Warbirds

Poberezny founded a club of local enthusiasts at Hales Corner in 1953 who wanted to build and own their aircraft. That group held a fly-in in late 1953 at Timmerman airport near Milwaukee. The fly-in was successful and with each year that followed the numbers of aircraft grew. The group became the Experimental Aircraft Association. It moved to Rockford, Illinois. By the end of the 1960s Rockford was outgrown and the move made to the current site, Wittman Field, Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

The current annual EAA gathering is these days known as EAA AirVenture Convention – The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration. Starting in the last weekend of July it runs for seven days, seven days that does not allow the visiting enthusiast to see all there is to see and experience.

Paul Poberenzey soloed a powered aircraft at age 17 and this was after he had made numerous glider flights. He was in the military during world war two and the Korean war as a pilot, test pilot and maintenance chief. He retired from the Wisconsin Air National Guard as a Lieutenant Colonel.

He was the President of the EAA until 1989 but continued on the board of directors for many more years.

Poberenzey had no idea how big the EAA was to grow into. These days it has over 170,000 members spread through 1,000 chapters around the world. His drive and enthusiasm spread from central USA across the country and across the world. Poberenzey’s EAA has to be recognised as the organisation that promoted little man aviation -– the right of an average man to build and fly his own aircraft. Along the way, the freedom of being able to build and fly experimental aircraft allowed makers to develop new construction materials, techniques and components that are used in many of today’s modern aircraft. It also created a market of people who wanted to buy and fly aircraft for both enjoyment and commercial uses. As the years went by the EAA expanded its interest into antique and classic aircraft and warbirds.

Today the EAA AirVenture Convention is the largest aviation gathering in the world. This year saw more than 10,000 aircraft at Wittman Field and more than 100,000 visitors from around the world. The EAA influence extended to Australia.

In the mid 1950s’ the local Ultra Light Aircraft Association, later to become the Sport Aircraft Association of Australia, was formed. Its growth fed off the growth of the EAA. The annual EAA convention gave inspiration to the local homebuilt scene. Paul Poberezny visited Australia while many enthusiasts visited the Oshkosh event. Indeed it has been said that all pilots should visit AirVenture, Oshkosh, at least once in a lifetime.

Paul Poberezny may be gone but the inspiration and hope that his 1953 club gathering blossomed into has had worldwide ramifications. If the USA ever issued knighthoods then Poberezny should have received one. His organisation, the EAA, has had a major influence on the American and indeed the world aviation industry. Paul Poberezny served not only his country well but the whole world of aviation. Gone yes but never to be forgotten.

F-111 dispersion update

Following recent listings in this column on the dispersion of six former RAAF F-111 aircraft to aircraft museums around Australia, we can now list where the three F-111 crew modules have been allocated to. These crew modules are like the complete aircraft distributed to museums in that they are on a long-term loan.

The Australian National Aviation Museum at Moorabbin Airport, Vic. received the module from F-111, A8-131. The Caboolture Warplanes and Flight Heritage Museum, Caboolture, Queensland, received the module from A8-135. The Australian Flying Corps and Royal Australian Air Force Association (WA Division) Inc. Bull Creek, Western Australia, received the module from A8-140.

Six F-111s have been retained at RAAF Bases across Australia.

Following receipt of the six museum aircraft, one F-111 remained to go to a new home. That aircraft was F-111C, A8-130. That aircraft was gifted outright to the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbour. Transportation and reassembly was scheduled for late in August and to be completed by mid September. It was to be transported to Hawaii in three loads.

Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Geoff Brown said F-111 A8-130 is a gift to the Pacific Aviation Museum as a token of the close ties between Australia and America through a long period of coalition operations. The museum has more than 45 aircraft for visitors to see. Australia was the only country outside the US to operate the F-111. It was in service with the RAAF from 1973 until 2010. It has since been replaced by the F/A-18F Super Hornet.

Australian aviation history on the web

When well-known Australian aviation historian, Geoff Goodall, retired from Airservices Australia, had no illusions on how to fill in his time. With a huge collection of aviation data records and photographs, Geoff was adamant he wanted to put the material into the public arena. A far less expensive task than trying to publish numerous books.

The end result is that Geoff has created the web site www.goodall.com.au. On this ’Geoff Goodall’s Aviation History Site’ he has released a wealth of historical material. The site is still being expanded but already contains the history of over 35 individual aircraft types, listing the history of each individual aircraft that flew in Australia. A few samples – Avro 643 cadet, CA-28 Ceres, DH84 Dragon, Percival Proctor and Noorduyn Norseman. In addition to the type histories Geoff has listed his famed Warbird Directory, version 6. He has the Beech 18 production, Grumman Amphibians and his record of The Migrant Caper, a history of the post-war immigration flights from Europe.

There is much more than can be encapsulated in this column but save to say that the wealth of historical aviation data that Geoff has released will keep any reader busy for a very long time.

In discussion with this column writer Geoff said the site is being expanded with a lot more make/model histories to go on record. Geoff said he welcomed reader feedback with data and photos that could be used to expand the history records.

Geoff Goodall’s Aviation History Site, accessed via www.goodall.com.au. should be on any aviation enthusiast’s web browser.

Register notes

In New Zealand, Ryan ST-M S2, ZK-ABC, was registered as such on August 29 to Noel Kruse of Cambridge. The Ryan, c/n 492, has been in New Zealand for some years since Noel took it with him on his departure from the Western Isles. In Australia it was VH-STM. Noel has been rebuilding the aircraft for some years.

Super Cub PA18-135, VH-CAK has now been registered in New Zealnd as ZK-JLB, c/n 4025, on August 22 to Mr. J. Benbow of Nelson. Piper Cubs and Super Cubs are popular aircraft in New Zealand.

Auster J1 VH-YUT, c/n 1894, was added to the register on August 15 to Peter Blake of Scone, NSW. The aircraft has had previous registrations; G-AGXD/VH-DDY/VH-RQJ and VH-BOJ.

In the change of ownership department, DHC-1 Chipmunk VH-BCA, c/n DH-HF-46, went to Ed Harvey of Bannockburn, Vic. on August 14 and Siai Marchetti SM-1019, VH-JKW, c/n MM57254-NC062, went to John Weymouth of Dora Creek, NSW. on August 22.

Tony Gaze – final flight

Following the report about the passing of former RAAF airman, Squadron Leader Tony Gaze, on July 29, and the report in the September issue of AA, a memorial service was held on August 15 at Geelong Grammar School Chapel in memory of this significant Australian.

The service was attended by many of the people who had come into contact with Tony gaze during his long lifetime.

During WW2 Tony Gaze had flown a Supermarine Spitfire fighter and it was a fitting touch to the service that a Spitfire from the Temora Aviation Museum made a fly-past of the service. The Spitfire had come from Temora to attend the event. No doubt that if Tony had still been with us he would have raised his head and smiled. . . .

Rathmines Catalina on the way, on the way…

To say that the Rathmines Catalina Memorial Park Trust (RCMPT) has taken on a mammoth task in procuring and then dismantling a PBY-5A Catalina for shipping to Australia must be an understatement. But they have done it!

In early August the RCMPT had the outer wings, the engines and the centre section of Catalina N7238Z removed and getting ready for shipping to Australia. The aircraft will go to the park on Lake Macquarie, NSW, which was the old Rathmines RAAF Seaplane Base.

The trust has a small but dedicated crew that has been going back and forth across the Pacific to Puerto Rico to work on the big water bird. Using hand tools and borrowed equipment the work team has been assisted by a few locals who are also keen to see the Catalina go to a new home to be preserved.

The trust is keen to declare that the Catalina is on the way!

The former RAAF site at Rathmines has a colorful history. It was the largest seaplane base in the southern hemisphere during WW2 and was of strategic importance to the Allied war effort.

In brief

● The Aviation Historical Society of Australia (AHSA) has a new president. The August 28 meeting of the Melbourne branch of the AHSA saw Antony Grage replace Keith Meggs as president of the society. Keith Meggs, a former RAAF fighter pilot and commercial pilot, had been president of the AHSA for 25 years. Mr Grage has previously been in the manufacturing industry. With a longtime interest in aviation history he said that he is looking forward to the new challenge of assisting the AHSA to help record the history of aviation in Australia.

The AHSA produces a quarterly publication, Aviation Heritage. The AHSA can be contacted at PO Box 461, Lilydale, Victoria. 3140. Membership enquiries are welcome.

● At Toowoomba, Qld. a super-sized hangar is being built to house two DHC-4A Caribou aircraft. The hangar, being built by construction company, Betterbuilt, will be able to house not only the two ex-RAAF Caribou aircraft side-by-side but also the twenty shipping containers of spare parts that were acquired with the aircraft. Amrock Aviation was awarded the two Caribou aircraft A4-195 and A4-204 in September 2011. They are to be used for humanitarian work in the South Pacific area.

Warbirds turns 30

The Warbirds column in Australian Aviation has now been running for 30 years, and with the same writer, Dave Prossor.
Begun in 1983, it has always been a clearing house for news items pertaining to Australian warbirds, antique & classic aircraft and Australian aviation museums. May it long continue. Ed.

Contact Dave by email: [email protected]