Warbirds

The Convair, registered ZS-ARV, was one of two of type, along with a Douglas DC-3 and DC-4, that were operated by Rovos Air on air safaris and ferrying passengers to Victoria Falls to connect with a luxury rail journey.

ZS-ARV had arrived in South Africa from Bolivia in 2001 and flew with Rovos Air until 2009 fitted with a luxury 24-seat interior. In June 2012 the big prop ferried to Wonderboom where it underwent major checks and was then put up for sale. The aircraft was acquired by HARS in 2015 and has now been repainted in a period Trans-Australia Airlines (TAA) colour scheme.

The new HARS machine first flew on November 18 1954. Built as a model 340-67 with c/n 228 it wore civil registration N8453H before being transferred to the US Air Force as a VC-131D with serial 54-2820 in early 1955.

After 37 years on strength with the USAF the Convair was sold off and briefly became N43895 before finding a new home in 1992 with Lineas Aéreas Canedo in Bolivia as CP-2237.

ZS-ARV is one of the few remaining Convair 440s to still retain its radial engines, most others having been re-engined with T56 turboprops. Interestingly enough it was ferried from Bolivia to South Africa using a ferry tank installation. That equipment was still available and has been reinstalled to enable the ferry to Australia to take place.

ZS-ARV is HARS’s second Convair, as the Albion Park-based organisation continues restoring another ex US military Convair which is at the Pima County Air Museum at Tucson, Arizona.

AAAA annual fly-in

With over 180 aircraft making the trek to Echuca, Victoria over the weekend of April 15-17 the Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia was able to declare its 2016 National Fly-In a success.

The 2016 event celebrated 70 years of the DH Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk of which 15 were present. Other warbirds present included two Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawks, CAC Mustang VH-JUC, Corsair VH-III, Grumman Avenger VH-VTB, Vultee BT-13 VH-JKV, a trio of North American T-6 Harvards and 10 DH Tiger Moths.

Classic and antique aircraft of note included BA Eagle VH-UTI, a pair of recently-restored De Havilland DH. 60M Metal Moths, DH. 89 Rapide VH-UXZ, DH. 85 VH-UUL and Lockheed 12A VH-HID. There were no fewer than 10 Austers present at Echuca, not to mention several Piper Cubs, a pair of Piper PA-11s, a half dozen PA-20/22 Tripacers or Pacers, two Waco biplanes, several Stinson 108s, a Ryan SCW and an L-5.

Cessna types included a 140, a pair of Bird Dogs and no fewer than four Cessna 195s.

Some 330 people attended the annual dinner on the Saturday, where awards were presented in various classes. These included: best classic – PA-11 VH-LTE; best antique pre-WW2 – DH. 60M VH-UMK; president’s choice – Waco EGC-8 VH-EGC; best warbird – P-40N VH-PFO; reserve grand champion – F4U-5N Corsair VH-III; and grand champion – DH. 60M VH-UOI.

The AAAA plans to hold its next two annual national fly-ins at Echuca in March 2017 and 2018.

Reevers acquires second B-25, puts Yale up for sale

Reevers Pastoral has announced its has reached an in-principal agreement to acquire a second North American B-25 Mitchell project, this time a B-25C/D.

“While this project is not complete it does retain many significant sections and parts, cockpit and nose section, centre section remains minus both nacelles and engine main gear bays, some rear fuselage sections and tail posts with rudder remains,” Reevers said in a Facebook update. “This purchase is subject to export permits being granted to the seller of this project. It is anticipated this purchase could arrive in Australia later in 2016 or early 2017. ” Reevers says the new B-25 will be placed in long-term storage and that it won’t be used as a source of parts for its Lucky Lady B-25J restoration.

“Please note – this is not in the same condition as our J, it’s less than that and will require a lot of work, but is worth saving – most likely for the next generation of warbirders. ” Meanwhile to allow it to focus on its growing list of other projects, Reevers has decided to put up for sale its newly-acquired North American NA-64 Yale, serial 3383.

“With our increased commitment to the A-26, B-25 and more recently B-17 Reevers has decided to place this project up for sale,” the company announced on Facebook. “While we still have our P-40, P-43 [Lancer] and Mk V Spitfire projects, this is still a very difficult decision for us to make. ” The Yale was a close cousin to the NA-16 that the Wirraway evolved from. The machine is said to be complete except for the prop and hub, and could be yours for $30,000.

Reevers’ growing collection of aircraft projects also include the restoration to airworthineess of the ex Randal McFarlane-owned B-26 Invader 44-35898 and a long-term project to source and restore a B-17 Flying Fortress, for which Reevers has been acquiring parts and is researching potential projects to acquire.

Mirage for QAM

The Queensland Air Museum has acquired ex RAAF Mirage IIIO A3-16 from Adelaide’s Classic Jets Fighter Museum.

The QAM will take delivery of the aircraft, one of several put up for disposal by the CJFM recently (see Warbirds May issue AA) later this year.

The Mirage had a brief service life with the RAAF after being built by the Government Aircraft Factory at Avalon in 1965, as in October 1974 it famously made a wheels-up landing at Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport. The jet was not put back in the air and instead was eventually disposed of in 1986. It eventually ended up with the CJFM, where it was restored from a hulk stripped of all usable components to a fantastic static display standard, complete with RAAF Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU) markings.

Now QAM will proudly display A3-16 in its collection of iconic aircraft at Caloundra, Queensland (QAM’s fighter collection alone already includes an ex RAAF F-111 and Sabre, and an ex RAF Meteor painted as a RAAF example.

Museum moves

In other aviation museum news ex RAAF CAC Sabre A94-959 is back on display. For 31 years mounted on a pole in a park in Raymond Terrace, the aircraft was removed in March 2013 and trucked to Fighter World Museum at nearby RAAF Base Williamtown.

Fighter World has now restored the machine to static condition and on April 5 A94-959 was rolled out with much ceremony for display in front of the museum. On the port side of the aircraft it carries the markings of 77 Squadron while on the starboard side it carries the markings of 79 Squadron.

Still in NSW, ex RAAF CAC-built Macchi A7-030 has gone on display at the entrance to the HARS museum’s main door at Albion Park.

Mounted on a pole, the jet trainer has been painted up in the bright colours of the RAAF Roulettes Aerobatic Team.

In Victoria the Australian National Aviation Museum at Moorabbin airport has acquired yet another CAC-built aircraft, this time a Pazmany PL-4A. The single-seat aircraft was built by CAC apprentices as a training project, and it was even given the CAC design type number of CA-36. Built in 1983 the Pazmany carries registration VH-XAP, c/n V59.

Across Port Phillip Bay a Spitfire replica has been mounted on a plinth outside the RAAF Museum at Point Cook. The replica of a Spitfire Mk VIII, purchased by the Friends of the Museum, was built by the UK firm Gate Guards, and is made of a steel tube framework with a fibreglass skin. It is painted up as 79 Squadron RAAF’s A58-492, wearing the squadron code UP-B in late Pacific theatre WW2 colours.

And in Canberra the Australian War Memorial has taken delivery of newly-retired Australian Army CH-47D Chinook A15-202. (For further details refer our separate feature elsewhere this issue – Ed. )

Another Ryan ST-A makes its public debut

Jeff Trappett’s recently-acquired Ryan ST-A, VH-RYS, was on show to the public during the recent Latrobe Valley airport open day.

The Ryan, c/n 302, is an ex Guatemalan air force machine, as is Graham Hosking’s Ryan ST-A VH-SQD, which was noted at the Tyabb airshow on March 13 (as detailed in April AA Warbirds). Jeff’s machine was built in 1938 and wore the Guatemalan air force serial 29. After WW2 it was sold off as surplus and would go on to wear several registrations in the US with the last being N302D.

VH-RYS (which is listed on the CASA register as a STM model, the military variant of the ST-A) was displayed at the Latrobe Valley airport open day minus wings and is said to still be some time off its first Australian flight.

Register update

No updates from New Zealand this issue but a few from Australia are worth recording.

Cessna 180D VH-TVB (an ex-Army aircraft) was struck off the register and re-registered as VH-PSM on April 18 to Darryl Hill of Skye, South Australia. The aircraft has a c/n of 051063.

Now for Chipmunk lovers Chipmunk DHC-1 Mk 22 VH-PUE, c/n C1-0302, was added to the register on April 24, with the registered owner Ashley Briggs of Melbourne. Ashley is the President of the Australian National Aviation Museum at Moorabbin Airport. This aircraft was previously VH-PUB but as the Chipmunk has been off the register for some time that rego was reallocated to a Vans RV-8.

Chipmunk VH-PUB was WD361 with the RAF. It was imported in the mid 1970s as a group of three from the UK.

Yak Yak-18T VH-WLD, c/n 22202034096 (phew!), was struck off the register on April 7.

Last bombing of Darwin pilot dies

The last known Japanese pilot to be part of the attack on Darwin on February 19 1942 has passed away. Kaname Harada, who died on May 6 aged 99, was the pilot of one of 36 Zero fighters who escorted the 152 bombers that attacked Darwin. He had also been the pilot of a Zero in the attack on Pearl Harbour a few weeks earlier.

It was reported that Harada had shot down nine allied aircraft confirmed and a possible nine others. He was shot down in 1942 at Guadalcanal and was injured in the crash landing of his aircraft. He later suffered malaria and was taken off flight duties. After the war he ran a kindergarten.

Coincidentally an unexploded Japanese bomb from the attack was recently found during earthworks at Darwin. It was removed by the ADF and disposed of away from the built up area.

In brief

• Focke Wulf 190A-8 VH-WLF was due to be part of the Wings over Illawarra 2016 airshow at Albion Park on April 30. But on departure from Albury its cockpit canopy departed the aircraft, forcing an open cockpit landing.

Contact Dave by email: [email protected]