Warbirds

In the Past the Tam Has Run a Major Aircraft Show Weekend Every 8-10 Weeks. The Show Would Include a Number of the Tam’s 15 Warbird Aircraft. Each Event Would Be a Major Logistics Exercise in Preparing Aircraft, Pilots, Fuel, Ground Facilities, Etc.

In a Bold New Plan the Tam Will Now Hold an Aircraft Showcase Day on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of Each Month. The Showcase Day Will Feature Two or Three Tam Aircraft. Visitors Will Be Able to See the Aircraft Towed From the Hangar, Fuelled and Prepared for Flight. The Pilot Will Then Be Strapped in and Start the Engine. After a Run-up He Will Take-off and Demonstrate the Aircraft. After Landing the Pilot Will Be Able to Answer Questions From Visitors and Inspect the Machine and Its Cockpit.

The First Aircraft Showcase Day Will Be on Saturday July 3rd at Which the Raaf Sabre, a Spitfire (the Tam Has Two!) and the Dh Tiger Moth Will Be Featured.

Part of the New Showcase Days Will Be to Allow Visitors to Inspect the Engineering and Workshop Facilities to Obtain an Insight Into What is Required to Keep the Museum Aircraft in the Air.

In Changing the Tam Format the Museum Apologises for Any Inconvenience to Visitors Who May Have Made Advance Travel and Accommodation Plans.

Following the Aircraft Showcase Day Format Announcement the Tam Asked That Visitors Planning to Visit the Tam Should Check the Tam Website for Which Aircraft Are to Be Scheduled for Which Saturday.

Soon After the Announcement Regarding the New Format the Tam Advised That It is to Hold a Major Airshow Event Each Year. That Show Will Feature Both Tam Aircraft Plus Visiting Aircraft. The Date for the Major Airshow Date is to Be Announced in the Coming Weeks.

In Recent Months the Tam Has Had a Number of Its Aircraft Visiting Other Events, Including Interstate Events. Several Tam Aircraft Were Part of the Tyabb Airshow in Victoria (See Below) and Also the David Hack Event at Toowoomba, Queensland.

Terrific Tyabb

Every Second Year the Peninsula Aero Club on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula Runs One of the Best Airshows Around and This Year’s Show Was No Exception. Indeed It Can Be Said That Not Only the Aviation Fraternity but a Lot of Just Plain Aviation Interested People Look Forward to the Show. Once Again They Were Not Disappointed.

This Year’s Show Saw a Wide Selection of Civil as Well as Ex Military Types on Display. Civil Aircraft in the Air Included a Transavia Pl-12 Airtruk, From Albury, Accompanied by a Cac Ca28 Ceres, Both Rare Aircraft to See at an Airshow These Days. The Southern Nights T-6 Harvard Aerobatic Formation Treated the Crowd to a Smoke-on Display. The Raaf Museum at Point Cook Had a Winjeel and the Sopwith Pup Replica in the Air. A Local Wirraway Was an Warbird That Pleased the Crowd but Not as Much as When the Mustang Vh-juc, Kittyhawks Vh-hwk and Vh-zoc and Spitfire Vh-het, From Temora, Took to the Air. Boomerang Vh-mhr Was a Home-grown Display Aircraft of Interest.

Chris Sperou, All the Way From Adelaide, Gave a Sterling Aerobatic Performance in His Pitts Special. Who Said That Chris Had Retired? Later He Thrilled the Crowd as He Cork-screwed the Pitts Around a Beech Debonair Flown by Warren Stewart.

The Judy Pay Owned Dh Vampire Jet, Vh-zvz, Was a Real Highlight as It Harked Back to the Type of Jet the Raaf Flew in Yesteryear. The Machine Operated From East Sale and Did Not Land at Tyabb.

Ground Displays Included the Original Three Cylinder Anzani Aero Engine That Powered the First Aircraft to Fly in South Australia as Well as a Replica Bleriot Monoplane Complete With Another Anzani Engine.

The Show Closed With a Set Piece Presentation of an Airfield Attack Complete With the Necessary Pyrotechnics Using Harvard’s, the Mustang, Trojans, Kittyhawks, the Boomerang and Several Nanchang Cj-6a Trainers.

Plan to Be at the 2012 Tyabb Airshow.

Sea Fury News

For Warbird Enthusiasts Comes the News That the Moree, Nsw, Located Hawker Fury Mk.11, Vh-sfw, Has Now Flown. Owned by Local Pilot, David Warburton, the Aircraft is Reported to Have Made Its First Australian Flight Early in April. The Aircraft, Serial 37539, Was Registered as Vh-sfw With Casa on November 26 2009.

With One More Sea Fury in the Air Yet Another is About to Take to the Air With a New Wangaratta Based Aircraft, Serial 37539, Due Its Make Its First Australian Flight as Aa Goes to Print. The Sea Fury Was Registered as Vh-orn to Angus Larard of Hong Kong on April 6. The Owner is Better Known as Gus Larard and He Works With Cathay Pacific Hence the Hong Kong Address. Gus Has Been Flying Several of the Wangaratta Based Warbirds for Some Years.

The New Sea Fury Was Scheduled to Be on the Program at Both the Melton and Tyabb Airshows but This Did Not Eventuate as the Aircraft Was Not Yet Ready. As Readers May Be Aware Although a Rebuilt Aircraft May Look Ready to Fly There Are Usually a Myriad of Little Tasks to Complete Before the Aircraft Takes to the Air and Then There is the Paperwork to Finalise. After a First Flight There Can Be Small Adjustments to Complete. Before Any Airshow Presentation There Will Be a Period in Which the Pilot Needs to Get to Know His Aircraft and Be Able to Safely Perform a Routine for Any Public Display.

We Look Forward to Seeing Both New Sea Furies in the Air in the Near Future. Maybe Together? There Are Now Six Hawker Fury/sea Fury Fighters on the Australian Register.

Antique Gathering at Griffith

Antiques and Classics Outnumbered Newer Aircraft at This Year’s Annual Antique Fly-in Held by the Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia. Held Over the Weekend of April 23-25 at Griffith, Nsw, the Fly-in Attracted More Than 120 Aircraft From All Points of the Compass.

The Antiques and Classics Were the Focal Point of the Weekend and Visitors Were Not Disappointed With the Variety of Types, Finishes and Colour Schemes. Almost a Dozen Tiger Moths Were Present While Twelve Austers Flew in. Rare De Havilland Types Saw a Dh87 Hornet Moth and a Twin Engined Dh84 Dragon Attend. The Oldest Aircraft in Australia, Dh60 Vh-uae, Was Another Interesting Visitor. Ex Military Aircraft Were Well Represented With Four Cessna Bird Dogs, Four Ex Raaf Ct4a Trainers, a Pair of Boeing Stearman Biplanes and Three Dhc Chipmunks.

Other Visitors Included a Globe Swift, Several Cessna 140s, a Number of Piper Pa22 and Pa20 Tripacer and Pacer Models, and a Pair of Stampes. Other Makes and Models Included Luscombe, Stinson 108, Yak 52, Nanchang Cj6a, Aeronca and Even a Twin Finned Aircoupe.
On the Friday Several Safety Orientated Seminars Were Conducted. Topics Included a Casa Presentation on the New Ctaf Procedures, Now to Be Known as Non Towered Aerodromes (Ntas).

The Saturday Night Dinner Was Attended by Some 300 People During Which Awards Were Made for Various Categories of Aircraft. A Selection of the Awards Saw Rex Booth Take the Best Classic Award for His Cessna 170, Vh-bux. The Presidents Choice Went to David Friend and His Cessna 195, Vh-onf. Best Antique Went to Frank Williams and His Dh82a, Vh-utd. Reserve Champion Went to Clinton Ashton-martin for His Avro 643 Cadet, Vh-agh. Grand Champion Award Went to Graham Hosking and His Ryan St-m, Vh-agw, Painted Up in the Colourful Ww11 Markings of the Neiaf. A New Award, the Lance Fletcher Memorial Trophy for the Best Tiger Moth, Went to Daniel Pluess for His Tiger, Vh-dha Painted Up in a Colourful Raaf Trainer Yellow Scheme as A17-518. The Les Mason Award for Personal Contribution to the Antique Aeroplane Movement Went to Peter Bernardi. Peter Has Done Much for Antique Aeroplane Owners and Enthusiasts Over Many Years.

The 2011 Aaaa Fly-in Will Be Held at Echuca, Victoria, Over the Weekend of April 1-3.

Historic Cessna C34 Preserved

The First Cessna to Fly in Australia is to Be Preserved by the Australian Cessna Dealer.

The Aircraft, Cessna C34, Vh-uyg, Was Obtained by Aeromil Pacific Boss and Cessna Dealer Steve Padgett in December. Aeromil is Based at Queensland’s Sunshine Coast Airport, Previously Know as Maroochydore Airport.

The Tailwheel Cessna Was the Second Last of C-34s to Be Built in 1935-36. In July 1838 It Was Registered to Airflight Ltd. At Mascot. During Ww11 It Was Impressed Into Raaf Service. After the War It Was Sold Off as Surplus and Had a Series of Owners Over the Years. At One Stage It Was Operated by the Rfds (Wa Section).

Problems With Wheels and Brakes Have Always Been a Problem With the Machine.

On February 20 1948 It Suffered a Groundloop and Ended Up on Its Back. In Later Years the Engine, a Warner Super Scarab, Was Replaced by a Continental W670. This Was Replaced by a Scarab When the Aircraft Was Restored to Airworthy Condition and Put Back Into the Air in 1993.

New Owner, Steve Padgett, Has Said That He Intends to Keep the Historic Aircraft Flying and Has Mentioned Having a Glass Walled Showroom Facility at His Sunshine Coast Airport Facility in Which to Show Off the Aircraft. A Fitting Home for an Historic Aircraft, the First Australian Cessna Rubbing Shoulders With the Latest Cessna at the Australian Cessna Dealers Premises.

Air Museum

The Queensland Air Museum at Caloundra Has Recently Taken Delivery of the Nose Section of Caribou A4-159. The Nose Was Previously at Brisbane Airport as a Fire Fighting Aid, but Not Actually Burnt. The Nose Has Helped the Museum With the Rebuild of Its More Complete Caribou, A4-173. The Museum Has Recently Completed the Restoration of Its Piper Pawnee Aircraft, Previously Zk-cel. The Agricultural Aircraft is Now on Display.

In Brief

• Western Australian Cessna 195, Vh-jtm, Suffered an Engine Problem and Put Down Near Port Pirie, Sa, While Flying to the Griffith Antique Aeroplane Fly-in. In So Doing It Unfortunately Missed Out on Longest Distance Award.

Contact Dave by Email at [email protected].