Warbirds

According to Hars President Bob De La Hunty, Acquiring a Caribou “is a Number One Priority” for the Society, Noting “that the Caribou Placed Squarely Into Focus the Fundamental Mission of Hars in Preserving Australia’s Flying Aviation Heritage and What Hars Was Really About. ” as Reported in the Newsdesk Column of the Last Issue of Aa, the Government Has Announced That the Remaining Raaf Dhc-4 Caribou Transport Aircraft Have Been Put Up for Surplus Sale. In Announcing That the Aircraft Would Be Sold as Surplus, Defence Said That Two Aircraft Would Be Reserved for Sale to Historical Organisations.

Two Caribou, A4-140 and A4-152, Have Already Been Given to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra and the Raaf Museum at Point Cook. A Number of Caribou Components Will Also Be Made Available Only to Historical Organisations and Returned Service Organisations, Such as the Rsls.

Tenders Close on March 1.

Wirraway to Queensland Air Museum

the Queensland Air Museum (Qam) at Caloundra Has Obtained a Wirraway, and a Fully Intact, Airworthy Wirraway at That.

In October the Qam Signed a Contract to Purchase Wirraway Vh-wir With a Grant From the John Villiers Trust.

The Aircraft Departed Parafield for Caloundra on November 27 With Matt Denning at the Controls.

Indeed, the Wirraway is the First Aircraft That Has Flown Into Qam.

The Wirraway Was Built by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation in 1944 for the Raaf as A20-652. After the War It Was to Have Been Converted Into a Ca-28 Ceres, but This Never Happened and It Was Sold Off. It Became a Feature at a Number of Service Stations Across Melbourne Before It Was Purchased by a Group From Albury Who Restored It Back to Flying Condition. As Vh-wir, the Wirraway Took to the Air Again on September 19 1986.

In 2006 Vh-wir Was Sold by Auction on Ebay, and After a Much Publicised Legal Dispute Ownership Was Awarded to Peter Smyth of Adelaide. It Arrived at Parafield on April 7 2008.

The John Villiers Trust Was Formed With the Estate of the Late John Villiers Who Passed Away in July 2002, 37 Days Short of His 90th Birthday. His Estate Was Bequeathed to the Benefit of Queensland Charities.

Australian Dc-6b Tour Off – for Now

the Planned Tour of Australia by a Namibian Registered Dc‑6b Has Been Cancelled. The Aircraft, V5-ncg, (See Warbirds May 2010 Aa), the Last Douglas Built Radial Engined Airliner, Was to Have Toured in 2011 for Air Experience and Joyride Flights.

Sadly, the Owner of Namibia Commercial Aviation (Nca), Chris Schutte, Passed Away Suddenly and Unexpectedly in Windhoek in November.

Schutte Was Overseeing All Arrangements for the Tour of Australia From the Namibia End.

Nca Has Advised That Due to Legal Issues Involving Schutte’s Estate the Tour Will Not Go Ahead as Planned.

Havoc No Show

Douglas a-20g N3wf is Reported to Be No Longer Coming to Australia, Having Changed Hands on October 28 to Rod Lewis’s Lewis Fighter Fleet of San Antonio, Texas.

This Aircraft Was Understood to Be Coming to Australia for Steve Searle’s Wirraway Station Aircraft Collection in Queensland.

Register Jottings

Boeing Stearman Vh-rps Has Had a Registration Change to Vh-eey on December 2 to Benjamin Merkenhof of Mayfield, Nsw.

Siai Marchetti S-211 Jet Trainer Vh-cux Was Added to the Register on November 24 to Roy Ferris of Mona Vale, Nsw.

The Serial is 041/02-030. From New Zealand We Learn That Aero L-39 Zk-wlm, Serial 332701, Changed Ownership on November 17 to Mccready Investment of Auckland.

In December Bac Strikemaster Vh-rba Was Crated Up at Port Macquarie, Nsw, to Be Shipped to New Zealand.

There the Aircraft is to Become Zk-str and Continue to Carry Its Former Rnzaf Serial of Nz6370. It Will Be Based at Ardmore Airport and Operated by the New Zealand Warbirds Association.

Ww2 Raaf Spitfire Pilot Recovered

on June 11 1944 Raaf Pilot Flight Lieutenant Henry Lacy Smith Was Flying an Raf Spitfire in Support of the Allied Invasion of Normandy, France.

His Aircraft Was Shot Down and in a Last Radio Message He Reported That He Was “going to Put This Thing Down in a Field”. The Aircraft Was Observed to Land in the Sea and Turn Over, but There Was No Sign of Fltlt Smith Getting Out.

The Location of the Wreck and Fltlt Smith Remained a Mystery Until October When Locals Spotted Something Sticking Up From the Mud in the Orne Estuary Near Caen at Low Tide and Decided to Investigate. The Wreck Was Recovered and After It Was Taken Ashore the Remains of Fltlt Smith Were Found in the Cockpit.

Placed in a Coffin, Fltlt Smith’s Remains Were to Be Handed Over to the Australian Embassy in France. At the Time of Writing There Had Been No Formal Announcement on Where Fltlt Smith Was to Be Buried.

Pioneering Pilot Honoured

Pioneering Pilot Gertrude Mckenzie Was Finally Remembered When a Plaque Was Unveiled on Her Previously Unmarked Grave at the Cheltenham Memorial Park on December 5.

Mckenzie, Always Know as Gertie, Established the Gulls Private Flying Club at Moorabbin Airport in the Early 1950s, Which Grew Into the Mckenzie Flying School in 1955. The School’s Aircraft Were Registered in the Vh-gm_ Block, Including Tiger Moths and Tripacers, and at Least Two Former School Aircraft Still Survive.

Born in 1904 at Fitzroy, Melbourne, Gertie Learnt to Fly at Essendon in 1937. In 1958 She Became the Mayor of the Mordialloc Council. She Died in December 1960 Aged Just 56 After Suffering From Breast Cancer.

Laid to Rest in the Cheltenham Memorial Park, Her Grave Remained Unmarked Until Action by the Aviation Historical Society of Australia and the Moorabbin Leader Newspaper.

The Society Campaigned for Funding to Place a Memorial Plaque at Her Grave Site and the Kingston Council Committed $1000 to the Project.

Australian Designer for Uk Spit Memorial

a Design by Australian Nick Hancock, 36, Has Been Selected for the National Spitfire Memorial to Be Built on the Southampton Waterfront.

Hancock’s Winning Design, Selected From a Shortlist of Seven by the Spitfire Tribute Foundation, Features a Polished Steel Spitfire Appearing to Rise High Above the Coastline Supported by a Steel Mast Attached to the Tail.

The Spitfire Was Originally Designed by Rj Mitchell at the Nearby Supermarine Seaplane Factory in 1936.

In Brief

• the Temora Aviation Museum Will Be Holding a Major Airshow on Saturday November 19 2011.

With the Introduction of the Twice Monthly Aircraft Showcase Flying Days, Enthusiasts Have Been Waiting for the Announcement of a Full-on Airshow – Now They Have the Date to Start Planning to Be There! N

Contact Dave by Email at [email protected]