Warbirds

Kanana is one of the handful of airworthy DC-3/C-47s in Australia, but one of its two Wright Cyclone engines has run out of hours – hence the search for a replacement.

“Until two years ago, when grounded by CASA, ABR flew many ‘missions’. Charters and visits to airshows were among her flights. CASA grounded the aircraft because in their opinion ‘one of the engines was out of hours’,” reads the society’s fundraising appeal.

“There has come a chance to buy a Wright Cyclone engine and restore the aircraft to be able to fly once again. We have promises of material and physical help, once we have the engine. We simply need the money to buy it!” If you can help, contact Andrew Buckle via andrew@chariot. com. au or 0430 777 763.

This historic aircraft deserves the attention of all aviation enthusiasts to help put it back in the air.

Wing failure in fatal Tiger Moth crash

DH Tiger Moth VH-TSG crashed into the waters off South Stradbroke Island, Queensland on December 16, killing the pilot and passenger.

The biplane had taken off some short time earlier from an airstrip at Pimpama on a local flight involving some aerobatics.

Soon after the aerobatics commenced the left wings failed and the machine impacted the water. Most of the wreckage was recovered including a digital video camera that gave the ATSB its initial information on the wing failure.

While the cause of the inflight wing failure will be of interest and concern to all Tiger Moth operators, here and abroad, it will be some time before the cause of the failure will become known.

The only other proven case of a Tiger Moth inflight breakup occurred to VH-TMK in Western Australia on February 28 1998.

Meanwhile, the ATSB has released its findings into the cause of the crash of Supermarine Spitfire Mk XXVI replica, VH-VSF, at Parafield, South Australia on March 17 2013.

The Spitfire eighth scale replica was part of an airshow being held at the airport. The pilot performed anumber of passes above the runways in various directions and completed the display with a slow speed pass at 400ft with the landing gear and some wing flap extended.

At the close of the display manoeuvre the pilot commenced turning the aircraft back to the airport to land on runway 21. During the turn the aircraft stalled and impacted the ground before recovery. The pilot was killed and the aircraft destroyed.

The ATSB found that while manoeuvring the aircraft for the landing, in turbulent conditions, the pilot allowed the airspeed to decrease; the aircraft stalled and then impacted the ground. The ATSB noted that the aircraft did not have a stall warning device fitted and indeed, as the machine was in the experimental category, it was not required to have one.

Harry Hawker’s 1914 teturn

January 2014 marked 100 years since Harry Hawker returned from England with the Sopwith Tabloid, an aircraft he helped design, which he showed off to enthusiastic crowds.

Hawker was an airman, designer and engineer/mechanic. Born in Moorabbin on January 22 1889, he attended a number of local schools in Moorabbin and surrounding areas.

In 1910 Hawker witnessed the historic flight by the great Houdini at Diggers Rest, near Melbourne, which gave him the burning desire to become involved with flight. Leaving Australia for England in 1911 he joined the fledgling Sopwith Aircraft Co in June 1912. He gained his pilot’s brevet or certificate in September the same year and immediately set about establishing a number of flight records.

By 1914 Harry Hawker was the most famous Australian aviator and his visit would stimulate the beginning of the AFC (later the RAAF) and many young Australians to pursue aviation and during the First World War.

At the outbreak of WW1 Hakwer was the prime test pilot for all Sopwith aircraft during the war. In one period, covering 199 days, he test flew a total of 295 aircraft, most brand new and being flown for the first time – a very risky business. He is credited with developing and perfecting the manoeuvre to recover from the ‘death spin’ that up to that time had claimed a number of lives.

After the war Tom Sopwith, Harry Hawker and Fred Sigrist formed the HG Hawker Engineering Co which went on to produce some of Britian’s most famous aircraft, from the Hurricane to the Harrier. But that was to be in a future Harry Hawker did not get to witness, as he was killed while flight testing an aircraft in 1921.

Register news

There has been plenty of activity in New Zealand of late where Hanriot HD-1, c/n 75, was added to the register as ZK-EAY on January 15 to The Vintage Aviator of Masterton.

Built in 1918 the Hanriot is an original aircraft that has been with a few organisations in Europe including the Shuttleworth Collection.

The Vintage Aviator also put a Fokker DR-1 replica c/n CAS02, on the register as ZK-FKD, on January 9. The Vintage Aviator has created a veritable tourism industry with enthusiasts flocking to its facilities to see the original and replica WW1 aircraft in its collection. News has it that TVAL is to shift some aircraft to the UK and set up a WW1 wartime aerodrome there. We await more on this interesting project.

On another TVAL note Avro 504K ZK-ACU suffered a heavy landing at Masterton on November 9 when the machine had a power loss at 200ft during a show. A fuel supply issue is the reported problem.

Nanchang CJ-6, c/n 1832041, ZK-MUD, was put on the NZ register on January 31 to Christchurch Warbirds.

A couple of interesting changes in Australia. In the USA Australian Gary Pohlner of Miami has added a Beech 35 to the Australian register as VH-VBO with c/n D-3864. While CASA has the aircraft as a Beech 35 it would appear that Beech 35 D-3864 is in fact a 1954-build Beech E35. It is unclear if the aircraft was last on the US register although it is understand to have had the Kenyan registration 5Y-AGA at one stage. There is a story here that we are yet to know about.

Beech King Air 200, VH-FII, c/n BB-653, has been retired by Pearl Aviation and was struck off the register on January 2 as having been donated to the Queensland Air Museum. DHC-1 MK 22A Chipmunk VH-ZIZ, c/n C1‑0693, was taken off the register on January 17 as ‘No longer airworthy,uneconomical to repair’.

Soon to exit the Australian register is BAC Strikemaster VH-AGI. The aircraft has been purchased by a New Zealand syndicate and was due to be shipped to NZ in February. The aircraft was previously NZ6362 ‘62’ with the RNZAF. Back to where it came from!

Warbird Briefs

From Queenstown we learn that Double X Aviation has its Aero L-29 Delfin Jet available for adventure aviation joy flights.

Owners Pete Meadows, Matt McLaughlin and Warren Banks purchased the aircraft in Texas when it was N106AV and had it shipped to New Zealand.

Reassembled at Tauranga it was put on the Kiwi register with the somewhat appropriate registration ZK-JET.

The jet trainer was formerly with the Bulgarian air force.

Retired from military service in 2002 it has travelled the world to get to New Zealand.

Now it is still flying and being used in ‘Top Gun for the Day’ flights at picturesque Queenstown.

In New Zealand the New Year’s Honours listing included Glyn Powell.

He was awarded the Queen’s Service Medal (QSM) for services to aeronautical heritage preservation.

Glyn’s work spanned many years to reproduce the wooden fuselage for a Mosquito aircraft.

The end result of his work was the building and flying of DH Mosquito KA114.

Later registered as ZK-MOS it took to the air on September 27 2012.

Following test flying in NZ the aircraft was transported to the US where it was registered as N114KA to owner Jerry Yagen of Virginia.

Grumman S-2G Tracker N12-153567 ‘855’ has been moved from the Broadmeadows TAFE College, Melbourne to the National Vietnam Veterans Museum at Phillip Island.

The ex-RAN Tracker has been a technical college training aid for a number of years.

It will join some five other aircraft in the NVVM.

The aircraft was trucked to Phillip Island in January.

Meanwhile, it is reported that the ex Peter Hookway Grumman Trackers at West Sale, Vic have been sold and are to be shipped to the USA.