Warbirds

The Hawker Sea Fury series is still rated by many as the last of the production piston engined fighters and the fastest at that.

Auster Designer Passes Away

The designer of the Auster series of aircraft, Ronald Edward ‘Dickie’ Bird C Eng, FRAes, passed away peacefully on May 10 at Devon, UK. His cremation was marked with a fly past of three Austers.

Dickie, as he was best known as, joined Percival Aircraft at Luton in 1937 as an apprentice. He tried to join the RAF when war broke out and after passing the medical was told he was in a reserved occupation. Later he became Head Draughtsman with the firm of Herts and Essex Aviation the main task of which was to keep French aircraft flying that had escaped from France when German forces overran the country. In 1943 Dickie joined Taylorcraft Aircraft (England), which subsequently became Auster Aircraft Ltd, as Senior Stressman and Aerodynamicist. By 1947 he had become Chief Designer and created a number of new Auster models. Later he went on to design the Agricola, a low wing agricultural aircraft. Unfortunately few were built.

In the late 1950s’ he joined the Miles company, then part of Beagle, and designed the Beagle 206 light twin. Dickie took the aircraft from the start of design to the first flight in 186 days! Into the mid 1960s’ and Dickie was Chief Designer for Britten Norman, the company that produced the BN2A Islander series of light high wing twin.

Dickie retired in 1992 at age 70 but he always had a soft spot for the aircraft he designed. He was a regular attendee at the Auster fly-ins at Hayrish Farm and Eggesford.

‘Dickie’ Bird may have gone to the big Auster hangar in the sky but his products will fly on in spirit and in the air for many years to come.

Raaf Wagga Heritage Centre

At the RAAF Forest Hill Wagga air base the RAAF Museum has been working towards the opening of the RAAF Wagga Heritage Centre, located in the former guardhouse. The new display was opened by the Chief of Air Force in October and contains displays relating to the history of the base as well as other RAAF bases throughout the Riverina region of NSW. It will cover the role of the training units that are located at Wagga. A variety of objects and memorabilia complement photographs sourced from the RAAF heritage Collection.

Additionally, one room in the Centre has been designated as a Community Space, and will feature Special Exhibitions sourced from the local community and other institutions.

Register Notes

In New Zealand Aero L29 ZK-SSS has been withdrawn from service and was struck off the register on September 1. This was noted as ZK-SSR in the last issue of AA. On the Australian scene Auster J2 VH-PUK, c/n 2351, has been struck off the register on August 23 to be put on the RAA register.

CAC enthusiast Richard Hourigan has sold his CAC CA-25 Winjeel, VH-HOY, serial 50, to new owner listed as CAC Australia Pty Ltd. of Ballarat, Victoria. The change of ownership took place on September 1.

A new and interesting aircraft to be put on the register is a Navion A Rangemaster, VH-SKR. The 1948 build aircraft, serial NAV-A-1327, was added to the register on August 4 to Keith Radke of Dubbo, NSW.

Two Navions were put on the register in 1962. VH-WWE, c/n NAV-A-2403 is still flying while VH-WWL, c/n NAV-A-2439, was destroyed in a hangar fire in 1966.

The Navion and Cessna 170, 190 and 195 that have arrived here in recent times are but a few of the aircraft recently purchased in the US and shipped or due to be shipped to Australia. Other types reported to be enroute to Australia include a DHC-1 Chipmunk, several Aeronca monoplanes, a Stinson 108 and several Stampe biplanes. Boeing A75N1 Stearman, VH-BUH, serial 75-4460, was added to the register on September 3 to Mike Cadell of Cairns, Qld. Siai Marchetti S-211, VH-BKS, serial 004/02-001, was added to the register on August 30 to Roy Ferris of Sydney, NSW.

With the Australian dollar so strong against the American dollar expect more antique and classic imports from that country in the future.

Raaf Museum Movements

From the RAAF Museum at RAAF Williams, Point Cook, we learn that the long awaited opening of the Strike Hangar is now to be in December. The aircraft to be displayed in the hangar are the museum’s Canberra, Phantom, and F-111 aircraft. Interestingly of the 24 aircraft of the type taken into RAAF service one ex-RAAF Phantom still survives. That aircraft is 69-7206 which became an instructional airframe at Nellis Air Force Base. The smallest display will be a section of tailplane of the largest bomber built under licence in Australia, the Avro Lincoln Mk 30. A section of tailplane from A73-64 and an unrelated propeller will highlight the last of the RAAF’s piston engine bombers as well as introduce the story of the crash of A73-64 on Mt Superbus while on a mercy flight in Queensland on April 9 1955.

The RAAF Museum is gearing up to have a strong presence at the Australian International Airshow at Avalon next year. The theme will be the 90th anniversary of the RAAF. The museum will be using a DAMALSH or in layman’s terms, a Deployable Aircraft Maintenance and Logistics Support Hangar.

March 31 will see 90 years of RAAF service to the nation. As part of the celebrations there will be an Air Pilgrimage that will see 50 ex-military and historic aircraft fly from Temora, NSW, on March 29 to Point Cook with overnight stops at Tocumwal and Ballarat. The rally will be run in conjunction with the Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia. This will be an interesting, colourful and exciting event, one not to be missed.

In Brief

• Mike Dalton is proud to announce that his Cessna 195, VH-VLD, made its first Australian flight after receiving its C of A at Tyabb, Vic, on August 21. The owner and his wife are pleased that the first flight went well and look forward to showing off their new baby (the Cessna 195) in the future.

• Douglas (Doug) Charles Muir passed away on August 17 at Booragoon, WA. He was 91 years old. A pre-war engineer and pilot he worked in the per-WWII pioneering days of PNG and stayed on in the country after the Japanese invasion. He later set up Muir Airways at Darwin and Alligator Air at Kununurra, WA. His son Craig took over as CEO of Alligator Air in later years. Doug Muir will be remembered in recent times as the owner of Comper Swift CLA-7, VH-AGC that he later sold to Robert Fox of Sydney, NSW.

Contact Dave by email at [email protected]