Warbirds

The CASA action comes as a result of the inflight break-up of DH. 82a Tiger Moth VH-TSG off South Stradbroke Island on December 16 2013. In that accident the tie rods are suspected of failing resulting in the collapse of the port wings. The accident is still under investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).

The tie rod is part of the aircraft structure that connects the main and rear wing spars of the Moth aircraft to each other and the bottom of the fuselage.

CASA issued the proposed AD with the note that it would be closed for consultation on April 18 2014.

The proposed AD noted that it was applicable to only those tie rods manufactured by J & R Aerospace. All other tie rods manufactured by DHSL, de Havilland, Morris Motors, de Havilland (Australia), Bruntons Aero Products or HG Aerospace Engineering UK were considered acceptable and that the proposed removal and replacement AD did not apply to them. The J & R tie rods carried part number JRA-776-1.

As part of the proposed AD action all aerobatic flight in Moth aircraft was to be suspended and the provenance of the current tie rods fitted to the subject aircraft ascertained. Replacement action was to take place within 10 hours flight time.

AAAA fly-in at Temora marks 40th anniversary

The weekend of March 29 and 30 saw the Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia hold its 38th fly-in, this year at Temora, NSW in conjunction with the Temora Aviation Museum. And what a weekend it was! The event was the 40th anniversary of the founding of the association.

Some 90 plus aircraft attended with over 55 makes and models noted, the vast majority being antique or classic aircraft with a smattering of warbirds also present. Had the east coast weather been a tad better the attendance numbers would have been higher again.

The largest number of a type was the Auster with nine present. Notable types included Kevin Bailey’s Stinson Reliant VH-UXL, joined by Stinson Reliant VH-ISR. Aero 145 VH‑DUHwas at its first showing since a lengthy rebuild. It has been brought back to showroom condition. The 145 stood alongside Aero Commander 680E VH-CAX, which was in great shape considering it was built in 1959.

Another twin that deserves more than a scant mention was the DH. 89 Rapide VH-UXZ. Owner Maurice Rolf had been rebuilding this big cabin biplane for the “last 30 years” as he later told all at the dinner awards. Built in 1944 it was last flown in 1969 when it suffered a nose-over in the UK as G-AJSL. Brought to Australia in 1978 it had several owners before Maurice purchased it in 1983. The rebuild began and was finished in 2013. The plan was to have it at the AAAA Temora gathering so the pace of interest gathered speed. In the days before the weekend a good engine run was followed by a glitch with a magneto in the starboard engine. This was eventually sorted out and the aircrafttook to the air at 12. 39 pm on Friday March 29 with pilot John Williams at the controls. The crowd at the windsock gave a collective “Yes!” call.

AAAA member Gordon Rich-Phillips called in at Temora for a day return visit from Melbourne. He was flying his Beech F33A VH-VDD. Gordon is the Assistant Treasurer in the Victorian government. He is also the Minister for Technology and Minister responsible for the Aviation Industry.

Other aircraft noted at Temora over the weekend were three CT‑4A aircraft still carrying their RAAF colour schemes; Avro Cadet VH‑AGH; Swift VH-BVB; several DH. 82 Tiger Moths; a DH. 94 Moth Minor, VH-AGO over from Bathurst; a pair of Winjeel trainers and two T-6 Harvards. In the ‘cuddly’ class were a Porterfield 24-8081; a newly imported Piper PA-11 Cub, VH-LTE; and Kenny Love’s J-3 Cub, 24-2163.

A late afternoon arrival was Lockheed 12A VH-HID. On the port side of the big twin was a large WW2 USAAF star after it had been used for a cameo appearance in the Angelina Jolie movie Unbroken being filmed in North Queensland.

Classic Cessna aircraft had a good presence with models 140, 150, 170, 172, 180, 182, 195 and several Bird Dogs seen. Piper was not to be outdone with models J-3, PA-11, a PA-15 replica, PA-18, PA-20 and 22, PA-38 Tomahawk and even a 1974 PA-28 Cherokee on the line.

On the Saturday night 320 members and friends sat down to a dinner in the museum hangar surrounded by a Boomerang, two Spitfires, a Hudson and Sabre. During the evening AAAA president Matt Henderson talked of the past 40 years that the AAAA had been in existence and its achievements over that time. Matt went on to introduce seven of the pastAAAA presidents who were present and talked of the cohesion of the committee and the membership.

The Best Antique award went to John Doig for his Auster J1N VH‑KAZ. The President’s Choice went to Lindsay Mckee and his O-1 Bird Dog VH-FAC. The Reserve Grand Champion went to the newly flown DH. 89 Rapide VH-UXZ owned by Maurice and Paige Rolfe. The Grand Champion award for 2014 went to Brian and James Lewis with the Aero 145 VH-DUH.

Other awards were Best Warbird – Tony Freer, Harvard VH-LNT. Best Contemporary – Beech A23‑24 VH‑DYA, Mark and Michelle Smith. Best Classic – Ron Molloy and Shirley Taunt, PA-22-150 VH-KKO.

The next AAAA annual fly-in will be held at Echuca, Victoria in 2015.

Airtourer fly-in

The first flight of the wooden Airtourer prototype was made on March 31 1959 and the first flight of the metal Victa Airtourer was carried out on December 12 1961. To Airtourer owners and enthusiasts that does not seem that long ago. Today those enthusiasts are still keen on their type of aircraft.

Wentworth, north of Mildura, was the location of the 2014 National Airtourer Fly-in and Convention on the weekend of 22/23 March. The event attracted some 20 Airtourers and derivates of the original model.

Hosted by the Sunraysia Sport Aircraft Club the event was the Airtourer Association‘s 36th such fly-in. Some 80 Airtourers are still flying.

Register update

A lot of news this month with most changes in Australia.

From New Zealand we learn that BAC Strikemaster VH-LLD became ZK-BAC to RNZAF Strikemaster Ltd of Lower Hutt took place on March 17. The Vintage Aviator of Masterton put two BE2e-1 biplanes onto the register. ZK-BOZ, serial 762, went onto the register on March 12 while ZK-TFZ, serial 753, also went onto the ZK register on the same day.

In recent weeks TVAL had four BE2e-1 aircraft into the air in a group formation. This would have been the first time since around 1916 that a formation of this type of aircraft would have flown together. Fantastic! Lastly in NZ, Graham Orphan of Classic Wings magazine and Classic Aircraft Sales advises that the Fokker DR-1 Triplane replica, ZK‑FKD, that this column had registered to TVAL on January 9 was in fact his aircraft! Meanwhile, in Australia and as listed in Register Update this issue, Supermarine Spitfire Mk V VH-BZR, BS219, was added to the register on February 28 to Peter Smythe of Magill North, South Australia. Peter also added a second same model Spitfire to the register on the same day as VH-DQU with serial BS234. Both will be rebuild projects.

A Piper J-3C-65, serial 16165, became VH-VGE on 7/3/14 to Jason Afford of Newtown, Victoria. Luscombe 8E VH-ZDE, c/n 4433, with owner Glen Darlington of East Perth was registered on February 19. Taylorcraft BL-65 VH‑TZK, 2782, was taken off the register on March 18. It is to be put on the RA‑Aus register.

Change of ownerships: DHC‑1 Mk 10 Chipmunk VH-AKB, serial F33, has a new owner, Phillip Turner of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on March 4; Beech D18-S VH-FIE, serial A-808, went to Aeroprop of Condell Park, NSW on February 25; Piaggio FW P-149D VH-FWS, serial 190, changed owners on March 3 to AAB Pty Ltd of Bondi Junction, NSW.

Last but not least Douglas B-26C Invader VH-VMI, serial 44-35898, changed ownership on March 5 to Peter Smythe, just days after he registered his two Spitfire projects. Tiger Moth race postponed The Great Tiger Moth Air race has been postponed! Originally scheduled for the weekend of April 25-26 the race has now been put back to October 3-4.

The last minute change of flight plan comes as a result of the CASA airworthiness directive that will require Tiger Moth aircraft with J & R lateral tie rods installed (see news item above) to be replaced.

The requirement to replace the suspect rods has created a situation whereby new rods have to be made and purchased from the UK, shipped to Australia and installed. When this writer discussed the rod situation with knowledgeable Moth people at the AAAA Temora fly-in the general agreement was that it would take some months to obtain replacement rods and have them installed. The end result was that most Australian Moths are involved and therefore could not be available for the April race date.

The race, entitled The James Strong Memorial Great Tiger Moth Air Race, has some 45 Tigers entered to participate.

Kermit Weeks museum closes

In early March it was announced that the Kermit Weeks air museum, Fantasy of Flight, in Florida, would close on April 6. In announcing the closure Weeks said that the museum was closing its doors as a public attraction and will focus on its private event business and the design and development of a new venture. Weeks also indicated that while the facility was only 20 minutes west of Walt Disney World it was not receiving the visitors it required to properly operate.

The museum has been operating for 18 years but it will continue to be a restoration and maintenance facility.