Issue 1
CORSAIR UPDATE Triple India flies!
AIRSHOW 2020 IS GO!! - 2019 AAAA Toy run - Club news and more Quarterly Magazine of the Peninsula Aero Club
Peninsula Aviation
1
EDITOR Matt Savage
LAYOUT & DESIGN Mach One Aeromedia
CONTRIBUTORS Darren Barnfield Sarah Dowe Ian Johnson Matt Savage
CONTENTS From The President PAGE 3 Triple India Flies Again PAGE 4
PAC COMMITTEE
Tyabb Airshow 2020 PAGE 6
PRESIDENT Jack Vevers
VICE PRESIDENT Ray Taylor TREASURER Ian Johnson SECRETARY Martin Cartlidge IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Peter Bernardi DIRECTORS Judy Pay Steve Bull Peter Cutting Brian Kohlar Julie Nathan Luke Bramston Michael Brooks Tony Manning Rolfe Summerhayes Stephen Braim
AAAA 2019 Toy Run PAGE 10 Vale PAGE 12 PIREP PAGE 13 Aiming Higher PAGE 14 Happy As Larry! PAGE 15
Cover - Pilot Peter Clements (left) and owner Graham Hosking in front of F4U-5N Corsair VH-III at the conclusion of the maiden flight. Pic - Matt Savage
2
Peninsula Aviation
From The President Welcome to the our first edition of Peninsula Aviation magazine. Whilst we have our weekly online publication, which has proven to be a tremendous success, I have decided to produce a quarterly magazine with more stories about the aircraft that live at Tyabb and the owners. Matt Savage is our Editor, who is always around the airport with his trusty camera and ready to take a photo and learn more about what’s making news at PAC. I hope you enjoy Peninsula Aviation and encourage you to share your stories and about trips and your aircraft so others can share in the fun and learn something new along the way. Airshow We are only a couple of weeks out from the Airshow and things are really starting to hot up. There are many people working behind the scenes to make the 2020 Tyabb Airshow the best yet. I am incredibly proud of everyone on the Airshow Committee and the members who have stepped up and taken on the challenge of putting the show on this year. To be honest I had my doubts we could pull this off after the Council directed us to stop operations and we were forced to cancel the Airshow in August. This year we have organised a free hangar party for the PAC volunteers, pilots, aircraft owners, ground crew and sponsors. PAC members are most welcome to attend, although there will be a small charge if you do not fit into the above participant categories. Of particular note this year is the 50th anniversary of the Angel of Mercy, which was the genesis of our airshows. The airshow was conceived to raise money to operate the Angel of Mercy and provide emergency medical services on the Peninsula. The Angel was the brainchild of Frankston Doctor, and PAC member, Dr Tom Ready, who convinced his friend, and fellow PAC member, Mr Bill Vowell to purchase a helicopter and run the world’s first emergency medevac helicopter service, based on the Mornington Peninsula. Over the years the Angel of Mercy saved many lives and became an international success story where the concept has become ubiquitous and expected with emergency services around the world. Today the legacy of giving to the community by PAC members lives on and I am pleased to announce that the major beneficiary this year will be Chasing Change. Chasing Change is a volunteer organisation that works to prevent
Peninsula Aviation
suicide through the promotion of community, conversation and collaboration. I think this is a worthy organisation that meets our ideals of being local and is making a difference in supporting the community and in particular our youth. Bushfires Over the past weeks we have been supporting the firefighting air operations by providing fuel for firebird spotters, which are the main coordinators of any aerial water bombing programme. During the fires on French Island we had an aircraft over the fires and took photos and called in the emergency. I spoke with the CFA Fire Chief and was informed that these photos were of great value to them and has helped them to better understand the origin of the fire in terms of how and where it started. Fortunately the bush fires have so far spared the Mornington Peninsula, but it doesn’t mean we as a club haven’t been touched by the fires. In early January “Desert” Dick Lang the outback pilot and his son lost their lives in the fires on Kangaroo Island. I know many of you knew Desert Dick as I did, and always enjoyed his company. Dick actually saved the life of a friend of mine when we were in outback SA in the early 90s, where Dick came to the rescue and airlifted my mate to Adelaide after a snake bite. Sadly I must mention the loss of Ethan Slade’s (PAC Instructor) father Bill Slade. Bill lost his life when a tree fell on him while fighting fires in Omeo. We are all united as a Club in our thoughts and prayers for the Slade family. We are full of respect for the devotion of service Bill Slade offered to the people of Victoria over a 40 year career as a firefighter. Mangalore Tragedy As this magazine goes live, I must advise of the terrible accident that occurred in Maglaore just a few days ago, with the mid-air collision that took the lives of four experienced aviators. Among them were our Head of Operations Peter Phillips, and his student, club member Ido Segev. Both Peter and Ido were well-respected at Tyabb and within the aviation community, and their loss will be felt widely among us. We will be commemorating them both in the next edition of Peninsula Aviation.
President Jack 3
TRIPLE INDIA Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, Australia's only airworthy Chance Vought F4U Corsair returned to the skies over Tyabb on December 16.
and the team at Aerotec NT and, in 2014, made its first post-restoration test flight. FAH603 moved to her current home at Tyabb later that year.
The Corsair, an F4U-5N night-fighter variant built in 1951 at Stratford, Connecticut by Chance Vought (a division of United Aircraft), went into service with the United States Navy. Little is known of its US service history, but in 1956 it was purchased by the Fuerza Aerea Hondurena (Honduran Air Force) and entered service as FAH603. Honduran Corsairs engaged in the very last piston-versus-piston dogfights ever flown, where one successfully shot down a trio of El Salvadorean fighters during the Football War of 1969.
In early 2017 she suffered a landing mishap at the Hunter Valley Airshow in Maitland NSW, and was transported by road back to Tyabb. While there was no major structural damage done, parts like flaps and landing gear doors required replacement, as well as a new engine and propeller.
After being sold on the civil market in the early 1970's and returning to the US, the Corsair passed through several hands until being gifted to the Royal New Zealand Air Force by Walt Disney Studios in 1987. A decade later, the RNZAF swapped the aircraft in exchange for a Curtiss P-40F Warhawk project owned by Graham Hosking in Tyabb, Australia. FAH603 underwent a comprehensive restoration to airworthiness in Darwin by Peter Bradley 4
The second "first flight", flown by Peter 'BD' Clements, was a complete success. There were no anomalies or issues reported during the 45-minute test flight. Owner Graham Hosking is excited that FAH603 will be one of the stars of the Tyabb Air Show. ✈
Story and Photos - Matt Savage
Peninsula Aviation
FLIES AGAIN
Main pic: Peter Clements banks the Corsair around after a high-speed run along Tyabb’s runway. Opposite left: Unfurling the wings prior to taxying out. Opposite right: Airborne again after nearly three years in rebuild following her wheels-up landing at Maitland, NSW. Above: Pulling through the sixteen blades prior to startup makes for a good workout! Below: Pilot Peter Clements prepares to enter the Corsair.
Peninsula Aviation
5
AIRSHOW 202 IS GO!!
6
Peninsula Aviation
20
With the 2020 Tyabb Airshow just a few weeks away, here is a look back at the record-breaking 2018 Airshow. All pictures - Matt Savage
Peninsula Aviation
7
8
Peninsula Aviation
Peninsula Aviation
9
Main Pic - Aircraft on parade under cloudy skies. Left - The generosity of our local community on show with almost 700 gifts donated, a new record. Bottom Left- Some of the many Yak-52s that call Tyabb home. Middle Left - David Rowe’s Useless Flying Object is one of the more unique of Tyabb's residents. Middle Right - Godfrey Stevens’ Auster J1N VHSAH. Bottom Right - PAC President Jack Vevers, AAAA Vice President The Hon. Gordon Rich-Phillips MLC and Southern Peninsula Food For All President Ken Northwood during the official ceremony.
”
'
10
Peninsula Aviation
The first day of Summer felt anything but, though the spirit of Christmas shone brightly at the annual Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia’s Victorian Toy Run. A record number of gifts were donated by PAC members, Antiquers, local car clubs, and from the wider Tyabb community. So many gifts, that it took two classic Australian cars to carry them! Almost 700 gifts were handed over to Ken Northwood from Food For All, a local charity that provides food hampers and gifts to those in need on the Mornington Peninsula. Ken also expressed his "Thanks for the efforts of Peninsula Area Club and the Tyabb, Somerville and Hastings Communities for their generosity.” Only the one visiting aircraft made it to the festivities, Godfrey Stevens’ Coldstream-based Auster J1N VH-SAH, though a number of Tyabb’s aviators brought out their aircraft for display, including a trio of Yak-52s, past President Peter Bernardi’s DHC-1 Chipmunk 'Rsky Business’ and Ian Johnson’s recentlyacquired Piel Emeraude. Hopefully the weather gods will be more willing to supply more appropriate weather in 2020! ✈
"
AAAA VICTORIAN TOY RUN 2019
Peninsula Aviation
11
Vale Bruce Davis
Son, Ken still flies VH-BDD into Tyabb regularly.
Bruce arrived at the Club in 1968 or 1969 at a time when the Club was embroiled in conflicts with objections to the Airfield, as well as a conflict with Jack Ellis, a former President.
Bruce was a likeable friend to all who knew him. He was always helpful and engaging in conversation.
On top of these conflicts the Club was somewhat short of funds in controversial circumstances (to put it mildly.) Bruce became Treasurer in 1969 and helped to stabilize and improve the Club’s finances. He held this position for 6 years through to 1975, and in this period the Club grew and prospered. During this same period the Airfield land had to be sold by the owner at the time, and it looked like the Club would soon have no home airfield.
On the Committee he was most articulate and logical, with much business acumen and good decision making. He was a tower of stability at a time in the Club’s history when it was most needed. The Club stands in his debt from those uncertain early days. Blue skies and tailwinds.
Bill Slade
Bruce was then largely instrumental in the establishment of Westernport Airfield Pty. Ltd., a private Company formed to buy the Airfield, with shares available to all members. Doug Thompson’s book “Turbulence Over Tyabb” records that “Bruce Davis handled the entire matter with considerable skill and finesse, and accepted no commissions”.
Bill Slade, 60, was working on containing a fire in the Anglers Rest area near Omeo when he was killed by a falling tree on January 11.
In those days not many members could afford to buy shares, and Bruce ended up as the main shareholder. Over time other members would buy small parcels of shares from Bruce.
Matthew Jackson, the chief executive of Parks Victoria, said he had the "privilege" of honouring Mr Slade for his 40 years in the field late last year.
All share-holders embraced the common goal of retaining the airfield indefinitely for aviation purposes only.
At 60 years of age, working as an arduous firefighter, Bill has been one of our most experienced, long-serving and fittest firefighters.
Bruce continued to hold office as President of the Club for 1976/77 and 1977/78. Earlier in this 10-year period Bruce bought a brandnew Cessna 210, VH-BDD, and Bruce was often seen departing/arriving YTYA to/from his farm near Hamilton in VH-BDD with his wife Heather.
12
Mr Slade worked for 40 years in firefighting and with Parks Victoria and he battled the Ash Wednesday bushfires in 1983.
He is survived by his wife Carol, daughter Steph and son Ethan, an instructor at Peninsula Aero Club. The Committee, instructors, staff and members offer their condolences to Ethan and family.
Peninsula Aviation
PIREP Out and about over our beautiful country with the PAC crew
Story by Ian Johnson, Images by Ian Johnson and Sarah Dowe Around 6pm on New Year’s eve I became aware that Andre Rousseau intended to fly Nigel Ellis’ 1971 Piper Cherokee Cruiser along the edge of the Melbourne Control Zone to coincide with the early fireworks display. A dip of the tanks and some mathematics proved there was capacity for two pax and I was able to fill one seat whilst member Sarah Dowe occupied the other.
one or two images show places that are recognizable. In the shot below a darkened MCG can be seen between the blue stadium lights on left and the fireworks.
A quick trip to Woolies and a preflight meal of porterhouse steak and 7 veggies plus strawberries and ice cream lifted us close to our max all up weight. Andre was able to do a through preflight inspection in daylight and we were aboard with engine started just before last light. We climbed out from 17 through the haze and bush fire smoke that was trapped by an inversion around 2000 feet, although Devil Bend Reservoir was clearly visible in the fading light, as was Bluescope.
However there was plenty to see and enjoy apart from the fireworks, the city lights are a magnificent sight, with the straight grid of Melbourne streets clearly shown by the lines of sodium lit main roads. Our return to Tyabb was made just west of Moorabbin along the Bay's coast and a smooth landing completed a most memorable and enjoyable evening.
On reaching 2500' we departed the circuit area and initially tracked for GMH, then to abeam Albert Park Lake via Academy. Andre’s planning proved spot on as the fireworks commenced just as we located abeam. A pity my camera settings were not correct as the slow shutter meant blurred images, still
Peninsula Aviation
What a great way to enjoy flight! ✈
13
Aiming Higher Congratulations to all of the following aviators who have earned qualifications or completed significant milestones in their flying in the past few months.
FIRST SOLO
FORMATION
Kesar Singh
Daniel Foster
RECREATIONAL PILOTS LICENCE (RPL)
INSTRUMENT RATING
Simon Benett Chris Brown
AEROBATICS ENDORSEMENT
RPL ADD-ON
Tim Meyers Nathan Clarke
Ilona Patient (NAV & CSU) Nicole Bennett (NAV) Peter Kelly (CTA/Controlled Airfield) Matthew Beale (NAV)
PRIVATE PILOTS LICENCE (PPL)
MULTI-ENGINE Chris Brown
TAILWHEEL Andre Rousseau
Peter Kelly Tony Jarvis Lisa Waugh
INSTRUCTOR
NIGHT VFR RATING
Dave Porrett (Grade 2) Ethan Slade (DFTA) Rob Lovig (Grade 2 & META) Grace Perrin (Grade 2 & DFTA)
Andre Rousseau
14
Grace Perrin (MECIR)
Peninsula Aviation
Happy as Larry! Darren Barnfield shares his passion for the beloved Bell 47 helicopter. Story by Darren Barnfield, Images by Matt Savage Anyone who has ever seen M*A*S*H (the 1970 feature film or the subsequent television series) will instantly recognize one of the stars, the Mighty Bell 47 helicopter. The distinctive bubble canopied aircraft with the skeletalframework fuselage and uncowled engine also was a central character in the television series, Whirlybirds (19571960) and in Skippy the Bush Kangaroo. A Brief History The Bell 47 was designed by Arthur M. Young, a Princeton graduate. Arthur convinced Larry Bell of Bell Aircraft just prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor to sponsor him in building a full-size version of his Model 30 helicopter. The first untethered flight was made in June 1943. In March 1946 a third version of Young’s helicopter, the Bell 47, became the first helicopter certified by the Civil Aeronautics Administration. At the beginning of the Korean War, soldiers wounded in battle were transported by ground vehicles to the nearest Mobile Army Surgical Hospital
(MASH), a trip that could take several hours. Many died before getting there. Travel time was slashed at the end of 1950 when Bell 47s, fitted with a cocoonlike stretcher pod on each landing skid, began serving as medevac helicopters. Soldiers and in some cases civilians that had taken enemy bullets or shrapnel could arrive at MASH units in these “angels of mercy” within an hour of being hit. What made this such an amazing feat was the early Bell 47 were fitted with wooden rotor blades and a 200hp Franklin engine (the later models were fitted with a Lycoming TVO-435-A1A sixcylinder, horizontally opposed piston, 260 hp (190 kW). The early variants were really just a 2-seat machine but they routinely carried up to 4 people, with 2 on external stretchers and another wounded inside the cabin with the pilot. Being the first certified helicopter, the Bell 47 chalked up a wide variety of firsts. It was the first helicopter to carry a President, first to land on the White House lawn, first to become a gunship, first to
Darren takes another happy guest up in Larry the Mighty Bell 47. More than 200 people have sampled the joys of rotary flight, courtesy of Darren’s hospitality.
Peninsula Aviation
15
The Bell 47’s simple construction and ease of access is clearly visible in the underside view of Larry.
16
Peninsula Aviation
deliver mail, first to be used as a camera platform, first to become a crop sprayer, first to fly over the Swiss Alps—the list is endless. NASA used Bell 47s to help train astronauts for the Apollo Lunar Module (the moon lander). It also, of course, was the first helicopter to become a television star.
for it. I then went back up to Queensland, did the 100hrly with Russell and flew it home with Andy.” The flight home to Moorabbin from Boonah took three days and included many stops along the way, meeting many people and giving them a ride in the Bell.
“Larry” - My 1971 Bell 47 G5A
Bringing it home was surreal. There was a mixture of emotions; there was the thrill, there was adrenaline but overall there was a feeling of sheer joy. I had no fear about flying it. They were designed so well and at a time when engineers, not accountants, decided how things should be built. “I didn’t care that we were only doing 65kts. Sometimes we were down to 45kts groundspeed and watched the trucks were passing us on the freeway.
During my flying lessons I always knew I wanted my own machine. A LAME friend of mine Russ Smedley from Whirlybird Aircraft Maintenance, mentioned that he knew of a Bell 47 in Queensland that may be up for sale. He put me in contact with the owner, who had used the aircraft for joy flights along the Brisbane River. “So, I met Andy, who is an English lad and was planning to move back “I didn’t care that we home to doing 65kts. Sometimes England.
That’s all part of fun. Never in were only the a thousand we were years, and as I down to 45kts groundspeed and said I’ve worked I got the feeling watched the trucks were passing us extremely hard all my life, did I during the on the freeway.” think I’d be flying negotiations it home in a wasn’t a sales helicopter I owned, that I know how to transaction but an interview as to fly. “I’m trying to get people to whether I was going to sell it on because understand that if you have a dream, the price was very good. I think he soon you can do it. When I started flying realised the passion I had for what I was helicopters the more people told me I doing. We agreed on a price and I paid
The large and distinctive ‘bubble’ gives the Bell 47 almost unrivalled visibility through all phases of flight, as seen arriving at one of Tyabb’s landing pads .
Peninsula Aviation
17
couldn’t do it, the more determined I became. I didn’t want to live my life where someone else’s opinion about me became my reality. So, I basically said I can do this and I did. The awesome instructors at the Helicopter Group supported me greatly, which made my dream become a reality.” Flying in a Bell 47 is a unique aviation experience, with its iconic bubble canopy and range of vision providing a view unparalleled in other aircraft. A glance behind reveals the workings of the rotor mast and swash plate, including the allimportant control linkages. My helicopter is super smooth for a 2blade machine and has taken a lot of little tweaks to get it to a condition that is super smooth and e x t r e m e l y enjoyable, and the Bell 47G-5A three-place makes the interior feel very roomy with two well rounded blokes on board. Despite knowing there are a thousand parts all working in harmony to keep the aircraft in the air it’s very relaxing watching the world drift by from such a revealing vantage point. It really is like a magic carpet ride!
For me it is just magical to be sitting in one of the most iconic and recognisable helicopters in the world, and what can be better that your family sitting with you to share the passion. I just have to smile and I suppose I’m as Happy as Larry. I have had my license for nearly 3 years and have been fortunate to take over
200 people for a Bell 47 experience in Larry. Being able to fly my own machine and share the experience is really hard to actually describe. I just love the ability to be able to hover and flying the Mighty Bell 47 is like no other aviation experience out there. ✈
I have named my 47G Larry. I went with Larry as an homage to Lawrence (Larry) Bell. Without his foresight and support of Arthur Young this incredible machine may never have come to be. I must say none of the flying dream would have happened without the support from my incredible wife who has encouraged me through everything. Without her support, none of this would have been conceivable. She’s also started learning to fly helicopters so it’s a real family thing. Our 12-year-old daughter just loves flying and has started lessons at the Peninsula Aero Club in the Cessna 152. 18
Above: Larry departing down Tyabb’s runway for another flight. Top Right: The myriad of moving parts that are essential for Larry to fly. Right: The man and his machine. Darren Barnfield proudly stands with Larry, the Mighty Bell 47, VH-RTO.
Peninsula Aviation
Technical Specifications Bell 47G-5A Crew 1 / 2 Passengers 1 Propulsion one Lycoming VO-435-B1A Engine Power 198 kW (265 hp) Speed 196 km/h (106 kts 122 mph) Service Ceiling 3.200 m (10.500 ft) Range 411 km (222 NM 255 mi.) Empty Weight 786 kg (1.733 lbs) Max. Takeoff Weight 1.293 kg (2.850 lbs) Rotor Blades (main/tail) 2/2 Main Rotor Diameter 11,32 m (37 ft 2 in) Tail Rotor Diameter 1,87 m (6 ft 2 in) Rotor Disc Area 100,6 m² (1083 ft² ) Length (Fuselage) 9,63 m (31 ft 7 in) Length 13,30 m (43 ft 8 in) Height 2,84 m (9 ft 4 in) First Flight 08.12.1945 Production Status Out of production Production Range 1946-1974 Total Production Approx. 5600
Peninsula Aviation
19
We need your photos and stories! Help promote your aero club! Contact Matt on 0425 144 997 or matt@mach1aeromedia.com
20
Peninsula Aviation
Peninsula Aero Club
•• RAAus RAAus Pilot Pilot Certificate Certificate •• Recreational Recreational Pilot Pilot Licence Licence •• Private Private Pilot Pilot Licence Licence •• Commercial Commercial Pilot Pilot Licence Licence •• Instrument Instrument Rating Rating •• Multi-Engine Multi-Engine •• Aerobatics Aerobatics and and Formation Formation • Aerial Photography • Fire Spotting • Gift Vouchers • Trial Introductory Flights The The friendly friendly staff staff at at Peninsula Peninsula Aero Aero Club Club are are more more than than willing willing to to assist assist you you with with any any queries queries you you may may have have with with any any facet facet of of flying. flying. Club Club members members also also enjoy enjoy aa very very ac�ve ac�ve social social atmosphere atmosphere where where you you can can discuss discuss your your flying flying stories stories and and have have fun fun at at our our various various func�ons. func�ons. Stuart Stuart Road Road (PO (PO Box Box 207) 207) Tyabb Tyabb VIC VIC 3913 3913 Ph: Ph: 03 03 5977 5977 4406 4406 •• pac@pac.asn.au pac@pac.asn.au •• www.pac.asn.au www.pac.asn.au
Peninsula Aviation
21
Internationally-published aviation photographer and writer. Over 20 years of experience in photography, design and printing. PO Box 1092 Seaford VIC 3198 www.mach1aeromedia.com matt@mach1aeromedia.com Ph: 0425 144 997 22
Peninsula Aviation
Erickson S-64E Skycrane N164AC ‘Delilah’ departing Tyabb after a check flight for one of her pilots during a break inthe Summer fire season in January.
Peninsula Aviation
23
24
Peninsula Aviation