Warbirds

An unusual auction took place on 20 October at ManheimFowles auction yard at Altona North, Melbourne. The main item of interest was a former RNZAF NA AT-6D Harvard 111, VH-SFY/NZ1060. The last owner-operator of the aircraft was the RAAF Museum.

While the auctioneer claimed that ‘This aircraft was flying until recently when landing damage incurred grounded it’ in fact the aircraft had been involved in a ground loop at West Sale, Vic. back 2 December 2004. The aircraft was being used for training at the time. The damage incurred involved a bent prop, engine damage, wing damage and one gear leg being torn off. It became an economic write-off and beyond the normal facilities of the RAAF museum to rebuild. When auctioned the actual aircraft was located at RAAF Williams, Laverton.

The Harvard started out with the makers serial 88-14493. It was allocated US serial 41-33846 but then became a British Lend Lease aircraft with RAF serial EX867 however it was shipped to New Zealand in 1943 where it became RNZAF NZ1060. After becoming surplus to requirements it was gifted to the RAAF Museum in 1977. Restored to flying status it was painted up with a yellow colour scheme and serial ‘NZ934’. It was flying under the civil registration VH-SFY when it was damaged at West Sale.

The aircraft was sold to Sydney based aircraft restorer, Robert Greinert, for a reported $35,000. Robert has aircraft rebuild facilities at his disposal at the HARS facility at Albion Park, Wollongong, NSW so the aircraft will most likely be rebuilt but the damage suffered means it will not be back in the air in the short term.

Also on sale at the auction were two Winjeels centre sections, six MB-326 Macchi wing tip tanks and the tail booms of DH Vampire A79-816.

Auster Fly-in

Held at Kyabram, Vic. the 2010 Auster Fly-in attracted more than sixty aircraft including 14 Austers of various marks. Held by the Antique Aeroplane Association the idea of holding this year’s fly-in at Kyabram was to encourage a more relaxed event, including camping on the airfield, without all the security requirements needed at so many airfields these days. That aim was achieved with the event being voted a resounding success by all attending.

The Austers attending included a model J-2 that had been VH-PUK but was now an RA aircraft with the registration number 24-7588. John Petit flew up from Geelong in his ex Military AOP9, VH-XKA. One aircraft not in attendance was the J4 Archer, VH-CRR, of Auster enthusiast Eric Szerenyi from Mildura. Eric passed away recently. The days of a doggy looking Auster turning up at a fly-in has long passed with each aircraft being proudly presented by its owner. One owner-pilot was even seen to be lying on his back under his aircraft for an extended time as he cleaned and polished his machine.

The Auster series was the 1940s and 50s British made equivalent of the American built Cessna and Piper light aircraft but these days there is a keen group who enjoy flying the marque and mixing it with others with a like interest. At the Saturday night dinner awards were presented. John Petit took out the Best Ex Military Auster. The Honorary Auster Award went to Piper L-4, VH-DIT, owned by Robert Marshall. The Bill Baker Best Auster award was taken out by Scott Snibson’s J/1 Autocraft, VH-AUO. Bill Baker was the instigator behind forming an AAAA Auster group more than 20 years ago.

Other interesting aircraft that attended the fly-in were Boeing Stearman VH-JQY with 450 hp radial engine, Lockheed 12A, VH-HID, newly imported Cessna 195s’ VH-AAL & VH-VLD and Cessna 170, VH-SLY. A trio of Tiger Moths were present along with four Yak 52s and three snub nosed Aeronca monoplanes.

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 only nine were built. It was not a commercial success.

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 1960’ and Dickie was Chief Designer for Britten Norman, the company that produced the successful BN2A Islander series of high wing twin engined light aircraft.

Dickie retired in 1992 at age 70 but he always had a soft spot for the aircraft he designed. He was a regular 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.

Cropmaster Restoration

How do you turn a sword into a ploughshare? Easy, turn a wartime trainer into a crop duster! That is the case with the Yeoman Cropmaster that Fred Burke is restoring at Wagga, NSW.

Back in the 1960s the Yeoman Cropmaster series of Agricultural aircraft were being built in Bankstown for the then expanding agricultural industry. At the same time Wagga agricultural pilot Fred Burke and his firm of Agricultural Aviation was looking for a new ag aircraft. Fred bought Cropmaster 250 c/n 112 and it became VH-FPB. Later this was sold and the registration moved to the first of two Grumman Agcats that he bought. Agcat VH-FPB is still with him in 2010.

Meanwhile Yeoman Cropmaster 250 c/n 110 was built and sold into New Zealand where it became ZK-CDI with Farmers Aerial Topdressing Co Ltd of Invercargill. After a few years on ag work in NZ it was sold to a private owner, I.H.Hanes of Horotiu in 1968. Hanes removed the hopper and rebuilt it as the one and only ‘Yeoman-Hanes 250’ 3 seater. The three seats were in-line. It was flown as a private aircraft for the next 15 years or so then retired and put up for sale.

In 2001 the machine was purchased by Fred Burke. Brought back to Australia it was registered on 5 December 2001 as VH-FBC. The aircraft is these days at Wagga where it has been stripped down to a bare steel tube fuselage and is in the process of a total rebuild. It is understood that the aircraft will be restored to its original ag configuration. As such it will be the only Yeoman Cropmaster 250 flying in Australia or New Zealand. Quite a unique and historic aircraft.

Some 21 wartime CAC CA-6 Wackett Trainer airframes were converted to Cropmasters. Several exist and at least one is being rebuilt in NSW to fly again,

Historic Iroquois On The Move

An historic Bell Iroquois that saw sterling service in the RAAF and later the Army is to be rebuilt and preserved – for a second time!
The Iroquois in question is A2-1022. Currently the helicopter is at Nyngan, in north central NSW.

This machine was one of two that saw service at the Battle of Long Tan in Vietnam on 12 December 1964. On that day some 2500 Viet Cong troops tried to wipe out a platoon of Australian soldiers. The Viet Cong troops tried to overrun the 108 Australian troops using a severe tropical storm as cover. Critically low on ammunition due to the fierce fire fight the troops could only be resupplied by helicopter.

Flying with great difficulty two Iroquois helicopters, A2-1022 & A2-1020, managed to resupply the ground troops with the much need ammunition and in so doing prevented what would have otherwise been a total loss of the Australian force.

The enemy lost a known 245 killed with hundreds more wounded. The Australian forces lost 18 killed and 21 wounded.

Helicopter A2-1022 soldiered on. It suffered an engine failure and forced landing in the 1970s. It crashed again in WA in May 1984. Used as a training aid it was later rebuilt to static display standard. It was restored by RAAF and AWASCO personal at 3 Aircraft depot RAAF Base Amberley.

The second Iroquois, A2-1020, is these days on display at the RAAF Museum at Point Cook.

In April 1990 the town of Nyngan was flooded out with water that rose up to the height of a house door. The town was so isolated that ADF helicopters from the Navy and the RAAF were brought in to assist. Many people were evacuated to high ground with the military helicopters.

The former warhorse was presented to the town of Nyngan in 1990 by the Federal Government to commemorate the evacuation of the town. It was on 4 April 1992 that his Excellency Rear Admiral Peter Sinclair A.O., Governor of NSW, formally unveiled the Bell UH-1B Iroquois, A2-1022, ‘022’.

With the numerals 022 on the fuselage, ‘Army’, and the serial A2-022 on the tail the aircraft currently sits in Vange’s Park on the main street, Pangee Street in the centre of town. Displayed at ground level it has unfortunately been the target of vandals who have managed to break a number of plexiglass panels.

Now the historic machine is to get a new life. It is understood that the aircraft is soon to be taken from Nyngan to Brisbane and rebuilt again, and then put on display at an RSL facility to the west of Brisbane. This time the aircraft is to be sited on a pylon out of harms way.
A truly historic helicopter, preserved for all time.

In Brief

• In New Zealand DH V112 Venom, ZK-VNM, took to the skies over Ardmore on 23 October. It was the first time the aircraft had flown in more than ten years. With its former Swiss Air Force serial, J-1799, on the booms the jet fighter is painted a bright red.

• In the last issue of AA mention was made of the recently opened RAAF Wagga Heritage Centre, located in the imposing two level former guard house at the entrance to RAAF Base Wagga. The Heritage Centre has been in contact and has advised that not only does the centre have a wealth of exhibits relating to local air force history but it also has no less than five aircraft on external display. Those aircraft are a Canberra bomber, Meteor, CAC built Sabre, Mirage fighter, and a Winjeel trainer. All the aircraft are located outside and can be easily
photographed.

• A new addition to the Australian civil aircraft register is Curtiss P-40F-15-CU Warhawk, VH-PIV. With serial 41-19841, the Merlin engine powered model does not appear to have a previous Australian connection but would appear to have a connection with the 325 Fighter Group of the 12th Air Force of the USAAF during WW11 in the middle east. The aircraft was registered to Murray Griffith of Glenrowan, Vic, on 19 October. The aircraft is no doubt a rebuild project.

• For those who went to Warbirds over Wanaka in the late 1990s’ and saw no less than six Polikarpov I-16 type 24 ‘Rata’ fighters on the ground and in the air, enjoy your memories! All of the New Zealand registered Ratas’ have been struck off the NZ register. They have been sold overseas, mostly to Europe with some still flying and others in museums.

Contact Dave by email at [email protected]