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John and Joyce Proctor's Grumman Albatross in Company with Rob Poynton's Atbc - Texan/Harvard Over the Indian Ocean Near Perth. The Albatross Is Configured As a Flying Caravan and Is Currently on an Around the World Trip. For More Details Refer Text. (Howard Geary)
Warbirds
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Albatross Pays Flying Visit To Australia
The unusual visitor of the year award would probably have to go to a Grumman HU-16C Albatross amphibian that arrived in Darwin in August and was to fly across the continent in the following months. It was scheduled to attend a Fly-in at Newcastle in early October. Now owned by John and Joyce Proctor of Roseburg, Oregon, the former US Coast Guard Albatross is an airborne caravan of the couple as they fly around the world. Originally Bu.137908 and now carrying civil registration, N4WT (World tour?) the big Grumman was sold off from the Davis Monthan storage base at Tucson, Arizona, in 1988 less engines, undercarriage and floats etc. Purchased by the Proctors from Dross Metals of Tucson in July of 1993 the machine took two solid years of rebuilding and chasing needed parts to get it back in the air again. In April this year the couple left the United States and since then they have flown to Canada, Russia, Japan, the Philippines, Darwin arriving at Perth’s Jandakot airport on September 9. Both Joyce and John are pilots and fly the aircraft at a sedate 135kt (250km/h) cruising speed. The machine is equipped with all mod cons including GPS, a washing machine, computer, electric toilet, cooker, microwave oven, barbecue, shower, and double bed and carries a small motorcycle and dinghy. Built as a general purpose amphibian for the US Navy the prototype Albatross first flew on October 24 1947. Used by the US Navy, the USAF and the US Coast Guard the Albatross is powered by two Wright R-1820-76As or Bs radial engines each producing 1425hp (1070kW). The Albatross was used as an air-sea rescue aircraft, transport, utility aircraft, hospital aircraft and for patrol work. During the Korean war Albatrosses rescued almost 1000 United Nations personnel from coastal waters and rivers. They were also used for similar work during the Vietnam War. With space for a crew of four to six plus up to 10 stretchers the fuselage has a lot of space that the Proctors have turned to good use for their world trip.
Derelict Ventura Bomber To Be Restored
Following on from the photo of the Lockheed Ventura fuselage in the October issue of Australian Aviation (p71) it is now reported that the remains of the WW2 bomber are to be restored at Darwin by No 13 (City of Darwin) Squadron. For many years the fuselage of Ventura A59-73, was on display in a compound at Gove airport, Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, some 600km to the east of Darwin, along with the burnt out fuselage of a Bristol Beaufort bomber. Following recent negotiations with the Gove RSL Heritage Committee the fuselage was shipped to Darwin aboard HMAS Balikpapan for restoration by No 13 Squadron. No 13 Squadron operated A59-73 during WW2 at Gove in operations against the Japanese between April and August 1945, carrying out anti submarine patrols and conducting strikes around Timor and the Netherlands East Indies. It was during this time that A59-73 was damaged by fire during maintenance. After being stripped of parts the aircraft was left behind when the squadron hurriedly moved from Gove to Moratai in August 1945. Now a non flying RAAF Reserve unit, No 13 Squadron, reformed in 1989, is keen to restore the Ventura as it is the only surviving ex 13 Squadron Ventura from WW2. The idea is that the restoration is an excellent project for the squadron to maintain its engineering skills while at the same time build up an esprit de corps based on the squadron’s WW2 heritage. When finished, the Ventura will be returned to Gove to be placed on permanent display in a building that will also house wartime memorabilia of the Gove area. 75 Ventura bombers were used by the RAAF during WW2 and all by No 13 Squadron. Although most were disposed of shortly after the war ended, two A59-6 and A59-17, soldiered on until 1953 when they too were finally struck off charge. While No 13 Squadron was based in Darwin more than half a century ago the memory of its Ventura operations live on in the form of Lockheed Ventura, VH-SFF, painted up as a 13 Sqn aircraft as A59-67, SF-F. Previously N159U, this machine was imported from the USA a few years ago in exchange for a surplus Canberra bomber that then went to the USA. It is of interest that in 1991 there were still no less than 23 Lockheed Venturas on the ‘US civil register although one could reasonably suspect that not all were in ready to fly condition.
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