Warbirds

Following assembly test flying will hopefully begin in late August or early September, with the test pilot to be Klaus Plasa from Munich, Germany. The aircraft will reside at Albury for the next 12 months while the owner and Steve Death, one of Australia’s most experienced warbird pilots, familiarise themselves with the new machine.

As this will be a first of type, the Australian Warbirds Association will be involved, as the CASA administering body for warbirds in Australia, in the issuing of a limited certificate of airworthiness. Copies of all the engine and airframe maintenance, service and parts manuals are to come with the aircraft.

The new arrival was originally built in Marienberg, Germany in 1944, and allocated the ‘werk’ number 173056. It was found buried in the rail yards at Reims, France, stripped of many parts. The rebuild to get it back to flying status commenced in France in 2000 and took some 10 and a half years. Indeed the rebuild was so extensive that the aircraft was given a production number, Wnr 990004, by Flug Werk of Gammelsdorf in Germany, the firm that produced a run of 21 Fw190 replicas.

Needing quality repair parts Don Hansen turned to the German company which he found to be most helpful. Flug Werk used original factory engineering prints and even some original factory tooling in the rebuild.

And like the Flug Wek aircraft, N4190 features a Russian Shvetsov Ash-82T radial in place of theoriginal BMW 801D, which drives an accurate late World War 2-style three-bladed paddle-blade propeller.

Following the completion of work on the aircraft in the US Klaus Plasa was the test pilot when the aircraft took to the air on October 9 2011, registered N4190. It was the first flight that the aircraft had made in 68 years.

Steve Death commented that the engine is very straightforward to maintain and operate.

Southern Cross replica to go on display in Balranald

The non-flying replica of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith’s Fokker tri-motor Southern Cross that was built for a 1985 TV mini-series has a new home in Balranald in south-western New South Wales.

After the mini-series’ production was complete the replica Fokker aircraft was displayed and stored at various locations before eventually ending up in the Museum of Australian Army Flying in Oakey, Queensland. But, as the replica is not a former military type, the aircraft was deemed surplus to requirements.

In stepped the Balranald-based Friends of the Southern Cross (FSC), which offered to take the aircraft and display it at Balranald. The museum agreed to donate the replica to the FSC, which intends to restore the replica and display it in town as a tourist attraction.

After the Army helped transport the replica to Balranald, where it arrived in mid-May, it is now stored in the old Westland Motors garage. Restoration may take up to five years.

So why Balranald? It was in 1933that Kingsford Smith visited the town and landed the Southern Cross at what was called the emergency landing ground on the immediate north-west side of the town. (The airport has since been moved out of town, to the north-east, as the town expanded over the years. )

Lucky Lady bound for SA

As reported in our May column, South Australian Peter Smythe has secured ownership of B-25J 44‑31508 Lucky Lady, which had long been derelict standing on the tarmac at Franklin, Virginia.

Now with the aid of personnel from a local air museum the B-25 has been dismantled in preparation for shipping to Australia.

Peter acquired the aircraft on an ‘as is where is’ basis. One engine had been removed and it seemed that the aircraft might never fly again. The decision was taken to dismantle the aircraft and ship it to Australia to be rebuilt rather than do it far from its new home and owner supervision.

So Lucky Lady’s luck has now turned and she will now be shipped to South Australia and rebuilt to flying status.

RAAF Museum news

It has been a busy few months for the RAAF Museum at Point Cook, which now has in its possession a Taylorcraft Auster Mk III and an RE8 replica.

The Auster, which served with the RAAF in WW2 as A11-17, was found derelict in a shed at Toolangi near Kinglake, north of Melbourne. Now at Point Cook the machine is being surveyed to gain an understanding of what is required tobring it up to display standard.

The Auster was built in 1943 and went on strength with the RAF as MZ249 before it was shipped to Australia in 1944. It became A11‑17 with the RAAF.

The machine saw use in the WW2 South Pacific campaign and was involved in a few heroic rescues of downed aircrew. One such rescue was of the crew of a Liberator in Borneo.

Post-war it had some ten owners and was used for flight training, glider towing and even by an ag firm. One of the owners was a school teacher who had lost the use of his legs due to polio. Schutt Aviation designed and fitted controls that the owner, Lester, could then use to fly the machine. The aircraft was also used for flight training by legendary Captain Jacques Ellis at his Tyabb and later Moorooduc flying schools on the Victorian Mornington Peninsula.

The second new arrival, The Vintage Aviator Ltd-built RE8-1 ZK-RES, c/n 0003, had been one of the stars of this year’s Avalon Airshow, and was struck off the NZ register on June 30.

Another aircraft that the museum is considering purchasing is TVAL‑built SE5a replica ZK-SEO.

In other news the RAAF Museum’s CAC Mustang VH-SVU has been out of the air for some time after metal was found in the oil filter. But the museum now has approval to have the engine overhauled so the aircraft, the former A68-170, can return to the air.

It is reported that tenders were to be invited from both the USA and the UK for the overhaul work.

A tale of two Ansons

The Avro Anson is an aircraft that had strong connections with the RAAF during WW2, but post-war it never had quite the recognition or long life that other former WW2 types had.

The Anson, sometimes known as Faithful Annie, commenced service with the RAAF in 1938 with the last being retired in 1955. All together the RAAF operated 1,028 of the type, the most prolific type operated by the RAAF, which used it mostly for aircrew training but also for coastal patrol.

After the war a number of Ansons were used by fledgling air charter and airline services. The aircraft was not built for an extended life like an all-metal aircraft and in the 1950s the wooden structure started to show its age. The type was eventually grounded by the Department of Civil Aviation.

But not all Ansons gravitated to civil use. In fact the majority were simply sold as surplus and were bought by farmers to strip for nuts and bolts and even their wiring.

Two Ansons that ended up on farms were EF954 and W2364 (most RAAF Ansons retained their RAF serials).

EF954 ended up with Reg Franks, a farmer at Mallala, South Australia in 1947. In more recent years the remains of the aircraft were recovered by the South Australian Air Museum and taken to the museum at Port Adelaide. There a long-term rebuild commenced. Over the years the museum volunteers have put in many a long hour restoring and rebuilding the aircraft to the stage where it is now standing on its undercarriage and looking well on the way to being completed. As with a lot of warbird restorations the correct expression is 80 per cent done, 80 per cent to go! The second Anson is W2364,auretrieved in 2009 from a farm near Nhill, western Victoria in a derelict state, and donated by farmer Graham Drage to become the centrepiece of the newly-established Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre.

More than five years on, the restoration of W2364 is well advanced, and the partially-completed Anson is now the centrepiece of the NAHC’s newly-built hangar.

When found W2364 lacked a good section of the rear fuselage. Aided by drawings from the UK this has been remanufactured. The tailplane and rudder are of wooden construction but new sections have been built up using the metal components from the original.

Two Armstrong-Siddeley Cheetah Mk XI seven-cylinder radial engines powered the Anson. The two engines that were recovered with the fuselage have now been rebuilt back to the stage where they look as good as new! It is hoped that the Nhill Anson can be made able to taxi but not to fly.

With the fuselage and engines restored, next comes the big one – the wings. With a span of 17. 2m there is a lot of work to be done in the construction of these new wing sections. When disposed of by the RAAF the Ansons typically had their wings cut off outboard of the engines to not only stop them flying but also to allow them to be towed to farmers’ properties.

The NAHC aircraft will be one of the highlights to see at the Nhill Airshow to be held at the Nhill aerodrome on October 10.

Register review

DH. 104 Dove 8, ZK-DHW, c/n 04533, was struck off the NZ register effective June 15. Its new country of registration is as yet unknown. This aircraft was at one stage VH-DHQ with Rudge Air at Essendon.

Nieuport 24 replica ZK-MNR, c/n1642, was struck off the NZ register on June 26 as withdrawn from service.

CAC-built CA-25 Winjeel ZK-WJL, serial A85-404, was withdrawn from service on June 24.

Meanwhile, in Australia Yak‑52 VH-FRI, serial 866614, was placed on the register on June 22 to GB Flight Services, Hamilton South NSW.

VH-RYS is a Ryan STM, c/n 302, put on the register on June 26 to Jeff Trappett of Morwell, Victoria. This aircraft, built in 1938, was originally with the Guatemalan air force. Later it became N11D and then N302D before coming to Australia. It was originally known as a Ryan STA Special.

Hawker Sea Fury Mk II VH-SFY, c/n ES. 3617, was removed from the register on June 22 as aircraft withdrawn from use. The fighter was owned by Murray Griffiths who passed away on September 5 2011.

VH-DIT, a Piper J3C-65 Cub, c/n 11410, long a resident of Victoria, changed ownership on June 29 to Robert Bingley-Pullin of Surry Hills, NSW.

Finally, Tiger Moth VH‑XWX, c/n 1033, changed owners on June 29 to Phillip Cooper of Springwood, Queensland.

In brief

»» The former RAN Grumman Trackers stored at West Sale airport are soon to be scrapped, according to reports. The late Peter Hookway bought the 11 aircraft in 1991 with the view that they could be converted to firebombers. That did not eventuate and the aircraft have been stored at West Sale ever since.