Warbirds

Vale Mark Smith

It is with great sadness that we advise of the passing of Mark Smith who was killed on July 24 in an incident involving a car on a roadway near his home at Smythes Creek south-west of Ballarat, Victoria. Mark was a photographer and writer. Over the years he took photographs of many a classic, antique and warbird aircraft. In more recent time he was the editor of the RAAus magazine, Australian Sport Pilot and prior to that editor of the AOPA printed magazine, AOPA Pilot. Mark was also a pilot also and would turn up to flying events in his Beech Musketeer, “the family station wagon” as he described it. Mark was a man with strong opinions on any subject you would care to start on. A family man with several children, he had a background involving model aircraft, sailing, horse riding, flying, writing and of course photography. He did part-time work for the ABC and had worked for the Herald-Sun newspaper. More than 300 people at his funeral heard about his life and involvement with aviation. He will be missed.

Classic Jets Fighter Museum Wind Down

The CJFM, owned and operated by Bob Jarrett at Parafield Airport, has been wound down and moved into the adjoining hangar 107 from July 25. The museum will continue to work on the restoration of its Corsair in a smaller museum. The museum will still be open to the public between 10.00am and 4.00pm Wednesday to Sunday at a greatly reduced entry fee. The Corsair, an F4U-1, s/n 02270, was salvaged from a lagoon at Vanuatu where it force-landed short of the fighter strip at Quoin Hill on May 5 1944. The aircraft has a data plate on the spar indicating it was number 124 off the production line. It is said that the Corsair needs five years more of restoration.

As a result of the wind down an auction was conducted by Mason Gray Strange auctioneers on July 24. About 680 items were put up for sale to a range of bidders both local and from overseas, present on site or over the phone. The auctioneer’s catalogue stated that it was an extraordinary collection of wartime and general aviation items. These included an ex RAN DH Sea Venom, a GAF Jindivick, Mirage cockpit, ejector seats, jet and piston engines, aircraft components, navigation equipment, uniforms, aircraft parts and aviation memorabilia of all sorts.

The bidding and buying ran for most of the day. Items of interest included an Allison V12 engine that went for $26,500. The GAF Jindivick went for $7,000 and the Sea Venom was sold for $16,000.

One bidder said that he felt a lot of items were sold at figures that he felt were higher than one could expect such was the interest in the sale items.

Register Update

A new warbird on the scene is Yak 52TW (tailwheel) VH-TWP, noted recently conducting engine runs at Toowoomba where Aerotec were putting the aircraft back into the air.

From New Zealand we learn that an Australian Supermarine Spitfire replica VH-XST c/n -11, was exported to New Zealand on June 16 to become ZK-RGV with the owner as G Marsh of Inglewood. DH Tiger Moth ZK-AFO c/n 3630 has been restored to the register on July 12 to T Galpin of Tauranga.

ZK-WKA, a DHC-2 Beaver c/n 1585 was removed from the ZK register on June 24 as having been ‘Destroyed’.

In Australia Beagle A109 VH-BAF c/n B520 was registered to Russell Legg of Scone NSW on June 19. It is a rebuild project. The aircraft is ex VH-UEM and G-ASBI. DHC-1 Chipmunk VH-TDH c/n 42 was registered on June 19 to Edward Goodfellow of Willunga, South Australia. It is ex ZK-DHC and VT-CVU. In the struck offs Auster J/1N Alpha VH-COL c/n 3363 was taken off the register on June 17 as withdrawn from use. VH-RUO, an Avro 643 MkII Cadet c/n 1069 was taken off the register on June 3 as withdrawn from use. Yak-52 VH-YRO c/n 9010412 was taken off the register on May 30 as withdrawn from use. DH82a Tiger Moth VH-UEQ c/n 75 has a new owner, Platinum Aircraft Charter of Willunga SA, as of June 30. Former Australian Army Bell 206B-1 Kiowa VH-EJZ c/n 44516 was put on the register on July 9 to Edward Jones, Hillston NSW. The machine is ex A17-016. Cessna 190 c/n 7387 VH-ONA was added to the register on July 1 to Aviation Specialists Toowoomba of Wilsonton, Qld. It is ex C-FNPT, CF-NPT and N9307A.

Yet another DH Moth has been put on the register. VH-UUX, a DH60M3 c/n 2 was added to the register on June 27 to Finlen Developments of Boonah, Qld. It is said to be a rebuilt project. Cessna 170B VH-WRT was taken off the register on July 2 as having been exported to New Zealand. It has c/n 20357. Those Kiwis love Australian aircraft! Luscombe 8A VH-ZDE c/n 4433 was taken off the register on July 12 as having been transferred to the RAAus register. It became 24-8412. Auster IV VH-HPM c/n 846 changed owners to new owner Andrew Whiteman of Georges Hall NSW on July 10. Boeing A75N1 Stearman VH-RAC c/n 75-1528 has a new owner, Jace Harrison of Sunbury, Vic as from July 10. Auster J/5 Adventurer VH-KSN c/n 2811 has a new owner, Patrick Normoyle of Aldinga Beach, SA as from July 2.

In Brief

There are airshows and there are airshows. Nhill, Victoria, is holding an airshow on Sunday November 2 that promises to be even better than its last. The Roulettes are an item and The Paul Bennett Airshows crew will be displaying their aircraft to the spectators who have been starved of a good airshow for too long.

It was in October 1919 when a WW1 surplus DH6 Biplane landed in a paddock on the outskirts of town to thrill the locals and mark the start of many years of aviation activity at Nhill. During WWII the airport was turned into a RAAF base. The remnants of that base can still be seen around the airport for those who look. The airport is the home to the Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre where an Avro Anson rebuild project is close to being finished. A CAC Wirraway is also on display there. The intent is to have a number of aircraft in the centre as an air museum.

The Caboolture Aero Club was the sponsor when a De Havilland Aircraft type fly in was held at Caboolture aerodrome on July 29. The event attracted not only De Havilland aircraft but other interesting types as well. In the DH range there were DH82a Tiger Moths, A DH85 Leopard Moth, a DH60M Gipsy Moth, a DHC-1 Chipmunk as well as a static DHA-3 three-engined Drover. A DHC-4 Caribou ex ADF was in the big aircraft class. There were also a DH104 Dover and a Sea Devon. An interesting biplane was an Australian-built Genairco.