Journeymen

General Douglas MacArthur’s arrival in Australia from the Philippines on March 17 1942, appointed as Supreme Commander, South West Pacific Area, saw events moved swiftly. Aircraft shipments to Australia began under lend-lease arrangements including 14 Noorduyn UC-46A Norsemen MK VI, RAAF serials A71-1 to -14. Newly-built Norsemen flown from Noorduyn’s factory near Montreal to Newark, New Jersey were shipped to Australia. Arriving at either Melbourne or Sydney in late 1943/early 1944 the aircraft were assembled and tested at Laverton, Bankstown or Amberley and assigned to RAAF No 1,3, 4, 5, 7 or 9 Communication Units based at Essendon, Mascot, Archerfield, Garbutt, Pearce and Port Moresby.

During RAAF service two aircraft were lost, A71-1 on August 21 1944 flying from Horn Island to Merauke with three of six on board lost when the aircraft ditched at sea and A71-4 on February 14 1946 near Iron Range with three lost. After the war ten aircraft were offered for disposal and were purchased for civil use from the Commonwealth Disposals Commission (CDC). The capacious Norseman was an attractive aircraft for budding post-war operators wanting a rugged and flexible aircraft. It was the forerunner of other Canadian utility aircraft such as Beaver, Otter and Twin Otter to make their mark in Australia.The Norsemen went to a variety of operators and eventually nine passed through the hands of Gibbes Sepik Airways (GSA) of Goroka, New Guinea, founded by RAAF fighter ace R H M “Bobby” Gibbes, DSO, DFC & Bar, OAM. The exception was A71-14 bought by The Zinc Corporation (Aviation Division) of Broken Hill becoming VH-BHF, written off in a ground fire at Mainoru Station south of Darwin on September 17 1952.

The robust Norseman with its welded steel tube fuselage with aluminium and fabric covering lifted loads in the demanding terrain and airstrips of the New Guinea highlands served by GSA. Following some engine failures GSA substituted Pratt & Whitney geared R-1340-S1H1-G Wasp engines fitted with three-blade propellers commencing on February 1953. On November 15 1958 GSA was sold to Mandated Airlines, later Ansett Mandated Airlines of Lae. Between 1951 to 1960 five of the Norseman were lost in accidents with four survivors flown or shipped to Australia for a change of role. The aircraft shipped was VH-ASS which had been sold to Carsair, Port Moresby in 1957 following an accident in 1956 parked at Bankstown in Carsair markings until moving to Scone in 1964 as a spares source. The USAAF identification plate attached to this aircraft underlines the rapid transfer of Norsemen to the RAAF, accepted by the USAAF on December 13 1943 and transferred to the RAAF two days later.

‘This Norseman came to grief suffering an engine failure.’

The ability to carry a generous volume and load made the aircraft an attractive proposition for crop dusting and other GA uses. In this role the three survivors, VH-GSE, -GSF and -GSG were gradually acquired by Pay and Williamson of Narromine founded by Colin Pay and Bruce Williamson in 1960, initially with two Cessna 180s. In November 1961 the company relocated to Scone and Col Pay took over the company in 1966 renamed as Pay’s Aerial Services. The first Norseman, VH-GSF arrived on October 9 1963 followed soon after by VH-GSE and finally with VH-GSG in March 1965. The Norseman modification to crop duster configuration for superphosphate spreading carrying a normal 2800lb payload was carried out at Bathurst.

On September 26 1966 VH-GSE was destroyed by fire near Armidale, failing to climb during crop dusting with pilot Col Pay escaping unhurt. Eventually the two surviving Norsemen, VH-GSF and VH-GSG were sold to Skyservice Aviation, Camden with the latter aircraft modified for mineral survey work. On March 1 1969 VH-GSF participated with other aircraft at Camden at a Symposium conducted by the Sydney Branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society into aerial firefighting it was never subsequently used operationally for this purpose. This Norseman came to grief suffering an engine failure off Queenscliff Beach, Sydney on January 18 1970, carrying skydivers who were to perform a mass parachute drop during a surf carnival. Pilot Ken Andrews fortunately wearing a parachute, hastily left the aircraft safely with his eight companions, with the aircraft coming down in the sea five miles off the coast.

The last remaining Australian Norseman, VH-GSG, was sold to E G (Ed) Fleming exporting the aircraft back to Canada. Cancelled from the Australian Civil Aircraft Register on July 21 1973 it became CF-ISM. On June 16 1978 it crashed at Witchai Lake, about 65km from Thomson, Manitoba on June 16 1978 with the loss of one passenger.

Although the 14 Norseman have gone, one relic remains in Australia, the Pratt & Whitney Wasp from VH-BHF now held by the impressive Darwin Aviation Museum.