Warbirds

Peter’s aircraft is due to run out of its current C of A and is up for sale so there is a chance that the pair may not get to fly in formation again. For those lucky enough to witness it, the sound of not one but two Merlin engines at Tyabb was something to behold.

First Flights

First flights are always exciting and this issue we can report on not one but three. From New Zealand the recently rebuilt historic Comper Swift, VH-UVC, took to the air at Omaka on Monday November 20. It was reported to be a trouble-free flight. Owned by Sydney pilot Roy Fox, the aircraft will be coming back to Australia in due course.

At Latrobe Valley Jeff Trappett took to the air on Friday November 24 in his Ryan STM-1 VH-RYS following an extensive rebuild. Jeff has had several Ryans over the years.

Now the big one. Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer Srs. 3 VH-SYS took to the skies again on Friday November 24 after a six-year period of no flying. Built in 1962 with c/n 763, it was originally VH-EVB and owned by aviation enthusiast Sy Allsep. Sy passed away in recent times and a group of his friends elected to rebuild the aircraft and get it back in the air. It took time but they succeeded and got the big twin-engined taildragger airborne out of Wedderburn airstrip, NSW. Along the way they changed the registration to VH-SYS as a mark of respect to Sy and his unique Aircraft.

Now to show it to the world.

Hoskings Hangar Tour

In early December the Aviation Historical Society of Australia conducted a tour of Graham Hosking’s hangar at Tyabb. Graham was the all-knowing tour guide and he gave forth a wealth of information regarding his fantastic collection of aircraft.

Graham’s Corsair is under rebuild following a gear-up landing at Maitland, NSW earlier this year. It is a big single-engine aircraft and even bigger with the wings Unfolded.

The 1930s Curtiss Robin highwing monoplane that Graham has in partnership with Peninsula Aero Club President Jack Vevers is currently having some engine work carried out, while alongside it is the Ryan STM that is painted up in the markings it carried in the East Indies during WW2 with the Dutch. Hanging from the roof is Ryan STM-1 VH-SQD in which Graham made a successful forced landing in 2017 following an engine issue. The machine has been assembled complete with bent wings and fuselage. It is rebuildable but will take time and a dedicated Ryan enthusiast.

Other aircraft of interest include a CAC Winjeel, a flying wing kit aircraft, a Republic Seabee, a Bleriot replica and a great collection of antique aero Engines.

Nhill Air Museum

Nhill airport in western Victoria is advancing on its project to have a great air museum and tourist attraction. ‘The Hill’ air base was used by the RAAF during WW2 but was decommissioned soon after the war. In recent times a group of locals have made the decision to build up a museum of aircraft types that operated from Nhill during those critical years.

The Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre started off with obtaining the remains (a wreck?) of Avro Anson W2364. It has steadily been built-up to the stage where the fuselage is effectively complete along with the two Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah radial engines. Now the project is to rebuild the outer wing panels – a big job but not insurmountable.

Also on display is Wirraway A20-722/VH-CAC, which is owned by well-known aero engine rebuilder Borg Sorensen. Borg has elected to sell the Wirraway to the Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre, and the museum is now well along the way to raising the funds to purchase this historic aircraft.

To add to the collection a local pilot has purchased de Havilland Tiger Moth DH.82a VH-RIN, previously A17-588. With three aircraft so far on display in an immaculate hangar, the Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre is soon to become a must-visit tourist attraction, one that tells the history of Nhill’s WW2 heritage.

Aussies in Seoul

The Seoul Aerospace and Defence Exhibition (ADEX) is South Korea’s major international trade and airshow, held biennially at Seongnam, a Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) base just to the south-east of the capital city, Seoul, writes Darren Mottram.

The exhibition sees the latest technology on show and last year was no exception with a pair each of USAF F-22s and F-35s, a Global Hawk surveillance UAV, US Navy P-8 Poseidon and a Royal Malaysian Air Force Airbus A400M on display alongside the ROKAF’s latest front-line Hardware.

Among all this technology and military hardware, Paul Bennet and Glenn Graham from Australia’s Paul Bennet Airshows team were a highlight as the only civilian performers at the show, with their bright orange Pitts S1‑11X (VH-PVX) and Pitts Model 12 (VH-TYJ) aerobatic biplanes. Paul and the team have performed at many shows in South Korea (and China) for several years and are always very popular with the huge crowds.

The Aussies displayed alongside the US Air Force’s Air Combat Command F-22 display team and the ROKAF’s Black Eagles aerobatic team in its Korean Aerospace Industries T-50B leadin- Fighter-trainers.

There were also individual handling displays of the KAI KT-1 turboprop trainer and T/TA-50 trainer/light attack jet and a combat search and rescue (CSAR) set piece involving USAF A-10s and ROKAF F/A-50s, HH-60 Black Hawks and a KA-1 forward air control version of the KT-1.

Saturday also saw flypasts by a pair of USAF B-1B bombers and a U-2 high altitude reconnaissance Machine.

In Brief

The Parkes Aviation Museum, a division of HARS, was broken into on November 12/13. A $4,000 pressure washer and a toolbox were stolen.

Contact Dave: [email protected]