Warbirds

The last time that a Catalina landed at Rathmines was 1981.

The Rathmines Catalina Festival, now in its 6th year, is an annual event held to raise funds towards a planned hangar and museum at Catalina Park that will display artifacts from the base and in due course, Catalina VH-CAT, which is currently at Bankstown Airport in Sydney.

Some 3,000 personnel were stationed at Rathmines at the height of the war. Of the Catalinas based there 32 went down in combat, with 332 lives lost.

Rathmines was the largest flying boat base in the South pacific and key to Australia’s war effort.

During the day there were fly pasts by a Tiger Moth formation team as well as a Wirraway and several other types.

Register Update

From New Zealand we learn that DH-112 Venom Mk.1, ZK-VNM, serial 840, was added to the register on October 10 to Wauganui Sea and Air Charters, Wauganui. The aircraft is ex HB-RVA from Switzerland. The DH-98 Mosquito FB Mk.26, ZK-MOS, s/n KA114, was added to the register on September 21 to Avspecs Ltd of Manukau. The world watched in amazement when it took to the air on September 27 at Auckland’s Ardmore Airport.

Auster J5F Aiglet ZK-BRA, c/n 3110, was struck off the register on October 11 as destroyed. The aircraft crashed on January 24 at Te Karaka when it suffered an engine failure on a go-around and stalled onto a tree.

Curtiss P-40N ZK-CAG, North American Harvard 2A, ZK-TVI and Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX ZK-WDQ changed to new owner Warbird Adventure Rides, Drury, on September 20, 21 and 21 respectively. North American F-51D ZK-TAF and North American Harvard 3, ZK-WAR, changed ownership on October 25 and September 4 respectively to Strikemaster Ltd. of Auckland.

Meanwhile in Australia Cessna 195A, c/n 16062, N195WF has taken up the marking of VH-ONV. That stands for O = One. N = Nine. V = Five: thus 195. Simple! The radial engined aircraft was put on the register on October 19 to Jonathan Clements of Richmond, Melbourne. Another 195 is reported to be a recent import and has been noted in David Dent’s hangar at Camden.

DHC-1 Mk.22 Chipmunk VH-QOZ c/n 0698 was added to the register on October 19 to Gregory Blades of Mittagong, NSW.

Siai Marchetti S-211 VH-BZV was struck off the Oz register on January 18 2011 as exported. It is now on the US register as N123VV. With number 386 on the side of the fuselage the fighter trainer was noted up for sale in recent times.

Aero Vodochody L-39C, VH-ITN, serial 630638, was added to the Oz register on October 30 to HFAT P/L of Queens Park, WA. The jet trainer is ex US registration N138LB. Built in 1976 it was last owned by BMG Aviation Inc. of Bloomington, Indiana.

Classic Jets Fighter Museum Aircraft Display

The Classic Jets Fighter Museum at Parafield Airport in South Australia will hold its ninth Antique and Classic Aircraft Display on Sunday March 17 next year. The display has become bigger and better with each year and organiser, Bob Jarrett, says the next event will be even more interesting.

Of special interest will be the museum’s Vought F4U-1 Corsair fighter the museum has under restoration. The aircraft will be on display.

Check the CJFM website at www.classicjets.com. Bob Jarrett can be contacted by phone on 08 8258 5176 or by email to [email protected].

Army Aviation Regiment Celebrations

On November 20 this year the 5th Aviation Regiment celebrated its 25th anniversary of the raising of the unit. To mark this significant milestone the Regiment hosted a parade at RAAF Base Townsville. The event included the establishment of Bell UH-1H Iroquois, A2-488, as a gate guardian to the RAAF Base Townsville Duckworth Street entrance (also signifying the commencement of the regimental precinct) and the official naming of the 5th Aviation Regimental area as Hamel Lines.

On the subject of Iroquois helicopters the Queensland Air Museum at Caloundra has been advised that its tender for the purchase of UH-1H, A2-310, has been accepted. It was the last Iroquois delivered to Australia. A2-310 served with the No.35 RAAF squadron at Townsville before being transferred to the AAAC in December 1989. A2-310 did several tours with the Peace Monitoring Group in Bougainville during which time the aircraft was painted in International Orange overall to distinguish it from the Iroquois operated by the PNGDF. A2-310 was one of the three Iroquois that performed a farewell flypast over Brisbane on September 21 2007.

Dh84 Dragon Accident Prelimary Report Released

The ATSB released a preliminary report in early November on the fatal accident involving DH84 Dragon, VH-UXG, on October 1.

The report, yet to be finalised, did not draw any conclusions on the possible cause of the accident but noted factual information regarding the history of the flight, the weather, pilot information, the aircraft and witness weather reports.

The aircraft departed Monto to the south-east bound for its home base at Caboolture, Queensland. The aircraft encountered cloud and requested assistance at 1315. There was communication from the aircraft until the last recorded transmission at 1404. Low cloud was reported in the area of the crash, 87 km north-west of Caboolture on a steep ridge.

The pilot held a Private Pilots License with some 1134 hours total experience with 662 hours on the Dragon. He did not hold an instrument rating.

The weather forecast indicated isolated thunderstorms with scattered showers and drizzle along the flight track. There was a head wind of 15 kts.

Weather reports from witnesses in the crash area indicated the weather was overcast, cloudy and misty. The clouds were low over the mountains, moving in from the coast and building over the ranges.

The report closed saying that the aircraft was destroyed by impact forces. There was no fire. The accident was not survivable and the six occupants were fatally injured.

Eaa Changes President

In a surprise move EAA President and CEO Rod Hightower was replaced by newly elevated EAA Chairman Jack Pelton who agreed to run the 175,000-member organisation on an interim basis.

Former Cessna CEO, Jack Pelton, a vintage aircraft pilot and owner, is running the EAA and has expressed the view that “As an association we must remain focused on the original mission of our founder, Paul H. Poberezny, to welcome all members no matter what they fly, celebrate our volunteers, and treat our employees fairly”.

Hightower was the third president of the EAA since it was formed by Poberezny. It was claimed Hightower resigned due to issues over failing to relocate himself from his home in St. Louis to EAA headquarters in Oshkosh.

Jack Pelton would seem to be more of the member’s choice as far as an interim CEO. Already he has said that one of his prime goals is to get the day-to-day stuff done while focusing on getting an airshow (up and running) in July 2013.

In Brief

● Pilot Terry Kronk died in the crash of his Scale Mustang, VH-FWZ, on November 3 when the engine lost power on take-off from his private airstrip at Emu Gulley at Helidon Spa in the Lockyer Valley, Queensland. The Mustang replica was a very good copy of the actual aircraft. A successful business and property developer Mr. Kronk had also previously built scale replicas of a Supermarine Spitfire, VH-XPQ, and a Focke Wulf 190, VH-FWB.

● It is believed the remains of Flt Sgt Denis Copping, the pilot of RAF Curtiss P-40E Kittyhawk, ET574, have been found by Polish oil exploration workers. The discovery was made in mid-July and DNA tests will be required to confirm that the remains are those of Flt Sgt Copping. The fighter made a forced landing in the Egyptian desert on June 28 1942 after it became lost and ran low on fuel. The remains, an incomplete skeleton, were found some eight kilometers from where the aircraft was found and lay undisturbed for 70 years.

● Whitsunday Airport, Airlie Beach in Queensland is to hold an airshow on April 20 next year. The event will mark the airport’s birthday along with Air Whitsunday’s 40th birthday. Aircraft owners are invited and a number of visiting floatplanes are expected to swell the numbers of locally based floatplanes. Former Air Whitsunday float pilots are invited to attend a reunion to be held as part of the event. For more details see www.whitsundayairport.com.au

● The fuselage of Lockheed Ventura A59-73 was noted recently on the back of a low loader in the Noonamah cattle yards at Darwin. The fuselage and wings of the WW11 bomber were trucked from Gove in April 1995 with the view to being restored for static display and then returned to Gove as a tourist attraction. The hulk has seen little restoration work and is reported to have been trucked back to Gove for the owners, the East Arnhem Historical Society.

Contact Dave by email at [email protected]