Warbirds

The museum has been steadily obtaining types that Qantas had operated over the years, with the Catalina joining its Boeing 707, a Boeing 747, a Douglas DC-3, and DH.50 and DH.61 Giant Moth and Avro 504 replicas. Now it has a Consolidated Catalina, a type that Qantas operated during World War 2, famously flying nonstop under radio silence between Perth and Colombo (modern day Sri Lanka). The final Qantas Catalina was retired in 1958.

The Catalina was sourced in Spain in 2009 and then came the hard part, getting it to Australia!

Qantas Founders Museum volunteers spent three months refurbishing and preparing the aircraft for the long journey. The Catalina then ferried from Spain to Thailand reasonably uneventfully, however, due to the unavailability of avgas in Indonesia and then engine troubles left it grounded for a prolonged period. Eighteen months and two engine changes later, the Catalina was finally able to complete its journey to Longreach.

The delivery flight was undertaken by two of Qantas’s most senior captains, Ross Kelly and John Daly, with the Catalina, with its cruising speed of only a little over 100kt, a far cry from their usual mounts. At Longreach to welcome them was the last of the WW2 Qantas Catalina pilots, former First Officer Dr Rex Senior.

Now that it is at Longreach VH-EAX will be restored to original Qantas colours.

VH-EAX was built in Canada by Boeing and Canadian Vickers for the US Navy as serial Bu46644. When it went civil as a fire bomber it first became N6458C then to Canada as C-GFFH. It then moved to Spain and took up the registration of EC-359 later becoming EC-EVK. Now it is VH-EAX.

Meanwhile, in other Catalina news, at Lake Boga, Victoria, the Lake Boga Flying Museum’s Catalina hasn’t looked better for the last decades.

A new coat of the aircraft’s original dove grey paint has been applied and the gun blisters, complete with 50-calibre guns inside – are back to their menacing best. The blisters had been on loan to the Historic Aircraft Restoration Society to assist in manufacturing a set of blisters for its Catalina, VH-PBZ.

The Lake Boga Catalina carries the serial A24-30 but as the aircraft is a composite of several aircraft its actual serial is unknown.

Finally, the Catalina of the Catalina Flying Memorial group, VH-CAT, looks set to be based at Rathmines but in a smaller facility than originally proposed. A feasibility study has found that a state-of-the art museum at the former World War 2 RAAF base site on Lake Macquarie is not viable. The report says a museum at Rathmines would cost $7 million to set up and a further $500,000 a year to run. But the report did indicate that an aircraft hangar for a Catalina accompanied by an open air museum was feasible.

Raaf Caribous To Fly Again

RAAF Caribous are set to return to the skies with Defence announcing that two of the aircraft are being acquired by HARS (the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society), and seven going to Brisbane based Amrock Aviation.

The Illawarra based HARS will preserve its two Caribou in flying condition, with the support of Australian Aerospace, which provided deeper maintenance and through life support for the aircraft in RAAF service. HARS is also acquiring an additional propeller, no fewer than 15 engines and two spares packages.

“HARS’s work to preserve Australia’s flying aviation heritage will ensure that future generations can see the Caribou in action,” HARS president Bob De La Hunty said.

“Our ability to transform the Caribou into a flying display would not have been possible without our supporters, including Australian Aerospace.”

The Caribous will operate from HARS’s Albion Park base alongside its extensive collection of flyable historic aircraft, including Lockheed Constellation ‘Connie’ and Lockheed Neptunes and Douglas DC-3s/C-47s.

Meanwhile, little known Brisbane company Amrock Aviation will use its Caribous for humanitarian aid missions to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, according to Defence.
Further, Caribou propellers will be given to Upwey RSL (Victoria), Clarence City Council (Tasmania), Caboolture Warflight and Heritage Museum (Queensland), Narromine Aviation Museum (NSW), Dorrigo RSL (NSW), Northampton RSL (WA) and Redlands RAAFA (Queensland).

War Memorial’s Cac Sabre

The Australian War Memorials’ storage facility in Canberra has a new resident in former RAAF CAC built Sabre A94-954, which, interestingly enough, is in fact painted up in fake USAF markings!
A94-954 served with the RAAF between 1958 and 1969. Sold as surplus, it first went to the USA, later returned to Australia to Toowoomba, and eventually found its way to New Zealand, where its owner had hoped to restore it to flying condition.

In early 2011 it was acquired by the AWM an placed in storage at the AWM Treloar Technology Centre in the Canberra suburb of Mitchell. The jet, which currently wears fake USAF markings complete with polished aluminium finish, saw operational service with the RAAF in Malaya and Thailand, and will be returned to its original RAAF markings.

The Sabre was due to be one of the star attractions at the Treloar storage facilitiy’s annual open day in September, but that event had to be cancelled due to a chemical fire at a nearby factory, which saw Mitchell evacuated.

F-111 Bombers To Be Made Available To Museums

Up to seven ex RAAF F-111s will be offered on loan to aircraft museums and historical organisations for display, Defence Materiel Minister Jason Clare has announced.

The aircraft will be loaned contingent on a number of conditions “to ensure the safe preservation of the aircraft”, including housing the aircraft inside, completing specified preservation maintenance, and meeting Commonwealth auditing and reporting requirements. Defence will retain ownership of the F-111s so it “can continue to manage the risk of hazardous material in the aircraft like asbestos”, according to the minister’s statement.

“I’ve met with museum operators around the country and I understand how important it is that as many Australians as possible have access to this piece of Australia’s aviation history,” Clare said.
“I have therefore decided that up to seven F-111s will be made available to Australian aircraft museums and other historical organisations.”

Defence will release a Request for Offer for the aircraft later this year.

In addition to the up to seven aircraft now available to aircraft museums, F-111s are being preserved for display at RAAF Bases Amberley (two jets), Edinburgh and Wagga Wagga, with two examples with the RAAF Museum at Point Cook near Melbourne.

The F-111 was retired from RAAF service in December 2010.

Raaf Squadrons Celebrate 95th Anniversaries

Three of the RAAFs’ oldest and most distinguished squadrons celebrated their 95th anniversaries at RAAF Base Williamtown, NSW, on September 23.

Number 2, 3 and 4 Squadrons were formed during the period September 19 – October 16 1916. The three units were immediately sent to England to train as RFC units and later deployed to France under the banner of the Australian Flying Corps (AFC) in 1917.

For the celebrations there was a display of Air Force aircraft past and present in the form of a 2 Squadron Wedgetail, 3 Squadron F/A-18 Hornets and a 4 Squadron PC-9 on the flightline along with warbirds including a Tiger Moth, Boomerang, Sabre and Mirage.

Free Storage Or Museum Pieces?

Turn the clock back to 1997 and the Bougainville Copper Mine dispute and the name Sandline International were front page news.

In brief the PNG government wanted to quell a rebellion involving the mine, and contracted the now defunct Sandline to bring in an armed force of mercenaries, complete with two Mi-24 helicopters. The Australian government got involved and ultimately much of the military hardware came to Australia and was stored at RAAF Base Tindal, in the Northern Territory.

Today the two Mi-24 helicopters from that military package are still in storage at Tindal. Given that they have been in storage for 14 years now is it time that they be sold or given to a museum?

Register News

From New Zealand we learn that DH.83 Fox Moth ZK-AQM has been exported to the UK where it became G-CGUO. Meanwhile BAC Mk.80A Strikemaster G-VPER, an ex-Saudi Arabian air force machine, has been exported from the UK to New Zealand.

VH-ZRO, the much modified Canadian Car built Harvard Mk.IV, was struck off the register on September 21 as having been sold to the USA. With serial CCF-4-153 the aircraft was modified into a single-seat Zero fighter look-alike for movie work. After a life in the US it came to Australia and now is back in America.

When is a Cessna an antique or classic? Cessna 180 VH-UUM, built in 1954, was struck off the register on September 23 as having been sold in New Zealand. It was noted making the over water hop to NZ on September 16.

In Brief

● Warbirds Downunder is the title of the Temora Aviation Museum’s warbirds airshow to be held on Saturday November 19. While the museum has been holding smaller monthly aircraft showcase days the November show will be the long awaited periodic big airshow that will feature a number of the museum aircraft plus visiting aircraft. For more information check the museum’s website at www.aviationmuseum.com.au

● The previous owner of the RAAF Museum’s delta winged Avro 707 research aircraft, Geoff Mallett, passed away on September 15. When the Avro, serial WD280, was sold as surplus in 1967 Geoff obtained the aircraft and literally put it in his backyard at the Melbourne suburb of Williamstown. There it was preserved until obtained by the RAAF Museum in 1999. Geoff had been a volunteer at the museum in recent years, with a lot of his time spent looking after the Avro.

● The South Australian Aviation Museum is able to heave a sigh of relief now that all the funds have been raised to purchase the historic Rans RV-4 that Jon Johansen flew around the world. The aircraft will be a real feather in the cap of the museum given its many and varied flights around the world.

Contact Dave by email at [email protected]