Table of contents for Feb-Mar-Apr 2017 in Flightpath

The ranks of the Australian Mustang population grew with the much anticipated first post restoration flight of Peter Gill’s rare PR Mustang VH-URZ on 17 December last. Formerly the RAAF’s A68-199, the flight took place at Tyabb where it has been under restoration for the past four years. Before a reasonably sized crowd, pilot Nick Caudwell, with project engineer Peter Robinson in the newly added rear seat, took the country’s youngest flying Mustang back into the air. The twenty-minute first flight was uneventful with only a slight trimming issue arising as an immediate fix. Tyabb-based aircraft collector Graham Hosking sold this CAC CA-18 Mk 22 Mustang project (c/n 1524) to Peter in 2012. Peter’s aim was to return the aircraft to airworthy status as quickly as possible by concentrating on…

Roy Palmer’s Sopwith Pup G-ELRT made its initial flight at Duxford, Cambridgeshire, UK, on 17 October 2016 in the hands of The Shuttleworth Collection’s Chief Pilot ‘Dodge’ Bailey. The aircraft was recreated by Retrotec around a pair of dataplates salvaged from original Pup N6161 and using some original period components and an 80hp (60 kW) Le Rhône engine. On 1 February 1917, after having been newly issued to 9 Squadron Royal Flying Corps, N6161 was forced down in France by Carl Meyer in a Rumpler float-plane. The Pup was being flown by George Elliott, who survived to become a prisoner of war. The Pup was captured intact and was later repainted with German crosses and test flown before being damaged in an accident. The dataplates were salvaged by Meyer and…

Brian and Damien Turner, the father and son team behind Latrobe Valley Airframes and Welding, have acquired their own project in the form of the second production DH.94 Moth Minor. The former VH-AAM (serial 94002) was built in the UK in 1939, but never entered the British register. It was initially flown as a demonstrator, on behalf of de Havilland Aircraft Pty Ltd, by the Newcastle Aero Club. It was not impressed into RAAF service during the war. The aircraft went through several owners once sold by the Aero Club, including Moorabbin flying school identity Gertrude McKenzie, before a serious accident on take-off in late 1953 ended its flying career. It was not until 1973, after the apparently useless rear fuselage was burnt in 1959, that the remains were acquired…

The Canadian Museum of Flight (CMF) in Langley, British Columbia, Canada has acquired Boeing 75N1 Stearman, CF-FVW. This Stearman was number 523 (Serial 75-523) out of a production line of over 10,000 model 75s. Records show it was originally fitted with a Continental R670, then re-engined with a Pratt & Whitney R985, and then once more re-engined to its current Lycoming R680. This Stearman has great local historical significance because it was owned and operated by Art Seller, and Skyway Air Services Ltd, which later evolved into the largest aerial fire-fighting company in the world, Conair, still British Columbia based. The Stearman was purchased in 1960 from Troh's Air Taxi of Portland, Oregon, USA for $3,000, and once imported into Canada, was given a metalized fuselage as it was intended…

Flying ‘The Hump’ was one of the most dangerous routes at the time, with almost 600 Allied aircraft lost to all causes during the campaign that was first controlled by the USAAF’s Tenth Air Force and then by its Air Transport Command. With Japan controlling the coastlines of China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Burma, and blocking the Burma Road, the air supply route was the only option available for delivering large quantities of supplies to the forces fighting the Japanese in China. Initially flying a mixed bag of impressed DC-3 airliners and C-47 transports, the fleet was bolstered by the arrival of further examples of the latter, along with Consolidated C-87 and C-109 Liberator Express freighters, and, importantly, large numbers of the big C-46 Commando. It was…

John Dallas Crossman was born in North Queensland on 20 March 1918. His father Ted had arrived in Australia in 1912 from Somerset. Ted initially found employment in the Queensland sugar mills then moved south to Newcastle to work in shipbuilding. There he met Australian-born Gladys Dallas. Ted returned to the CSR mills, this time with Gladys accompanying him. They went back to Newcastle after the births of John and his sister Joan. John was a keen swimmer, enjoyed music, collected stamps and was a voracious reader. He had elegant hands and his deft fingers were good at electrical work, but his greatest enthusiasm was for flying. He was mad about aeroplanes from the time he could walk and he loved making balsa wood models. When he was fourteen, Charles…

Over the weekend of October 15-16, the Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia (AAAA) held its annual Spring Fly-in and AGM at Temora. Forty aircraft, representing the diverse range of types operated by members, made the trip to the Riverina town in southwest New South Wales. The event coincided with the Temora Aviation Museum’s (TAM) flying weekend and Saturday saw several of the museum’s fleet performing for all present. Attending aircraft ranged from a P-40N Warhawk, and classic and vintage types like the Cessna C190 and Auster J/4 Archer, right down to the diminutive antique Porterfield. TAM launched its Ryan STM, CAC Wirraway and Boomerang and TAM members flew the P-40N, Vultee BT-13 and the A75N1 Stearman to complement the display. A People’s Choice Award is the only trophy handed out…

The story began in September 1929 when the original Australian National Airways (ANA) took delivery of the first five Avro Ten airliners built by A.V. Roe in England. Altogether, seven of the fourteen built were sold to Australian firms. These first five were the ‘Southern Cloud (VH-UMF), ‘Southern Star’ (VH-UMG), ‘Southern Sky’ (VH-UMH), ‘Southern Moon’ (VH-UMI), and ‘Southern Sun’ (VH-UNA). ‘Southern Moon’ is the subject of this story. As VH-UMI, the aircraft was utilised with remarkable efficiency on the Brisbane-Sydney-Melbourne-Launceston runs until 1932. During this period in its career it was flown by such aviation greats as Kingsford Smith, Ulm, Mollison, Taylor and Chaseling, and others, who were all members of the ANA team. When the depression forced the airline to cease operations, the ‘Southern Moon’ was due for reconditioning…

Of all the RNZAF squadrons that served during W.W.II, and they were all remarkable, one fighter unit is almost instantly recognised by many enthusiasts. This is largely because of the aircraft flown in the last year of the war and, of course, the men who flew them. Formed in March 1942 as a night fighter unit flying Hurricanes, 486 Squadron’s war was not a relatively long one, barely three years, but what it lacked in longevity, it made up in operational intensity. Starting quietly, the Hurricanes made way for Typhoons, and the unit’s role changed to intercepting low level raiders, usually Luftwaffe fighters, in late 1942. The Typhoons became dedicated fighter-bombers in mid-1943 before what remains the ultimate Allied fighter of the war, the Hawker Tempest, arrived in early 1944.…

After the last feature on the Oxford (Flightpath Vol 28, No. 2), we have received some great feedback. First, Adrian M Balch kindly supplied a rare photo of the Skyfame Aircraft Museum Airspeed Oxford G-AHTW (V3388) on landing approach. This was the last airworthy example of the type and, notwithstanding various restoration projects underway today, is likely to remain so. JK Hi James, I can add a couple of potential other projects that are around this part of the globe. Frank Thompson has a complete Oxford that has been restored by a group in Moosejaw, Saskatchewan. I am not sure where the airframe is located, but I have seen a picture of it somewhere (I just can’t find it!). It does, however, exist in a very…

The Polish Aviation Museum is on the former airfield of Rakowice-Czyzyny, near Krakow. The airfield dates back to the late 19th century, first being used for military balloons, before the Austrian Air Force established a maintenance unit there in 1912, and it had a continuous history (under Polish, German and Soviet control, as the fortunes of the country changed) until 1963, when the site was handed over to the Museum, which opened in 1964. A 2,000 feet (600 metre) section of the runway remains, which is now used for an annual June airshow. A new building, shaped like a three-bladed propeller, was added a few years ago, and allows the Museum to showcase some significant airframes in the collection. The museum also has one surviving pre-WWII hangar, which houses many…

The first Ryan PT-22 Recruit imported into Australia has new owners and will return to the skies after a long absence. Phil Prapulenis and Diane Davey have acquired the 1941 Ryan (VH-NEA) and are in the process of moving it to Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, where they keep their Piper PA-22 Pacer and PA-11 Cub. Built for the USAAC and disposed of in 1945, this Ryan (s/n 1590) was shipped from the USA in 1985 by Nigel Ar-not. Flown as ‘I-342’, Nigel sold it in 1989 and, after passing through two more owners, it was sold to Hank Ebes in 2008. Based at Moorabbin Airport, the PT-22 was rarely seen and hardly flown in the past eight years. However, both Phil and Di, as active members of the Antique Aeroplane Association…

The Corby Starlet is an Australian design that first flew in August 1966. In early October 2016, local and overseas enthusiasts gathered in Echuca, Victoria to celebrate the type’s fiftieth anniversary. Highlight of the gathering was a talk by the designer John Corby, who spoke of the challenges in becoming the first ever Australian design Type approved under ANO101.28 legislation. Since 1966 over a thousand sets of plans have been distributed, to a remarkable 31 countries. Set number one went to a group from Latrobe Valley, and resulted in Starlet VH-ULV. Back then, all 22 builders in the group had to be Department of Civil Aviation approved! VHULV was used to evaluate the aerobatic capabilities of the type, and subsequently the second Latrobe Valley Starlet went on to win the…

The New Brunswick, Canada city of Edmundston has transferred ownership of Lancaster Mk.10AR KB882 to the National Air Force Museum of Canada (NAFMC) in order to see this historic Lancaster’s long-term survival. For over fifty years, KB882 has been on outside display in Edmundston. In 2014, the Alberta Aviation Museum (AAM) took on the challenge of preventing further deterioration, intending to move KB882 to Edmonton, Alberta, where it would be fully restored. Unfortunately the AAM, found they were unable to fund the proposed move, and returned ownership back to Edmundston in early 2016, whereupon the NAFMC were able to start discussions. NAFMC Executive Director Chris Colton stated: “The National Air Force Museum of Canada is honored to have been selected as the final resting place for this historic aircraft. KB882…

The Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre, in north-western Victoria, continues to make excellent progress with its restoration to ground running condition of Avro Anson W2364. The rebuild team is close to running the second Cheetah engine and work on the internal fit out is close to completion. The Centre’s fundraising to secure Wirraway A20-722, VH-CAC, is also well underway with $100,000 raised so far. At the South Australian Aviation Museum in Adelaide, Anson EF954 is also under restoration. The starboard wing has been completed and work continues on fitting out the aircraft’s systems and controls. The project incorporates parts from Anson AW965 (VH-FIA).…

The colonial Dutch policeman slowly comprehended the unusual scene. The four bedraggled and armed men paraded in front of him had Asiatic features and the villagers who had brought him here to make the arrest were insistent that they were Japanese. Communication was awkward, for the stragglers spoke no Dutch and only a smattering of the tribal language. The year was 1954 and the location east of Hollandia, the capital of Dutch New Guinea today known as Jayapura. The four reluctantly accompanied the Dutchman back to Hollandia where they were subsequently debriefed in stilted and arcane military Japanese, much of which they had forgotten. Their bizarre tale encapsulates the draconian fate of surviving aircrew and ground-crew of the Japanese air army who tried to escape New Guinea’s northern airfields after…

The first Australian public display of Hurricane Mk.XII VH-JFW took place at Scone (NSW) Airport on 12 November 2016. It had flown for the first time on 2 October, following a two-year refurbishment by Ross Pay’s Vintage Fighter Restorations. A large number of aircraft attended the event, including Temora Aviation Museum’s Spitfire Mk.VIII (restored to flight by Col Pay in the 1980s), Paul Bennet’s Grumman Avenger, T-28B Trojan, CAC Wirraway, Wolf Pitts Pro and Yak-52, the HARS Caribou A4-234, William Finlen’s 1935 De Havilland DH.85 Leopard Moth, Mike Worthington’s DH.60 Moth VH-UOI, a 1935 De Havilland DH.83 Fox Moth and two CT4s. Warbirds from the Pay fleet also participated in the display including the CAC Mustang and North American Harvard. One of their most modern aircraft, an Air Tractor Fire…

On 19 December 2016, the Australian War Memorial’s (AWM) newly restored Lockheed Hudson Mk.IV, A16-105, was unveiled in Canberra Airport on the Virgin Australia airlines check-in floor, where it will be on display until 2018. Corporate support from Canberra Airport, Virgin Airlines Australia and Lockheed Martin Australia (the legacy company for Lockheed Aircraft of the thirties) enabled the aircraft to be placed on public display. All of these organisations were keen to highlight the event and the type’s import in “… the dark days of the Second World War” when it “defended our nation’s freedoms and vital interests. The aircraft then played its part in expanding commercial aviation in the post-war era,” AWM Director, Dr Brendan Nelson said. Situated at the airport, it will act as a signpost to the…

Mention the name Hart to any aviation enthusiast and three different people come to the fore: W.E. Hart, the first Australian to be issued with a flying licence in Australia; E.J. Hart, long-time owner and editor of ‘Aircraft’ magazine; and J.R. Hart of Hart’s Aircraft Services. Same name, but not related. W.E. Hart William Ewart Hart was born at Parramatta, NSW, in 1885 and trained as a dentist. He practiced this occupation in West Wyalong for five years before returning to Sydney. Having an interest in aviation, he purchased a Bristol Boxkite from J.J. Hammond in September 1911 and basically taught himself to fly. He made many flights in the Parramatta/Penrith area and, on 16 November 1911, he completed a series of tests set by the Royal Aero Club of…

G’day Rob, re the RTAF museum Nomad display in the last edition (Flightpath Vol 28, No. 2), here are a few photos I took in September 2011 of the ‘Nomad Homestay’ at Phitsanulok Airport/Air Force Base in Thailand. Back then there was a lot of controversy over this with some of the local government officials asking how the operators could buy the aircraft as scrap and re-use them as a home stay and make money out of them. I am not sure if ‘Nomad Homestay’ ever opened, but have seen on the web that they are still there, they had twin beds, air conditioners and a toilet down the back where the entrance is.…

The first Air Spectacular at Port Lincoln Airport on 16 October coincided with the eightieth anniversary of the first paying passenger flights to the South Australian seaside town. Despite the tyranny of distance, several warbirds made the journey. Paul Bennet’s well-travelled Grumman Avenger, Steve Gale’s Marchetti S.211, Judy Pay’s Mustang and Trojan, and the Team Steadfast Yakovlev Yak-3 were welcomed by an enthusiastic crowd. Graham Hosking’s meticulously restored F4U-5N Corsair, piloted by Peter Clements, made its first appearance in South Australia and was certainly the highlight of the show. Weather conditions were less than favourable, however the show went on with the sun finally appearing for the climactic five aircraft warbird formation. The Port Lincoln event will return and alternate with the established Jamestown Air Spectacular.…

When Ashley Briggs first saw the fresh restoration of the DHC-1 Chipmunk at Tim Beecroft’s restoration shop at Tocumwal in 1981, he promised himself that he would one day own that Chippy. That dream became reality in late 2015 when Ashley paired with Guy Hanson to acquire the aircraft from Larry Pickering of V8 Super Car fame. Larry had owned VH-PUB since 1980, but it has been in storage since the early 1980s. The Chipmunk is an ex RAF T.10 (WD361) and was one of three disposed of by the RAF in 1974 that were purchased by a syndicate of Melbourne enthusiasts in 1976. The group had mounted a successful challenge to the then DCA ban on operating ex-military aircraft. The three Chipmunks were shipped to Australia and reassembled at…

The Qantas Founders Museum achieved a major milestone in December 2016 when its Super Constellation was moved on seven low loaders from Manila International Airport to the container port. The operation took about four and a half hours to travel fifteen kilometres, which included the partial closing of one of Manila’s main highways. QFM Chairman John Vincent said the museum was very excited to see the aircraft reach the port safely and efficiently. “Moving a sixty-plus year old disassembled, very large aircraft is no easy feat, so we are delighted that this stage of the project has been completed and the aircraft is one step closer to its final home of Longreach. The next stage, the transportation of the aircraft by sea to Australia, is expected to commence in mid…

The organisation behind one of the most exciting and daunting restoration projects currently underway held its official launch on 29 October 2016. Its name, the Hawker Typhoon Preservation Group, is self-explanatory and, while this was its launch, those attending were met by a substantial lump of ‘Tiffie’ in the Boultbee Flight Academy’s hangar at Goodwood Aerodrome, England. Founder and trustee Dave Robinson began researching the Typhoon in 1999. His first acquisition was a complete firewall and cockpit frame that had been buried after the aircraft was scrapped. With an eye on at least building a ground-running Typhoon, two other founding trustees, flight instructor Sam Worthington-Leese and engineer Jonathan Edwards, have joined Dave in the past few years and the trio have been the driving force behind the push to build…

At the back of the SmartAir hangar in Albury NSW a team of dedicated volunteers is busy conserving the Douglas DC-2 c/n1286. As a tribute to the famous KLM DC-2 'Uiver' of the 1934 MacRobertson London to Melbourne Air Race, in 1979 another aircraft had been procured by the local Rotary Club and mounted on poles at Albury airport. Regrettably, exposure to the elements took its toll and the airframe fell into disrepair. However, following a few false starts the aircraft is now inside and, under the leadership of Dave Stoffels, the DC-2 is progressing toward displayable condition once again.…

Following the successes of 1940 against the Italians in North Africa, 3 Squadron RAAF, as part of 202 Group, moved from Gerawla to a new Advanced Landing Ground some seven kilometres north of Gambut, near Tobruk, in Italian Cyrenaica, on 8 January 1941. It was still equipped with the Gloster Gladiator. By month’s end, however, the decision to replace these aircraft with the Hawker Hurricane Mk.I had been made. This timing coincided with the arrival of the Afrika Korps in the Western Desert. Unit strength would be sixteen Hurricanes with a further four as an immediate reserve. Many of these aircraft were former 33 and 73 Squadron RAF machines. Two Westland Lysanders were also attached for communications duties. On 1 February, following another change of base to Berka, Benina, near…

Named in honour of the motley collection of U.S. and New Zealand aircraft that operated during the early days of the Guadalcanal campaign in late 1942, the Cactus Air Force Museum (CAFM) collection includes a few warbirds from the Second World War such as a TBM Avenger and an A-26C Invader that was restored to a wartime configuration several years ago. It is just as well known, however, for its Vietnam era aircraft. One of the aircraft most representative of the museum is one of the few privately operated OV-10 Broncos in the United States. This aircraft was used by the Luftwaffe as a target tug, but, after being acquired by Rick Clemens, it was reconfigured by the CAFM engineers as a standard OV-10A as used in the Vietnam War.…

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress needs no introduction, and with only one B-29 flying regularly in the last four decades, the remarkable number of survivors can be underestimated. Today, we are lucky that there are two B-29s flying (and well over twenty more survivors) but it is often not realised that there have been several other fliers in civil hands - including one across the Atlantic. The premier Boeing B-29 Superfortress in preservation terms has to be ‘Fifi’. With USAAF serial number 44-62070, and today civil registered N529B, ‘Fifi’ was built at Boeing’s plant in Renton, Washington in July of 1945. Too late for the war, it was pressed into service as a trainer at various stateside bases until the mid 1950s when it was flown to China Lake Naval base…

On 9 July 1944, two USAAF squadrons of A-20G Havoc strafers headed for a hornet's nest of anti-aircraft guns surrounding a remote jungle field called Babo. In retrospect it is easy to discern that the mission would inevitably incur casualties for little return. Such missions sacrificed Allied crews for little gain and this particular one underlines the futility of much of the later Pacific aerial campaign. The fog of war hangs over the rationale of how and why the mission was authorised, given that there were apparently so few or no worthwhile targets. More poignantly, the mission's results reflect a deadly game that was played out between low level Allied attackers and Japanese defenders. As the war progressed, the latter became increasingly proficient at hitting low flying targets, by adjusting…

Named in honour of the pioneering aviator, the Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport in Thermal, California, hosted its eleventh annual air show on 5 November 2016. With free admission to the public, the flying kicked off with an aerobatic display by Vicky Benzing in her Stearman Kaydet and John Collver in his SNJ-5 Texan ‘War Dog’. Warbirds and classic aircraft, and even a USAF Reserve C-17A Globemaster III, were on static display, with most of the war-birds being provided by the Planes of Fame and Palm Springs air museums. The former’s P-51A Mustang, F4U-1A Corsair and F-86F Sabre also flew in the show which concluded with a formation flying display by the Patriots Jet Team in six L-39 Albatros trainers.…

Currently the home of the USAF Warfare Center, the 57th Wing, Red Flag and the USAF Thunderbirds, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, celebrated its 75th anniversary with the Aviation Nation Air Show & Open House over the weekend of 11-13 November 2016. Tracing its history to 1929 when the field was first operated by Western Air Express for contract air mail work, the facility was also used by the U.S. Army Air Corps for training in the 1930s, and named McCarran Field in 1941 after the very aviation-minded Nevada senator of the same name. Used by the Army Air Force for gunnery training during W.W.II, it was renamed Las Vegas AFB in 1948 and, on 30 April 1950, the name changed once again to Nellis AFB in honour of First…