma when flying from England to Australia in December 1935. Kingsford Smith and his co-pilot, Tommy Pethbridge, were never seen again. It is generally believed that the Lockheed hit trees on the top of the island of Aye and plunged into the waters off the island.

Meanwhile another replica of a Smithy aircraft, Fokker F-VIIB/3M Southern Cross replica tri-motor VH-USU changed ownership to the Historic Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) on February 10. The replica’s fuselage was moved to Albion Park some time ago while the wings are still in South Australia and the engines are reported to be in Queensland. The Southern Cross replica was damaged a few years ago when the port undercarriage collapsed during a landing due to a mechanical fault. The wing suffered two broken spars as a result.

Register News

Steve Searle has acquired Stinson L-5Bs VH-BFR and VH-CCO. These will settle nicely into Steve’s flying warbirds museum at Beaudesert, Queensland.

The Zero that was a Harvard, VH-ZRO, has changed hands, to Ashley Cooper of Sandstone Point, Queensland on February 18. Yak-52 VH-YGV, serial 845002, was added to the register on February 5 to Gill Vardi of Burleigh Waters, Queensland. Meanwhile Yak-52 VH-YFT, serial 888708, was struck off the register on February 15 as exported to New Zealand.

CAC built Winjeel A85-429 has returned from the US to Australia. While in the states it was N107PJ but has now taken up the original registration of VH-OPJ, on January 25, to Mark Awad of Tintenbar, NSW. Refer Register Update this issue for more details and an image.
A new interesting addition to Bert Filippi’s collection of antique aeroplanes in WA is Sopwith Pup serial B-1727, which was added to the register in January 25. Bert purchased the then partially completed replica in the US.

In Brief

● The only DHA-3 Drover to go to the UK is under a shadow regarding its future. The Gipsy Major powered tri-motor, c/n 5014, at one stage registered as G-APXX but carrying the marks VH-FDT, was with the Second World War Aircraft Preservation Society at Lasham Airfield, Hampshire. The society was wound up late last year and now a new museum and display site is being sought for the aircraft.

* The Narromine Shire Council has applied to the federal government for $1.5 million to help fund an aviation museum as part of capitol improvement works at Narromine aerodrome. The existing museum has a few aircraft in hangars but needs a purpose built building to protect and display them as well as the static exhibits that will be part of the museum.

Contact Dave by email at [email protected]