AMERICAN AIRSHOW AND FLY-IN SPECIAL
WRONG WAY BOMBER
Misadventures of a combat-weary Mitchell
THE EMPIRE STRIKES SOUTH Japan’s air war against northern Australia
Beech adventure The refurbished ‘Miss Maple’
RAAF ‘KITTYBOMBER’ PILOT 75 Sqn veteran flies again
NEWS P-47 ‘Dottie Mae’ ✪ RAAF Lancaster ✪ FHC Mosquito DC-3 VH-ABR ✪ P-40 restorations ✪ Beech to Europe Fokkers to HARS ✪ Morane-Saulnier AI & more
VOLUME 29 NUMBER 2
SPECIAL FEATURE
Flying SAAB’s dive bomber
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78
Contents Volume 29 Number 2, November 2017-January 2018
Features 16 Tsili Tsili Lily
Michael Claringbould examines the detailed interrogation of a Japanese radio gunner that revealed the struggles and decline of his bomber unit in New Guinea.
22 Joe Drage and his Airworld
The remarkable Australian aviation preservation pioneer Joe Drage passed away in early August 2017. James Kightly explains how Joe’s legacy lives on.
26 The Empire Strikes South
Research by Dr Tom Lewis OAM has revealed a precise picture of Japan’s air war against northern Australia. Peter Ingman describes the true extent of the campaign.
36 Family begins its Beech adventure
Darren ‘Motty’ Mottram captured the stunning Beech 18 VH-BHS ‘Miss Maple’ after its recent return to Australian skies.
54 Wrong Way Bomber
A navigational error over New Guinea was of a magnitude that has few peers. Michael Claringbould recounts a Mitchell crew’s misadventure.
60 Ford Aircraft in Australia
Neil Follett looks at yet another of the three-engine airliner types to have flown in Australia and its territories – the legendary Ford Trimotor.
64 Something out of nothing
Andy Wright discovers the lengths to which the men of the 89th Attack Squadron were prepared to go in order to make life in New Guinea a little easier.
66 Bolivian Beef Bomber
A long-term fascination for the B-17 Flying Fortress has culminated in the rejuvenation of a historic survivor. Andy Wright looks at the many faces of ‘Starduster’.
Regulars
44 ‘Bla Johan’ Sweden’s Own
Although not one of the most famous aircraft of W.W.II, the SAAB B 17 was an important aircraft for the Swedish Air Force. Luigino Calario flew with the only flying survivor.
50 John Bailey – ‘Kittybomber’ Pilot
Flightpath witnessed the moment when former W.W.II RAAF pilot John Bailey flew in a P-40 again. James Kightly explores this nonagenarian’s remarkable flying career.
COVER: Doug Hamilton’s P-40N Warhawk VH-PFO, flown by Scott Taberner off the wing of Kenny Love’s PA-32 Lance, superbly photographed by Rob Fox.
04 News 32 Personal Effects 42 Poster 74 Airshows F L I G H T PAT H | 3
News The Thunderbolt arrives at Chino from Idaho in late August. [Frank B. Mormillo]
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Thunderbolt perfection The last USAAF fighter to be lost in combat in Europe flew again on 22 June after a seven-year restoration. No expense was spared in returning the P-47D Thunderbolt to how it was on the day it was lost. Remarkably, this aircraft was recovered from a lake in Austria in mid-2005. Second Lieutenant Henry Mohr, on 8 May 1945, flew low over Lake Traunsee and the Thunderbolt’s propeller hit the water, quickly followed by the rest of the aircraft. Mohr, fortunately, was rescued. Named after the wife of its regular pilot, Lieutenant Larry Kuhl, of the 511th Fighter Squadron, 405th Fighter Group, ‘Dottie Mae’ flew 93 combat missions. Kuhl claimed three aircraft destroyed on the ground during one of these sorties. He has avidly followed the project. Despite sixty years in more than 200 feet (60 metres) of water, the airframe was in remarkable condition. There was a dedicated plan to use as much of the original aircraft as possible during the restoration. Whatever was in good air-
worthy condition, or could be returned to such, was retained and new-old-stock was used as the first alternative. The aircraft’s skin was replaced, but any flak repairs, and there were a few, were retained. The locations of all internal markings, such as stamps, watermarks and even graffiti, were carefully recorded and replicated on the new metal. All artwork has been faithfully applied using a brush. Owned by Jack Croul, a USAAF veteran and aircraft collector, the Thunderbolt is now based at Chino, California. Andy Wright
All Mail to: GPO Box 606, Sydney, NSW 2001
YAFFA AVIATION GROUP: Australian Flying, Flightpath Publisher: Chris Yu Production Director: Matthew Gunn Art Director: Ana Maria Heraud Studio Manager: Lauren Esdaile Designer: Ruby Ren Images should be supplied with a separate list of captions and each image should have a name and address on it. Slides, prints and electronic versions of images are all acceptable, but please note that digital images MUST BE SUPPLIED AT A RESOLUTION OF AT LEAST 300DPI for the actual size of the image. Most editorial queries should be answered within a month; if not contact the editor. ISSN 1320–5870
ABOVE: The Thunderbolt landing at Chino at the end of its flight from Idaho in late August. [Frank B. Mormillo] LEFT: The P-47D outside Jack Croul’s Allied Fighters hangar at Chino. Croul was a navigator with the 96th Bomb Group during W.W.II. He also owns a P-38L Lightning, a P-51D Mustang and has a Grumman Hellcat under restoration. [Frank B. Mormillo]
4 | F L I G H T PAT H
News
Auster Mk.V at large Long-time Antique enthusiasts, Craig Taberner from Geelong, and Mark Davis from Essendon, have recently purchased Auster Mk.V VH-ATS from David Friday in Benalla. Originally built as an Auster Mk.V for the RAF (serial TW371), it was shipped to Arkonam, India, then post-war to Iwakuni in Japan as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force there. It was brought into Australia in 1952, registered as VH-AZV, and civilianised as an Auster 5. It was withdrawn from use in 1972, but had not flown since 1967. It was acquired by Dave Friday, to be restored with Ron Molloy, and re-registered as VH-ATS in October 2000. The first post-restoration flight, with the aircraft finished in its original Mk.V guise, was in 2007. The Auster will take up residence alongside Craig’s C195 on his property near Geelong. Craig, having operated an Auster Mk.6 for many years, is looking forward to many hours of fun and hopes to eventually teach his kids to fly in it. Mark has had a long interest in antique aircraft and is looking forward to building up his tailwheel experience in preparation for flying his ongoing RV project. Rob Fox
Craig Taberner and Mark Davis’ Auster Mk.V TW371 saw service with the RAF in India and Japan. It was restored in 2007 and wears its original RAF colours. [Dave Williams]
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‘Kanana’ flies again LEFT: ‘Kanana’ landed at Mildura Airport on 13 September as part of its third and final proving flight. [Larry Cowley Hangar 51 Air Tours]
ABOVE: Two Wright R-1820 engines pull ‘Kanana’ skyward as it departs Mildura. [Larry Cowley Hangar 51 Air Tours]
The well-known sight and sound of Australia’s oldest airworthy Douglas DC-3 is gracing the sky once again. The former Australian National Airways (ANA) aircraft, VH-ABR, flew on 14 August after a two-year refurbishment (see Flightpath, Vol 27, No 1, p14). The third DC-3 imported into the country (c/n 2029), it began flying for ANA in late 1938 and, major repairs and storage periods
aside, continued flying revenue services into the seventies. Since its first return to flight in 1988, ‘ABR has been cared for by an exceptionally dedicated team of volunteers. This team weathered the collapse of Ansett Airlines and today, as the R.M. Ansett Historical Aircraft Society (RMHAS), has again been responsible for breathing life into an aircraft that has touched the lives of thousands of
Australians, enthusiasts and paying passengers alike. Now owned by Melbourne Aviation Precinct, and based in the familiar surroundings of the former Ansett maintenance hangar at Tullamarine, the aircraft is a rare survivor as it retains its non-cargo type passenger door and is powered by Wright Cyclones instead of Pratt & Whitney Wasps. With the departure of VH-AES to the care of the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society in Albion Park, New South Wales (see Flightpath, Vol 28, No 1, p14), ‘ABR is the fourth active DC-3/C-47 in Victoria. A series of proving flights were completed before the crews began an intensive training phase. Work continues and there is no doubt ‘ABR will become a very familiar shape in the sky above Melbourne and further afield. Andy Wright
HARS New Zealand Friendships Bid
Fokker F27-500 Friendship freighter ZK-PAX of the New Zealand Post featured in the flying display at the Classic Fighters Airshow at Blenheim in 2013. [Rob Fox] 6 | F L I G H T PAT H
In September 2017, the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) announced that they have been offered two New Zealand-based Fokker F27-500 Friendship airliners ZK-PAX and ZKPOH. New Zealand Post had disposed of the aircraft, used to deliver mail to Blenheim in Marlborough for the past 25 years. Friendship ZK-PAX was built in 1980 and is fitted with 41 passenger seats, while ZK-POH, built in 1984 is in freighter configuration. The aircraft will need servicing and rectification before they can be ferried to Australia. To achieve this, HARS is looking to fundraise $100,000 to $150,000. If successful, they propose to base them at HARS Parkes or Wagga Wagga, NSW. HARS state: “Your support for this project will have one or maybe even two Fokker Friendships flying in Australia in historic airline colours, displaying our aviation heritage.” Donations can be made via the website, at https://hars.org.au/donations/fokker-friendships/ or direct to HARS at Airport Road & Boomerang Avenue, Albion Park Rail, NSW, 2527. The F27 Friendship was once ubiquitous in Australia, used by many major and minor airlines across the country and in Papua New Guinea. But, unlike its predecessor the DC-3, it has almost entirely vanished from the Australian skies. Currently there is only one static Fokker F27 preserved in Australia. A 109 model Friendship, it is the former VH-CAT, operated for many years by CSIRO, and is preserved by the South Australia Aviation Museum. James Kightly
News
Lancaster’s RAAF tribute The RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) has repainted Lancaster PA474 to represent two different aircraft. The port side represents a Lancaster that flew with 460 Squadron RAAF. Built in early 1943 as a B.III, Lancaster W5005 joined the Australian squadron in May as ‘AR-L’, ‘L-for-Leader’. It was first flown on ops by the crew led by Flight Sergeant Ken Giles. They completed the last eight raids of their tour with the aircraft. The skipper of the next regular crew, Sergeant ‘Jock’ Ogilvie, was Scottish and he and his men devised the nose art – a kangaroo wearing gumboots and playing the bagpipes – that soon adorned the aircraft, painted by ‘Vic’ Watts (later to receive two DFCs), and now graces the well-known PA474. The next regular crew, skippered by Flight Sergeant ‘Jerry’ Bateman, flew the aircraft 22 times, including four trips to Berlin. The Lancaster completed 51 operations with 460 Squadron, suffering an undercarriage collapse on its last, but was transferred to 550 Squadron RAF and eventually ditched in the Humber Estuary on return from its 94th trip in August 1944. The crew survived. The starboard side of PA474 honours a 50 Squadron RAF aircraft flown by Squadron
The Lancaster’s new clothes. [Nigel Hitchman]
RIGHT: In formation with three of the Flight’s Spitfires and one of its Hurricanes. [Nigel Hitchman]
Leader Andy Millikin’s (current OC BBMF) grandfather, Flying Officer Douglas Millikin. Preparation and painting of the Lancaster was performed by the Aircraft Restoration Company at Duxford as the aircraft went through a scheduled deep maintenance period. This is the first time the BBMF has represented an aircraft operated by a RAAF squadron. Andy Wright, with thanks to Clive Rowley and Andy Millikin
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News
P-40E for Pima Air & Space
LEFT: Nestled under the museum’s masked-for-painting EC-121 Warning Star, the Warhawk will be displayed in the new Hangar 5 with other aircraft from the Pacific theatre. [James Stemm] ABOVE: The restored cockpit. [James Stemm] Arizona’s Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson has acquired a rebuilt P-40E Warhawk from Australia. The aircraft fills a significant hole in this world-class collection. Starting with the late Murray Griffiths’ Precision Aerospace in Wangaratta, Victoria, the Warhawk was built from a combination of parts from multiple 49th Fighter Group (FG) wrecks and new build components. It was completed by Rob Greinert’s Historic Aircraft Restorations in Albion Park, New South Wales. The museum has decided its new exhibit
will represent P-40E 41-25163, the regular mount of ace Sidney Woods. Woods was born in Texas, but spent the majority of his life in Arizona. He joined the 49th FG in December 1941 before it left for Australia and flew with the 9th Fighter Squadron (FS) in defence of northern Australia during the series of Japanese raids that followed the 19 February 1942 attack on Darwin. He adorned 41-25163 with a rattlesnake on both sides of the nose, ‘Arizona’ under the left exhausts, and ‘Kip’, in honour of a Stateside girlfriend, on the rudder. It is a colourful
and attractive scheme and the perfect choice for the museum. Woods later flew P-38 Lightnings with the 9th FS, flew two tours in Europe and was a POW for a short time in April 1945. He died in 1989. The original 41-25163 crashed on landing at 30 Mile Drome, near Port Moresby, in December 1942, but was repaired and ultimately returned to the U.S. where it flew as a trainer and was eventually scrapped. Andy Wright
Warhawk in New York
The Allison is most likely a V-1710-81 as fitted to the three different P-40N sub-models used in the rebuild.
While the collection of the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, New York, is centred on the aircraft designed by that great American aviation pioneer, there has always been a desire to acquire and display a Curtiss P-40, designed and built well after his untimely death in 1930. Besides the Curtiss link, the locally-based Aerial Service Corporation, as Mercury Aircraft, fabricated tail surfaces and belly tanks for the P-40 series. Slowly but surely, the project has been making progress, with a major milestone
[Stefan Schmoll]
The new material used in the project is evident in this image. Note the hole cut in the ceiling for the fin. [Stefan Schmoll]
8 | F L I G H T PAT H
achieved at the end of 2015 when the completed starboard wing was removed from its jig. Original drawings are being used for reconstruction and fabrication wherever possible. Another major step was made in early August this year when the Allison engine was mounted on the airframe. The museum acquired two P-40N wrecks from Florida (43-124362 and 447305) and a third from Georgia (43-24033) in 2011. The Florida machines collided in 1945 during a low-level training sortie and were retrieved from a swamp in 1986. They were in far better condition than the remains of the third aircraft when it was recovered in 1988. Interested visitors can watch the continuing restoration in the workshop and are welcome to ask questions of the volunteers. While the intention is to present a complete aircraft inside and out, the restoration team has been using as much original material as possible. Several of the aircraft’s systems, such as the undercarriage and flaps, will be fully operable when it is moved into the museum. Stefan Schmoll and Andy Wright
L I LY D A L E A I R P O R T
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News
The end of the road
A Lockheed Neptune that had a firefighting career spanning more than two decades has been retired to gate guard duties in Missoula, Montana. During its military service, it had patrolled off the coast of Florida during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Missoula-based Neptune Aviation Services, the largest air tanker provider for the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), is replacing its remaining Neptunes at the end of this year’s fire season with converted BAe 146 airliners (of which it already has a substantial and hard working fleet). This SP-2H (BuNo 144681) was retired several years ago, but took four months to prepare for its new role. Non-essential parts were removed and holes and areas where birds and animals might access the airframe were filled in. The P2V-7/SP-2H Neptune was used widely during the Cold War to hunt submarines and perform maritime surveillance. When replaced by the P-3 Orion, many of the surviving aircraft on the U.S. inventory went into storage. Neptune Aviation Services bought several of these. “There was an excess of airplanes with a lot of great life in them,” said Kevin Condit, the marketing director for Neptune. “They could fly low, fly fast, they were manoeuvrable, and they were built really well.” Part of the conversion involved adding 2700 gallon (10,220 litres) retardant tanks to each aircraft and removing the wingtip fuel tanks. The fleet would go on to become the longest serving air tankers with the USFS. Neptune intends to maintain two of the retired aircraft in airworthy condition for airshow appearances. Andy Wright Resplendent in a new coat of paint, ‘Tanker 10’, as the centrepiece of a new airport park, honours those who have made Missoula’s firefighting history.
Blue Angels Heritage The 2017 Thunder Over Michigan Airshow at historic Willow Run airport presented a special opportunity that saw the U.S. Navy Blue Angels solo aircraft perform a legacy flight with John O’Connor and his Blue Angels-marked Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat. Blue Angel solo Commander Frank Weisser (No. 5), along with Tyler Davies (No. 6), coordinated with TOM staff and O’Connor to arrange the shoot at Willow Run on 31 August. On the Thursday before the airshow the Yankee Air Museum launched their B-25 Mitchell photo-ship to join the Bearcat. Weisser then moved the Hornets into position for the photo-shoot over the field. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels flight demonstration team was created by Admiral Chester Nimitz in 1946 flying the Grum-
MAIN: John O’Connor’s Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat with the Hornets of Frank Weisser and Tyler Davies in the type of formation for which the Blue Angels are famous. [Eric Dumigan]
ABOVE: John O’Connor over historic Willow Run airport. [Eric Dumigan]
[Neptune Aviation Services]
RIGHT: The current version of the Blue Angels’ insignia. 10 | F L I G H T PAT H
man F6F Hellcat. They have the distinction of being the world’s second longest flying military formation team (The French Patrouille de France was formed in 1931). The team’s first demonstration was at NAS Jacksonville, Florida, and led by Lieutenant Commander Roy Voris. They soon transitioned to the F8F Bearcat before converting to the Grumman F9F Panther, their first jet fighter, three years later. Since 1986, the team has operated the F/A-18A/B Hornet, but will soon move to the C/D model. The Blue Angels’ insignia, designed by flight leader Lieutenant Commander Raleigh ‘Dusty’ Rhodes in 1949, has remained the same over the years with the only changes being the aircraft silhouette. Eric Dumigan
News
New arrivals at Old Rhinebeck The first aircraft to land at the idyllic Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome was a 1941 Fleet 16b Finch. That aircraft took up residence at the New York State airfield in May this year. This model of Finch was built for the RCAF as an elementary trainer in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Powered by a 130 hp (97 kW) fivecylinder Kinner radial, it was the equivalent of the Tiger Moth until both types were replaced by the Fairchild Cornell. This particular aircraft, NC24197 (serial 303), was owned by Old Rhinebeck founder Cole Palen in the sixties, so when it was offered for sale in Texas, the museum saw the opportunity to bring it home. Bought from Bruce Allen, the Finch also spent time with Bob Norris in California who had it restored in 2002 after acquiring the aircraft from Art Knowles. Interestingly, Norris also owned the Finch for several years in the fifties. Several weeks after the arrival of the Finch, Brian Coughlin’s Sopwith Pup reproduction N5138 made its air show debut. The Great War fighter was once owned by Kermit Weeks and badly damaged in Florida when Hurricane Andrew hit his collection 25 years ago. Brian used the wreckage as the basic structure for the reproduction he built in his private workshop. Equipped with an 80 hp (60 kW) Le Rhône rotary engine, it wears the same colours as a Sopwith Pup built by Dick King that flew at Old Rhinebeck from the late sixties until 1980. Stefan Schmoll
ABOVE: The Finch looks right at home at Old Rhinebeck. [Stefan Schmoll]
RIGHT: No doubt the Pup will encounter the Black Baron of Rhinebeck before too long. [Stefan Schmoll]
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News
LEFT: The historic aerobatic record holding Morane-Saulnier AI back on display. [Eric Janssonne] ABOVE: Morane-Saulnier AI F-ABAO with Albert Fronval aboard. [Musée de l’Air]
Morane-Saulnier AI Returns In mid 2017, the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace, at le Bourget Airport, Paris, France, returned their historic Morane-Saulnier AI aerobatic aircraft to public display. It has been fully restored by the Museum’s team led by Laurent Rabier. The Morane-Saulnier AI was a French parasol-wing fighter aircraft produced in 1917, developed as a refinement of the Morane-Saulnier Type N, in competition with the SPAD XIII, both aiming to replace the Nieuport 17 and SPAD VII. However by 1918, most AIs had themselves
been replaced and they were relegated to becoming advanced fighter trainers, including a batch of 51 bought by the American Expeditionary Force. Several examples were used postwar as aerobatic aircraft, and a number survive (several of which are airworthy) at Old Rhinebeck and Fantasy of Flight in the USA and at la Ferté Alais in France. This Morane-Saulnier AI, serial number 2283, is equipped with a Clerget 9Ba 130 hp (96 kW) engine, and was registered F-ABAO and flown by famous aero-
batic flier Mr Alfred Fronval, the chief pilot of the Morane Saulnier company. In this Morane, Fronval was crowned world aerobatic champion in 1927, at Zurich, Switzerland when the type was ten years old. He also earlier flew a remarkable sequence of 962 loops in 1920, taking three hours 52 minutes to complete them. The AI was donated by Robert Morane to the Musée de l’Air and the aircraft had been on show until the eighties in the Museum’s ‘Hall A’. Eric Janssonne and James Kightly
Airco DH.9 Arrives At Duxford
The rebuilt Airco DH-9 E8894 at Duxford. [Mike Shreeve] 12 | F L I G H T PAT H
Newly-rebuilt Airco DH.9 E8894 arrived at Duxford in mid-July after making its public debut in the BAE Systems heritage display at the Royal International Air Tattoo at Fairford. The aircraft is one of a pair that were recovered for Guy Black from the elephant stables of Junagarh Fort in Bikaner, Rajasthan, in northern India in the late nineties. They were part of the Imperial Gift of aircraft to various countries within the British Empire after the end of the Great War, India receiving sixty examples of the DH.9. The various components recovered from India allowed two examples of this largely unsuccessful bomber type to be reconstructed. The other aircraft (D5689) was restored to static condition for the IWM and placed on display at Duxford in 2007. E8894 has been restored to airworthy condition by Black’s Retrotec company in Sussex. A rare Siddeley Puma engine was sourced from the Canada Aviation and Space Museum as part of an exchange deal as the originals sent to India had gone missing by the time of the recovery. It is expected that test flying will commence shortly, making this the first example of a DH.9 to fly since the twenties. Mike Shreeve
News
Flight of the FHCAM Mosquito
The Mosquito flew with the collection’s Bf 109E on 26 August during the last display of the season. [Nigel Hitchman]
Another Ansett survivor Former Ansett DC-3 VH-BZB is on display outside the National Science Centre for Education in Bangkok, Thailand. Built in 1943 as a C-47A, it saw service with the RAF as a Dakota III (FD868). It moved on to the civil register in 1945 as G-AGHN and flew with BOAC until, five years later, after a stint flying livestock with Guinea Air Traders Ltd, in Lae, New Guinea, it was sold to Ansett. Named 'Ansertes', as previously carried by the airline’s Lockheed 10A VH-UZO, it was seconded to Butler Air Transport in 1958. It was sold later that year to Thai Airways and became HS-TDF. It was transferred to the Royal Thai Air Force in December 1966 and finished its flying career in 1973 as '22352' with the RTAF 603 Squadron. Rob Fox
Following its first post-restoration flight in New Zealand and subsequent shipment across the Pacific, the Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Museum’s de Havilland Mosquito T.MK. III (TV959) flew its first public display on 22 July from Paine Field, near Seattle, Washington. Painted as NS838, a FB.VI flying night intruder ops with 605 Squadron RAF in 1944, the Mosquito carries the personal markings of Flight Lieutenant Alan Wagner DFC and Bar. A Battle of Britain veteran, he scored his first victory in April 1941 when his Defiant gunner brought down a He 111. As a Hurricane pilot, he claimed two bombers destroyed during the Japanese attack on Colombo on 5 April 1942. Wagner returned to the UK and was flying NS838 ‘Wag’s War Wagon’ when he became an ace on 5/6 March 1944 with the destruction of another three aircraft. He then flew Tempests to intercept V-1 flying bombs at night, and successfully accounted for two, but was killed on 18 July when he flew into the ground while chasing a V-1 in fog. Andy Wright
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call Rob 0419791849 F L I G H T PAT H | 13
News The Bell Kiowa A17-012 arriving at the Queensland Air Museum Caloundra. [Nick Sayer] BELOW: The Australian National Aviation Museum’s A17-045 being unloaded at their Moorabbin Airport site. [Ashley Briggs]
Army Kiowas Preserved In January 2017, Defence Disposals issued a tender for the disposal of fourteen retired Bell/CAC Kiowa Helicopters. Defence Disposals has in recent years initiated a program to see retired airframes make their way into Australia’s aircraft museums for preservation, the most high profile example being the F-111 Aardvarks going to numerous collections. (This was additional to the policy of key airframes going, on retirement, to the appropriate national collection or the Australian War Memorial, that is in place already.) The successful tenderers were noti-
14 | F L I G H T PAT H
fied of their allocated airframes in June. By August most museums had collected their airframes. All of the Kiowas had previously been used as spares recovery airframes for the active fleet, while the remainder of the fleet and spare parts will be disposed of commercially. Defence Disposals are to be commended for the great work being done to establish strong relationships with the preservation movement. Based on the civilian Bell 206 JetRanger, a total of 56 Kiowas saw service with the RAN, Army and ARDU. Allocated the Com-
monwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) production number of CA-32, the first twelve were built in the United States with the remainder produced at CAC in Melbourne. The Australian National Aviation Museum, Moorabbin, VIC, has A17-006, -045 and -055. Their current plan is to assemble A17-055 to a complete display condition to sit alongside Wirraway A20-10 as the oldest and youngest production CAC products. A second display airframe will also be built up from the remaining airframes. The Australian Aviation Heritage Centre, Caboolture, received A17-005, -007, -033, -034 and -035. They plan to fully restore one to a museum quality static exhibit, and use the other four as gate guards and a trailer-towed exhibit. The Historical Aircraft Restoration Society, Albion Park, NSW, has A17-050 and -052. Evans Head Memorial Heritage Centre, NSW, A17-020, and the Queensland Air Museum, A17-012. The South Australian Aviation Museum has A17-010, while the Merredin Military Museum, WA, gained A17-014. Kiowas A17-001 and -031 are now also in preservation at the Museum of Army Aviation at Oakey, QLD. Other notable examples are UNMISET (United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor) veteran A17-027, in long term storage at Oakey, and would be good to see join the AWM collection, and A17-013, acquired in 2013 for the Royal Australian Navy Historic Flight for restoration to flight, but the Navy has since halted the Flight’s activities. Dave Soderstrom, John Parker, James Kightly, & ADF-Serials
News
New England Burnelli CBY-3 The New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, is not one to rest on its laurels. Besides opening new galleries overlooking two of its massive hangars, as part of a multi-million dollar improvement project, work continues on a unique transport aircraft. The Burnelli CBY-3 Loadmaster is a bizarre-looking machine from any angle. Designed by American Vincent Burnelli and built by Canadian Car & Foundry in 1944, its engines are mounted on the forward corners of a fuselage that has a 20 foot (6 metres) rectangular cross-section. The wide, blended fuselage, a ‘lifting body’, contributed to an excellent load carrying ability and short field performance. Since 2014, a large team of volunteers has been restoring the aircraft to static condition. Sadly, it had been on outside display since 1964, following its retirement, and corrosion, partly caused by damage received (and repaired) while operating from rough strips, has been a considerable problem to overcome. The field repairs are preserved if they do not compromise the structural integrity of the airframe. The wings and tail are well advanced, but the dedicated project team cannot say when the aircraft will be ready for display. It will certainly be several years before that happens. When it does, the Burnelli will be a very large and unforgettable exhibit.
RIGHT: The Burnelli was missing its engines, cowls and engine mounts when brought in for restoration. [Stefan Schmoll] ABOVE: NEAM's Burnelli CBY-3 Loadmaster will be finished in a scheme similar to that seen here. [via NEAM] Meanwhile, the restoration of Douglas DC-3 N165LG has been completed. Freshly painted in Eastern Air Lines colours, it will have taken its place alongside the museum’s Sikorsky VS-44 flying boat by the time these words are read. Stefan Schmoll and Andy Wright
Beech across the Pond A former RCAF Beech D18S has flown almost 6000 nautical miles, from California to Switzerland, to be delivered to its new owner. It is the third example of the classic twin to join enthusiast Hugo Mathys’ collection. After sixteen years serving the Canadian military as an Expeditor Mk.3 (serial CA-130), the aircraft passed through Taigh Ramey gets N184KP in close to Jerry Anderson’s wing somewhere over San Francisco. [Roger Cain]
several owners before being placed in open storage and falling derelict until it went in for an overhaul in the early 2000s. It has since been fully restored by Taigh Ramey’s Vintage Aircraft in Stockton, California. All three of the Mathys’ twins have been restored or refurbished by the Beech 18 specialists. Ramey joined Jürg Marti at Goose Bay,
Labrador, Canada, and set off on the Atlantic crossing on 13 September. Following the northern route, stops were made at Narsarsuaq (Greenland), Reykjavik (Iceland), Wick and Glasgow (Scotland), and Ostend (Belgium) before the Beech was handed over in Switzerland a week, and 37 hours’ flying time, later. Both pilots were impressed with the aircraft’s performance. “The cool thing is that we didn't use but one to two quarts (1-2 litres) of oil per engine for the whole trip”, said Ramey. “That says a lot for Tulsa Aircraft Engines. She sure remembers how to fly as she goes along straight and true. I am so proud of the crew at Vintage Aircraft." Hugo Mathys’ latest Beech 18 will be seen around Europe as it flies with his Classic Formation team. Roger Cain and Andy Wright F L I G H T PAT H | 15
Tsili Tsili Lily B The freak survival of a 'Lily’ bomber radio gunner shot down by Airacobras in New Guinea's mountains on 15 August 1943, and details from his subsequent detailed interrogation, provide a unique snapshot of the struggles and decline of a Japanese army bomber unit in New Guinea. South Pacific Correspondent Michael John Claringbould details what was, by New Guinea aerial warfare standards, a landmark battle.
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y his own estimation, Sergeant Bombura Akira regained consciousness about an hour after impact, before searching the scattered burning wreckage of the Kawasaki Ki-48 ‘Lily’ twin engine bomber for his three comrades. All he found were their remains, burned beyond recognition; pilot Lieutenant Kondo, nose gunner Warrant Officer Utsunomiya, and dorsal gunner Sergeant Uemura. Extraordinarily, Bombura had sustained only minor injuries when thrown clear by the impact, enabling him to wander the jungle and hills for the next five days trying to find his way to the coast. On the fifth day he encountered local children who gave him biscuits. He was captured by Australian soldiers several hours later. Thankful for the good treatment received from his captors, Bombura elaborated on his plight in detail before being sent to the Cowra Prisoner of War Camp in New South
Wales. He described how his comrades detested the Type 99 ‘Lily’ light bomber, nicknaming it ‘satsujinki’ (suicide plane). He listed its numerous failings, including an ineffective bomb load, poor maneuverability and slow rate of climb. The temperamental magnetos regularly faltered and sometimes completely failed, as had happened to one of his bombers just six hours after overhaul. The bomber’s machine guns had a limited field of fire that made it vulnerable to fighters attacking from certain angles. His ‘Lily’ was constructor’s number 1235 and was assigned to the 3rd Squadron (Chutai) of the 208th Army Flying Regiment (Sentai). The 208th Sentai, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Shirogane, had struggled to even arrive safely in New Guinea. On 3 May 1943 the entire regiment of 45 ‘Lily’ bombers attempted, but failed, to reach Rabaul from Truk, entailing a long over-ocean delivery. They were escorted by about a
dozen new Navy ‘Zeros’, but frontal weather forced the return of the formation. This cost one ‘Lily’, destroyed on the return landing, and wrote off two of the ‘Zeros’ when they collided head-on after landing. Another ‘Zero’ went missing in the bad weather. The regiment waited at Truk for nearly a week for the weather to clear and made a second delivery attempt on 9 May that ultimately saw their safe arrival at Rabaul (Vunakanau) that afternoon. They flew the last leg to their new home of Dagua, near Wewak on the northern New Guinea coast (which the Japanese termed ‘West Field’), two days later. Each chutai at Dagua soon had a pisuto or crew room built from local materials that served as a briefing shack for up to forty crew. Each pisuto had blackboards and maps, and was located alongside the airfield so aircraft movements could be monitored. As the Japanese were still consolidating
their hold on the Wewak area, tactical missions took precedence for the first few weeks during which the ‘Lilys’ were often used for liaison duties. Up to six passengers could be carried for such tasks. Bombura elaborated on some of these in his diary that he took on the fateful mission; on 18 May 1943 the 3rd Chutai commander took a Lieutenant-Colonel from the 41st Division on a reconnaissance mission to ascertain the best place to build a bridge across the formidable and wide Sepik River. On 14 June Bombura flew his first combat mission in New Guinea against the Australian highlands outpost of Kainantu. Seven ‘Lilys’ from the 3rd Chutai participated alongside a healthy complement of Ki-43-II ‘Oscar’ fighters. Bombura also described a narrow escape on 27 June when they departed Dagua at 09:30 in order to transport a staff officer,
MAIN: Kondo’s Ki-48 ‘35’ on its final and fateful mission to Tsili Tsili on 15 August 1943. Bombura told his interrogators that the 208th Sentai exclusively used the ‘Lily’ Model II in New Guinea which they received at Gifu, Japan. The last two digits of each constructor’s number were painted on the tailfin: No 1 Chutai painted squared Arabic numerals in white, while Nos 2 and 3 Chutai went with ordinary figures in white and yellow respectively. The colourful 208th Sentai insignia, a motif resembling two zeros and an eight, originally appeared on the unit’s bombers in China, but was painted over in New Guinea for security reasons. It was later reapplied when the unit withdrew to the Philippines. ABOVE: Executive Officer of the 59th Sentai, Captain Nango Shingo, heads to Tsili Tsili on 15 August 1943, while 1st Chutai Commanding Officer, Nanba Shigeki, breaks away. When Nango was appointed to the position, his Ki-43-II had its tail bands changed to blue, signifying his headquarters assignment. The red tail stripes were maintained, however, because the fighter continued to be maintained by 2nd Chutai engineers. Both Nanba and Nango sustained hits during combat, causing bad oil leaks to both fighters for the return journey.
…disease started to suffocate aircrew health and morale. Colonel Seko, to Rabaul. As their ‘Lily’, flown by Second Lieutenant Maemata Shoi, emerged from cloud near Hansa Bay, a flight of ‘Oscars’ mistakenly fired at them. The colonel shouted “waggle the wings” to Maemata to effect recognition procedures that warned off the ‘Oscars’. Meanwhile at Dagua, disease started to suffocate aircrew health and morale. The regiment arrived at Dagua with only 45 pilots - one per aircraft - but this resource was swiftly depleted due to malaria. Replacement pilots were promised, but never arrived, badly curtailing operations. Then, a growing shortage of fuel saw priority given to fighter operations. Bombura’s last mission unfolded on 15 August 1943 and comprised a total of seven ‘Lilys’ of the 208th Sentai’s third squadron, led by Lieutenant Imai, escorted by 22 Ki-43II ‘Oscars’ of the 59th Sentai led by Captain Nango Shigeo and a dozen from the 24th Sentai. The ‘Lilys’ launched from Dagua around 08:00 and were attacked about two hours later in the vicinity of their target, a new American airfield being built at Tsili Tsili, or Fabua as the Japanese termed it. Here, in the middle of June 1943, two grass airfields had been levelled in a valley to be used as a forward airfield for fighter operations against Lae. The field was urgently constructed and in the process all materiel had to be flown from Port Moresby. A smaller runway, built near Marilinan village was constructed to the southeast for use as an emergency strip and to serve as a distraction to Japanese aerial reconnaissance. The first USAAF fighters, in the form of P-39N Airacobras, arrived at Tsili Tsili Airfield on 26 July. Japanese reconnaissance discovered the air18 | F L I G H T PAT H
field about two weeks later and the combined raid of 15 August 1943 marked the first Japanese response. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Owen Stanley Range, two squadrons of the 35th Fighter Group, the 40th and the 41st, launched a dozen P-39N Airacobras at around 08:00 to escort twelve C-47 transports of the 374th Troop Carrier Group to Marilinan and back. The 41st FS first arrived overhead and patrolled the base while the transports let down into a landing pattern. Ten minutes later the Airacobras sighted inbound bombers that they mistakenly identified as ‘Sallys’. These materialised at 10,000 feet about a mile to the northwest, while escorting fighters were seen 5,000 feet above and behind the bombers, with a separate detachment of fighters higher and further behind. The Airacobras dived into the Japanese bomber formation as the seven ‘Lilys’ circled wide to make a target run, undertaking no evasive action in the process. The 24th Sentai was flying protective escort with their Ki-43-II ‘Oscars’ and failed in their task. Kira Katsuaki, one of the unit’s leading ‘Oscar’ pilots, was one of the few Army airmen to survive the New Guinea campaign. A vivid account of the action in his memoirs describes how the enthusiasm of the 24th Sentai pilots saw them focus on fighting the American fighters instead of protecting the bombers. Disaster followed as the unimpeded Airacobras had the ‘Lily’ formation to themselves for several minutes. They proceeded to shoot down six of the seven bombers; two crashed near the fresh grassy airfields, and the other four were lost in the foothills of the Markham
LEFT TO RIGHT: A40thFSAiracobradispatchesoneofthesix208thSentaiKi-48s shotdowninthemountains.Thewreckageoffive(constructor numbers1210,Bombura’s1235,1242,1249and1250)were examinedoverthenextsevenmonthsbyAlliedintelligence. A low-level raid against But airfield in the Wewak area caught this 59th Sentai Ki-43-II hiding under camouflage netting. The two white fuselage bands forward of the white combat band, alongside the white fin and tailplane markings, denote the fighter as assigned to the commanding officer of 1st Chutai, Captain Nanba Shigeki. He held this position until August 1943 when he was withdrawn to Japan and replaced by Lieutenant Fukuhara Shozo. Anunidentifiedpilotofthe40thFSposeswithhisAiracobraat PortMoresbyinmid-1943.Thelackofawhitefinindicatesthe photowastaken prior to the 15 August 1943 escort mission to TsiliTsili. MAIN: C-47s of the 375th Troop Carrier Group unloading supplies at Tsili Tsili in August 1943. The runway is still there today, disused and overgrown.
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Valley as they retreated, near the villages of Morum, Babuauf and Pesan. Airacobra pilot Second Lieutenant Frank Topolcany lost his life when making a stern attack against one of the ‘Lilys’ which subsequently flamed and crashed. Topolcany himself was likely hit by one of the bomber’s guns because he followed his quarry directly into the ground, crashing barely seventy metres from its fiery wreckage. Two 40th FS lieutenants, Robert Alder and Frank ‘Duby’ Dubisher, claimed five bombers out of the nine claimed by the USAAF pilots even though only seven were airborne. Leading the 59th Sentai ‘Oscars’ was the regiment’s executive officer, Captain Nango Shigeo, an aggressive and skilled pilot. He saw targeting the transports as the priority and led his men into their traffic pattern, opening fire on C-47 ‘Liliane’ (Australian call sign VH-CCI on its tail). Flown by First Lieutenant Enoch Burley, the transport was bringing two dental officers plus medical equipment to the new base. Nango’s initial at-
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tack set fire to the transport and hit a passenger in the shoulder. A second pass by Nango’s fighters killed Burley while he was grappling to put the aircraft down between trees. Australian soldiers reached the crash site about an hour later where they found only one person alive: dentist Captain Robert Heller. Badly wounded in both legs, Heller had been thrown clear when the C-47 impacted and its fuel tanks exploded. He was evacuated back to Port Moresby where he died two hours after being admitted to hospital there. Meanwhile, C-47 VH-CFG, flown by First Lieutenant Charles Cathcart, became another victim of Nango’s fighters. Cathcart’s unarmed transport tried to evade their passes by fleeing southwest of Tsili Tsili at low level. It was never seen again. Its wreckage was located a decade later in mountainous terrain approximately fifteen kilometres from Tsili Tsili. Most of the casualties were members of a fighter control squadron due to set up air traffic control at Tsili Tsili.
Thus far, the unfolding confrontation had claimed two USAAF transports and six ‘Lilys’ as, higher up, the combat spread out between the ‘Oscars’ and defending Airacobras, four of which were lost against Japanese losses of three fighters. Over Tsili Tsili airfield, Second Lieutenant Richard Mikiska’s Airacobra was damaged during combat with the ‘Oscars’, but he put down safely on the grass runway below. Meanwhile Second Lieutenant John Bomar also sustained hits when tangling with the Japanese fighters, but successfully bailed out and landed unhurt some distance from the airfield. It took him a week of wandering mountainous jungle before he was found by friendly locals and returned to duty. Captain George Hilbert also bailed out successfully. Other Airacobras circled his parachute protectively as he descended safely onto a curved kunai grass knoll. An Australian patrol reached him shortly thereafter and returned him to base that same afternoon.
This was an eventful and hard-fought day for both protagonists. A dozen Airacobras took on 41 of the enemy in the form of 34 fighters and seven bombers. The Americans lost two transports and four fighters, while the Japanese lost three fighters and six bombers. Thus, fifteen aircraft were lost in or near a remote New Guinea valley in the space of half an hour. This was a landmark fight by New Guinea aerial warfare standards. Despite further Japanese raids against Tsili Tsili airfield, including one the following day, the development and use of the complex proceeded and assisted in the capture of Lae the following month. Sources inter alia: Interrogation of Sgt Bombura Akira AWM series 54, USAAF official histories 40th and 41st FS, memoirs (Japanese language) of Kira Katsuaki, www.pacificwrecks.com, thanks to U.S. historians Osamu Tagaya and Rick Dunn.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: The wreckage of a 24th Sentai Ki-43-II, discernible by the unit’s unique ‘can opener’ tail marking, behind which is the Roman numeral III that denotes the 3rd aircraft in the 2nd Chutai. A taxiway collision at Tsili Tsili necessitated the repair of this C-47’s port wing. A unit badge logo has been painted over the previous stenciled name ‘PATHFINDER’. C-47
42-23583 was assigned to the 317th Troop Carrier Group. These 208th Sentai ‘Lilys’ appear at Dagua in mid-1943 as seen during a low-level raid. A crew room can be seen covered with camouflage netting in the lower middle of photo. Note the square earth revetments in which the bombers are parked - these afforded little protection from parafragmentation bombs that often exploded above their target. F L I G H T PAT H | 21
Joe Drage
& His Airworld
I
t is probably fair to say that almost everyone involved in Australian vintage aviation is familiar with Joe Drage’s name, and certainly with the defunct, but never forgotten, remarkable aircraft collection ‘Airworld’ at Wangaratta, Victoria. At its peak, including aircraft on loan to the museum, it was the largest collection of civil and military aircraft in Australasia, and unique in the number that were – at least nominally – airworthy. In global terms, it was one of the most important collections of 1920s –1950s aircraft, with many being rare or unique survivors. After working as a saw miller and farm labourer, Joe Drage started his own earthmoving business in the fifties, enabling local farmers to develop bushland into viable farmland. He did this by converting a war surplus tank fitted with a blade as a bulldozer. He added more converted tanks, then traded up to eventually running nine Caterpillar bulldozers. He had always been interested in aviation, and acquired his pilot’s licence at the age of nineteen. When out at a job, he sometimes bulldozed a runway where appropriate and then used his first aircraft, a Tiger Moth, to fly to and from the site. Fascinated by historical machinery, he started to collect cars and aircraft and many other machines in the fifties. In this era, many people were replacing their ‘old’ aircraft with new types, and Joe often arrived to rescue an aircraft from being pushed out of the hangar and burned. But in many cases the ‘jungle drums’ directed Joe to someone who wanted to have an old aircraft taken off their hands; though they usually wanted something for it too, of course! Joe’s son Tony Drage recalls regularly “getting in the car to (it seemed like) go halfway around Australia to buy aeroplanes.” And that aeroplane buying drive was “much to his mum’s disgust!” Nevertheless she supported his remarkable collection endeavour. His first historic aircraft, a Genairco cabin type was sold, and then later sold overseas. Joe was vehement that wasn’t going to happen again. A Tiger Moth, was followed by a couple of Avro Cadets. From the very early days of the collection Joe was clear in his aims. He was obtaining the aircraft to stop them being lost, either destroyed or disappearing overseas, as he saw them as an important part of Australian history. In Joe’s view “All of these aircraft had a story behind them.” Some were associated with luminaries like Nancy Bird Walton or Charles Ulm, others had less famous connections, yet told stories of fascinating pilots and events. Furthermore, the aircraft had to work. Even when the collection had grown to the extent that there were simply too many aircraft to operate regularly, he would endeavour to keep as many flying as possible. His mechanical aptitude, dealing with a wide variety of technology, and often without manuals or information, was itself remarkable. Money was never the point for Joe, it was about preserving the artefacts, learning
their history, and getting them running. A collector of cars and many other items as well as the famous aircraft, one anecdote recalled by son Tony illustrates this outlook. With a Rolls Royce Merlin in the queue awaiting rebuild, and a Meteor tank engine derivative for potential spares, Joe was approached by a man who wanted to restore the Merlin to ground running. Joe sold it to him for $3,000 along with the Meteor (at the time a core exchange Merlin was worth $52,000) as this man just wanted to get it running. Returning some time later, he showed Joe the Merlin on a trailer and Joe’s delight at seeing it run, as agreed, was what it was all about. Starting with a rented hangar from the Bunn Brothers at Albury airport, the collection numbered seven aircraft, tightly packed in, but even so people were keen to see his ‘collection’. Buying 30 acres of land at Wodonga West, he moved the growing collection there, as the ‘Drage’s Historical Aircraft Museum’ in 1972. In 1974, with Barry Bell, Joe was a founder of the Antique Aeroplane
MAIN: Joe’s hobby farm and stud ran Belgian Blue cattle, and he continued to fly his cabin Tiger Moth from the farm. [Drage Family] TOP: Joe Drage with Lockheed 12 ‘Silver City’ behind and a rare Cadillac in the Airworld Museum. [Drage Family] ABOVE: Joe Drage flying the Gullwing Stinson over the Airworld Strarch hangar. The aircraft is airworthy again after an extensive restoration by Kevin Bailey in WA. [Rob Fox]
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A Association of Australia, with the Antiquer’s fly-ins taking place there between 1979 and 1984. But eventually his museum’s growing collection had the land under it compulsorily purchased by the Albury-Wodonga Regional Development Corporation. Attempts at starting a national aviation collection by various people attracted political interest. One politician announced that the museum w would be at Ballarat, somewhat to Joe’s surprise, as no one had asked him, though his collection was rightly regarded as a key component. Joe said at the time that it wouldn’t be much of a museum without his w planes! After negotiations a deal was ultimately struck with Wangaratta City Council, with the collection acquired – as a going concern – by the council in 1984, and relocated to Wangaratta’s new airport, with the notable Malcolm Long collection also being leased, and other aircraft being placed on loan, including some experimental one-off types. Interestingly Joe had been approached by Joh Bjelke-Petersen to relocate 24 | F L I G H T PAT H
Attempts at starting a national aviation collection by various people attracted political interest
the collection to Queensland. Despite accepting an offer at least a million dollars less from the Wangaratta Council, Joe regarded keeping the aircraft away from the Queensland salt-air coastal environment proposed, as more important. Opened in 1985, with the Deluxe Coach Lines using Wangaratta as a stopping point on the inter-state run, the museum’s gift shop and 120 seat café did good trade, and many people discovered the collection, who might otherwise have been unaware of it – and they told friends and family. The main aircraft building – still in use today – was a remarkable clearspan Strarch hangar, with another hangar next door stuffed with spares. Initially Joe stayed on as manager of the museum for a couple of years, then known as Drage Airworld, and more aircraft were acquired. At the first fly-in at the museum, which saw an attendance of about 10,000 people, a special release of limited edition mail covers was released, being transported in the aircraft to a specially set up post office
on site. It was reported that no less than ten busloads of visitors were passing through daily. In April 1988, while participating in the Hinkler Bicentennial race, Joe was injured in a forced landing near Charleville, Queensland, and the Beech D17R VH-BBL was damaged, returning to the collection after repair in 1992. While involved with the museum, Joe set up a hobby farm with his wife, running Belgian blue cattle. International visitors arriving to see a particular machine, or the whole collection were regular sightseers too. But with changes to the highway and transport use, the collapse of the Deluxe bus company in 1990, this regular audience disappeared and the visitation numbers declined while the local politics became more difficult. In 1996 ten aircraft were put up for sale to clear the museum’s debt. Finally, in 2002, the decline resulted in the collection being sold off entirely over the next three years. Understandably, Joe was quoted at the time: “It is one of the best collections of aircraft in the world and to see it split up would be a national tragedy.” Believing the aircraft would go for much more than Joe could justify, he decided not to even bother getting a ticket to bid at the disposal by tender. But seeing the prices some were going for, as Tony recalls “he raced out, grabbed a ticket and started to bid. The Staggerwing…” (always one of Joe’s favourite machines) “…went for $64,000!” Though the aircraft were sold off, the fact that they had been acquired by Joe and brought together decades earlier meant that in the Twenty-First Century their historic value was recognised. Currently, almost all the machines still survive (a rare achieve-
ment in itself for most defunct collections) and many of them have been restored, or are being restored to fly again, and most are in Australia, the fundamental basis of Joe’s original vision. While the collection and display itself is missed, there’s no question that, thanks to Joe’s remarkable efforts when it counted, these aircraft have been saved for posterity. Joe Drage, born on 10 June, 1931, at Walwa, Victoria, passed away peacefully at Albury Base Hospital on Wednesday 9 August 2017. Survived by his wife of 61 years, Margaret, children Sharon, Debbie, Maree, and Tony and six grandchildren. His funeral was at Wodonga’s Conway Funeral Home and a flyover at the cemetery was conducted by two aircraft familiar to Flightpath readers, Lockheed 12 Electra Junior VH-HID flown by Doug Hamilton and Harvard VH-XNZ flown by Scotty Taberner. In the next issue we take a look at Joe Drage’s aircraft collection, and compare then and now, and other memories of Joe’s collecting days. Thanks to Andrew Carlile, Tony Drage, the Drage family, Geoff Goodall, Matt Grigg, Peter Hallen, Doug Hamilton, Derrick Rolland, Scott Taberner. MAIN: Hangar view at Airworld, Wangaratta, with the DH Leopard Moth and Stinson in the foreground. [Rob Fox] OPPOSITE PAGE: DH Dragon Rapide VH-BGP. [Rob Fox] ABOVE: Rare Percival Gull VH-CCM. [Rob Fox] F L I G H T PAT H | 25
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New research by author and historian Dr Tom Lewis OAM has given a precise picture of Japan’s air war against northern Australia from 1942 to 1945. This activity was on a much larger scale than previously thought because many flights over the sparsely populated north were simply not detected by the Allies. Peter Ingman describes how the true extent of the campaign, so much more than the Darwin and Broome attacks, has only now been confirmed after meticulous research involving Japanese records.
T
he other aspect of this research involves the Japanese airmen who lost their lives over northern Australia. None of the Australian Official Histories of the Second World War contain an estimate of the number of Japanese lives lost in this way, nor are their names recorded on any memorial or in any public record. They were simply young men serving their country like their Allied enemies. Their losses were keenly felt by their comrades and families during the war. The first wartime Japanese flight over Australia took place, a week before the fall of Singapore, on 10 February 1942. This was by a Mitsubishi C5M ‘Babs’ reconnaissance aircraft of No. 3 Naval Air Group based in the Netherlands East Indies. The final Japanese flight over Australia took place two and a half years later on 20 July 1944. This was a reconnaissance flight by a twin engine Mitsubishi Ki-46 ‘Dinah’ over Truscott air base in the far north west of Western Australia. The intruder was shot down by 54 Squadron RAF Spitfires. In fact, on the same day, another ‘Dinah’ flew a reconnaissance over Broome, so either may qualify as the last Japanese wartime flight over Australia. Both aircraft were from the Japanese Army’s 70th Independent Squadron based in Timor. Between the bookends of the 1942 and 1944 flights was a large amount of aerial activity comprising 208 missions and 1883 individual sorties. Some of this activity is well known from an Australian side, succh 19 as the massive air attack on Darwin on 1 February 1942 by both carrier-based ai rcraft and land-based bombers. This waas the most deadly raid on Australian soil. Also well known is the second most dead ly raid by nine ‘Zeros’ on Broome on 3 Marcch ds 1942, and the several dozen bomber raid against Darwin and other Northern Terr i3 tory locations during the 1942 and 1943 dry seasons. After the initial raids, the intruders h faced opposition from Allied fighters which made their long range flights all the moree dangerous. The first fighters to be perma-nently based around Darwin were the P-40E Warhawks of the 49th Fighter Group.. These defended the northern skies from March 1942, the dry season, and were replaced over the 1942-43 wet season by P40E Kittyhawks of 76 and 77 Squadrons RAAF. In January 1943 the Spitfireequipped 1 Fighter Wing arrived in the
north, made up of 452 and 457 Squadrons RAAF and 54 Squadron RAF. Among the Spitfire pilots was Wing Commander Clive Caldwell, Australia’s highest scoring ace of the war. During this time there was regular, keenly fought air combat over the north. However, the defending fighters did not have it all their own way, as the Japanese bombers often had fighter escorts in the form of Mitsubishi ‘Zeros’ of No. 3 Naval Air Group (later the 202nd NAG). Also, over the vast expanses of the north, the limited endurance of the Kittyhawks and Spitfires, the latter more so, was a significant limiting factor. During this period, however, the Allies were able to steadily improve the quality of the northern defences. Many new airfields were constructed which were well camouflaged and defended. These were supported by a network of radar stations, searchlights and anti-aircraft guns. Meanwhile, the Japanese began to struggle with resource and personnel deficiencies as they could not readily replace war losses in the New Guinea and Solomons theatres. Accordingly, over northern Australia, the Japanese responded with low-attrition tactics which included the use of smaller formations, often at night. On 11 November 1943, eight ‘Betty’ bombers of the 753rd Naval Air Group arrived over Darwin soon after 02:00. They were tracked by radar and several Spitfires rose
to intercept. Flying Officer John Smithson intercepted the lead shotai over the Cox Peninsula and shot down two ‘Bettys’ in flames. Aboard the lead aircraft were the Hikocho (Executive Officer) of the 753rd, Commander Hori Micho, and the Buntaicho (Wing Leader), Lieutenant Fujiwara Takehara. The Japanese later noted: The loss of two senior officers in one blow had a massive impact on the unit’s operations, and further missions over Darwin were immediately cancelled. Indeed, the ‘Bettys’ of the 753rd NAG had flown the bulk of the northern bombing raids during 1942 and 1943. They were redeployed to the Central Pacific, and the 11 November 1943 raid was the last over Australia, although reconnaissance flights continued for many months. Other Japanese operations included a little-known campaign over the coastline and islands of Arnhem Land. This was an area that shorter range Japanese aircraft, such
MAIN: A formation of Mitsubishi G3M ‘Nell’ bombers. The one closest to the camera has an 800 kilogram bomb slung underneath the fuselage. The circle on top of the aircraft is a radio direction finder loop. BELOW: A Kawanishi H6K ‘Mavis’ takes part in a flypast in 1940. [US Navy]
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as floatplanes, could reach from bases in the eastern part of the Netherlands East Indies. A typical mission occurred on 9 April 1943 when an Aichi E13A1 ‘Jake’ of the 934th Naval Air Group attacked a convoy in this area. The floatplane was driven off by a 2 Squadron RAAF Lockheed Hudson, and then had to force land after the engine seized. After several days wandering in the wilderness, the pilot, Yamasaki Kunio, and gunner, Akane Saburo, were captured by Aboriginal men on Croker Island. They were subsequently sent to the POW camp at Cowra. Three months earlier, on 22 January 1943, the same area was witness to one of the most
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The floatplane was driven off by a 2 Squadron RAAF Lockheed Hudson
peculiar incidents to occur in Australian waters. Another ‘Jake’ of the 934th NAG attacked and sank the HMAS Patricia Cam, a former tuna fishing boat which was used for resupply missions along the northern coastline. Among the passengers was the Reverend Leonard Kentish, who was a member of the Methodist Church, and was responsible for several missions in the area. With a number of survivors in the water, the ‘Jake’ returned to the area and alighted. Threatened with a pistol, the randomly-selected Kentish was ordered to swim to the floatplane and dragged on board. He was flown across the Arafura Sea to the Japanese base at Dobo, in
the Aru Islands, and was kept there until 4 May when he was beheaded. In August 1948, Sub-Lieutenant Sagejima Mangan was found guilty of his murder and hanged in Hong Kong’s Stanley Gaol. Over the course of the war the Japanese operations extended over a huge portion of northern Australia, from Exmouth in Western Australia to Townsville in Queensland. Among the most determined intruders were the crews of the fast, high flying and unarmed ‘Dinah’ reconnaissance aircraft. Such was the quality of this aircraft, they were operated by both army and navy units. Initially, the ‘Dinahs’ were virtually immune
MAIN: Damage to Darwin buildings on Bank Corner from the 1942 raids. The de-roofed building is now a Westpac Bank on the corner of the Mall, while Cashmans Store is a newsagent. TOP: A Mitsubishi ‘Pete’ in a tropical environment. [RAN] ABOVE: Osamu Kudo, seated middle row far right, was shot down in the Broome raid. [Yasuho Izawa]
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Those investigating the crash site were surprised to find a large Japanese doll among the wreckage to interception, but this changed with better Allied radar coverage and the introduction of the Spitfires. On 17 August 1943, the Japanese forces had a very bad day, with four ‘Dinahs’ shot down over the Northern Territory. Two of these losses demonstrate the depth of feeling felt by the Japanese for their war dead. At 11:25, Squadron Leader Ken James, the commanding officer of 457 Squadron RAAF, intercepted one of these ‘Dinahs’ at 30,500 feet: I followed him, I observed a fire start in the fuselage. He continued to turn to port and then began to dive. I fired two more short bursts, but the aeroplane was obviously out of control, and commenced to dive vertically ... when he hit, he exploded. Killed in the crash were Lieutenants Shinichi Matsu'ura and Kyotoshi Shiraki. Those investigating the crash site were surprised to find a large Japanese doll among the wreckage. This had been provided by the mother of the commanding officer of the 70th Independent Squadron who had been killed when his ‘Dinah’ had
been shot down in the same area a month earlier. Matsuura and Shiraki had been flying over enemy territory solely to release the doll as a mark of respect. Among the other ‘Dinah’ losses on this fateful day was a machine operated by the 202nd Naval Air Group. This aircraft was shot down by Wing Commander Caldwell. It crashed into the sea off Cape Fourcroy and the two crew, Chief Petty Officers Tanaka Tomihiko and Kawahara Shinji, were killed. Tanaka left behind a young wife, Miyoko, who survived the war with her two children. Miyoko never forgot her husband and the place of his death. Her wish, upon her own passing, was for her ashes to be scattered in Northern Territory waters to join her husband. How was this to be achieved? In 2015, after a combined effort by the AustralianJapanese Association, the Federal and Territory governments, and the Darwin City Council, success was achieved. Family members journeyed to the area and, one calm dry season afternoon on board a navy launch, the ashes of a Japanese lady joined her husband’s body in the sparkling blue waters of the Top End.
This underlines the fact that the Japanese killed over northern Australia are still mourned and remembered in Japan to this day. Doctor Lewis’ research has compiled a list of 62 aircraft losses and 186 fatalities. With just a few exceptions, the names of these airmen are now recorded. He has also recorded what happened to the bodies of these men. They were often buried during the war in isolated locations near the actual crash sites or in a number of military burial grounds across the Northern Territory, Western Australia and Queensland. After the war, the Army Graves Service moved the remains to the Adelaide River War Cemetery, although some remained at the Berrimah Hospital and War Cemetery where they were an object of curiosity in post-war Darwin. In March 1964 an order for the airmen’s exhumation was signed by the Crown Law Officer in Darwin and the remains were moved to the Cowra Japanese Military Cemetery which was consecrated that year. That location contains 523 Japanese graves of which almost half are graves of the Prisoners of War who died during the Cowra breakout in 1944.
MAIN: ‘Jake’ and ‘Pete’ biplanes at Deboyne on the far east tip of New Guinea in May 1942. Tail numbers erased by censor. These aircraft carried out attacks off Queensland during the Battle of the Coral Sea. [Public domain] ABOVE: Some of the Tainan Ku pilots in this photo, including PO1c Nishizawa Hiroyoshi (standing on far left), participated in the Horn Island raid of 14 March 1942. F L I G H T PAT H | 31
Personal Effects Pilot of Fortune
De Havilland Enterprises – A History Is there a need for yet another book on de Havilland? This entirely new work does a very creditable job of covering its history in the UK, as well as in Australia and Canada (up to the Caribou). The 318 pages are packed, with up to six images a spread being common throughout. They’re jammed in with lots of overlaps (though not to the detriment of the subjects) while the text is a reasonable size, but with minimal margins and space. Such compromises to pack in words and pictures mean there’s no compromise with the breadth and depth of the facts and history. Annoying proof reading errors and the publisher’s decision to go with ‘De Havilland’ rather than ‘de Havilland’ niggle, but shouldn’t detract from the book’s value. There are a couple of unusual aspects to the book. Firstly most of the images are from Graham’s collection and those of friends like the late John Stride and via Darryl Cott of BAe. This results in authoritative and diverse images, rather than the familiar old ones. Secondly, as Graham says: “…this title is unusual in that it is based entirely on contemporary material from De Havilland – Aircraft Manuals, Sales Literature, technical documentation and the two internal publications … combined with official civil service and military test reports…” Many books on de Havilland suffer from an adulatory, uncritical approach. This is not one of them. This will be the first de Havilland book I turn to for most questions from now on. (reviewer: James Kightly) Graham M. Simons, £25.00 plus p&p, Pen & Sword Books, www.pen-and-sword.co.uk 32 | F L I G H T PAT H
Canadian bush pilots, and some of their aircraft, like the DHC-2 Beaver and Noorduyn Norseman, are the stuff of legend. Despite this, relatively few have their biographies published. Sheldon Luck got into aviation the hard, familiar way. He scraped together the money to solo, and continue flying, by working every job he could get. Within no time, Luck was working for United Air Transport (UAT), one of the airlines that truly opened up the north, flying the entire fleet on wheels, floats and skies and landing on everything from frozen rivers to sandbars. He flew for Ferry Command during the war and, post-war, continued flying, became a flying firefighter and then, as good legends do, lived a quiet, unassuming retirement. This is a rollicking good book with many superbly written accounts of aerial emergencies and dramas. The author spins a fine yarn from material he meticulously collected over several years. A veteran journalist, he has a unique take on things and his style reflects that. It’s a slow burn initially as the first chapter lays out the history of UAT which, if you’re not familiar with Canadian aviation, is a bit of hard work to keep track of. It does, however, add needed context. The same can be said for when Luck joins Ferry Command. The author, a leading authority, goes to great lengths to explain its early history. This is a wonderful read and, at over 300 pages, a comprehensive one that is often very hard to put down. (reviewer: Andy Wright) Ted Beaudoin, US$19.99 plus p&p, Elm Grove Publishing, www.elmgrovepublishing.com
Night Duel Over Germany
Smile, Particularly in Bad Weather Subtitled ‘The Era of the Australian Airline Hostess’ this book charts the history of female cabin staff in Australia from the first days with Holyman’s Airways in the thirties through to the nineties. Dr Black is a Research Associate in the Department of Gender and Cultural Studies at the University of Sydney. This is not the usual sort of airline account to be found in Flightpath, as it looks at the experience of the hostess. It is, thus, not primarily an aviation history book, but is grounded in Dr Black’s cultural studies expertise, and will interest readers who wish to know how that experience developed and changed, and what challenges and difficulties were faced and the rewards enjoyed. There are errors in the aviation detail. A DH.86 Express is captioned as a DC-2, for example, and confusion over the early non-existence of pressurisation and the attitudes of tailwheel and nosewheel aircraft on the ground and in flight will annoy many. These shouldn’t detract from the main text which is very readable and packed with insight most travellers will have probably experienced, but not realised the importance of. One fascinating aspect is the number of early stewardesses who were qualified private pilots, but could not be considered as airline pilots by the social expectations of the day. The latter half of the book tackles some of the industrial relations issues of the seventies and eighties which will interest those wanting to see behind the scenes of Australian airline operations. A fascinating read. (reviewer: James Kightly) Prudence Black, $29.99 plus p&p, University of Western Australia Press, uwap.uwa. edu.au
The story of Bomber Command’s war on Germany is almost unfathomably complex and wide-ranging. It’s very difficult for a single person to fully understand it, let alone condense it enough to fit into one book. This is more or less what Peter Jacobs has attempted with this 208-page hardcover. Jacobs, a former RAF Phantom and Tornado navigator, follows the conduct and background of the bomber war in a chronological fashion, including on the Luftwaffe side. He clearly sets out the distinct phases of the battle, taking the reader through the early years, the developing electronic war and the campaigns against the Ruhr and Berlin before turning to the end game. There’s a good selection of photographs and diagrams illustrating both sides of the conflict. There are, however, several features that take the shine off the overall effect. Certain pet words and phrases are perhaps over-used and some of the editing is sloppy. The reasonably extensive bibliography contains only secondary sources, so Jacobs is a little too reliant on taking quotes directly from books by other authors instead of going to the original source. This lack of rigour is perhaps what led to a few inaccuracies slipping into the final text. Claiming Don Bennett as a New Zealander, for example, is near inexcusable (he is later correctly identified as an Australian). These quibbles aside, however, the book does pull together some gripping stories from both sides of the battle to be, overall, a useful and accessible introduction to Bomber Command’s war. (reviewer: Adam Purcell) Peter Jacobs, £19.99 plus p&p, Pen & Sword Books, www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
Personal Effects
The RAF Air Sea Rescue Service Norman Franks is no stranger to any aviation enthusiast, nor is his work on the RAF’s ASR units during W.W.II. His two volumes on the Walrus crews, ‘Another Kind of Courage’ and ‘Beyond Courage’, are excellent records of relatively unsung aircrew and their extraordinary deeds. It comes as no surprise, then, to see his name on this instalment in the ‘Images of War’ series. More a potted history of the subject matter, as opposed to a plethora of photos, the introduction to each chapter usually spans about five pages and manages to cram in good contextual detail with excellent personal accounts. Readers familiar with the RAF’s ASR efforts will recall the almost non-existent organisation of a rescue system at the beginning of the war, despite quality flying boats and the world’s largest navy on hand. The book provides an outline of the development of the service and, after detailing the early work of Lysanders, Defiants and Spitfires, the vast majority of the remaining pages are dedicated to the Walrus crews’ starring role in ASR. Familiar names like the sea mine hopping Australian Tod Hilton, the ubiquitous Tom Fletcher of 277 Squadron RAF, and the legendary Kiwi Arnold Divers, who completed many rescues with 283 Squadron RAF in the Med, regularly pop up and their adventures are supported by an (expected) impressive selection of photographs. It is perfect for a first look at ASR. While not the point of this extensive series, an index would have been very welcome and useful. (reviewer: Andy Wright) Norman Franks, £14.99 plus p&p, Pen & Sword Books, www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
High in the Sunlit Silence
Battle Colors Volume VI
The trainee members of an elementary flying course share a bond equivalent to that shared with the squadron mates most eventually served with. To trace the various service paths of each trainee is relatively straightforward. After all, that’s what archives are for. It becomes a challenge when you want to tell their stories. Some simply left very little behind. Tony Vine has gone through all of this fifty times to trace the men who made up Pilots’ Course 20 at No. 5 Elementary Flying Training School, RAAF Narromine. The timing of the beginning of the course, December 1941, is significant, yet the vast majority served in Europe. Eighteen were killed. The genesis for this project was the author researching his uncle. Bill Gunning was killed at the controls of a Wellington in 1943. He had trained with some of his course mates in Canada and kept in touch with others. So many of the men featured in this book would barely be known outside of their families. To that end, each chapter, some incredibly sobering, has been written as a standalone record biography so that it can be used as such by the family or others. This makes for some repetition, particularly regarding training, and it requires some effort to read these sections properly, rather than skim what has already been said. The author has done remarkably well when, in some cases, he hasn’t had a lot to go on. The result is all the more valuable for its very existence. (reviewer: Andy Wright) Commander Tony Vine RANR, $36.99 plus p&p, Vivid Publishing, Narromine.fifty@gmail.com
The analysis of insignia and aircraft markings exists in two worlds. Firstly, many markings are supported by official documentation regarding size, colours and placement. Secondly, unofficial markings and noseart can be open to conjecture, particularly regarding colours. It is important, therefore, that research such as Robert Watkins’ is published. His work has a depth to it that goes far beyond the myriad aircraft profiles that support this niche area of study. This is the sixth book of the author’s series on USAAF wartime markings. A hardback of 160 pages, it is beautifully presented in full colour. Each unit is given at least a two-page spread. The left page lists the command unit hierarchy and composition with landmark dates and, importantly, the emblems used. The right page contains a small map showing the unit’s bases and includes several profiles of the types flown and the origin and evolution of the markings applied to those aircraft. Units that flew several types, or were active for longer, consume a four-page spread. Profiles vary in size depending on the number of aircraft that need to feature. The analysis and corresponding discussion is as comprehensive as you can get. There are several basic errors in the proof-reading – Pearl Harbor in 1942, Afghanistan incorrectly spelt on every map, and Paul Tibbets’ name spelt wrong throughout the 509th Composite Wing’s spread, for example - but you’ll be so dazzled by the colour, variety and detail, not to mention the superb supporting material, that such oversights are easily forgiven. (reviewer: Andy Wright) Robert A. Watkins, US$45.00 plus p&p, Schiffer Books, www.schifferbooks.com
The Curtiss Kittyhawk Mk.II The eighteenth volume of the ‘Squadrons!’ series features heavy RAAF content. Two units flew the Kittyhawk Mk.II (P40F/L) – 3 Squadron RAAF and 260 Squadron RAF. A relatively rare aircraft in terms of the RAF’s inventory in North Africa, the Merlin-powered Kittyhawk tends to be overshadowed by, and perhaps lumped in with, the Allison-powered marks. A P-40 is a P-40 after all. Therefore, it is pleasing to see some attention focussed on the mark, albeit briefly as per the format of this wide-ranging series. This volume follows the same layout as previous instalments, with the aircraft type introduced and the operational history of each unit that employed it, be it a squadron, training establishment or testing unit. Black and white images abound, but, perhaps because of the subject matter and the theatre in which it operated, there are none of the colour photos that this series often includes. Colour is nicely used in the unit badge artwork and in the many tables found throughout the 38 A4 pages. The best artwork, as ever, is found at the end of the book where five superb profiles, by artist Gaeten Marie, are nicely reproduced. The number of profiles is about average for this series. These books need to be looked at as potted histories of the subjects covered. They are not intended to be the last word. The information contained within each volume is designed for quick reference, but reading the narrative will often lead to the discovery of something, or someone, new. (reviewer: Andy Wright) Phil Listemann, from €3.95 (e-book), www.raf-in-combat.com
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Personal Effects
Slybirds Every now and then a book of a particular genre comes along that is so good in every aspect – content, photo reproduction, editing, production values – that it can’t possibly be matched. That happened with ‘Zemke’s Wolfpack’ by Nigel Julian and Peter Randall several years ago. It was a solid, beautifully produced ‘photographic odyssey’ of a USAAF fighter group that set a benchmark. That benchmark may have just been surpassed. This book about the 353rd Fighter Group is printed in the same format on high quality paper that allows for every photo, colour and monochrome, to be reproduced as crisply as possible. Captions average more than fifty words, as you’d expect from the Group’s historian. Every aspect of the unit is featured, including the service echelon, mascots/ pets, and leisure activities. What is particularly pleasing is that, while ‘Slybirds’ is billed as a ‘photographic odyssey’, and it’s exactly that, each chapter’s preamble, ranging from one to four pages, reveals the intensity and breadth of the author’s knowledge. Coupled with the extraordinarily detailed captions, some rivalling the shorter chapter preambles, this ‘picture book’ is as good and as thorough a read as any of the titles mentioned on these pages. Published by Fighting High, the publishing house responsible for ‘Zemke’s Wolfpack’, this is a large, landscape-format hardback of 215 pages. That sounds relatively short, but it is certainly not that. Whatever aspect of American units in Europe fascinates you, be it the aircraft, the personnel, or both, this book is for you. (reviewer: Andy Wright) Graham Cross, £29.95 plus p&p, Fighting High Publishing, www.fighting-high-books. myshopify.com
Calculated Risk In his survey of Astronaut Virgil ‘Gus’ Grissom’s life, George 34 | F L I G H T PAT H
Leopold seeks to clear the ambiguity surrounding the legacy of America’s second man in space. He discovers a man whose drive and sense of ‘don’t quit’ dwarfed any innate talents he also possessed. The loss at sea of Grissom’s Mercury capsule, ‘Liberty Bell 7’, is dealt with at great length – some might argue too great. Leopold’s motives for the somewhat repetitive passages on the ‘hatch blowing’ incident are clear. He wants the reader to be unambiguously certain that Grissom did not panic, nor did he prematurely blow the hatch. He worked hard for everything in life, including command of the first Gemini and Apollo missions, something NASA never would have given to a panicky hatch-blower. Leopold steers clear of uncritical hero worship, revealing a distant father, an unfaithful husband, and a man as vulnerable as any other astronaut to the ‘Go Fever’ that ultimately killed him. The Apollo 1 fire is covered in significant detail, and while the book is an easy read, it’s in this section that it becomes difficult because you know the ending. By that point, the reader is so invested in Grissom that it’s almost involuntary to hope for a different ending. ‘Calculated Risk’ fills what has been the largest gap in the field of astronaut biographies, and it does so creditably. While Leopold is clearly impressed by his subject, he remains distant enough to give a warts-and-all account of Grissom’s life, accomplishments, and untimely death. (reviewer: Joe Copalman) George Leopold, US$29.95 plus p&p, Purdue University Press, www.thepress. purdue.edu
B-25J Mitchell in Combat over Pacific & CBI
Escape! Frank Gatland was a Kiwi farm boy who joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force in March 1941. Becoming a pilot, he sailed for Britain and was posted to 214 Squadron RAF flying Short Stirling bombers. Fearless, Frank quickly earned a reputation for his daring flying on ops, including a raid on Genoa where he was forced down to near rooftop level when cloud obscured the target. The flak nearly killed them, but they made it back safely and Frank was awarded the DFM. The crew’s luck ran out, however, when they collided with a fighter over France in November 1942. Frank survived bailing out and set off on foot in an attempt to evade capture. He covered many miles before he was eventually taken prisoner. Once a POW, it wasn’t long before he was planning an escape, the first of many to come. Including the initial evasion, Frank was officially credited with five escapes by war’s end. He was a genuine thorn in the side of the Germans as he was continually planning and scheming ways of getting away and returning to Britain and safety. He loved every minute of it! In later years Frank wrote down his memories of life as a bomber pilot, an evader, prisoner and serial escaper. Now his son Arthur has self-published those memoirs in an attractive 194-page paperback. It’s a cracking read and a rare first-hand account detailing life on the run in occupied Europe. It is a genuinely exciting reading experience. (reviewer: Dave Homewood) Frank Gatland DFM, NZ$25.00 plus p&p, gatlandaj@ihug.co.nz
One of the enduring images of the Pacific air war is that of a USAAF strafer attacking shipping, airfields or other enemy installations. While the A-20 Havoc shared the heavy burden of this style of attack mission, the star is the B-25 Mitchell and, probably by dint of its effectiveness and surviving numbers today, the J-model in particular. The increased ‘canvas’ of the gun noses generated some wonderfully colourful noseart. The whole package is a modeller’s dream. That’s exactly who this book, the latest of Kagero’s growing SMI Library, is firmly aimed at. However, any fan of the aircraft type will revel in the 260 photos crammed into 108 pages. What was surprising was the ten-page colour section towards the end of the book. It closes with an excellent two-page spread of a wreck the author visited in the Indonesian jungle. The colour photo section is followed by a page of pinups, a page of unit insignia and then eight full-page profiles that are nicely reproduced with various sections repeated at a larger scale for added detail and clarity. The entire book is bilingual – Polish and English – with most of the text featuring as informative captions. This, however, is where the book is let down. The English translation is disappointingly average as this otherwise would have been as near to perfect as this format can get. That said, the reader will get everything they need from the captions. A small book that punches above its weight. (reviewer: Andy Wright) ´ Marek Katarzynski, €16.67 plus p&p, Kagero Publishing, www.kagero.eu
Personal Effects The Avro Type 698 Vulcan
Ceres: Australia’s Heavyweight Cropduster This new book on the Ceres will be out in time for Christmas. A review will follow in the next issue, but we invited the author to share some background and content on the work. “I didn’t actually intend to write a book about the Ceres! It began as a chapter in a book about the CAC Wirraway which I’m currently writing. I benefited from some previous research by Geoff Goodall and Peter Reardon, but the story of the development of the aircraft was missing, so that came from my archival research and interviews with two of the original development team. It made sense to create some original line drawings showing the evolution of the Ceres during its development, and also to commission Juanita Franzi to create several original colour profiles.” It is a detailed history of the design, development, production and operation of the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) Ceres. The result of more than fifteen years of research, it tells how the design team overcame unexpected problems with the adaptation of the CAC Wirraway to the dramatically different flight regime of crop dusting. To provide context for the design, the book covers the development of agricultural aviation in Australia and New Zealand, with a brief summary of earlier types used. A bonus little-known aspect is how unused surplus Wirraway airframes purchased for Ceres production ensured the survival of dozens of Wirraways. Details of these are included within the 256 pages that feature 597 photographs printed on high quality paper. (James Kightly) Derek Buckmaster, $60 plus p&p, www.dbdesignbureau.net/ store, www.wheelersbooks. com.au (ISBN: 9780994571304) or www.booktopia.com.au
The Vulcan is without doubt a legendary aircraft and there have been many titles charting its history and career. With this in mind, I was at first sceptical that another offering could find room in such a well-catered for area of the market. Happily, my initial scepticism was unfounded as David Fildes has put together a fascinating, thoroughly researched and well-presented piece of work that should appeal to both the hardened experts and casual followers alike. The author opens with a brief history of Avro itself, the original government specification B35/46, including some fascinating tender drawings and concept models, the competition’s offerings for tender, the Avro 707, development and production, right through to weapons, tactics, and then even further on to service life up to the display flights and the final years of service. There’s just so much in this book. I’ve not been so furnished with a wealth of information since the most recent Tony Blackman book on the subject. The impressive number of photographs and diagrams (including an interesting set of plans for modellers) are spread throughout the almost 500 pages of this paperback and give the reader a much greater understanding of the subject matter being discussed. There were a great many images this reviewer had not seen before, which is particularly refreshing given the Vulcan’s extensive and continuing coverage in other publications. This is an extremely solid piece of work that also benefits from being very keenly priced. It is a worthy addition to any collection. (reviewer: Simon Jakubowski) David W. Fildes, £15.99 plus p&p, Pen & Sword Books, www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
Hawker Hunters at War The Middle East @ War series from Helion is adding some fabulous subjects covering one of the more conflict-ridden parts of the world. This edition is a very accessible entry to the series and goes a long way toward exploring some of the evershifting alliances between Arab states and their Western patrons. After some reluctance to provide anything that was not surplus, Iraq’s position during the Suez War convinced London to deliver the first five Hunter F.Mk 6 fighters. Iraq declared itself operational with the type by the end of 1957. Iraqi Hunters, eventually totalling 46 aircraft, were to play roles in coups and attempted coups, right through to the Arab conflicts with Israel into 1967. This is where the text begins to truly shine, as it is the product of countless interviews with former Iraqi and Jordanian aircrew. The 1967 war with Israel covers about a third of the book. The book is filled with mainly black and white photos and includes some beautiful colour plates of Iraqi and Jordanian aircraft. As noted in the post-script, Iraqi records were all but destroyed during the US-led invasion in 2003 with most of the material sourced directly from former crew. While it may initially feel like it gets lost in the complexity of the region as it attempts to explain and provide some context to the Hunter’s story in the region, the book comes up beautifully in its accounts of the battles waged and the first combat for this classic British fighter. (reviewer: Takis Diakoumis) Tom Cooper & Patricia Salti, £16.95 plus p&p, Helion and Company, www.helion.co.uk
in big heavy bombers, unlike their U.S. or U.K. counterparts, the evolving post-war French aviation industry enthusiastically embarked on the development of more versatile medium bombers. France had begun to rebuild its military aircraft industry, developing high performance aircraft for its offensive armed forces as early as 1944. In doing so, manufacturers produced a range of innovative, and at times outlandish, bomber projects, proposals, designs and prototypes. In this companion to ‘French Secret Projects 1’, the reader will see that many French bomber projects started life in response to proposals from the French armed forces. However, others originated from the industry itself and the author uncovers many previously unknown types, including nuclear strike aircraft proposals. Numerous period drawings, promotional art, photographs of prototype aircraft, mock-ups, wind tunnel and promotional model images combine to enhance the research. This work also embraces the development of transport aircraft. As France grew into a nuclear power, so did the requirement for nuclear strike aircraft, such as the Dassault Mirage IV and Minerve V, along with many projects for advanced strike aircraft. Turbojet, ramjet, rocket propulsion and supersonic designs were all researched, sometimes taking advantage of captured German wartime technology or using national pre-war research. The final chapters study French helicopter development and even a flying saucer, armed flying jeeps and other military aviation platforms. This is a comprehensive view of French military bomber and strike aircraft designs from the Liberation of France to the late twentieth-century. (reviewer: Rob Fox) J-C Carbonel, $69.95 plus p&p, Crecy Publishing, Distributed by DLS Australia, (03) 9587 5044, orietta@dlsbooks.com
French Secret Projects 2 With no tradition or background F L I G H T PAT H | 35
Family begins its By Darren ‘Motty’ Mottram
O
ne of the latest classic aircraft to return to Australian skies is the stunningly refurbished Beech 18 VHBHS ‘Miss Maple’. Owned and restored by Chris and Haley Tibbetts of Beech Adventures, the aircraft is now based at Maitland in the Hunter Valley, just west of Newcastle, New South Wales. Built for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in 1952 as a D18S-3TM Expeditor, (serial CA-198, RCAF 1598) the aircraft
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served for around sixteen years. It was then sold off as surplus in 1968 and acquired by Hamilton Aircraft Co. in Arizona where it became N6127. While Beechcraft built civilian versions of their Model 18, the surplus ex-military airframes were a popular (and cheap) choice for many roles including short-haul airliners, freighters and business and private transports. To increase the performance and capacity of these very versatile
aircraft, Hamilton Aircraft specialised in applying a wide range of modifications to the airframes it bought from the RCAF. Some of the modifications included extended wing tips, cargo and air-stair doors, cockpit escape hatches, a two-piece windscreen, stacked exhausts, and baffled cowls. An extra fuel tank was fitted in the slightly extended nose and a taller tailwheel assembly was fitted to alter the angle-of-incidence of the tailplane when on the ground. The
MAIN: The stunningly refurbished Beech 18 VH-BHS ‘Miss Maple’ on an early post restoration flight over Maitland, NSW. [All images by Motty, unless noted]
LEFT: The Twin Beech 18 taxiing out for its postrestoration flight at Maitland on 9 July.
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performance benefits of these modifications saw an increase in the aircraft’s maximum takeoff weight, from 9300 to 10,100 lbs (4218 to 4536 kilograms), and an increase in cruise speed of 20 knots (37 kph). A side effect of these increases in cargo capacity and performance was that the Twin Beech type became especially popular with gun and drug-runners in the U.S. and South America. With the cabin windows removed and the openings faired over, in what appeared to be a freighter configuration, N6127 fell victim to this shady role. It was while being used to run drugs in the early eighties that the Beech was seized and impounded by U.S. authorities. Eventually, in 1982, it was released for auction and sold back into the American civil market. N6127 passed through numerous owners in the U.S. before being acquired and flown to Australia by Alan Miles in 1999. While still wearing its American registration, it was used for tours with Australian Outback Safaris and even managed the odd bit of film work in Queensland. Current owners, Chris and Haley Tibbetts, purchased the aircraft in October 2015 and, with a great deal of help from Luskintyre Aircraft Restoration, Paul Bennet Airshows and Hunter Aerospace among others, spent the next two years lovingly restoring it with a beautifully appointed interior and classic ‘speedbird’ silver finish with red and white trim. The name ‘Miss
ANTI-CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The Twin Beech lifting off.
Owners Chris and Haley Tibbetts with ‘Miss Maple’.
A typical RCAF Beech D18S-3TM Expeditor.
Minus its mainplanes, the Beech partway through its thorough refurbishment.
[via Beech Adventures]
The flightdeck of the Beech 18.
F L I G H T PAT H | 39
CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT: Chris and Haley Tibbetts with their children Isabelle and Max. The Beech served with the RCAF and flew extensively as a civilian transport in the USA before being ferried to Australia. Beech Adventures’ Expeditor at sunset over the Hunter Valley. With Paul Bennet at the controls, the Beech 18 slips in tight with the photo ship. The Beech makes a low high speed pass over the airfield. 40 | F L I G H T PAT H
Maple’ was chosen as a tribute to the aircraft’s RCAF origins. Chris and Haley plan to take ‘Miss Maple’ to Australian airshows and display the beautiful lines of this classic aircraft. They also hope to offer the public a chance to take an adventure flight with a difference. A limitation of many adventure flights offered by numerous operators is that the aircraft type only allows for one person to participate at a time, so the experience can’t be shared with others. What Beech Adventures can offer is the chance for the whole family to go together, in leather appointed comfort, for scenic flights around the Newcastle coastline and beautiful Hunter Valley, or the local areas around the various airshows the aircraft will attend. With its large cargo door and the seats removed, the large cabin can also be used for parachute jump flights if required. (With thanks to Chris and Haley Tibbetts and Paul Bennet and Glenn Graham from Paul Bennet Airshows who helped to capture this classic in flight)
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The Vintage Aviator’s authentic Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a reproduction. [Photography by Rob Fox]
‘Bla Johan’
Sweden’s Own By Luigino Caliaro
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A
lthough not one of the most famous aircraft of W.W.II, the SAAB B 17 was an important aircraft for the Swedish Air Force, and the Swedish aviation industry, as it represents the first of the country’s own designs to be manufactured by the new SAAB following the 1939 merger with AB Svenska Järnvägsverkstädernas Aeroplanavdelning (AJSA). The SAAB 17 was originally intended as a reconnaissance aircraft, but was later redesigned as a dive-bomber. Its wings were reinforced and, unusually, the undercarriage was extended in a dive so as to use the gear fairings as dive brakes. The type was built in five variants: the S 17BL and S 17BS for reconnaissance duties, and the B 17A, B 17B and B 17C for bombing. The letters ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ indicated the type of engine fitted. Due to the outbreak of W.W.II putting an end to all imports of aircraft and engines from the U.S., as the huge need for engines led to an export embargo, SAAB began producing the STWC-3 engine (a copy of the Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp). Despite efforts to speed up the manufacture of the STWC-3, regular deliveries to the Flygvapnet were not possible until late 1943. Therefore, to accelerate the delivery of the aircraft, some radial engine alternatives were found in the Bristol/Svenska Flygmotor Mercury XXIV of 890hp (664kW) and the Italian Piaggio P.XI bis R.C.40D of 1020hp (761kW). The first aircraft delivered - the S 17B reconaissance variant, the float-equipped S 17BS, and the B 17B bomber - were equipped with the Bristol Mercury XXIV. Later, when SAAB succeeded in obtaining a number of engines from Italy, the Piaggios were installed in the B 17C version.
The first test flight was on 18 May 1940, but many problems occurred and subsequent delays slowed the production programme. The first B 17B was delivered to F 7 Wing in Såtenäs during the spring of 1942. In the summer of the same year, the first S 17BS was delivered to F 2 Wing at Hägernäs, while the delivery of the S 17B to F 3 Wing at Malmen commenced in August 1942. The B 17A did not begin active service until July 1943 when it was delivered to F 6 Wing, based at Karlsborg, and F 7 Wing at Såtenäs. The last aircraft left the factory in October 1944. SAAB produced 322 aircraft with 26 built at its factory at Trollhättan (mainly the B 17A with the STWC-3 engine) and 57 (including two prototypes) at the Linköping plant. Of the entire production run, 58 were built as the S 17BL and S 17BS reconaissance variants and 264 were bombers. Of these, 132 were the STWC-3 powered B 17A, 55 had the Mercury XXIV, and 77 were fitted with the Piaggio P.XI engine. The operational life of the type was relatively short as it started to be replaced by jet-powered aircraft in 1947. After retirement as combat aircraft, eighteen B 17As were used as target towing tugs by civilian operators, 46 were sold to Ethiopia (where they were in service until 1968), and two were sold to Finland where they served as target tugs for the Finnish Air Force. The SAAB had a roomy cockpit for the crew of two. The observer/radio operator could slide his seat back and forth between his different workstations. The bomber version was
MAIN: Airborne with the world’s only flying SAAB B 17. [All images Luigino Caliaro ]
TOP: Spin recovery during early testing was found to be difficult with full control deflection required to pull the aircraft out. The addition of a small fin under the tail, seen here, solved the problem. ABOVE: The prototype was powered by a licence-built Bristol Mercury XII.
F L I G H T PAT H | 45
equipped with two forward firing 8 mm guns in the wings, an additional weapon for the radio operator, and a bomb load of 500kg. To maximise the strength of the wing, it did not have cutouts for the landing gear. The legs were folded back and up and were fitted with streamlined covers. The covers were intended to be used as airbrakes during dive-bombing, but this was no longer necessary when the new BT2 bombsight was introduced as it allowed the dropping of bombs from a shallower diving angle. The wheeled landing gear could also be replaced with retractable skis for winter operations. The SAAB 17 was a reliable aircraft with quite decent performance, although it had a tendency to ground loop on landing.
SAAB B 17A 17239 In 1997 SAAB celebrated its sixty years in the aerospace business and decided, to adequately commemorate this anniversary, to restore to flight a B 17A owned by the Air Force Museum Official start-up of the project was 18 September 1996 and, only nine months later, on 11 June 1997, the restored aircraft took to the sky in the hands of pilot Kjell Nordstrom. This first flight lasted one hour and five minutes. The history of B 17A, serial 17239, is quite interesting. Built at the Trollhättan factory, it was delivered on 27 July 1943 to the 2nd Squadron of F 7 Wing at Såtenäs. Due to the fact that it was one of the first examples of the B 17A delivered, it made the transfer flight from Trollhättan with the third-built STWC-3 engine (first production engines were only approved for transfer flights and not on operations). After a fifteen minute acceptance flight, the aircraft was transferred to Såtenäs where SAAB personnel removed the engine. That was sent back to Trollhättan to be fitted to other B 17As waiting to be transferred to the unit. The aircraft was parked without an engine until 16 November 1944, finally entering official active service from 1 December. During its career, it had two accidents. The first one, on 27 April 1945, occurred 46 | F L I G H T PAT H
during a landing when the aircraft stalled due to a faulty airspeed indicator. The second incident followed a few months later when, during a take off, it collided with a parked aircraft. No casualties resulted from these accidents and, despite some major repairs, the aircraft was still in service in late November 1945. Between 15 April 1948 and 28 February 1949, ‘Blue Juliet’, as it was known, was held in the central workshops at Västerås for a major engine and propeller overhaul. In autumn of the same year, it was fitted with dual controls followed by the removal of all of the armament. After being assigned to the 3rd Sqn of the F 14 Wing at Halmstad, on 3 July 1951, after 602 sorties and 562 flight hours, the B 17A made its last flight in the colours of the Flygvapnet. After the type was retired as a combat aircraft from the Swedish Air Force, some were used as target towing aircraft as mentioned above. This aircraft was one of the machines selected and, thus owned by the Swedish Air Force, it used the civil registration SE-BYH and was assigned to the civil target-towing company Svensk Flygtjänst AB in Stockholm. It was painted in a high visibility gloss yellow livery to suit its new role. In November 1957, after around 600 target towing hours, it was transferred to Firma Avia, based on Gotland Island, where it continued flying until its retirement on 30 June 1968, having accumulated a further 1560 target towing hours. Following its retirement as a target tug, SE-BYH was put into storage with the Swedish Air Force museum until selected to be restored to flying condition. It was finished in the colours and markings of ‘Bla Johan’ (‘Blue Juliet’) as worn when it was in service with 2nd Squadron of F 7 Wing.
Flying ‘Bla Johan’ “What still amazes me”, said SAAB test pilot Johan Sjostrandt, “after flying the B 17 for five seasons, is the cumbersome start-up sequence. Compared to the jets I fly today, the engine start requires at least twice the normal amount of time and effort. The priming of the carburettor has to be done in advance, andwill
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The SAAB B 17 was the beginning of Sweden’s renowned self-sufficiency in military aircraft production. The undercarriage was designed to be lowered for dive bombing, with the trousered legs serving as dive brakes. The development of the BT2 bombsight, by two Swedish engineers, meant much shallower dives could be performed with even greater bombing accuracy. Rather than being a sprightly performer, the type proved a steady and reliable aircraft and was relatively easy to maintain. During the prototype’s first flight, in the hands of test pilot Claes Smith, the canopy blew open. Smith managed to hang onto it, but was eventually forced to let it go in preparation for landing.
F L I G H T PAT H | 47
lasts for 5-7 start attempts and is done while the technicians pull the propeller through. If the engine is cold, move the throttle up 10-15 millimetres and turn on the magnetos. “You must be careful when selecting the fuel tank or you may end up being presented with a full tank indication for the entire flight, while the other one has been drained. Pressurise the fuel system with the auxiliary fuel pump, for just a second or two, and press the button to spin the flywheel for a maximum of twenty seconds, then pull the same button to engage the starter. If it doesn’t fire straightaway, do not let go of the button, but switch hands and start pumping fuel with the primer pump. If it does fire, switch hands, set mixture to rich and adjust throttle. Nothing like in a jet, but charming. Set the propeller pitch to fine. Standard run-up checks once the cylinder head temperature is at least 120 degrees Celsius and the oil temp is at least 40. Open the oil cooling valve. If the engine is hot, it´s a different game. Systems-wise, there are almost none in comparison with modern jets. “With almost no forward visibility, taxiing the SAAB B 17 is difficult. It’s a problem, especially at the smaller air shows, as I have to zigzag using full rudder and asymmetric braking, and must consider the tremendous turn radius. For the take-off I lock the tailwheel as the aircraft is sensitive to ground loops. I can then apply full power, release brakes and with full stick forward lift the tail after just a few seconds on the move. I start to rotate when passing 130 km/h, lift off at 150 km/h and get the gear up. The aircraft yaws slightly and, normally, no flaps 48 | F L I G H T PAT H
are used. Set climb power and then close the engine cooling gills. “Flying the B 17 requires large stick inputs, both in pitch and roll, +/- 35 centimetres easily. The required roll input force at high speed is heavy and you must compensate for every throttle adjustment - trim and set cruise power, or full power for aerobatics. Select right or reserve tank. The left tank contains the reserve tank. The last eighty litres is the reserve, so reaching this in the left tank means the engine stops until the reserve is selected. If flying straight and level, pitching up or down causes the engine to protest earlier. A roll can take ten seconds to execute (in the latest generation of fighters you could perform ten rolls in the same time). I prefer at least 350 km/h for a loop. The aircraft is limited to 4g to ensure a long and happy life, but the g-meter fluctuates +/-1 when pulling, so the pull up for the loop will mean 3g. Vertical checking to the left and right to make sure that it is straight up and down, maintaining the line above the runway, and nose down requires throttling back so as not to over boost. The loop radius is around 700 metres. For the dive bombing manoeuvre from 3,000 feet, the gear is lowered below 250 km/h, and then a pitch down to a maximum seventy degree dive with a limit of 450 km/h. The enormous landing gear is a good speed brake (as they were designed to be for the dive bombing role). At 1000 feet, a smooth pull up into a steep climb and, when speed drops below 250 km/h, select gear up. To execute a barrel roll I have to fly level, around 350 km/h,
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Registered SE-BYH, the aircraft has appeared at airshows throughout Europe. Swedish AF B17s in action. The radio operator/navigator had two workstations and would slide his seat between the two as needed. [SAAB] A line up of Swedish AF Wing F 6 aircraft based at Karlsborg. B17 A 17281 is closest to the camera. [SAAB] Pilot Johan Sjostrandt The Swedish Air Force Museum holds two examples of the SAAB B 17 in its collection.
Forthedivebombing manoeuvrefrom3,000 feet,thegearislowered below250km/h,andthen apitchdowntoamaximumseventydegreedive with a limit of 450 km/h. and then roll slightly left, pull up smoothly, and start a continuous roll to the right. Adjust roll rate in the last ninety degrees so the loss or gain of altitude will be insignificant. “For landing the B 17, after a turn for downwind, I keep speed below 250 km/h, and get the gear down. Select flap to fifteen degrees. When settled, set lever in neutral or the hydraulic pump will seize. Open the cooling gills. Make sure the gear is down and locked by checking the red indicators on the top of the wings. Turn at a speed not slower than 170 km/h, with 150-160 on final. Extend the flaps to full down and do not forget to set the power lever to neutral again. Speed just before touch down is 130-140 km/h. If doing a wheel landing, power to idle, balance the air-
craft by slowly pushing the stick forward. There is good authority during this phase. When you run out of speed, lower the tail smoothly, and stand by to compensate the yaw tendencies when landing in cross winds and gusts. It is sensitive when the tail wheel hits the ground and prop is at idle. That is when you give the tail wheel lock modification some thought! Flaps up, lever neutral and taxi back. Set prop pitch to coarse, open the side window and enjoy the fresh air. F L I G H T PAT H | 49
John Bailey
Kittybomber Pilot
Not many W.W.II P-40 Kittyhawk pilots go for another flight in a P-40 in their nineties. But John Bailey’s experiences included this, and many other notable events. Contributing Editor James Kightly explores this nonagenarian’s remarkable flying career.
L
ike many young men in early W.W.II, John Charles Bailey was keen to enlist as a pilot, and was expecting to be sent to fight in Europe. But it was remarkable for him to have even got through the medical. Born on 8 December 1922, he suffered from osteomyelitis bone infection as a young boy, and went through a number of operations that saved his leg from amputation, though it was made shorter than the other for some time afterwards. Family life was hard, living on a farm while his father was prospecting for gold. Despite the RAAF medics testing him thoroughly, he recalled: “I managed to conceal the limitations, and I
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was accepted. The leg gave me no trouble flying except that at over 30,000 feet altitude it would go numb and cease to function. As we didn’t often operate above that height (even in Kittyhawks) it was seldom a problem – when it did happen, I would tuck the leg back, and trim hard left, and then hold off with right rudder. It became somewhat tiring on the right leg after a while!” His training experience was similar to many others, but John particularly remembers his main instructor at 9 EFTS, at Cunderdin, WA, one Flying Officer Chris Burlace. “A big man, Chris was a very good instructor, who expected you to do your
best and to show initiative. Any tendency to day-dreaming, or reliance on the instructor to get out of trouble brought instant repercussions. His loud bellow [through the Gosport tube] of ‘DO something you stupid bastard!’ would prompt frenzied activity, and the Tiger Moth would wallow into some semblance of control. The lesson sank in – on later occasions of difficulty, Chris’ ‘DO something!’ was a saviour. Unfortunately Chris was later killed in Beaufighters.” John Bailey’s wings parade, where he was ‘marker’ at the front right of the squad was at 4 SFTS Geraldton on 11 December 1941, three days after his nineteenth birthday and just a
few more after the start of the Pacific war, which was to change John’s service experience radically. Suddenly RAAF activities in WA had to go to a war footing. Newly qualified as a sergeant pilot, John was posted to 25 Squadron at RAAF Pearce, equipped mainly with Wirraways, in March 1942, but which led to some unusual flying experiences. He recalled: “The squadron acquired some Fairey Swordfish aircraft, which were used to patrol shipping in Gage Roads on anti-submarine work”. Though never officially part of the RAAF inventory, they were heavily used before the officials caught up and had them re-crated and given back to the Royal Navy. John said “I only flew one” V4692, and he found it “quite an experience.” Much more a part of the tedious but vital work was other patrol and searches in the Wirraways. “Jack West and I spent some time patrolling the coast from Geraldton to Onslow, looking for any evidence of the fate of the ship HMAS Sydney which disappeared off Carnarvon.” As it will be recalled, the loss of Sydney remained a mystery until the 2008. Another rare type he got to fly was the Brewster Buffalo, originally intended for the Dutch Netherlands East Indies air arm, but also acquired by 25 Squadron, who rapidly set up a ‘fighter flight’, moving to the old Dunreath golf course (later to become Perth airport, but then called RAAF Guildford). The pilots used the fairways while awaiting the runways being built. John was to fly all eight of the airworthy Buffalos, before CAC Boomerangs were allocated to the unit, and these were moved to the Potshot base at Exmouth, and redesignated as 85 Squadron – with John getting ten Boomerangs in his logbook. However he and his fellow pilots were found getting ahead of officialdom, and were recalled to 2 OTU Mildura to do a two month course on flying single seat fighters in July 1943. After training on Kittyhawks, and overcoming a sinus infection, John was posted to 75 Squadron. At that stage 75 Squadron was based at Goodenough Island off the north-east coast of New Guinea, and the main task was escorting Australian Vultee Vengeance dive bombers attacking the Japanese on the south coast of New Britain, as well as other American
John was to fly all eight of the airworthy Buffalos, before CAC Boomerangs were allocated to the unit. bombers. The squadron was commanded by Squadron Leader Jack ‘Kongo’ Kinnimont – a leader that over seventy years later John remembers with great respect. “Kongo said, ‘all pilots mess together – irrespective of rank’. He was a wonderful man, a really terrific leader. His policy was ‘it doesn’t matter what your rank is: we fly together, fight together and sometimes, we have to die together’”. And John was a firm advocate of his mount. “The P-40 Kittyhawk was, I reckon, one of the best fighters in the campaign,” he said. “Spitfires didn’t behave so well, they could seldom put their full squadron in the air, but we always could. … On 20 July I led a small formation of new Kittyhawks (replacements – the one I flew was A29-671) and new pilots from Hollandia to Noemfoor Island, off the north west tip of Dutch New Guinea, where the squadron came a few days later, after operations on Biak. Here we carried on with attacks and covered troop landings, and even dive bombed enemy installations with their own bombs captured at Noemfoor!
MAIN: Doug Hamilton’s Curtiss P-40N which John Bailey flew in, aged 93, seen here, being flown by Scott Taberner, on a later sortie. [Rob Fox] ABOVE LEFT: P-40 pilot John Bailey back in the fighter, over seventy years after flying the type in combat. [J Kightly]
ABOVE: Sergeant Bailey’s Kittyhawk ‘Marguerite II’ being loaded with Japanese bombs to be delivered back to their former owners. [Bailey family]
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“An official photograph of the day showed my Kittyhawk being loaded with Japanese bombs, before delivering them to their owners, with our compliments!” John explains the nose art, which was first painted on his earlier P-40, A29-458, GA-V: “My emblem on the cowling, a painting of a Fifinella [a female gremlin – originally created by Walt Disney] and the name ‘Marguerite’ (my wife’s middle name) was transferred to the new machine and it became ‘Marguerite II’.” Death was always a risk. “Unfortunately, a fellow West Australian, Maurie Barden, who was my replacement at the end of my tour of duty with 75 Squadron, was killed in ‘V’ on 9 August 1944.” John was to fly his last sorties in A29-443. After an appropriate 75 operational flights with 75 Squadron, John was posted back to Australia on 10 August 1944, his front line experience coming to a safe end. After leave, he joined 7 Communications Unit, flying a Tiger Moth from Broome looking after Radar units around the coast and on WA’s Cockatoo Island. After the war the demobbed Flying Officer Bailey dedicated his life to farming and his family, rais52 | F L I G H T PAT H
ing two boys and a girl. Son Kevin Bailey is familiar to Flightpath readers with his Stinson Gullwing, and John was to also fly occasionally for many more years. In the early 2000s, John visited Wanaka, New Zealand, where he was re-acquainted with the rebuilt Kittyhawk A29-448, now ZK-CAG, which he had flown while with 75 Squadron. And in November 2016, after travelling right across Australia from his home at Mandurah, WA, John, at the age of 93, became Classic Air Adventures’ first official guest in P-40N Warhawk, VH-PFO, at their base at Wangaratta, Victoria. Flown by owner/operator Doug Hamilton, Doug said afterwards that John had taken a turn at the controls and appeared “quite at home”. Certainly it seemed that the years had just disappeared and a very young fighter pilot re-emerged. Thanks to the Bailey family, Doug Hamilton, Mick Poole, Brendan Scott, and Keith Webb. Adventure flights are available with Classic Air Adventures at www.classicair.com
CLOCKWISE FROM OPPOSITE PAGE LEFT: John Bailey after his P-40 flight with Classic Air operator and pilot Doug Hamilton at Wangaratta. [J. Kightly]
John seated in one of the Buffalos at Dunreath, Perth, Western Australia in 1942. [Bailey family] Newly qualified Sergeant pilot John Bailey. [BAILEY family]
The Brewster Buffalo was a rare type in Australia. A photo from John’s album. [Bailey family] The Bailey boys . L-R: Kevin, father John, and Ian. [J Kightly]
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On Australia’s northern doorstep halfway through W.W.II, a navigational error unfolded, the magnitude of which has few peers. The incident revolves around a crew just arrived in theatre flying a combat-weary Mitchell bomber. South Pacific Correspondent Michael John Claringbould recounts their misadventure.
Wrong Way
Bomber T
he nickname 'Wrong Way Corrigan' was given to Douglas Corrigan, an American aviator born in Texas in 1907 (see Flightpath Vol. 28, No. 4, pp14-19). He received the sobriquet in 1938 following the transatlantic flight he made from New York to Ireland. He had lodged a flight plan for New York to Long Beach, California, the opposite direction, and blamed his unauthorised flight on misreading his compass and bad weather. Corrigan was in fact a skilled aircraft engineer who had modified his Curtiss Robin beforehand in preparation for the transatlantic flight. Denied permission to fly to Ireland , his 'error' was thus viewed as deliberate. For the rest of his life, Corrigan refused to admit publicly that the flight was intentional, while celebrating the fame of his achievement. Six years later, at the height of a world war, a similar incident occurred that was far from a happy accident. In a comparatively short flight, seven men and their tired aircraft were pitted against New Guinea weather and unseen terrain. North American B-25D-10 Mitchell (serial 41-30232) had initially served a brief, chequered career with the 33rd Bombardment Squadron (BS) of the 22nd Bombardment Group (BG). The group had commenced operations in Australia with B-26 Marauders before transitioning to Liberators in early 1944. During the transition between the two types, three of its squadrons briefly operated the Mitchell and ’232 served the 33rd BS for a few months during this time. It flew its first combat mission on 10 October 1943 before being transferred to its final owner, the 672nd BS, the ground echelon of which arrived in New Guinea in late January 1944. This squadron, as part of the 417th BG, had assembled in California in late 1943 prior to 54 | F L I G H T PAT H
overseas deployment. Trained as a Douglas A-20 unit, the flying echelon arrived at Dobodura in early February 1944 without aircraft. They only stayed a few weeks before transferring operations to Saidor where they received secondhand early model A-20G-10s with limited range. During their brief deployment at Dobodura, all four of the 417th BG's squadrons were allocated a Mitchell bomber each, with which to conduct navigation training and fly administrative missions. It was commonplace to use retired, war weary bombers in an administrative capacity or as squadron hacks. Thus it was that seven 672nd BS personnel boarded ’232 at Dobodura shortly after breakfast on the morning of Friday 11 February 1944. Their destination, Milne Bay, lay 194 nautical miles (359 kilometres) southeast where, among other duties, squadron doctor Captain Joseph Healy would confer with medical colleagues. Although classified as an administrative mission, in truth the flight was also a training exercise for the newly arrived pilots. As such they were understandably eager to experience New Guinea's flying conditions for themselves. Pilot-in-command was First Lieutenant Benjamin 'Blackie' Blackwell from Landrum, South Carolina, assisted by co-pilot First Lieutenant Gilbert 'Gil' Barta from Davenport, Iowa. Staff Sergeant Carl Brower clambered aboard as the aircraft's engineer and both he and Staff Sergeant Robert Ludwig manned precautionary gun positions. Aside from Dr Healy, headquarters officer First Lieutenant Paul Keane was also a passenger. The seventh crewman remains unidentified. Assuming visual flying conditions existed, navigation would be straightforward. By following New Guinea's coast-
Seven men and their tired aircraft were pitted against New Guinea weather line southeast, the Mitchell would take just over an hour to reach Milne Bay. Blackwell launched from Dobodura at 08:15 hours, set course, and climbed towards his destination in overcast. Just before reaching Milne Bay he encountered a "small range of mountains near which appeared light showers but were bad storms". This was the Nelson Range with average
MAIN: In 1943 B-25C 41-12443 ‘Mortimer’ was retired from the 3rd BG to perform VIP duties. First Lieutenant Steve Marticorena was assigned as pilot-in-command to fly Brigadier-General Jarrad Crabb of Fifth Bomber Command around Australia and New Guinea. ‘Mortimer’ is seen here during an overnight visit to Cairns, prior to being decommissioned from combat. [Kevin Ginnane collection]
LEFT: The estimated track of ‘232. Most aviation navigation errors diverge from track, but this one reversed the proposed track completely. The direct distance from Dobodura to Merauke is 480 nautical miles (889 kilometres) while Milne Bay is 194 miles (359 kilometres). F L I G H T PAT H | 55
CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Retired Mitchell bombers served throughout the USAAF Fifth Air Force in administrative capacities. B-25C 41-12797 ‘Red Headed Gal’ was assigned VIP duties as photographed at Townsville in late 1942. Left to right are Brigadier-General Kenneth Walker of Fifth Bomber Command, and ‘Big Jim’ Davies, the CO of the 3rd Attack Group (see Flightpath Vol 29, No 1, pp58-61). B-25D 41-29692 ‘Torrid Tessie The Terror’ was a Mitchell assigned to administrative duties with the 673rd BS. On 22 May 1944 it departed Nadzab mid-afternoon for Saidor with ten on board, but never arrived. The wreckage was located in the mountains behind Nadzab in 1959. Seen here before its loss are (left to right) visiting comedian Joseph Brown and the CO of the 38th BG, Larry Tanberg. Similar to ‘232, B-25D 41-30664 ‘How’s Your Ole Tomato’ was one of many Mitchells operated by the 22nd BG during its transition phase from Marauders to Liberators. It is seen at Dobodura in January 1944. 56 | F L I G H T PAT H
heights of more than 3000 feet and whose highest peak was Mt Victory. Blackwell made several turns both left and right "to avoid black portions of cloud" and climbed the bomber to 12,000 feet, an altitude which he judged "would clear all mountains in the area". It was at this juncture things began to go awry. Blackwell now adopted a heading of 120 degrees which he expected would take him safely over water where he could let down. Once visual he would reverse course towards land to find Milne Bay. He held this heading for an hour in instrument conditions when suddenly an opening appeared. Blackwell descended rapidly to 2300 feet where he resumed his original heading or, at least, what he thought was 120 degrees. In his loss report, Blackwell stated that "Instead of southeast we had gone northeast" (This is a direct quote, northeast would have taken them out into the Solomon Sea – MJC) without explaining how or why. This was a defining juncture. An ex-
planation of the circumstances under which the Mitchell adopted the incorrect heading is the biggest gap in the incident, and the trigger to set off a building cascade of events. Doubtless the pilots contemplated returning to Dobodura at this stage, however venturing along the northern coast past Lae was unthinkable. While Lae and Nadzab had been captured in September 1943, the coastline west of Lae was still enemy territory. As such the crew only had three options: press on to Milne Bay, return to Dobodura, or head for the island's southern coastline, all of which were secure in Allied hands. The problem was they were now lost with no geographical fix from which to make an informed decision. The worried pilots thus pressed ahead and "picked up a river but lost it in clouds". Visibility improved enabling them to find a much larger river which they followed to the island's southern coast. This placed them overhead what Blackwell thought was Deception Bay, so he turned left and descend-
ed to 1000 feet noting that "we had a chance to reach Port Moresby so followed the coastline through squalls". Then the left engine cut out, so Blackwell feathered it and continued on the remaining good engine. Two villages came into sight and, with endurance down to ten minutes, Blackwell decided to ditch close to shore while he still had power. The tail hit the water first as he executed a controlled ditching just offshore a wide sandy coastline. Only two on board were injured - Keane received a black eye and Brower suffered lacerations to his legs. About 150 villagers from Klador village excitedly appeared and helped the crew unload equipment to the shore. The crew laid out blue and yellow signal cloth, spread a parachute, and for the next five hours took it in turns to crank the emergency radio set from the dinghy to broadcast SOS. Healy spent time conversing and making hand signs with the locals in order to compile a rudimentary dictionary. Via
F L I G H T PAT H | 57
MAIN: After a heavy landing at 7-Mile Drome (Port Moresby) on 22 June 1942, B-25C Mitchell 41-12449 was rebuilt by the 3rd BG. Named ‘Fat Cat’, the rebuild removed 1000 kilograms of airframe to make space for increased payload. A veteran of 73 combat missions and 245 combat hours, the retired bomber was placed on 'milk run' duties to ferry fresh food from Cairns. This photo was taken at Kila Drome, Port Moresby, on the day when 'Fat Cat' was recommissioned. RIGHT: B-25D 41-30597 was another Mitchell retired from combat. Originally named 'Bachelor Made' with the 22nd BG, it was transferred to the 345th BG in February 1944 and then the 38th BG in September. Its last owners paint-stripped the old stager and renamed it 'Hardships 2nd', a name it retained until the cessation of hostilities. The motif represents the American eagle presiding over the group's four squadron emblems - a black panther, a yellow lion, a brown wolf and a green dragon. It is seen here in Townsville in late 1944 against a backdrop of Mitchells, a Liberator and C-47s. FAR RIGHT: B-25C 41-12920 'The Bar Fly' served alongside ‘232 in the 33rd BS, 22nd BG. It was then transferred to the 312th BG for administrative duties until destroyed in an accident at Dobodura in April 1944. Seen here at Port Moresby, A-20G pilot First Lieutenant Kenneth Hedges poses with the aircraft he flew to Cairns several times with the 312th BG.
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limited communication with the villagers he ascertained where they were and prepared a hand-written note to be sent to the nearest Australian outpost. The locals delivered this message two days later to an Australian outpost near Merauke. Mid-morning the following day, while the note was in transit, a pair of RAAF Vultee Vengeances overflew them, but didn't see the downed bomber. Late that afternoon another Vengeance appeared and this time spotted the laid-out arrow pointing to the signal cloth, and descended towards them. More than 200 villagers excitedly waved their hands at the low flying aircraft from which the rear gunner visually flashed in Morse Code "Are you safe?" to which Barta scribed a large ‘OK’ in the sand. The Vengeance dropped supplies and then left, followed next mid-morning, 13 February, by another pair of Vengeances. One dropped rations and a note which stated that the crew would be collected by the Royal Australian Navy gunboat The Rosemary that same day. The vessel, however, arrived a day late. The crew set sail for Merauke at 15:30 hours and arrived there after an overnight voyage. After overnighting in Merauke they were flown by C-47 to Horn Island, Port Moresby, and then Milne Bay, their original intended destination. All were returned to Dobodura on 17 February except Brower who was hospitalised at Milne Bay for the cuts to his legs. Despite the magnitude of the error, the crew were lucky to be alive given that their unplanned flight across the massive island of New Guinea rated a high chance of hitting terrain in threatening weather. Determining their exact track is difficult, but the fact remains that at some stage they crossed the Owen Stanley Ranges. There was no shortage of geography that could have claimed them at 12,000 feet. Many factors contributed to the extraordinary miscalculation, but three are especially prominent. First, the crew was new to New Guinea and the geography and weather to them was as alien as it was daunting. Second, there were no navigation aids in the region, and, third was the relatively low experience level of both pilots. The average USAAF pilot arrived in theatre with between 200 to 300 hours experience, a bare minimum of hours with which to operate a medium bomber, especially in New Guinea's challenging environment. Both pilots were of the same rank, and we can speculate that perhaps this caused some confusion in decision-making. The pilot's superiors were understanding of the loss of the Mitchell as it did not affect either of their careers. Both went on to fly combat tours in Douglas Havocs with the 672nd BS. Blackwell named his 'Blackie' and Barta decorated his 'St Theresa'.
Sources: inter alia official history 672nd BS, and ‘The Skylancers’ unofficial history of 417th BG F L I G H T PAT H | 59
Ford Aircraft in Australia Neil Follett looks at yet another of the three engine airliner types to have flown in Australia and its territories – the legendary Ford Trimotor.
W
illiam Stout formed the Stout Metal Airplane Company in 1922 in Dearborn, Michigan, to build his aircraft designs. Henry Ford was one of the original investors in the company. The Ford Motor Company purchased Stout outright in 1924 and the first aircraft built under Ford’s ownership was the 3-AT, but it proved very underpowered with three Wright Whirlwind J-4 200hp (149kW) engines. An improved model was built, the 4-AT, and included sub-variants powered by several Whirlwind variants or the Pratt & Whitney Wasp. A further improved model, the 5-AT, was equipped with three Pratt & Whitney C-1 or SC-1 radials. Australia had four Ford Trimotors added to its civil register, all having previously been registered in the USA and then the UK. Two of the four were duly impressed into RAAF service during the Second World War. A fifth, unregistered aircraft was imported for spare parts.
60 | F L I G H T PAT H
MAIN: G-ACAK in England before being purchased by Holden’s Air Transport in New Guinea as VH-USX. OPPOSITE PAGE: Ford 4-AT. Photo taken in 1930 when operated by Compania de Lineas Aereas Subvencionadas SA as M-CKAA. CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Ford 5-AT VH-UTB was imported by Guinea Airways for its New Guinea freight operations. Remains of A45-1 at Myloa in 1966. It was transport via RAAF Chinook to Port Moresby in 1979. [Trevor Boughton] VH-USX at a very busy New Guinea aerodrome. VH-UTB. The background suggests it was photographed in Australia. [Nigel Daw Collection]
VH-USX A Model 4-AT (serial 68), this aircraft had already had a variety of identities by the time it arrived in Australia - G-ACAK, ECKKA, M-CKAA and NC4806. Originally registered to the Ford Motor Company, it was sold to Compania de Lineas Aereas Subvencionadas SA (Subsidised Airlines Company), a Spanish airline established in 1928 as a result of the military dictatorship of Miguel de Rivera wanting to monopolise air transport. The Ford was originally registered M-CKAA and later EC-KKA. The airline ceased operation in 1932. In November 1932 it was registered in the U.K. to Harold Stanford Cooper as G-ACAK. Cooper was the agent for Ford aircraft in England. Three years later, the aircraft was in Australia and registered to Holden’s Air Transport Services Ltd in Salamaua, New Guinea, on 24 May 1935. Les Holden began operations in New Guinea in August 1931 when he secured an air
freight contract from the Territory Administration. He was killed when Puss Moth VHUPM crashed at Myocum, New South Wales, on 18 September 1932. His father then formed Holden’s Air Transport Service (HATS) in his honour. A 51% share of the company was sold to Guinea Airways in 1934, but HATS continued to operate as a separate company until April 1937 when it was incorporated into its majority owner. On 25 June 1936, while being flown by H.T. Hammond, an engine failed at 2000 feet. Hammond experienced another failure of the port engine on 25 February 1937. He returned to Salamaua and landed safely. A change of registered ownership occurred on 19 April 1937 when VH-USX was sold to Guinea Airways. An Aircraft Inspection Report (AIR) dated 27 October 1937 indicated that the aircraft had flown 928 hours since built. It is highly unlikely that it included the hours
F L I G H T PAT H | 61
flown before coming to Australia. The next AIR, dated 2 December 1938, records the hours flown since being built as 1476. It suffered another engine failure that, this time, led to a forced landing at Wau, while being flown by Graham Jackson, on 6 September 1939. The Ford’s days came to an end when it was destroyed during a Japanese air raid on 21 January 1942.
VH-UTB First registered in the USA as NC409H before being registered G-ABFF in the U.K. on 14 October 1930 to Ford agent Harold Cooper, this Model 5-AT was soon re-registered by Cooper as G-ABHF in early January 1931. In those days it was unprecedented for any British aircraft to be allotted an out of sequence registration. It is said the change to G-ABHF was to represent the initials of Henry Ford. It was purchased from England by Guinea Airways and registered to them on 10 December 1934. It arrived in New Guinea in three large crates still wearing its British registration. It arrived still equipped with fourteen passenger seats that were soon removed. Entry to the cabin was via one small door. A loading hatch was built into the roof in the Guinea Airways workshops to enable large and long freight to be carried. It was flown to Parafield, South Australia, arriving on 23 February 1937, as a backup aircraft for Guinea Airways’ Lockheed 10 VH-UXA. It returned to New Guinea at the end of May. While landing at Bulolo, New Guinea, on 15 July 1941, with a load of timber, the aircraft swung out of control and hit an electrical stanchion at a petrol pump. It was repaired at Lae, but was written off at Little Wau Creek on 23 October after an engine failure on take-off with a full load of timber. The aircraft fell off the side of the airstrip into a deep gully and was totally destroyed. The pilot, Ian Hosie, received only minor injuries.
VH-UDY As this aircraft was a Model 4-AT-E (serial 61), it was powered by three Wright Whirlwind J-6-9 radials. Registered in the USA as NC9678, it was exported to England as a demonstration aircraft. It was registered GABEF on 31 July 1934 in the name of The British Air Navigation Co at Heston Airport in Middlesex. Holden’s Air Transport Service of Salamaua, New Guinea, purchased the aircraft through aircraft brokers W.S. Shackleton. It was registered as VH-UDY to HATS on 7 October 1935. An Aircraft Inspection Report
(AIR) dated 27 March 1936 quotes the aircraft had d flown just over 293 hourrs since leaving the factory. ot On 8 June 1937, pilo off F.T. O’Day was taking o me from Salamaua Aerodrom k a when the aircraft struck large log with the starboaard od. undercarriage radius ro nto The log was thrown on the tailplane by the impaact. O’Day retained full control and made a normal land ing. dent The report of the accid ways stated that Guinea Airw was the owner, but VH-UDY was not formally registered to them until 15 July 1937. By 27 September 1940, the aircraft had flown 2741 hours. Less than a month later on 18 October 1940, and about ten minutes into a flight between Salamaua and Lae, power was lost on the starboard engine, but the pilot was able to return to Salamaua and land without incident. VH-UDY was impressed into RAAF service on 16 February 1942 and became A45-2. It was destroyed by cannon and machine gun fire during an attack by Japanese aircraft on Seven Mile Aerodrome at Port Moresby on 13 March 1942. The undercarriage was recovered in 1978 and can be seen on display at the Papua New Guinea War Museum in Port Moresby.
ABOVE: VH-UDY on landing approach. BELOW: VH-UTB in New Guinea awaiting loading.
VH-UBI Named ‘Tanganyika Star’ and registered as G-ABHO in December 1930 to Peter Malcolm, the Fourth Earl of Lovelace, this Model 5-AT (serial 60), was originally NC401H on the American register. Peter Malcolm, with C.W.F. Wood, was the founder of Tanganyika Flying Services based in Arusha. Today, Tanganyika is known as Tanzania. A landing accident occurred on 2 January 1931 at Tripoli, Libya. It was repaired and loaned to Alan Muntz/Airwork. British Air Navigation Co (BANCO) became the registered owner on 27 November 1933. The aircraft was re-named ‘Voyager’ and based at Heston. It was then purchased by Guinea Airways and registered to them as VH-UBI in June 1935. The Trimotor had an apparently troublefree flying career until an accident occurred on 21 July 1938 at Eilogo while being flown by Ken Garden. A report of the accident stated, “After taxying into position with nose of aircraft to the north-west, the pilot opened the motors for take-off. When 251 yards along ground the Port motor failed. The pilot
could not straighten with opposite controls (rudder, brake etc.) and machine swung off narrow ground and hit several stumps.” The report also recorded the damage to the aircraft - “starboard engine torn from its mountings. Three airscrews bent. Fuselage telescoped. Wing bent 7 feet from tip. Undercarriage completely damaged. Trailing edge of centre section distorted on port side.” It would appear that VH-UBI was damaged beyond repair and Guinea Airways purchased another 5-AT in the USA in February 1939 to replace it. A report from Guinea Airways in March 1942 gives a good description of the rebuild. “This aircraft was rebuilt over a period from June 1939 to June 1940 from components received from America, and from certain components from a previous Ford which had been in our service in the Terri-
VH-UTB. Note cowled outer engines. 62 | F L I G H T PAT H
The future VH-UBI was originally registered in the USA as NC401H.
tory. The parts received from America included fuselage complete with undercarriage, empennage complete, starboard wing, one set of engine and aircraft instruments, including turn and bank indicator and compass. These parts were all covered with certification from the Civil Aeronautics Authority from U.S.A., but as corrosion was showing on floor members when received from America the whole machine was subjected to rebuild, and new Alclad members were made and fitted throughout on floor structure from stations 1-7….” It would appear that the ‘new’ aircraft carried the registration VH-UBI. It was impressed during W.W.II and was received by the RAAF on 6 February 1942 to become A45-1. It was converted for use as an air ambulance, but its service life ended on 24 November 1942 when it crashed at Myola in Papua New Guinea. It was declared a writeoff subject to any parts being recovered, especially the engines as spares for the RAAF Douglas Dolphin aircraft. In 1979 the fuselage and other parts were recovered by the RAAF and are now displayed, in an unrestored state, at the National Museum and Art Gallery in Port Moresby. So ends the story of the five Ford aircraft imported into Australia and their short flying careers here.
ABOVE MIDDLE: The future VH-UBI possibly in England. ABOVE: The salvaged Ford A45-1 on display at the National Museum and Art Gallery in Port Moresby. F L I G H T PAT H | 63
The project was a joint effort by the various maintenance departments and work was often carried out when the unit’s aircraft were away on missions. Kip Hawkins (that’s possibly him third from right) was regarded as the best man to lead the assembly of the ‘new’ aircraft. Post-war, he and Joe Long (possibly second from right) went into business together selling Volkswagens. ‘Little Hellion’ can just be made out below the cockpit.
Something out of
nothing By Andy Wright
The fuselage of 39-724 just after being separated from its wings. The push-me-pull-you affair to move this significant chunk of aircraft is indicative of the ‘can-do’ attitude of the unit and the paucity of the correct equipment for such a job. It is quite likely, however, that the correct equipment was better utilised on keeping the operational aircraft in the air. A side project such as this would have had to make do. 64 | F L I G H T PAT H
T
he A-20A (40-166) put down at 7-Mile Drome after it was damaged by flak during a raid over Lae on 1 November 1942. Relegated to the boneyard, where it would become a spares source, it was eventually found to be in better condition than initially thought. Towed to 3-Mile, where the Havocs were based, it was stripped of its wings. Another Havoc, 39-724, had suffered a nosewheel collapse on 15 December 1942. Its twisted fuselage was of no use, but its wings were fine so, in short, at least two aircraft became one (40-3153, ‘Yellow Fever’, is also reported as a major donor, but it pranged on 24 February 1943 after 40-166 is reported to have returned to service). ‘Fat Cat’ was the nickname given to the, somewhat unofficial, unit hacks used to acquire fresh food and alcohol as personnel went on leave. These men were often given money to purchase supplies on behalf of the unit and the aircraft would return carrying as much fruit, vegetables, meat and booze as it could carry. Once 40-166 was rebuilt, it was christened ‘The Steak and Egg Special’. Aircrew seeing the aircraft would have been buoyed for a variety of reasons because its appearance would either mean a new supply of decent foodstuffs or a pending period of leave. The Havoc continued flying until 11 June 1944 when it encountered bad weather, ran short of fuel and force landed on the beach at Low Wooded Island, near Cooktown, Queensland. The wreck was stripped of its useful components, reportedly a load of beer, by an Australian salvage team and abandoned. Part of the aircraft can still be seen today.
One fuselage move down, one to go. TOP: The finished product. Painted in a green that may have been acquired from RAAF stocks, ‘The Steak and Egg Special’ sported red wheel hubs and the main wheels were also painted blue and grey. It is seen here at 3-Mile prior to its christening, reportedly with a raw egg. The somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but impassioned, dedication speech opened with “From beyond the dark and dismal horizon of lousy chow shall rise this winged carrier”. Later renamed ‘Steak and Eggs’, and stripped of its paint, the old Havoc proved, in American parlance, a fast ship. [via Michael John Claringbould]
LEFT: The fuselage of 39-724 was buckled from its nosewheel failure. Note the crease that begins just aft of the cockpit. The forward wall of the cockpit is ‘Station 0’ on the A-20 series. Most aircraft use the tip of the nose for this datum point with all locations aft identified in inches (‘Station 106’, ‘Station 312’ etc). All points forward of ‘Station 0’ on the A-20 series are referred to as a negative measurement. The bombardier nose, as this aircraft would have been fitted with, albeit probably modified with a gun pack, added eighty negative stations. In other words, it was 80 inches long. The forward end of the radio equipment compartment can be seen just above the wing attachment points. LEFT MIDDLE: Brand new Curtiss-Wright R-2600 Cyclones and propellers were eventually acquired for the future ‘fat cat’. LEFT BOTTOM: Three Mile Drome was built by Australian authorities in 1933. It was massively expanded by the Americans and home to the 89th Attack Squadron from 1 September 1942 until early May 1943. This image, speaking volumes for the conditions the men worked in, shows the fuselage of 40-166 propped up in front of the wings of 39-724. [All images via John R. Bruning unless stated] F L I G H T PAT H | 65
Bolivian Beef
Bomber
A long-term fascination for the B-17 Flying Fortress has culminated in the rejuvenation of a historic survivor. Contributing Editor Andy Wright looks at the many faces of ‘Starduster‘.
TOP: 44-6393 was initially based at Bolling Field in Washington, D.C. upon its return Stateside and while still serving as General Eaker’s transport. Note the flag above the cockpit and the curtains in the left waist window. [NASM] ABOVE: A colourful ‘6393 while serving in Canada with the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa in late 1949. Note the Lancasters in the background. The text on the fin fillet reads ‘Air Attache-U.S. Embassy’. [via Nathan Howland] 66 | F L I G H T PAT H
T
he first B-17 Flying Fortress I ever saw was on outside display at the Hill Air Force Base Museum in Utah, USA. It was 1987 and I was ten years old. It was big, but the B-29 across the paddock was bigger. Even the F-4 Phantom nearby rivalled it in size. The B-17, though, was what I had been reading about in the school library and here was one looking like it had leapt out of the history books. These aircraft have, happily, since been moved inside after the museum’s massive redevelopment and expansion in the early nineties. For a type of its age and importance, and relative scarcity, there are still a number of Flying Fortresses displayed outside. Large aircraft are wonderful and imposing, but they only fit in big and expensive buildings. There is not an aviation museum in the world that does not have this problem, or had it in the past. Airframe degradation can be slowed to a point where the damage is infinitesimal. It can never truly be stopped. An aircraft on outside display obviously faces challenges greater than those that live indoors, but the right conditions and a dedicated refurbish ent and housekeeping program can k wonders. This is exactly what is pening with a B-17 in California t, like many survivors, owes its existe to extensive post-war civilian use. like most survivors, however, this ber went to war. uilt by Douglas in Long Beach, Calinia, as a B-17G, 44-6393 was acceptby the USAAF on 22 July 1944 and signed to the Fifteenth Air Force in ly. That, however, is where things come a little hazy. Reportedly taken strength by the 97th Bomb Group G), the aircraft is rumoured to have own three combat missions before it as selected by General Ira C. Eaker r use as his personal transport. The 97th BG had originally been a art of the Eighth Air Force and flew he first USAAF heavy bomber mision from the U.K. on 17 August 1942. ferred to the Twelfth Air Force in ber, but continued to operate as part of the ‘Mighty Eighth’ until late October. By the end of November, the air echelon had arrived in North Africa. After a year of operations, the group moved to Italy and the Fifteenth Air Force. Eaker, like the 97th, arrived in Italy by way of the Eighth Air Force. He became the famous air force’s commander at the end of
1942. Regarded as the architect of the American bombing campaign – precision bombing by day to complement Bomber Command’s largely night campaign – he was at the helm as the USAAF’s losses mounted and approached a level of unsustainability. While he supported the idea of ‘gunship’ escorts, bombers in the formation armed with additional machine guns, he was not the type of man to place all of his eggs in one basket, so also pushed for fighter escorts to carry drop tanks to increase their range. The latter, of course, up to and including the arrival of sufficient numbers of P-51 Mustangs, saved the American daylight bombing campaign. The arrival of Eisenhower as Supreme Commander meant he wanted his own people in the top jobs so Eaker, in early 1944, found himself in command of the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces. Such a position demanded personal transport, but it was not until later in 1944 that he reportedly chose the shiniest Flying Fortress he could see.
The B-17, which had been named ‘Starduster’ in Italy, is believed to have remained at his disposal until his retirement in 1947. While thousands of Flying Fortresses returned Stateside and ended up in boneyards where they were eventually scrapped, 446393, most probably because of its conversion and continued post-war use by Eaker, soldiered on. It was based overseas again in late 1948 when assigned to the Far East Air Forces at Clark Field in the Philippines. From there it joined the 1134th Special Activities Group in Nanking, China. This unit apparently supported embassy operations there, but may also have been involved in signals intelligence and other similar activities. The aircraft returned to Clark when Communist forces overran Nanking in April 1949. Canada was then home for several years, as part of the 1130th Special Activities Group, before assignment to the 3510th Flight Training Wing in Texas. The Fortress was then retired to Davis-Monthan in Arizona in early 1956.
‘Starduster’ is born
The B-17 freighter
At a depot in North Africa, the turrets and armament were removed, and the interior ‘softened’, as the aircraft was converted to a VB-17. In this VIP transport configuration, 44-6393 served as Eaker’s personal transport as he and his staff commanded Allied air power from southern France to the Balkans and Eastern Mediterranean. Eaker was promoted to Chief of the Air Staff on 30 April 1945 and his Flying Fortress was recorded back in the U.S. in early May 1945.
As mentioned earlier, many of the surviving Flying Fortresses owe their existence to long civilian flying careers. After a very short time in storage, 44-6393 was transferred to the Bolivian government with seven other examples of the type. With new engines and repairs as required, the old bombers were ferried to the South American country. There, 44-6393 was registered as CP-627. Flying in Bolivia was not for the faint-hearted. The Andes mountain range
covers a third of the country and the landscape ranges from the arid Gran Chaco region in the south to the tropical rainforests of the southern reaches of the Amazon Basin in the north. A stripped out B-17, however, a type already renowned for its high altitude performance and rugged construction, was about as ideal an aircraft as Bolivia could hope for. The government airline, Lloyd Aereo Boliviano, ultimately employed 44-6393 and eleven other Fortresses of the 26 that saw service in the country. At least seventeen were destroyed in accidents. The aircraft were eventually extensively modified to better suit their new role. In the case of CP-627, and indicative of the fleet as a whole, a large cargo door replaced the left waist position. The nose and Cheyenne tail gun position were faired over, the former being replaced with a hinged nose cone. Windows were also faired over and the interior modified to create as much space as possible. The aircraft provided more than a decade of service before it suffered a belly landing, following an undercarriage failure, on 27 August 1968. It was rebuilt with parts donated, including the entire left wing, from another crashed Fort (CP-580). Re-registered as CP891, it was flying again by late 1969. Now, however, it was flying with Frigorifico Reyes, a company that became the largest meat hauler in Bolivia and would ultimately fly the last Fortresses across the Andes. The job of the old bomber now was to fly into ranches in eastern Bolivia. The dressed beef carcasses were loaded and flown to La Paz, the highest capital city in the world
Although the olive drab anti-glare panels were still to be applied in this image, the cleanliness of the aircraft is a testament to the volunteers working under Greg Stathatos’ guidance. [Greg Stathatos] F L I G H T PAT H | 67
(3650 metres above sea level). It continued in this role for another decade until retired in the late seventies and was one of the last of its type to fly in Bolivia. The USAF traded a Douglas C-118 for CP891. The Fort finally returned to the U.S. on 17 December 1980 after a Bolivian crew ferried it to Arizona, adding some of the final flying hours to a total already in excess of 13,000. March Air Force Base was reached on 10 January 1981 and that was the end of a 37-year flying career in which the population of Flying Fortresses had been reduced to well under 100 examples due to crashes and scrappings.
A Fort of many faces Returning the aircraft to something resembling a wartime configuration proved a lot more difficult than first thought. The hinged nose door was replaced by a traditional glazed nose relatively easily, but the other modifications made over a long career did not make the addition of turrets, for example, straightforward. Removing the many layers of paint involved sandblasting (and discovery of the original noseart along the way) and the USAF volunteers eventually painted the aircraft in olive drab. Interestingly, while the history of the Fortress was not known, it was painted in a Fifteenth Air 68 | F L I G H T PAT H
Force scheme and, for some reason, contrary to aircraft controlled by the USAF, given the serial number of a B-17F. With no turrets or windows and the large cargo door in the port side remaining, but wearing military ‘clothes’, the old Boeing was slowly returning to its original wartime configuration. By the early nineties, now sporting replica turrets, 44-6393 was now showing the effects of years in the weather. It had been a busy few years for the March Field Museum. Now off base, but adjacent to the airfield, a dedicated group of volunteers were the heart and soul of what was now a self-funded museum. Settled into the new premises, the volunteers took to the Fortress with gusto. They stripped the bomber back to bare metal and, importantly, the correct serial number was applied to the tail. Until recently, the largest step forward in the preservation of the aircraft occurred in 1998 when the 97th Bomb Group Association sponsored a restoration that saw the interior fitted out with the correct equipment. A re-militarisation if you will. Olive drab paint returned to help protect the airframe from the elements and it was fittingly named ‘Return to Glory’. As the flagship of the museum, the Fortress has continued its return to a bomber configuration. The staggered waist gun positions found on late
model G-models have replaced the cargo door and the ball turret and correct cheek gun mounts have returned. Even the ‘Starduster’ artwork returned as the aircraft’s history was acknowledged. Life outside for almost another twenty years, however, once again took its toll.
‘Starduster’ reborn Then along came Greg Stathatos. A former telecommunications sales executive who now runs his own business in home improvements, Greg found a model of a B-17 at a garage sale in about 1992. He hung it in his three year old son’s bedroom where it remained for a decade. Seeing it every day made him wonder about the aircraft and the men who flew it. Greg discovered the work of the Fortress crews in the Pacific after reading Gene Salecker’s ‘Fortress Against the Sun’. He was hooked and started searching for more stories. In doing so, Greg met many veterans and it occurred to him that if he was interested, then others must be as well. He developed a documentary concept and produced a trailer to introduce a project that would detail the missions of these men and recreate them using CGI. After a false start, Greg changed his focus to telling the stories of the surviving Flying Fortresses. All going well, the pilot, premiered on 17
OPPOSITE PAGE TOP LEFT: Two of Frigorificos Reyes’ Fortresses – CP-753 and CP-891 – at La Paz in 1973. Note the mountains in the background. CP-753 is the B-17E (41-9210) now owned and in storage with Paul Allen’s Flying Heritage and Armor Collection. [via Nathan Howland]
TOP: The bomber’s first colour scheme, seen here in January 1982, upon refurbishment at March Field. While the glazed nose has been fitted, the aircraft is still very much in its freighter configuration complete, apparently, with the smell of beef carcasses inside. [Scott A. Thompson]
TOP MIDDLE: Another image of CP-753, the converted B-17E, showing the hinged nose cone and faired over windows.
ABOVE: Another view of the aircraft in Servicios Aeros Bolivianos colours. [via Nathan Howland]
[via Nathan Howland]
OPPOSITE PAGE ABOVE: The aircraft flew briefly with Servicios Aeros Bolivianos in the seventies. [via Nathan Howland]
ABOVE RIGHT: A good look at the noseart. The ‘MAAF’ below the windows stands for Mediterranean Allied Air Forces. [via Nick Veronico] F L I G H T PAT H | 69
ABOVE: Stripping well underway in mid-2017. [Greg Stathatos]
70 | F L I G H T PAT H
September 2017 at March Field, will have been picked up for a fifty episode run by the time these words are read. Greg had decided to feature 44-6393 first as it was the closest Fortress to where he lived. The staff there had gone above and beyond to accommodate him during initial filming. “When I was filming the pilot show in front of the B-17 it just didn't seem fair that a W.W.II veteran looked so bad and was not even in her original colour. The curator told me he was going to have volunteers come clean the dead mice out of the tail turret. It hit me like a load of bricks. I told him to let me adopt her and I will clean her. A ‘yes’ could not have come faster. As soon as he agreed, I asked if I could put her back to her original W.W.II colours and the museum won't have to do anything. With scepticism in his eyes, he agreed to it and the fun began.” Initially, it was one man against a lot of old paint. It remained that way, but, through the wonders of social media, Greg got the word out that he was working on the Fortress on the seventeenth of each month. The number of volunteers started to grow until eight were on hand for the power-blasting portion of the stripping process. “Since I started, and I am still getting new volunteers, I would have to say my total number of volunteers is 85”, said Greg. This figure does not include the people
Initially, it was one man against a lot of old paint. working behind the scenes at Home Depot, the huge American hardware chain. “I reached out and they donated fifty gallons of Metallic Aluminum oil-based paint, and all supplies to apply the paint, and seventy employees came out on two separate days. I had invited two W.W.II veterans I interviewed for the show, Earl Williams, who is a B-17 Pearl Harbor survivor, and Archie Aitcheson, who was a radio operator with the Fifteenth Air Force and was shot down twice, evaded the first time, but was captured the second time. Between these two heroes and the Home Depot volunteers, we had veterans from every war and every theatre of operation from W.W.II to the present. I gave everybody that came out a tour of the B-17 inside and out. I had high school students, who just wanted to
see a B-17 for the first time, and veterans and people whose grandparents served in W.W.II. Everybody had a common bond, a passion for preserving history.” It wasn’t just a history lesson, however. People were there to work. The power blasting took 150 hours and primer and paint added another 310 hours to the project. Artwork and markings took thirty hours and that’s not counting the addition of anti-glare panels and other details. The Fortress has been painted six times since its arrival at March Field. Despite the initial paint stripping soon after its arrival, Greg still found remnants of the aircraft’s Bolivian colours, including the yellow left wing, and where the stars and bars had been applied. Surprisingly, perhaps because of the somewhat regular application of paint, little corrosion was found. “I did find some spots where the aluminum has cancer. The biggest spot was the size of a small coin.” Such discoveries reinforced the decision to repaint the aircraft rather than leave it in bare metal as it originally was. “The interior needs some love as well. I would like to replace the carpet they have for the walkway with wood and touch up paint since it is starting to peel. She is as complete as she could be. I was contacted by Sean O'Brien from the ‘Desert Rat' project (B-17E 41-2595). They are missing the
pilots’ seats so ‘Starduster’ will offer her seats to make templates. Steve Salinas from Planes of Fame’s ‘Piccadilly Lilly II’ (B-17G 4483684) team asked about cheek gun mounts as theirs are missing. ‘Starduster’ has offered hers to duplicate. I have been in contact with other restoration projects and been invited to see their restorations and to film at their locations.” To be precise, the teams behind eighteen of the surviving Flying Fortresses have invited Greg to visit them. The USAF has also granted access to the other seventeen aircraft it is responsible for. Thirty-six down, twelve complete and six partial airframes to go. Greg’s adopted Fortress, 44-6393, won’t be forgotten though. The aircraft will be washed by hand on the seventeenth of each month and polish applied once a year. It won’t be the only one Greg will be working on either. “My next project is a B-17 that sits alongside a freeway in central California. I have a group of detailers who want to help me give her back the lustre of a polished aluminum finish. Steve from ‘Piccadilly Lilly II’ at Chino wants me to do his first, but ‘Preston's Pride’ (B-17G 44-85738) needs it more. I want to help each B-17 that needs it.” It’s certainly not a job he can do by himself, but he will if he has to. What began as a project to try to share the story of the Flying
MAIN: With the anti-glare panels complete, the only markings left to paint are the insignia. [Greg Stathatos] TOP MIDDLE: One of the eight volunteers on hand for the power blasting stage of the refurbishment. [Greg Stathatos]
TOP: The noseart soon after being painted over the new silver finish. [Greg Stathatos] ABOVE LEFT: Stripping the paint reveals the cargo door still exists, but now features a waist window. [Greg Stathatos]
ABOVE: The fabric control surfaces appear to be in decent condition. [Greg Stathatos]
Fortress and its crews has become a movement to give something back to the aircraft that survive and need it the most. The final word belongs to the man behind it all. “I am excited about the show and how it has grown into a passion and how the B-17 community has reached out and how we help each other. This is a good thing we are doing to preserve our history and share the stories of the airmen who did so much for the world. Without a doubt, they are the greatest generation and we must ensure our future generations don't forget.” F L I G H T PAT H | 71
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Strega
the magic witch wins
T
he 54th Reno National Air Races featured one of the most exciting Unlimited Gold finishes in the history of the event. On the race’s final lap, perennial winner ‘Strega’, the highly modified P-51 Mustang piloted by James Consalvi, edged out fellow racing Mustang ‘Voodoo’, flown by seven time champion Steven Hinton, by less than a second. Hinton led the race until just before the final turn when, as he battled through traffic, Consalvi climbed slightly and then dived to gain enough speed to pass just before the home pylon. The average speed of both aircraft was at least sixty miles per hour (100km/h) faster than the rest of the field of seven. The great story from the Unlimited Class was that of the team from New Zealand. ‘Full Noise’, a Yak-3M, was flown by rookie Reno racer Graeme Frew. Forced to replace the race-prepared Allison with their stock example in an all-night marathon, made
74 | F L I G H T PAT H
easier when the Australian ‘Drop Bear’ jet team offered their hangar, the ‘Full Noise’ team went on to win two of its heats, but finished seventh in the Gold. Either way, it was an incredible achievement and will certainly not be the last Reno sees of the Kiwis. Australia was represented in the jet class by the perennial Charlie Camilleri and his CCT Racing team’s L-29 ‘Miss Independence’ and, as mentioned above, Lachie Onslow in the L-39 ‘Drop Bear’. Charlie finished fourth in the Jet Bronze, but was disqualified in the Silver. Lachie achieved third in the Silver and came seventh in the Gold. The T-6 class was also strongly contested and the Gold race produced another exciting finish where first and second could barely be separated. While there has been talk of the retirement of some of the modified Unlimited racers, Reno remains one of the truly great annual aviation spectacles. Luis Drummond
ABOVE: Prior to Reno, Steven Hinton set a world speed record of 531.27 mph (855 km/h) in ‘Voodoo’. MAIN: ‘Strega’ leads ‘Voodoo’ to take out this years Unlimited Gold. [All images Luis Drummond]
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The T-6 races are always hotly contested.
Lachie Onslow and his L-39 ‘Drop Bear’. Strega returning after the win.
Fans crowd ‘Strega’ and James Consalvi, after the Unlimited Gold.
The pits are a great place to get close to the racers.
Vampire 44 placed second in the Jet Gold.
The Yak ‘Full Noise’ required an engine change to race.
Gathering of Luscombes
T
he 41st annual Columbia Gathering of Luscombes, hosted by the Continental Luscombe Association, took place near the old gold rush town of Columbia in the Sierra foothills of Northern California. An excellent turnout of aircraft arrived for the event, with thirty Luscombes in attendance on day one. Columbia Airport is an ideal venue, with both grass and paved runways, and it also has an active CalFire air tanker base. Next to the aircraft parking area along the grass strip is a campground and clubhouse for those who flew in. Event stalwarts, Don and Donna Sprankle, maintained their perfect record by arriving to attend their 41st Gathering. With the density altitude hovering around 4000 feet, the Short Field Takeoff award went to Warren Smith of Oak Harbor, Washington, who, in his 1946 Luscombe 8A, managed a re-
markable 337 feet. He was followed by last year’s winner, Randy Petite in a 1946 Luscombe 8A/F, at 344 feet. This was serious competition as, besides unloading anything that wasn’t needed, Smith wore the bare essentials and Petite removed his starter motor! Tough judging of the thirty Luscombes saw the Grand Champion awarded to Doug Johnson of Grass Valley for his immaculate 1947 model 8A. Reserve Grand Champion went to Andrea and Kevin Eldridge of Cable/Chino and their ever-so-slightly older model 8A (serial 4935). While there were several Luscombes from Washington and Arizona, the farthest from home, again, was Jim Zasas from Carthage, North Carolina, in his bright yellow and black 1946 8A. The People’s Choice award was given to Jimmy Rollison and Chris Galloway for their 1936 Luscombe Phantom 1. With power com-
MAIN: Monocoupe and Luscombes along with their friends parked on the grass. [All images Roger Cain]
RIGHT: Grand Champion was awarded to Doug Johnson of Grass Valley and his immaculate 1947 model 8A.
ABOVE: Jimmy Rollison received the People’s Choice for his Phantom 1.
ABOVE RIGHT: Josh Cawthra makes a departing pass for Vacaville in his Cessna C-165 Airmaster.
76 | F L I G H T PAT H
ing from a 145-hp Warner Super-Scarab seven-cylinder radial engine, this aircraft is currently the only flying Phantom, although there are several projects approaching completion. Due to their Donald A. Luscombe heritage, a Monocoach and a Monocoupe 90AL (Lycoming opposed engine) were in attendance in 2016. This year the type’s number doubled with four Monocoupes in attendance. Three of the Monocoupes were 90A models, owned by Chris Galloway, Brant Seghetti, and Elden Iler, and all powered with Warner 145s. The fourth Monocoupe was a 110 Special Clipwing owned by Rick Atkins of Placerville, California, and powered by a Warner 185. Other classics present included two Cessna C195s, an Airmaster C-165, a Globe Swift, and a Porterfield CP-65. Roger Cain
Commemorative Air Force Colonel Steve Barber flying his personal Yak-3 at Camarillo.
A Weekend
At Camarillo H
osted by the Camarillo Wings Association, with the support of volunteers from the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force and Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 723, the Wings Over Camarillo Air Show returned with another quality installment over the weekend of 19-20 August. In typical Camarillo fashion the morning’s cooling marine layer broke before noon to leave a bright, clear sky as a backdrop to the flying activities. Featuring more than eighty aircraft in the air or on static display, the show highlighted vintage aircraft, experimental aircraft, warbirds, jets and helicopters, with friendly public access available to the machines, pilots and crews. There were numerous formation flybys including the North American/Ryan Navions, Beechcraft T-34 Mentors, the West Coast Ravens in Vans RV homebuilts, and the Condor Squadron with their T-6 Texans. Chris Fahey flew an impressive display with the Planes of Fame Air Museum’s Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star while helicopter action at the show was provided by the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation’s Bell AH-1F Cobra, a Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Bell 205 Huey and the Los Angeles City Fire Department Air Operations’ newly-acquired AgustaWestland AW139. Warbird activity featured European and Pacific theatre flybys and tail chases, as well as a paratrooper display with the Round Chute Jumpers descending on the airport from ‘DDay Doll’, the Douglas C-53 Skytrooper operated by the Inland Empire Wing of the Commemorative Air Force. As always the annual Wings Over Camarillo Air Show paid particular tribute to the country’s military veterans. Frank B Mormillo
ABOVE: ‘Semper Fi’, the North American PBJ-1J Mitchell from the CAF’s Southern California Wing, flying with the American Aeronautical Foundation’s B-25J Mitchell ‘Executive Sweet’.
A formation of Beechcraft T-34 Mentors in action.
LEFT: Tom Nightingale flying ‘Bunny’, the North American P-51D Mustang from the Palm Springs Air Museum, together with CAF Colonel Ken Gottschall in the late Elmer Ward’s P-51D Mustang ‘Man O’ War’. The latter aircraft is on loan to the CAF’s Southern California wing. F L I G H T PAT H | 77
Larry and Ilse Harmacinski’s 1929 DH.60M is one of the 168 built in the U.S. by the Moth Aircraft Corporation. [All images Nigel Hitchman]
Grassroots fly-ins T
he Midwest Antique Airplane Club has held its annual fly-in at Brodhead, Wisconsin, since the eighties. Its popularity is evident with more than 200 aircraft visiting for the 2017 event. A highlight this year was Larry Harmacinski’s DH.60M Gipsy Moth that, after a couple of years of ownership, had just moved to his hangar at Brodhead. The busiest aircraft was Ed Lachendro’s Waco IBA. Ed was busy giving rides to whoever wanted one. Unusual among Wacos, it features side-by-side seating and is powered by a small 100hp (75kW) Kinner radial. One of just two built, it is the only survivor. Its rebuild many years ago incorporated some components from its sister ship. Wacos were the most numerous aircraft present with eighteen on the field, however, it was also nice to see a line-up of three Chipmunks, two Tiger Moths and a Stampe among the non-US built aircraft. While Brodhead is home to a few Pietenpols, it is unusual to see other Ford-pow78 | F L I G H T PAT H
ered aircraft, so Steve Thomas’ Corben Super Ace, flown by Trent Davis, was a bonus. Although it looks like a sleek racer, it doesn’t have the performance to match and was quite at home flying with the 1934 ‘Allen Rudolph’ Pietenpol. Both had to use almost full power to keep up with the J3 Cub photo ship!
Brodhead Pietenpol fly-in Since 1976 Brodhead has also been home to the annual Pietenpol reunion which also encompasses the annual Hatz biplane fly-in. There are often 15-20 Pietenpols flown in from all over the country, plus 8-10 Hatz biplanes. This year the weather was an issue, with big storms passing through, so the turnout of visiting aircraft was down. However there were still about fifteen visiting Pietenpols, including a record seven of the original design Model A Ford-powered variants. All seven flew together on the Saturday morning for an appreciative crowd of enthusiasts. Nigel Hitchman
Eric Berens’ very pretty 1929 Travel Air 2000 is powered by a Curtiss OXX-6. It was restored at Brodhead by Kent McMakin.
Jim Hammond bought this Rearwin Sportster to donate its LeBlond radial to his Aeronca LB. It is such a popular flyer that another engine may have to be found!
GXE, owned This locally based 1929 Waco an example by ered pow is ie, Will d Cha by OX-5. It is a tiss Cur us uito of the ubiq the airfield. nd arou g flyin t sigh mon com
Dan Helsper in his immaculate Air Camper. ‘Loensloe’ indeed.
The seven Ford-powered Air Campers.
Ed Lachendro’s Waco IBA is as rare as it is stunning.
L IG
A
|
AirVenture
Oshkosh T
he Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture 2017 attracted almost 600,000 people and 10,000 aircraft during the week-long convention and airshow. The highlight for many was the much anticipated formation of the only airworthy examples of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress as ‘Doc’ (44-69972) flew with the Commemorative Air Force’s ‘Fifi’ (44-62070). To celebrate and honour the last Doolittle Raider, twelve Mitchell bombers were present and 101 year old Lieutenant Colonel Dick Cole was on hand as the event also celebrated the 75th anniversary of the famous B-25 raid on the Japanese mainland. He was Jimmy Doolittle’s co-pilot, and subsequently ‘Hump’ pilot, and made sure he waved off each of the Mitchells as they taxied out. Impressively, there were 1162 vintage air-
craft and 351 warbirds on show. The Bell Cobras were out in force with three P-63 Kingcobras and a P-39 Airacobra standing out. Three F4U Corsairs and three F-86 Sabres, including the rare F-86A, also turned heads. Further rarities, including the only airworthy Douglas A-20 Havoc and Boeing YL-15 Scout, were also on display, and both picked up the major awards. This year also commemorated the 80th birthday of the Piper Cub and Howard Aircraft Company, makers of the Howard DGA, and the 70th anniversary of the Cessna C-190/195 series. Classic Grand Champion was presented to a 1946 J-3C-65 Cub (N88354) and the first production Cessna C-172 (N5000A) was awarded Contemporary Grand Champion. This year’s Oshkosh will be remembered as one of the best. John Freedman
TOP: P-51 Mustangs dominated the Warbird flightline. [Nigel Hitchman] ABOVE RIGHT: The Boeing B-29 ‘Doc’and CAF’s B-29 ‘Fifi’. [John Freedman] ABOVE: An impressive line of Howard DGAs. [Roger Cain] RIGHT: The recently restored CAF Dixie Wing’s P-63 Kingcobra. [Nigel Hitchman] 80 | F L I G H T PAT H
TOP: The 80th birthday of the Piper Cub was celebrated. [John Freedman]
ABOVE: The International Cessna 195 Club celebrated their types 70th anniversary with a large gathering. [Roger Cain] ABOVE LEFT: A Spartan Executive departs Oshkosh. [Nigel Hitchman] LEFT: John Barron taxiing his stunning LC-126, the military version of the Cessna 195. [Nigel Hitchman]
F L I G H T PAT H | 81
Gary Lust owns this locally based Tiger Moth.
Blakesburg Antiquers T
he Antique Airplane Association flyin is held every Labor Day weekend (first weekend in September). The Antique Airfield, in Blakesburg, Iowa, is the perfect place for a vintage aircraft fly-in as it is well out in open countryside, with a a 2,500 ft (760-metre) grass runway and plenty of amenities on site. More than 350 aircraft from at least 34 states attended the fly-in and association members and guests also arrived from Canada, Switzerland and the UK. Perhaps the furthest-travelled flying visitors was the group of three Bücker Jungmann that flew from San Diego to the annual Bücker fly-in
The Waco YOC, which is a UOC with a Jacobs L-4. This is Mark Staudacher’s 1935 example. [All images Nigel Hitchman]
82 | F L I G H T PAT H
at Kalispell, Montana, the weekend before, then headed to Blakesburg. Regular attendee Russell Williams flew his Ryan SCW from Seattle, twenty hours each way. Flying commenced at dawn and continued largely without interruption until dusk each day. As there are no set displays, there’s always plenty of ride hopping and several impromptu formation fly-bys. This year the weather was a perfect 25-30 degrees Celsius with low humidity and light winds. There is always an impressive number of unique aircraft attending, so be sure to add Blakesburg to your list of must-attend events. Nigel Hitchman
This 1929 Golden Eagle Chief was restored by owner Bill Rasmussen. The famous aviatrix Bobbi Trout flew it to a record height of 12,747ft in 1929.
Square Tails. From left to right, Addison Pemberton’s C-4DM ‘Senior Speedmail’, and the C-4E ‘Junior Speedmails’ of the Scott family and Brian Aukes.
Just 45 examples of the five-seat New Standard D-25 were built. This is one of the seven survivors.
Mike Rinker flew his 1943 Grumman Goose in from Tennessee.
ABOVE: Two Swiss pilots keep this Beech D17S in the U.S. and enjoy regular flying holidays! LEFT: This 1939 Cessna C-165 Airmaster is the only known example on amphibious floats. F L I G H T PAT H | 83
The Museum is op Special opening ho
am to 5:00pm (except Christmas and Boxing Day). o groups and charters by prior arrangement.
Tours operate daily and bookings are essential. Combination tour packages are also available. P: (07) 4658 3737 | F: (07) 4658 0707 | E: info@qfom.com.au | www.qfom.com.au Sir Hudson Fysh Drive, Longreach, Queensland, Australia
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