Warbirds

The aircraft has remained at the airport ever since, abandoned, and sinking further down into the soft sand on the western side of the airport.

Built in 1956 the aircraft went on the US register in October 1987 and was formally struck off the register in September 2007.
It was registered to World Fish and Agricultural Inc of Cold Bay, Alaska.
Behind the cockpit were the words ‘Winky’s Fish’.

This year the airport authority elected to clean up the airport and auctioned the Constellation and a dozen other derelict aircraft.

Now the Qantas Founders Museum faces the task of dismantling the Connie, shipping it to Australia, trucking it to Longreach and reassembling it for display in its increasing collection, with the timing of the various stages of the project still being determined.

The museum said the Super Constellation was “an iconic aircraft in the history of Qantas and Australian aviation” and its chief executive Tony Martin was confident it would prove a big attraction.

“In the past, Qantas Founders Museum has experienced a growth in visitor numbers of 10-20 per cent as a result of a new aircraft being added to its collection such as the inclusion of the Boeing 707 in June 2007,” Martin said.

“We hope the Super Constellation will exceed or mirror this.
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Said Martin: “The museum has identified a number of iconic Qantas aircraft it should have in its collection so we are delighted to finally have the Super Constellation as part of our museum.
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Corsairs in the news

A new Corsair has surfaced! A Chance Vought F4U-1 with US Marines serial of 02449 has turned up on the civil register.
The aircraft was registered to Robert Jarrett of Salisbury East, South Australia on September 30 as
VH-ASG.
A web search reveals that this aircraft crashed on October 1 1943 at Spiritu Santos, Vanuatu killing the pilot.
Robert Jarrett is better known as Bob Jarrett of Classic Fighter Jets Museum fame (CFJM) at Parafield Airport.
It might be presumed that the aircraft is to be an import for static restoration but the civil registration gives the possibility that the aircraft is for import and on-sale.
More details are being sought.

The CFJM is already rebuilding a static F4U-1 Corsair, 02270, at its Parafield facility.
The CFJM website has an excellent page where viewers can watch the rebuild progress.
The Corsair force-landed in a lagoon, out of fuel, near Quoin Hill airfield on the north coast of Vanuatu island of Efate on May 5 1944.
The aircraft was salvaged in 2005 and transported to Parafield.

Meanwhile, as this column goes to press F4U-5NL Corsair VH-III ‘Triple India’ was due to make its first public appearance at the Australian Warbirds 2014 fly-in and AGM at Cowra, NSWon October 18/19.
The following weekend, on October 26 the aircraft was then scheduled to be a part of the RAAF Museum interactive day at Point Cook.

This aircraft took to the air at Darwin on May 4 after a lengthy restoration and rebuild.
Owned by Melbourne jeweller Graham Hosking, it is being flown by RAAF Reservist and airline pilot Peter Clements.

Lake Boga’s mystery Cat

Lake Boga, 16km to the south-east of Swan Hill, Victoria is the home to a PBY-5 Catalina with a secret.
Painted up as A24-30 the actual identity of the wartime Cat is unknown, the marking reportedly coming from the back of a seat that was installed in the machine around the time that it was rescued by the Lake Boga Lions Club to be the focal point of the museum.

The display aircraft started out as a derelict hull, the centre section and wings being obtained from various locations around Swan Hill and Lake Boga.

Lake Boga, during the period 1942 to 1945 was a maintenancebase for allied float plane and floating hull aircraft.
It was the site for the No 1 RAAF Flying Boat Repair Depot.
Being so far inland it was seen as a place unlikely to be attacked by Japanese aircraft, while the lake was big enough for float aircraft to operate from.
Even large aircraft such as the Martin Mariner and Short Sunderland were able to operate there.

Interestingly enough the museum building was actually built around the Catalina rather than the Cat being put into it after construction was completed.

The museum is fascinating.
The Catalina occupies the centre of the hangar-shaped building and all around it are artefacts and memorabilia relating to the period when the Cats were king at Lake Boga.
There are a number of aero engines that powered float aircraft and in one corner is the forward fuselage section of a Dornier Do 24K tri-motor flying boat.
The forward hull is all that remains of the five Netherlands East Indies aircraft that were taken over by the RAAF.
When spares ran out theywere scrapped at Lake Boga late in the war.
The hull became a house boat of sorts.
After it went derelict it was rescued by the museum.

Visitors are well catered for and can easily spend several hours inspecting all that the museum offers and the surrounding remains of the repair depot.
An informative 20-minute film gives additional information about the base to the visitor.

All winners in Tiger Moth race

The James Strong Memorial 2014 Tiger Moth race was a winner for all entrants and spectators.
The race, held over the weekend of October 4 and 5, attracted some 44 entrants and of these 38 competed in the race.
Good weather was enjoyed by the fliers and spectators alike.
Photographers reported that the Tigers came in a wide variety of colour schemes and colours.

The race commenced early on the Saturday and went from Maitland to Camden and back to Maitland.
The next day, Sunday, saw the race aircraft fly from Maitland to Port Macquarie and return to Maitland.

The winners were Craig Bryson and Bruce Pearcy.

The last Tiger Moth air race was held in 2004 and most entrants were keen to be a part of the 2014 race.
Will there be another Tiger Moth air race? Only time will tell.

Register update

In the last issue of Warbirds it was reported that Chipmunk enthusiast John Murphy had bought Chipmunk VH-DHX to replace his earlier machine, VH-UPD, that was written off in a spin accident on June 29.
Having bought VH-DHX John changed the registration to VH-JDM on September 15.
John hails from Sapphire Beach, NSW.
On the subject of Chipmunks another of the type has been imported from the UK.
The aircraft, or at least the fuselage of RAF serial WB556, c/n C1-0008, was noted being delivered into Moorabbin Airport on October 9.
The fuselage was imported last year.

Another Chipmunk of interest is the last of the three Sasin SA‑29 Spraymasters.
Developed by engineer Mike Sasin from a Chipmunk the Spraymaster was a low-capacity single-seat ag spray aircraft.
The first, VH‑SJD, crashed the day after the type received certification on September 1 1965.
The second machine was VH-GEB that after ag work went to the USA as N7DW.
The third is VH‑BCA.
In recent years this was converted back to basic Chipmunk configuration as a two-seater.
It differs from the factory Chipmunk in having a tail wheel on a steel spring like a Pitts Special.
VH-BCA is powered by a Gipsy Major 10.
The current owner is Bruce Harvey of Bannockburn, Vic.
During research into the SA-29 Bruce found Mike Sasin still alive at age 90 in WA.

New to the NZ register is ZK‑NTY, a BAC 167 Strikemaster.
Previously VH-AGI it was put on the NZ register on September 19 to Strikemaster Ltd of Auckland.

ZK-RDK, a Boeing E75 Stearman, was exported and struck off the register on September 17.

In Australia Cessna 140 VH‑KXN c/n 14668, ex N2421V, was added to the register on September 24 to Keith Newnham of Bulima, Qld.

A Garlick (Bell) UH-1H helicopter was added to the register as VH-UHX on September 22 to Rotor Wing Helicopters of Rowville, Vic.
It is ex 64-13865.

A de Havilland DH.
83 Fox Moth, c/n 4044, was added tothe register as VH-UUS on September 13 to Greg Challinor of Stoker Siding, NSW.
This historic machine was G-ACCS in the UK before becoming VH-UUS.
During the war it was impressed as A41‑3.
Later it became VH-CCH.
Involved in an accident at Barney, Qld in December 1965 it was then involved in a bushfire in the ACT that swept through the rebuild workshop.

Cessna 140 VH-WKG, c/n 10071, was struck off the register on August 28.
It is to be placed on the RA-Aus aircraft register.

AAAA spring fly-in

The annual spring fly-in of the Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia (AAAA) was held at Swan Hill, Victoria over the weekend of October 4 and 5.

The event attracted some 53 aircraft in total.
AAAA president Matt Henderson said that had it not been for the Tiger Moth race being held on the same date (see elsewhere in this column) the event would have attracted more members and their aircraft.
The Tiger Moth race was originally scheduled for a date earlier this year but due to structural ADs being issued that affected most of the Tiger Moths the event was re-scheduled to October 4 and 5.

The most unusual aircraft at the AAAA fly-in was an Interstate S-1A Cadet, VH-VCQ, owned by Peter Harlow of Black Rock, Melbourne.
Readers may recall that this was the same model of aircraft that was being landed on the top of a truck speeding down the runway at the Avalon Airshow in March 2011.