Warbirds

“None of it is right,” De La Hunty told Australian Aviation on December 16.

“It’s someone else’s social media rumour mongering that is going on. Quite frankly they are driving me nuts. ” The Qantas Source website reported on December 7 that VH‑OJA, which was the first Boeing 747-400 in the Qantas fleet and flew nonstop from London to Sydney in 1989 as part of its delivery flight, was “expected to be preserved at the Historical Aircraft Restoration facility at Wollongong”.

OJA operated what was expected to be its last commercial flight on December 7, when it departed Sydney as QF107 bound for Los Angeles. It was then expected to make the short hop across to Victorville where it was to be placed into storage.

However, the aircraft remained in service after that date, and at presstime was scheduled to return to Sydney as QF18 from Los Angeles on December 18.

The Airline Hub Buzz website had reported on December 4 that Qantas would “gift this aircraft to an Australian museum because of its historical significance”.

De La Hunty said “the right thing to do would be to ignore the social media”.

“It’s certainly a rumour and they are not getting it right or wrong,” he said. “It is just a situation where we are being bombarded and we are really not in a position to say anything about it, we don’t know anything about it. ” For its part the Qantas Founders Museum has confirmed it will not be taking VH-OJA.

“Over the last few weeks we have been frequently asked whether we are getting the Qantas Boeing 747 VH-OJA,” the museum, which is already home to Qantas 747-200 VH-EBQ, said on its Facebook page on December 9.

“Just to let you know Qantas Founders Museum will NOT be getting VH-OJA but thank you to everyone for showing an interest in the collection of Qantas Founders Museum!” Australian Aviation understands that Qantas offered to donate OJA to the Qantas Founders Museum, but the museum had to decline due to a lack of space. A Qantas spokesperson said in an emailed statement on December 16 the airline had “nothing to announce yet” on OJA’s fate.

“We are still working through the logistics,” the spokesperson told Australian Aviation.

Perhaps we will know OJA’s fate some time during the life of this issue. Watch this space!

Vale Terry Brain

Australian airfreight pioneer, Terry Brain, has made his last landing. Zebina Alan Brain, better known as Terry Brain, passed away on November 15 of natural causes, aged 89. Terry was born in St Arnaud, Victoria on October 10 1925 and flew in the RAAF during WW2. In 1949 he partnered with Bill Brown to form the firm of Brain and Brown Airfreighters to operate domestic cargo charters and contract flights. Most of the firm’s flights were to fly freight from the mainland to Tasmania. Initially RAAF surplus Avro Anson aircraft were used. Later several DC-3 aircraft were acquired as the Ansons were grounded due to deterioration of their wooden wing structure.

One of the Ansons had its wooden wing changed for a metal unit and continued to fly. That aircraft today is flying in New Zealand as ZK-RRA, and is the world’s only airworthy Anson Mk I.

In 1973 ownership of the firm changed when Signer Insurance Holdings, Linfox Transport and Donlin Investments acquired major shareholdings. Armstrong-Whitworth Argosy VH-BBA was acquired in 1974, and in 1976 the company was renamed as BBA Cargo. The company then became associated with Ipec Air Express. BBA was effectively gone by 1979.

Terry retired with the close of BBA but he would fly the modified Anson for a few years before it was sold to New Zealand.

Chipmunk lost

Having lost Chipmunk VH-UPD on June 29, as a result of a spinning accident near Coffs Harbour, NSW, it is unfortunate to report the demise of another DH Chipmunk, VH‑RVY, near Luskintyre, NSW on November 14.

The ATSB reported that the aircraft made a forced landing after the pilot noticed a problem with the propeller and an engine overspeed. The aircraft has a Lycoming IO‑360 engine conversion driving a three-bladed composite propeller. The force-landing resulted in damage to the aircraft and serious injuries to both occupants. Media photos show the aircraft on its belly with the engine sagging from the firewall and a severe ripple in the fuselage aft of the cockpit.

Register news

From New Zealand we learn that the replica of WWI bomber DH‑4, ZK‑DHA, took to the air on November 9 at Masterton with the chief pilot of The Vintage Aviator Ltd (TVAL), Gene DeMarco, at the controls. After the flight Gene commented that the aircraft, powered by a rebuilt 400hp (300kW) Liberty engine, was slow, heavy on the controls and had old fashioned handling characterises. The aircraft went on the New Zealand register on October 29.

Across to Australia and Ryan SCW VH-SCW was put on the register on November 26. With c/n 211 it is one of fewer than 24 built and the first on the Australian register. The cabin aircraft is owned by Stephen Carter of Buninyong, near Ballarat.

Robert Fox of Kellyville, NSW has changed the registration of his DH. 82A Tiger Moth VH-CCD to VH-UVD. If nothing else UVD is more of an older registration. With c/n given as A17-673 the change took place on November 5.

Two changes of ownership: John Weymouth of Dora Creek, NSW acquired Boeing A75N1 Stearman, c/n 75-528, on November 7 and Christopher Godfrey of Riddells Creek, Victoria took ownership of North American T-28D, VH-PFM, c/n 51-3588, on November 7.

HARS takes ot the skies

Some of the HARS collection took to the air on November 12 for the annual Lawrence Hargrave Memorial Flight.

The flight goes over Stanwell Park, where Hargrave made his early kiteflights. HARS had no fewer than four aircraft overfly the park. The aircraft comprised a former RAAF C-47, DHC-4 Caribou, Catalina and an old favourite that has not flown for some time, Lockheed Neptune -273.

Temora news

The Temora Aviation Museum is to host its biennial airshow ‘Warbirds Downunder’ on November 21 2015.

The popular event attracted many display and visiting aircraft at the last airshow in 2013, and the museum is expecting the Warbirds Downunder 2015 to be bigger and better than ever before.

Plan to be there.

Thinking outside the square

Air museum attendance mostly comes from walk-in visitors who are there to just see the aircraft. But in recent times the major air museums in South Australia (SAAM), Victoria (MAM) and Queensland (QAM) have been increasing attendance and interest by holding engine run days, sit-in-cockpit days, cockpit display days, reunion venues, vintage car gathering venues, model aircraft displays and even on-site theatre nights. These added attractions have increased visitor attendance at the various museums and in doing so have shown that air museums have more interest than just static aircraft.

All three museums noted have plans for additional special attraction days and no doubt those additional days will further increase visitor numbers.

To Avalon, to Avalon

Airshows Downunder is planning something new and different for the 2015 Australian International Airshow.

While the show will have a major flying display on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday there willalso be a second part of the show, nominally titled ‘A Century of the Anzac Spirit’ that will be a ground and air display covering World War 1 and World War 2 aircraft. A number of original and replica WWI aircraft will be flying as well as aircraft from the later years. On the ground there will be set pieces covering various theatres of war that the Australian Defence Force has been involved in. This new section of the airshow will enhance the overall package and make it a must-see attraction.

The Australian International Airshow is to be held at Avalon Airport, Victoria between February 24 and March 1.

Beached Kittyhawk

Readers Steve and Beth McGuire from Townsville are both keen aviation enthusiasts and beach walkers.

Recently they spotted the remains of a Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk on the beach south of Townsville between Alligator and Crocodile Creeks. All that is left is the centre section out to the gun ports with bits of undercarriage and the pilot’s seat armour plating still there. There are a number of patches visible around the cockpit giving the impression that it had suffered combat damage.

A bit of investigating reveals that the remains are that of RAAF Kittyhawk A29-443. Apparently it suffered a forced landing following a birdstrike on March 16 1945 during low flying practise.

Pilot Flt Sgt Perter Badgery made a belly landing into swampy salt water. The airframe was later stripped of the engine and useable components and abandoned.

Remarkably, the remains are still there after all these years.