Warbirds #387 | Up close with ‘Frigate Bird II’

The PBY Catalina is regarded as the most successful flying boat to ever be produced. A24-385 was one of the 168 Catalinas ordered by the Royal Australian Air Force during WWII. Despite being relatively slow-moving compared to other WWII-era planes, the Catalina’s range and water capabilities made it a useful frontline aircraft by the RAAF for missions around the Pacific. From 1942 until the end of the War, Australian Catalinas assisted allied forces with mine-laying missions in enemy harbours, detecting Japanese naval vessels, and rescuing allied troops from the ocean.

A24-385 was delivered to Australia on 3 September 1945 — unfortunately just weeks after the war had ended. After briefly being assigned to 3 Operational Training Unit, the Catalina was placed in storage at RAAF Base Rathmines, which was the time, the RAAF’s biggest flying boat base. Five years later, the aircraft was handed over to Sydney-born Sir Patrick Gordon Taylor — known often as P.G. Taylor — who planned to complete the first return flight between Australia and South America.

Taylor gained fame as a former crew member of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm on a number of pioneering flights, and later was awarded the Empire Gallantry Medal after Taylor, mid-flight, made six journeys outside the cabin of the ‘Southern Cross’ in order to drain oil from a failed engine. In 1950, Taylor renamed the flying boat Frigate Bird II ahead of his trailblazing flight to South America — the only corner of the earth yet to see a return flight from Australia at the time. Captain P.G Taylor and his crew took off from Rose Bay on 13 March 1951, making stops in Tahiti and Easter Island along the way.

Supermarine Spitfire restoration in Scone

Eighty-two years after crashing in England’s southeast with an Australian Flight Lieutenant onboard, a Scone-based charity has taken on the worthy task of restoring a WWII-era Royal Air Force Vickers Supermarine Spitfire to airworthy status. The Supermarine (serial X4009) is one of less than 200 remaining Spitfires around the globe, less than half of which are currently airworthy.

X4009 was operated by No. 234 Squadron RAF as AZ-Q after its delivery in August 1940. During the battle of Britain, it was flown by Flight Lieutenant Paterson Clarence Hughes, Australia’s highest-scoring ace of that battle and among the highest of the war. Hughes was killed in action in X4009 on 7 September 1940. It is thought the aircraft was struck by debris from a German bomber nearby that had been shot down. Hughes was later awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. The Spitfire was recovered years later and registered G-EMET.

After the wreckage of X4009 was verified and acquired by Ross and Ann-Maree Pay in 2021, it was donated to charity Hunter Fighter Collection Inc. The restoration to airworthy status will be completed in Scone by Vintage Fighter Restorations. Hunter Fighter Collection says the wreckage is “unusual”, given that so much material was recovered. Initial restoration work has already commenced in the UK before makes its way Down Under. When not engaging in flight displays, the Spitfire will be on display in Scone for the Australian public.

1942 Curtiss P-40N Kittyhawk up for sale for $3.8m

An ex-RAAF combat Curtiss P-40N Kittyhawk has been listed for sale in New Zealand for US$2.45 million — about $3.8 million AUD. Built by Curtiss Aircraft Corporation in New York in 1943, this aircraft, A29-448, was delivered to No 75 Squadron RAAF on 8 August under a lend-lease agreement with the US Army Air Corp. No 75 Squadron designated the plane G-AC.

Australia flew P-40 Kittyhawks to defend New Guinea against Japanese forces during the war. G-AC was ultimately ditched after a landing incident near Port Moresby in May 1944 and was later found and recovered by Charles Darby in the 1970s. The aircraft was restored to airworthy condition in Auckland and made its first public flight display in 2000. It is one of about 40 airworthy Kittyhawks worldwide today. It has a two-seat, dual-control configuration with convertible canopy. According to the listing, this plane is also the only P-40 in the world that has had its “fully equipped gun bays” reinstated — an apparent “crowd pleaser” at airshows when used with blank ammunition.

75 years of the Fleet Air Arm

The Royal Australian Navy’s Fleet Air Arm celebrated its diamond jubilee in October with a public open day and airshow at HMAS Albatross in Nowra. The event included musical performances from the RAN Band Sydney, public access to the airfield and, of course, an aerial spectacle. HARS Aviation Museum supported the event, providing flight displays using two of its ex-RAN aircraft, a Grumman S-2G Tracker 844 and Huey 898.

The Tracker 844, N12-152333, was delivered to the RAN in April 1977 to replace one of nine aircraft lost in a hangar fire. This aircraft served until August 1984, when it was placed into the capable care of the RAN Historic Flight, before being gifted to HARS in December 2018.

Air shows face rejected takeoffs

In less exciting news, we’ve seen a string of air shows cancelled in recent weeks due to poor weather and unsuitable conditions. Warbirds Downunder 2022 — due to take placed at Temora Aviation Museum on 15 and 16 October — was unfortunately cancelled, with all ticketholders refunded. Temora Aviation Museum CEO Murray Kear said the decision to cancel was not made lightly, “however the unprecedented weather cycles have waterlogged the entire event site including car parking, aircraft parking, caravan parking and the tent city glamping sites, and has prevented them from being utilised as intended”. Kear said the potential for attendees to be “placed in an unsafe situation is far too high” if the show were to go ahead as planned. No new date has been set at this time. The Jamestown Air Spectacular, scheduled for the following weekend, was similarly cancelled due to weather.

Sadly, the Ipswich Amberley Air Tattoo 2022, scheduled for 29 and 30 October, has also been cancelled. It was set to be the first time that the doors of RAAF Base Amberley were to be opened to the public since 2008. The RAAF stated it was “disappointed” to make the announcement, however, revealed the decision was made “due to recent heavy rainfalls in South East Queensland … Unfortunately, the grassed areas for car parking and spectator viewing areas are waterlogged and the conditions are not safe for parking or spectator attendance, and safety is paramount,” it added. “Even if it doesn’t rain in the coming days, the grassed areas will not dry out sufficiently in time for the Air Tattoo. As per the refund and cancellation policy, all Ipswich Amberley Air Tattoo ticket holders will have their tickets refunded in full.”

Pacific Airshow Gold Coast confirmed for 18–20 August

On a more positive note, Australia’s newest air show, the Pacific Airshow Gold Coast, has been confirmed for 18–20 August 2023. The event itself, run by LA-based Code Four — which successfully launched the original Pacific Airshow in Huntington Beach, California in 2014 — was announced earlier in 2022, however no dates were revealed initially. much to the dismay of eager aviators keen to book in ahead of the crowds.

Come August 2023, Pacific Airshow Gold Coast will take place over three massive days in Surfers Paradise, with Red Bull Air Race world champion Matt Hall already signed on as the show’s first ambassador. The three-day affair will involve numerous aerial displays from around the globe along with food and market stalls, entertainment and hospitality programs, and VIP parties and meet-and-greets, according to its organisers.

By 2021, three million visitors attended the California show, which has in the past included aerial displays by the US Navy Blue Angels, US Air Force Thunderbirds, Royal Air Force Red Arrows and the Canadian Forces Snowbirds. No acts have been confirmed for the Australian iteration of the show as of yet, however, Code Four has said it is “working closely” with the Australian Defence Force ahead of the inaugural show.