Warbirds

Dr Edward’s flight instructor was no less than recently retired RSAF instructor Willey ‘The Godfather’ Chew, who has over 4000 hours on the S-211. Geraldton was chosen as a training location due to its weather, its relatively low level of traffic and its 1981m long main runway.

VH-BVK was one of 20 ex RSAF S-211s acquired by Steve Ferris’s International Air Parts (IAP). To date, IAP has on-sold nine of the jet trainers.

Meanwhile at Wangaratta, Victoria, Hawker Sea Fury FB10 VH-ORN has taken to the air. Painted dark blue with the numerals 115 on the side, the fighter, owned by Angus (Gus) Larard, took to the air on August 10.

It will be a popular entrant for airshows as it is one of only two of the type flying in Australia.

The other is the Moree based Sea Fury VH-SFW that took to the air on March 4 (see Warbirds June 2010 AA).

Lake Boga Catalina Museum Opens

The official opening of the Lake Boga Air Museum took place on Friday August 13, where a brand new hangar now provides a home to display and protect the WW2 Catalina as well as an interactive map display, memorabilia and photographs. A WW2 communications bunker has also been refurbished and is open for visitors to inspect.

Lake Boga, on the northern Victorian border, was a RAAF flying boat repair depot during WW2. After the war, flying boats in RAAF service very quickly became redundant and the Lake Boga base was soon run down and became surplus to requirements. A number of Catalinas were decommissioned and broken up on site as they became surplus. Local farmers bought bits of the Catalinas for use on their properties and the lake eventually became the home of boating and water skiing enthusiasts.

As the years rolled on, a small group of people became concerned that the base was not receiving the credit it should have for its wartime role. A Catalina hull was bought back from a local farmer and effectively rebuilt with wings and components from other locations. The aircraft became a real composite to the extent that its true identity remains unknown to this day. The rebuilt aircraft was put on display, but it was not long before it was realised that if it was not put undercover to protect it from the elements the aircraft would deteriorate.

A plan was hatched to put the aircraft into a hangar.

With the WW2 hangars long gone, the plan evolved to build a new hangar over and around the Catalina. The 32 x 36. 4m curved roof hangar was built with funds from the state government’s Regional Development Victoria, which contributed $250,000, with the federal government putting a further $200,000 towards the construction through its Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program. The Shire Council was keen for the Catalina to be preserved and remain on display as a further tourist attraction in the area.

Aircraft Parts Auction

A further auction of aircraft parts was held at Kyneton, Victoria, on Sunday September 5 (see also Warbirds May 2010 AA), where it was interesting to see the number of items that came up for sale marked as being a Lancaster component considering the number of Lancasters that came to Australia. Other items included Beaufort, Mosquito, Spitfire, P-40, Merlin, Anson, Lincoln and B-24 components.

Perhaps most interesting of the items was the instrument panel of a B-24 Liberator bomber. Complete with all instruments it sold for $2900.

On the centre of the panel was a small engraved plaque with the words ‘Radio Call 428180’. If we assume that 428180 equates to USAF serial 44-28180, this would then be the instrument panel of RAAF B-24J Liberator A72-395. The aircraft was struck off RAAF charge in July 1952 and most likely broken up at Tocumwal, like so many other Liberators.

After all that time the instrument panel of A72-395 still exists! The new owner advised that he was a collector and it would add to his collection of aircraft artefacts.

The bulk of the items sold at the auction were from the now almost empty storage warehouse of the Hughes family which had previously operated Hughes Trading Co in Melbourne.

The store closed manyyears ago and the remaining stock was stored at Kyneton.

At the auction was a copy of a full page Hughes Trading advert from the Weekly Times of December 1954. It listed Mustang canopies for sale at £7. 10 each and the famed and highly secret (during WW2) Nordern bomb sight at £9. 10 each!

Douglas Update

From Sydney comes news that Steve Ferris is back into the restoration of DC-2 VH‑CDZ. The aircraft, located at Bankstown, is fairly complete but needs a lot of work before it takes to the air again.

The historic DC-2 flew with KNILM (Royal Netherlands Indian Airways in the Netherlands East Indies) as PK-AFL in 1935. It later flew with the USAAF in Australia during WW2 and then went on to ANA, endings its flying days with Sid Marshall and his Marshall Airways at Bankstown.

Some restoration work was commenced over a decade ago but then tapered off.

Also at Bankstown is DC-3 VH-CWS, the aircraft that Classic Wings was to operate in WA, but this plan did not happen.

The aircraft (ex ZK‑AMS) was later flown back to Bankstown but has been parked apparently awaiting a new operator to get her back into the air. The title Classic Wings can still be faintly seen above the windows, but the CASA register lists it as being owned by Peter Christoudias of Broome, WA.

Nz Register Moves

From the land of the long white cloud we learn that Aero L-39C N94BF has migrated to take up registration ZK‑CCP. With serial 332639 the jet was registered to Albatros Ltd of Wellington on August 9.

Auster J5B ZK-AYN, serial 2943, was struck off the register on August 10 as having been withdrawn from service.

Percival Gull Six ZK-DPR, c/n D55, was struck off the register on August 6, also as withdrawn.

Hawker Hunter FR. 74S ZK‑JIL, serial 517, was removed from the register on August 26 as withdrawn, as was Aero L-29 ZK-SSR, serial 395192, which was taken off the register on September 1.

North Queensland Warbirds Airshow

NQ Warbirds turned on a treat with great sunny weather and a great line-up of aircraft for its August 22 airshow at Mareeba.

Aircraft in the air included no fewer than five North American T-28 Trojans, examples of a Harvard, Nanchang, Chipmunk and Winjeel, and the RAAF Roulettes. One aircraft that everyone wanted to see in the air was the NQ Warbirds P-40 Kittyhawk, VH-MIK, and they were not disappointed. This was the aircraft that suffered damage back on August 16 last year when a gear leg folded back during a landing and it slid to a stop off the side of the strip.

The aircraft went straight into the repair shop and was soon back in the air in time to have a trial run at the Charters Towers Airshow in July.

Other aircraft on static display were a long term rebuild project C-47 in an olive drab paint scheme and the recently acquired Corsair rebuild project. Work on restoring this aircraft is underway and although much work is to be done before it takes to the air the fuselage was on display for all to see during the Mareeba airshow.

New Lease Of Life For Cac Hangar

At Tyabb Airport on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, Graeme Hosking is rebuilding a former CAC ‘Butler’ hangar, which has been relocated from its Fisherman’s Bend site.

During WW2 the Butler hangar was used for experimental aircraft work. Threatened with being demolished, the hangar was obtained by Graeme and removed to Tyabb.

The hangar, which will be the largest on the airport when completed, and although some 70 years old, has a framework structure that has been restored to give it a new lease of life. n Contact Dave by email at flyer02@optusnet. com. au