Warbirds

The aircraft is fitted with a Martin-Baker ejection seat which was retrofitted during its return to flight service program at the museum. Martin-Baker has notified operators that it has ceased supplying parts for all historic ejection seats. This means the Sabre will be out of the air until a suitable course of action is determined by the RAAF and the Museum since the Air Force’s current policy is to only operate the aircraft with a serviceable ejection seat.

The Temora Aviation Museum’sMeteor F. 8 will continue to fly for a period of time as TAM has in stock the required ejection seat consumables to keep the aircraft airworthy for a number of years.

“In 2006 the RAAF loaned the Sabre to the Temora Aviation Museum, who subsequently returned it to flying condition over a three-year period, after it had not flown for 14 years,” Air Commodore David Pietsch, who overseas the Sabre’s operations as Air Force’s representative said.

“Since that time it has successfully performed at many flying displays around the country and has been viewed by hundreds of thousands of spectators. The RAAF and the Temora Aviation Museum will continue to work together in seeking available options for the Sabre’s return to flight, but for now, the aircraft will stop flying after the Avalon Airshow. ”

Airworthy MiG-21 for WA

In Western Australia a MiG-21UM Mongol-B is being worked on with the view that when flying, it will be used for adventure flights off the coast. The new owner is Adrian Deeth of Perth.

The two-seat jet was built in the USSR in 1966 and served with the Egyptian air force as 5068 until retired and sold off in 1983. It went to the USA where it became N423LZ. It was deregistered by the FAA on 7/1/14 as exported to Australia. It is now at Jandakot Airport, Perth where it is being brought back to airworthy status. The machine sports the markings MiG-21U SN5068 and N423LZ on the rear fuselage.

The Warbirds Directory reports that the aircraft was previously registered as N4318W in the US before taking up the later marking of N423LZ.

Australia has already seen one other MiG-21UM, VH-XII that flewbriefly circa 1995. The former Polish air force machine is now on display in the Fighter World Museum at Williamtown, NSW. It is painted up in the markings of an Indian Air Force aircraft.

Passing of greats

This issue we note the passing of three greats from the historic aviation world.

In New Zealand Trevor Bland passed away on Saturday December 20 aged 78. Trevor was the man who founded the New Zealand Warbirds Association and the famed Warbirds over Wanaka Airshow, with the first show taking place in 1990. Trevor was a regular pilot in Sir Tim Wallis’s P-51 Mustang at the Wanaka Airshow and many others. His background was that of having served with the RNZAF then transferring to the RAF before returning to the RNZAF! Medical issues forced him to retire from active flying in 2000 but he continued part-time as a flight simulator instructor until 2007.

In Australia, long-time DC-3 pilot John (Jack) Richard Curtis passed away on January 10 aged 91. Universally known as Captain Jack it is said that he knew more about the DC-3 type than anyone else. During WW2 he flew with No 250 Squadron RAF and later No 450 Squadron RAAF. Post-war he flew for 60 years with TAA then Qantas and then Dakota National Air. He logged some 22,000 flight hours that included 7,000 hours in DC-3 aircraft. A legend in his own time.

A fellow aviator who passed away on January 20 was Stephen (Sy) CharlesAllsep. He was aged 67. Sy ran a Harley-Davidson motor cycle shop in Campbelltown, NSW. His aviation interests ran to owning and flying DH Beaver VH-SYS and the Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer VH-EVB. He and Jack Curtis were good friends.

HARS lands OJA

Qantas has confirmed that its very first Boeing 747-400, the record-breaking VH-OJA, is to go on display with the Historical Aviation Restoration Society (HARS) at Illawarra Regional Airport at Albion Park south of Wollongong.

Confirmation of HARS as the site for the 747’s permanent home ends the uncertainty about where VH-OJA would end up, after Qantas changed its mind about placing the aircraft into storage.

The aircraft operated what was expected to be its last commercial flight on December 7 2014, when it departed Sydney as QF107 to Los Angeles. It was then expected to make the short hop across to Victorville where it was to be placed into storage.

Instead, VH-OJA returned from the US just before Christmas and continued in service, including several Sydney-Tokyo Narita and Sydney-Johannesburg rotations. Its last flight was QF64 from Johannesburg, which landed at Sydney on Wednesday January 14.

The aircraft will make its final flight from Sydney Airport to Illawarra Regional Airport some time in March, Qantas said.

Qantas said it was working with the Civil Aviation Safety Authorityfor approvals to operate the flight. The journey from Mascot to Illawarra Regional Airport was expected to take 10 minutes.

The pilots scheduled to operate VH-OJA to its retirement home would undergo special simulator training to prepare for the delivery, Qantas said. Illawarra Regional Airport’s main 16/34 runway is 1,819 metres in length.

Qantas said the official handover would take place on March 15, coinciding with the society’s monthly open day.

OJA would be the first 747-400 in the world to be preserved for public display.

In 1989, VH-OJA flew nonstop from London to Sydney for its delivery flight, with the trip taking a 20 hours, nine minutes and five seconds.

Australia Day Honours

The January 26 2015 Australia Day Honours detailed a number of Australians worthy of note for their work both in the civil, military and public service areas.

In the Order of Australia (OAM), General Division, two awards in relation to aviation are worth noting. Ronald Gretton Werribee, Victoria for service to the community through the preservation of military aviation heritage and Geoffrey Matthews, also of Werribee, for service to military aviation heritage.

Ron and Geoff have long been involved with the RAAF Museum at Point Cook. They were responsible for, with a little help, the rebuild of the RAAF Museum’s SupermarineWalrus and the construction of its Bristol Boxkite biplane replica. The Boxkite made its first flight on September 11 2013 and was flown by Air Vice-Marshal Mark Skidmore (ret’d). AVM Skidmore is now the new director of aviation safety at CASA.

Register notes

From New Zealand we learn that ZK-VTV, a Bristol Fighter F2B replica, serial C794, has been struck off the register on January 15 as exported. It was last registered to The Vintage Aviator Ltd.

A new aircraft for The Vintage Aviator Ltd is ZK-CBE, a replica Be2c-1L. It was put on the Kiwi register on December 9.

An Aero L-39, ZK-EJA, 831148, was put on the register on December 3 to Eastern Jets Ltd of Mount Maunganui. It is ex N39ED. The L-39 was later altered to be an L-39C.

North American is still the flavour in New Zealand with N-A T-28B ZK- TGN, c/n 138218, added to the register on December 10 to Mr B Hall of Christchurch. It is ex N1283G.

From the Australian side of the ditch comes news that Vought Corsair F4U-1, 02449, was struck off the register on December 8 as exported to the USA. This WW2 is a wreck rebuild project. It was last registered to Robert Jarrett of Salisbury, South Australia.

Curtiss P-40N VH-DEA, 42‑104949, was struck off the register on January 5 as exported to the USA. Again, a rebuild project. Nanchang CJ-6A VH‑NNE, 2432077, was taken off the register on January 16 as exported to New Zealand.

Now comes an interesting one. Added to the register on January 12 is VH-UMK, a DH. 60M with c/n 1399. The owner is William Finlen of Boonah, Queensland. This aircraft was originally VH-UMR but after an accident on August 9 1930 it was rebuilt and in 1934 was sold in New Zealand as ZK‑ADF. It was involved inaua further accident, a mid-air collision, on November 28 1934 and struck off the register. It has now returned to Australia for a further rebuild.

As the marking VH-UMR is currently on a Cessna 182Q the marking VH-UMK was selected as next best available. It has been in storage for a long time.

Aussies abroad

From the UK comes news that former Australian Ryan STM-S2 VH-AGV, c/n 458, is now owned by Efram Cockett of Guernsey in the Channel Islands.

Until late last year the machine was owned and registered in the USA. Exported to the UK, it took to the air there on September 3 at Oakseypark Airfield in Wiltshire, England. Interestingly enough the aircraft is still US-registered as N17343. A check of the FAA register shows that N17343 is listed as a Ryan ST-A Special with the listed owner as Little Beetle Inc Trustees, Wilmington, Delaware. No doubt a holding company.

One of the former Australian owners is Ian Baillie of Ian Baillie Aircraft Sales at Moorabbin Airport. Ian has been keeping an eye on the aircraft as it moves around the world and wishing that he still owned the machine.

Another aircraft from Australia that has moved is CAC-built CA‑18 Mk 21 Mustang previously A68-100/VH-BOW. Now with US registration N51AB, the Mustang was sold by Steve Craig of Lawrence, Kansas to Plane Fun Inc of Snellville, California. Exported to Germany and unknown owners, it was reported to be in the hands of warbird maintenance firm Meier Motors at Bremgaten Airfield in Germany. It is one of four Mustangs in Germany. There is no known German registration as yet so it may stay under the US registration.

Museum news

The Queensland Aviation Museum has not been sitting on its hands. Inrecent times it has acquired two new aircraft, the French built Broussard VH‑HFA, and a Beech built Starship. The Broussard has been acquired from its base at Maryborough, Queensland. The wings have already been transported to Caloundra, the home of the QAM.

The second new addition is the Beech Starship, N786BP. Beech manufactured only 53 of these composite aircraft. Powered by two pusher P&WC PT6A turboprop engines, the aircraft had limited sales and as a result Beech elected to buy back all the aircraft. It then sold one to Col Pay from Scone who wanted the two engines. The airframe was then obtained by the Queensland Institute for Aviation Engineering for its Caloundra facility as a training aid. Recently the institute closed its doors and the liquidators elected to donate the airframe to the QAM. With a little jiggling and juggling the aircraft was manoeuvred down the street to the museum.

The RAN Fleet Air Arm Museum at Nowra has put Grumman Tracker 844 VH‑NVX back into storage again, probably permanently. Meanwhile the RAN Historic Flight DC-3-R1830, VH-NVZ, was struck off the civil register on January 30 as withdrawn from service.

In South Australia the South Australian Air Museum has been gifted a complete Piper PA24-250. The aircraft, VH‑DOL, is rather unique in that it flew in the 1969 London to Adelaide to Sydney air race that commemorated the 50th Anniversary of the 1919 Vickers Vimy flight. It was flown in the race by owner Rick Buchanan whose son donated the aircraft to the museum. It has not flown for 22 years.