75 SQN RAAF KITTYHAWKS & KOKODA’S UNIDENTIFIED BOMBER
Minlaton Monoplane Marvel & Bristol in WWI Wirraway is 75! Part 3, 1945–2014
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76
Contents Volume 26 No.2 , November 2014 - January 2015
28 The Douglas Dolphin in RAAF Service
rom the files of the Aviation Historical Society of F Australia (AHSA), a rare insight into the service life of the four RAAF Douglas Dolphins of WWII.
34 Stow Maries
he Great War airfield is in the state in which it was T abandoned in 1919. Mike Shreeve looks at the exciting project to restore the site to its former glory.
60 The Many Fuselages of ‘Uiver’
Neil Follett details the four DC-2s and one DC-3 that have been painted to represent PH-AJU.
CORSAIR FEATURE Pt.II 64 Night Corsairs, Part 2
e present an extract from Alan C Carey’s Night Cats W & Corsairs, on the first Corsair night fighter units in the Korean War.
A Flying Tribute 38 Wirraway 75th Anniversary Part 3 68 Frank B. Mormillo introduces us to the much
ollowing the previous features on the Wirraway’s origins F and war service, Derek Buckmaster takes the story from 1945 right up to today.
46 Minlaton Monoplane Marvel
Phil Hosking explores the history behind the ‘Red Devil’, the 1917 Bristol M-1C Monoplane.
travelled F4U-4B, a rare Korean War combat veteran.
72 Magnificent Corsairs Worldwide
ollowing the ‘Top Ten Corsair Survivors’ last edition, F Flightpath presents a selection of notable Corsairs in preservation and flying today.
50 Bristol’s Blunt Bullet
Regulars
ontributing Editor James Kightly profiles the C Bristol M.1C type.
53 Bristol in the Great War
ne Great War company entered the war with more O experience and capability than almost any other. James Kightly reviews the Bristol lineage of 1914-18.
55 Kokoda’s Unidentified Bomber
Japanese bomber wreck lies high in PNG’s mountains. A Michael J. Claringbould reveals it ended there after a combination of circumstances involving RAAF P-40s and a spotter nicknamed ‘Golden Voice’.
COVER: The former 75 Squadron RAAF P-40N-1 Kittyhawk A29-488 (ZK-CAG) flown by owner Frank Parker and captured by GHOSTS’ Philip Makanna.
04 22 23 24
News Mailbag Calendar Personal Effects 42 Poster 76 Airshows F L I G H T PAT H | 3
News
Editor: Rob Fox Ph: (03) 9580 7436 Email: mail@robfoxphotography.com Contributing Editors: Michael Claringbould, James Kightly, Ron Watts All letters and contributions should be sent to the editor: PO BOX 253 Bentleigh Victoria 3204. Research: Monica Walsh, John Hopton ADVERTISING Advertising Manager: Andrew Murphy, 17–21 Bellevue Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010. Tel: (02) 9213 8272, Email: andrewmurphy@yaffa.com.au Advertising Production: John Viskovich Email: johnviskovich@yaffa.com.au Marketing Manager: Amber Clarke Email: amberclarke@yaffa.com.au
CLOCKWISE: The oldest surviving Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation aircraft, Wirraway A20-10. [Rob Fox] The Pacific Belles were on hand to sing Happy Birthday to the Wirraway. [J Kightly], The museum commissioned a special birthday cake for the celebrations. [Ewan McArthur] The Wirraway was fired up during the festivities, only the second time it had run after a 27 year hiatus. [J Kightly]
Subscriptions WWW.GREATMAGAZINES. COM.AU CALL: 1800 807 760 EMAIL: SUBSCRIPTIONS@ YAFFA.COM.AU Subscription Rates 1 year $37.00 2 years $66.60 3 years $88.80 1 year (overseas) NZ A$45 ASIA A$50 ROW A$60 Subscription Manager: Martin Phillpott Subscriber Services: Liz Garcorz FLIGHTPATH is published four times a year by Yaffa Publishing Group P/L ABN 54 002 699 354 17–21 Bellevue Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010. All Mail to: GPO Box 606, Sydney, NSW 2001 YAFFA AVIATION GROUP: Australian Flying, Aviation Business Magazine, Flightpath, Aviation Yearbook Publisher: Doug Nancarrow Circulation Manager: Lamya Sadi Group Production Manager: Matthew Gunn Art Director: Ana Maria Heraud Studio Manager: Caroline Milne Designer: Maria Alegro 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 4 | F L I G H T PAT H
CAC Wirraway 75 The Australian National Aviation Museum at Moorabbin, Vic, undertook a huge effort to celebrate the 75th birthday of the oldest surviving Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) aircraft, Wirraway A20-10. This is the eighth Wirraway off the production line in 1939. On the exact day, 6 September 2014, 75 years after A20-10 was rolled out at Fisherman’s Bend, the aircraft was again rolled out to an appreciative crowd after an intense restoration programme had brought the aircraft back to its original (pre-war) scheme. Among other highlights, a number of exCAC employees turned up and the oldest one - 90 year old Alan Patching – had the honour of cutting the special Wirraway cake. ‘Happy Birthday’ was sung by The Pacific Belles,
and in the afternoon, the aircraft was fired up for the appreciative crowd, only the second time it had run after a 27 year hiatus. This major part of the restoration had been started only ten weeks previously, though some metal fabrication work had been undertaken on an occasional basis prior. The work was done by an all-volunteer crew, with many late-night hours, volunteer extra contributions and travel from around Australia to help. The estimate was around 2,500 hours of volunteer time, and included many junior helpers on this project which gave much encouragement for the future. All the proceeds raised went towards restoring the Museum’s CAC Boomerang. (see our Wirraway feature on page 38) James Kightly
News
Rare Pacific Veteran P-38 Sold The Classic Jets Fighter Museum (CJFM) has sold its rare Lockheed P-38H Lightning, the only one in Australia, to the UK. It was previously listed as the star attraction and “most outstanding feature of the Classic Jets Fighter Museum”. Museum Director Bob Jarrett told Flightpath “the Lightning 42-66841 has been shipped to Britain where it will undergo a complete rebuild program to return squadron number 153 to airworthy status. CJFM recognises that this is the best possible outcome for the long term preservation of this rare early model P-38H Lightning”. This P-38 flew with the 475th FG, 432 FS, of the USAAF 5th Airforce in Papua and New Guinea until its pilot made a forced landing on 14 September 1943 at Fieta, breaking off its propellers and dislodging its two Allison Engines. The remains lay abandoned in the kunai grass area near Brahmin, forty miles (60 km) inland from Madang, until 1992 when initial unsuccessful attempts were made to remove the aircraft. Following three further years of negotiations by Bob Jarrett, the remains of the P-38 eventually arrived in Adelaide, South Australia on 17 May 1999. On arrival the museum’s volunteers began the ‘deep restoration’ of the P38 until it was completed and placed on display. In October 2014, the P-38 was seen while being transported to David Arnold’s Flying A Services facility at the former USAF base of RAF Bentwaters, England. Rob Fox
LEFT: TheLockheed P-38H-5 Lightning 42-66841 nearing completion in 2005 at the Classic Jets Fighter Museum event at Parafield, South Australia. [CJFM] BELOW: The abandoned P-38 as found in the kunai grass at the WWII Fieta emergency landing field, inland from Madang, [via CJFM]
ABOVE: The ex CJFM P-38H wrapped in plastic in the last stage of its journey to David Arnold’s facility at Bentwaters, England.
B-24 Liberator & hangars secured The future of the B-24 Liberator Memorial project at Werribee, Victoria, and the W.W.II hangar it is being restored in were secured last October thanks to the Victorian State Government assistance. The Assistant Treasurer, Gordon Rich-Phillips (Minister for Aviation Industry) said, “a land transfer agreement between the State Government, Melbourne Water and the B-24 Fund had been signed, paving the way for the preservation and enhancement of the site’s aviation heritage. The agreement will see Melbourne Water transfer about 1.475ha of land through the state to the B24 Fund, pending a works permit being issued by Heritage Victoria”. As we reported in the previous Flightpath, both the Liberator and the Werribee Satellite Aerodrome Hangars are last of their kind in Australia. Located at the corner of Princes Hwy and Farm Rd in Werribee, the agreement guarantees it as a museum precinct and gives the B-24 a much coveted permanent home. Rob Fox
FOR SALE Winjeel Wings & Centre sections. 2 sets approx ½ life each. Still in RAAF shipping crates with RAAF paperwork.
James Kightly
$45K per set negotiable. Just what your TX Winjeel requires.
Call Rob 0411 336 156 or email: rob.eastgate@gmail.com F L I G H T PAT H | 5
News
Great War Snipe Flies Nick Caudwell made the first flight of his scratch-built Sopwith Snipe, VH-SNP at Tyabb Airport in the early morning of 17 October 2014. He told Flightpath: “I was surprised just how quickly it leapt off the ground in a very short distance. By the time the tail was up, a quick glance at the airspeed and we’re already airborne and climbing like a rocket. The rudder and elevator light and quite effective although slightly mushy. The ailerons, though, are very heavy and really stiffen up once over 100 mph (160 km/h). Tail down wheeler for landing and once the skid is down it comes to a stop very quickly.” Using original blueprints, the replica Great War fighter was constructed from the ground up, with the only deviation from originality being a Continental W670 seven cylinder radial engine in place of the rare Bentley BR2 rotary. (See Flightpath Vol.25 No.4) Nick constructed his Snipe over the past nine and a half years in the garage of his Mt Eliza home and used numerous original Snipe parts in the authentic reproduction, including a gunsight and controls. Rob Fox
ABOVE & BELOW: Nick Caudwell airborne in his Great War Sopwith Snipe replica at Tyabb. The Snipe was built from original blueprints and is finished in the colours of AFC Ace ‘Bo’ King. [Michael Pover]
BELOW RIGHT: A very happy Nick Caudwell after his first flight at Tyabb. He has flown the Snipe, historically in the centenary year of both the birth of the Australian air arm and the Great War. [Darren Barnfield]
Le Bourget Dewoitine D530 Returns
Dewoitine D530 F-AJTE on show again at the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace, le Bourget. [Patrice Schaffhauser Via Eric Janssonne] 6 | F L I G H T PAT H
A rare inter-war fighter, the Dewoitine D-530 No.06 F-AJTE, has just been completed after several months of restoration by the specialists in the workshop from Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace [the French National Aviation Museum] at le Bourget. The D530 was the ultimate evolution of the inter-war series of Dewoitine fighters, and was equipped with a 500 hp (370kW) Hispano Suiza 12 engine, and was built in the Argenteuil factory in 1937 especially for the notable French pilot Marcel Doret who was the test pilot of Dewoitine at the time and a world renowned acrobat pilot. The Dewoitine was used for airshows before W.W.II, then post war by Doret again until their last flight on 12 April 1955. FAJTE was returned to Hall 10, the building devoted to the inter-war period in July 2014. Eric Janssonne
News
French Memorial Flight News On 20 and 21 of September 2014, during the European Heritage Days, the Memorial Flight workshop based at Dugny, France opened its doors to the public. Visitors were able to see the restoration projects underway. Among the most advanced projects, was the reproduction Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2F, FAZZN, now in the final stages of its rebuild. The project, based on a The Vintage Aviator Ltd. (TVAL) airframe, is scheduled to be flying sometime in 2015 and is painted in the colours of B.E.2f number 2560 of 52 Squadron RAF, complete with all its night equipment. The Memorial Flight team is also rebuilding two Albatros D.Va reproductions also sourced from TVAL in New Zealand – both projects are being rebuilt side-by–side, and it’s anticipated they will be flying sometime in 2017, together appropriately registered as F-AZUA and FAZUB. There is no other Albatros D.Va currently flying in Europe. Also, in the early stages of rebuild, the Memorial Flight has started the restoration of the Brussels Air Museum’s Aviatik C.I to static condition. This is the very last example existing worldwide. Using original parts as patterns, a flying reproduction will also be constructed in the long term. Additionally, the Memorial Flight is also involved in the overhaul of the two Morane AI’s owned by the Salis family at Le FertéAlais. Both will be overhauled within the next eighteen months with new fabric applied and new internal fittings added, to bring them to a higher, more accurate standard. Lastly, the Memorial Flight is also rebuilding, to static condition, an original LVG C.VI and Polikaprov I-153 for the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace of Le Bourget. Future projects include the reconstruction of an Avro 504 and Morane N to flying condition and the restoration to fly of the Svedinos Automobile and Aviation Museum FFVS J22 in Sweden. Benjamin Gilbert [More information about Memorial Flight can be found on their website: http://memorial.flight.free.fr and www.j22-project.com. The author wish to thanks Arnaud Mars for his help and assistance with this report.]
TOP: The reproduction B.E.2f in the colours of 52 Squadron. [all images Benjamin Gilbert]
ABOVE LEFT: One of the Morane AI fighters. LEFT: The second Moraine fuselage without covering. ABOVE: Two Albatros reproduction fuselages.
Tahitian Ryan emigrates
The PT-22 ‘Miss Tahiti’ seen at Antwerp, its Belgian home base. [Roger Soupart]
A rare surprise vintage aircraft recently arrived from tropical Tahiti to start a new life in Belgium. The machine is a member of the Ryan ST family of two-seat, low-wing monoplane sport and training aircraft built by the Ryan Aeronautical Company. This example, a PT-22, is fitted with a Kinner R-55 engine producing 160hp (120kW), and they were mainly used as trainers by the US military. This trainer, 1676, was built in 1941 and became part of the U.S Army Air Corps as 41-15647 in 1942. Demobbed as late as 1952, it went on to a civil career in Canada (from 1958 to 1964) and the USA, then it was shipped to Tahiti and registered as F-AZNO during 2008, painted in a very colourful US Navy livery. In 2013 it was obtained by a Belgian operator, and the Ryan started a long journey around three-quarters of the word in a container. It has been fully cleaned and restored, and now bears the name ‘Miss Tahiti’ painted on the nose as a souvenir of its tropical life. Roger Soupart F L I G H T PAT H | 7
News
Connie for Qantas Founders The Qantas Founders Museum (QFM) in Queensland have announced the acquisition of a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation. The aircraft was bought in September 2014 at an auction organised by the Manila airport authority. The Constellation changed the nature of international flying from Australia, and was a major advance in the history of Qantas, cutting flight times to London from ten days to four. The museum’s Rodney Seccombe says it has been trying for years to get hold of a Constellation, because “The ‘Connies’ have all sorts of firsts - they were the first pressurised, they were the first ones to fly around the world, and Qantas actually had counterrotating flights going around the world and they crossed over in London and Sydney.” This Constellation was delivered to the US Navy in December 1953 as R7V-1, BuNo 131643 and redesignated as a C-121J in 1962, nicknamed “Ole Blue from Point Mugu” while in service. Retired to the ‘Boneyard’ at Davis Monthan AFB by 1973, it had a brief flying career in the late eighties hauling fish as N4247K before being impounded at Manila Airport in the Philippines, being noted there in June 1988, where it has remained in a deteriorating condition. As construction number 4144, it is the second oldest survivor, and although a military version without Qantas history, the machine will fill a notable gap in the airline’s history, and will complement the Historic Aircraft Restoration Society’s airworthy example VH-EAG, one of only two current fliers. Over thirty examples survive, many in museums and collections overseas, but this will be the first static example in Australia. The museum is currently fundraising to arrange transport for the non-airworthy aircraft to Australia. James Kightly
The ex ‘Winky’s Fish hauling’ L-1049 Super Constellation in Manilla and heading for outback Queensland. [Via QFM]
AAAA in Swan Hill Swan Hill airport’s ranks swelled in early October when the Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia (AAAA) members winged their way in for their AAAA’s annual Spring Fly-in. Fifty four antique, classic and vintage aircraft were in attendance at the event . However, it was Victorian Peter Harlow’s newly imported 1941 Interstate Super Cadet VH-VCQ which took home the People’s Choice Award, the only award at the event. Rob Fox
The RAAF long nose Mk31 Lincoln was also manufactured in Australia by GAF.
‘Home-grown’ Merlin on course for new role An Australian-made Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, a rare survivor of its kind, is destined for a new life after several decades of cherished ownership by a private aircraft enthusiast. The engine is Number 5 in a series of 108 Mk 102 Merlins made by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) at its engine plant in Lidcombe, New South Wales under licence from Rolls-Royce. Production of Mk 102 engines took place between 1946 and 1952 for use on Mk 30A and 31 Lincoln heavy bomber aircraft, which the Government Aircraft Factory at Fishermans Bend built under license from Avro. According to the engine’s owner, its last use was as a spare kept at RAAF Base Mallala in South Australia. When the Lincoln fleet was withdrawn from service in 1961, the Merlin was one of various items put up for disposal, passing to a scout troop who held it as an exhibit for a few years, after which the current owner acquired it. He has kept it since then as a prized memento of Australia’s once thriving aircraft construction industry. Now needing to recover garage space, he has decided to sell the Merlin. Tony Cox
Ian Harvey taxying in his Aeronca Chief past the CAC Winjeel and the oncoming Stinson 108 Voyager. [RF]
The Mk 102 Merlin, Number 5 in a series of 108 made by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation [CAC].
8 | F L I G H T PAT H
News
Caboolture Hawker Resurgence At Caboolture airfield, Queensland, two Hawker aircraft of very different eras have recently arrived for restoration. The first is Jack McDonald’s long dormant ex-RAAF Hawker Demon. Only one complete RAAF Demon currently exists – A1-8 in the RAAF Museum. Jack was closely involved in this restoration and was restoring his own aircraft to airworthy standard at the same time. Work progressed well but as is often the case, other projects and work pressures meant that the aircraft was put aside until recently. Jack has enlisted the support of veteran restorer Ron Lee, with an additional group of volunteers assisting in the process. The Demon is coming together at Caboolture in Jack’s hanger alongside the Bristol Beaufort A8-141 airworthy restoration. It is anticipated that the Demon will be completed to full and authentic static condition within two years. A new and much anticipated aircraft arrival at Caboolture airfield on 2 September was Hawker Hunter FR74B, G-BABM, Singapore “526”. This aircraft is the last of 21 exSingapore Air Force Hunters that Geoff Moesker acquired in 1995 and is still owned by him. Geoff has placed the aircraft at Caboolture for display, also in the Beaufort hangar. It is intended to restore the aircraft to non-flying but operational status with a working engine and systems. The aircraft is particularly historic and significant in that it was at one time Hawker Siddeley’s own demonstrator registered G-BABM which toured the world and was featured in many magazines in the seventies, culminating in a spectacular display at the Farnborough Airshow UK in 1976. Geoff is intending to completely restore the aircraft in its demonstrator colors of sand and brown upper surfaces and azure blue lower surfaces. The aircraft is very complete and essentially untouched, with its engine still fitted. An additional Rolls Royce Avon 207C engine will be displayed alongside the aircraft, along with other equipment. John Parker
Ron Lee and Noel Spalding inspect the Hunter after it has been installed in the Hangar at Caboolture – a very complete aircraft including its original engine. [John Parker]
ABOVE RIGHT: Ross Ebzery commences work on the restoration of the Hawker Demon cockpit at Caboolture. [John Parker] ABOVE LEFT: Jack McDonald’s Hawker Demon begins its restoration to authentic, static RAAF configuration. [John Parker]
The Hunter in its former manufacturer’s scheme – which it is intended to be repainted into. [Hawker Siddley] F L I G H T PAT H | 9
News
Aussie Reno Racing Three Australians roared across the Nevada desert and onto the podium in September 2014, the biggest ever Aussie contingent going for Reno’s gold. Mark Pracy from Maitland, Lachie Onslow of Armidale, and first timer Charlie Camelliri from Bathurst (all NSW) competed in the jet class of the US National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nevada, USA. Mark Pracy, who operates fighter rides and is a formation aerobatic flight instructor, flew his new Czech-built L-39C Albatros, True Blue into third place in the Gold division, in the fastest time ever for the Australian group. Racing his TS-11 Iskra, Hot Section Lachie Onslow took second place in the Silver race and he was joined by fellow Australian Charlie Camilleri in the L-29 Miss Independence. First timer Camilliri placed 4th in both Bronze and 5th in the Silver jet classes and all three are planning podium finishes for 2015 races. See the full Reno report on page 76. [RF]
LEFT: Pracy racing’s Mark Pracy pilots his newly acquire L39C True Blue around the pylons at Reno. [all Roger Cain]
BELOW: First timer Camilliri placed forth in both Bronze and fifth in the Silver in the L-29 Miss Independence.
Onslaught Jet Racing have taken Hot Section to the Reno races since 2011, and in 2012, Onslow came third in the Gold section.
Fokker CX debut In Holland, the Fokker C.X replica project made its public debut when it was rolled out at Hoogeveen Airfield on August 31. Work on this 1933 rare Fokker reconnaissance two seat type started in 1994. Although earmarked for the new Nationaal Militar Museum (National Military Museum) to be opened on December 11 at the former Soesterberg air force base, the C.X will remain for at least another year at Hoogeveen, awaiting funds to finish the job. It is classified as a replica by the collection, though incorporates many original parts. It will be finished in the livery of a Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu - Royal Netherlands Air Force) Fokker C.X. Roger Soupart With its wings fitted the Fokker CX is displayed outside for the first time at its public debut. [Roger Soupart]
10 | F L I G H T PAT H
Super Sabre saved A North American F-100 Super Sabre was recently disassembled with the intent of preservation from where it had been on the old French Air Force Base 128 at Metz-Frescaty, Lorraine, eastern France. This Super Sabre had been displayed on a pylon there since 2005. The aircraft has been moved to the former French Air Force Base 136 of Toul-Rosières, also in Lorraine, which had closed in 2004. The intention is the creation of a small museum telling local aeronautical history. In this future museum, along with a range of photographs, objects and documents, there will be also a J57 engine (the type which equipped the F-100) and a SEPECAT Jaguar. This museum opened in late 2014. Eric Janssonne
News Hugh Bickle’s colourful 1930 New Standard Model D-25, ‘The Flying Lady’ back in the air again. [Roger Cain]
The Flying Lady Hugh Bickle of Hollister California purchased NC-149M ‘The Flying Lady’, a 1930 New Standard Model D-25 in 1991, which had previously resided at a restaurant and Golf Course of the same name. A five-seat aircraft, this plane was sold in 1930 and used for hauling contraband (probably alcohol) into the USA from Canada until it was seized by the U.S. Customs in January of 1934. Purchased again in 1934 it carried passengers on scenic flights until W.W.II in 1941. After the war it was purchased and used as a crop duster until sometime prior to 1970 when she was converted back to her original factory condition. Jan and Irv Perch (pronounced ‘Perlich’) bought it in 1970 and
flew it to Morgan Hill in northern California where it became the centrepiece for their Flying Lady Restaurant, receiving an artistic white and gold paint scheme. After Bickle bought the aircraft, he flew it carrying friends for pleasure flights until 2006 when it was disassembled and completely rebuilt to better-than-new standards by Vintage Wings and Wheels at Hollister California. In June 2014 it took to the air again, with its original Wright J-5 220 horsepower engine. With less than a dozen New Standards flying today, Bickle’s is particularly notable as the only one with the original engine, cowling, wooden spinner, propeller and 30 x 5 inch (76 x 13 cm) wheels. Roger Cain
Dominie to Newark The Newark Air Museum in the UK recently purchased Hawker Siddeley Dominie T1 XS726 from Everett Aero of Sproughton, Suffolk. Funding for the acquisition was provided thanks to the generosity of two long-standing museum members, Mike and Kathy Smith. On Wednesday 24 September 2014 the airframe was delivered to the museum in eastern Nottinghamshire by a team from Everett Aero, and who also refitted the wings. The Dominie fills an important gap in the museum’s themed display of training aircraft. T1 XS726 was delivered to the RAF on 25 October 1965 and served at RAF Cranwell and with both 3 and 6 Flying Training Schools. Dominies were retired from RAF service in early 2011 and XS726’s final training role was as an instructional airframe (9273M) at RAF Cosford. Howard Heeley
The Hawker Siddeley Dominie T1 XS726 was delivered to the museum by a team from Everett Aero, and who also refitted the wings.
‘PRESS ON ’ w as a hi gh ly va lu ed spir it in th e RA F an d RA A F 1939-45.
I
n RAF Bomber Command ‘pressing on’ meant going on to the target in bad weather through enemy defences, and when at the target going on for those extra seconds to put the bombs onto the target, rather than releasing them at the closest edge of the activity. Squadron Leader Frank Lawrence DFC DFM RAAF enlisted in 1941, was a Sergeant Pilot in 1942, flew his first tour of operations in 1943, and by 1945 was a flight commander on 460 Squadron RAAF. This is an account of the flying career, not only of Frank Lawrence, but of men who trained with him and flew Lancasters against Nazi Germany.
The book is in two parts. First, enlistment, training and an operational tour from March to August 1943, followed by time at 27 O.T.U. and a second tour in 1945, on both 467 and 460 Squadrons, including food drops in Holland and flying home released prisoners of war. In this Part, when a crew fails to return, as in 1943, they cease to be part of the life of the Squadron. The approach paths of the bomber streams are provided, to illustrate the level of skill in night flying required and of the navigator in each aircraft. Details of the experiences of crews are included, plus of the destruction inflicted on the targets, and 460 Squadron ‘Line Book’ entries add to the human side of squadron life.
inc luding postag e wit hin Au st .00 $22 CD, • on le ilab ava is ’ ON ESS ‘PR Au st • Am azo n-Kind le, $7.99 hin wit e tag pos ing lud inc .00 $55 k, • Boo
Part Two presents what became known post-war of the circumstances of each aircraft loss and the fate of the crew. In some instances the German night-fighter pilot can be identified. Details are included of the service of each man, whether he survived or where he is buried or commemorated. This is a detailed account of what was required of a bomber crew 1943-45. There is also a section on the Service career of each of the men who trained with Frank Lawrence on No.19 Pilot’s course at 8SFTS, Bundaberg.
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122 Walker St, Maryborough QLD 4650 Phone: 07-4123-0255 sales@banner-books.com.au For your own security, please telephone your card details. We do not enter this in the computer. F L I G H T PAT H | 11
News A Northrop Nomad in target-tug configuration and colours. [Canadian Department of Defence]
RCAF Northrop Nomad Recovery Planned The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) plans to raise a W.W.II Northrop Nomad from its resting place in Lake Muskoka, Ontario, Canada this October. The RCAF will use their recovery and salvage section from 8 Wing Trenton, with divers from the Fleet Diving Unit from the Atlantic region, and the aircraft will be delivered to the National Air Force Museum in Trenton, Ontario. On 13 December 1940, Flight Lieutenant Peter Campbell RAF and Leading Aircraftsman Theodore ‘Ted’ Bates RCAF went missing when their aircraft, Nomad 3521, was involved in a mid-air collision with another aircraft, Nomad 3512, while on a search for a missing airmen themselves. Only Nomad 3512 and its crew were subsequently located at the time. In September 2013, the RCAF announced that the remains of Flt Lt Campbell and LAC Bates were successfully recovered, and were laid to rest with military honours at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Guelph, On-
tario. The remains of the airmen were located and recovered by members of the Royal Canadian Navy’s Fleet Diving Unit (Atlantic) during a dive to the aircraft wreckage in Lake Muskoka in October 2012. The Northrop A-17 was a military development of the Northrop Gamma. Obsolete at the start of W.W.II, the RAF and the RCAF acquired the type (naming it ‘Nomad’) for training purposes as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Initially used at Camp Borden, Ontario, to check out qualified civilian pilots, in 1941, they were modified as target-tugs for gunnery training at various schools in Quebec and Ontario. No other British Commonwealth-operated Nomads survive - one USAAC Northrop A-17 is on display at the National Museum of the USAF, and a Douglas 8A-3P (the export model) is on external display at the museum of the Fuerza Aérea del Perú (FAP - Peruvian Air Force). James Kightly
Reno Invitational Awards
Also taking place during the Reno National Championship Air Races (see page 76) was the National Aviation Heritage Invitational, now in its 16th year. With six categories to compete in, the Grand Champion award went Dave and Jeanne Allen of Colorado and their 1934 Waco YKC. The Classic trophy went to Josh and Junelle of Washington with their 1947 Cessna 140 and the Antique Trophy was given to Tim Weston of Washington and his red 1944 Howard DGA-15P. The Large Trophy went to Rick Clemens of nearby Carson City and his 1944 Douglas A26C. Winning both the People’s Choice and the Military Trophy’s was Brian Reynolds and his white-tailed Goodyear FG-1D Corsair from Olympia Washington. Others deserving mention were a huge GeeBee QED replica, a Lockheed Vega DL-1 Special, and a Grumman F3F-2. Roger Cain Brian Reynolds’ 1945 Goodyear FG-1D Corsair won both the People’s Choice and Military NAHI Award.
Rick Clemens departs for home after winning the Large Aircraft award in the NAHI competition.
Boeing’s First 747 Jumbo Jet Refurbished News from the Museum Of Flight in Seattle, Washington, USA is that they have restored the Boeing B-747 Prototype, RA001. It will wear the same scheme it had when it rolled out of the factory on 30 September 1968. The City Of Everett first took to the air on 9 February 1969, and was used to test further 747 improvements until it was retired in October 1983. But the story did not end there, it returned to test the Pratt & Whitney 4084 engines in 1993. Since then it had deteriorated from outdoor storage, and was in desperate need of care, its once-gleaming paint scheme had faded and was flaking off. Now the ‘Queen of the skies’ looks as good as she did when she shocked the world on her launch. The museum has plans to build another huge building to keep her and the other outdoor exhibits from the elements, so that future generations can see her in her glory. John Freedman 12 | F L I G H T PAT H
The Boeing B-747 Prototype, RA001 undergoing refurbishment at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington, USA. [John Freedman]
News
RAF Museum Opens Up LEFT: The museum’s Consolidated B24L-20-FO was also opened up for the after hours viewing. BELOW: A rare view of the RAAF-operated Avro Lancaster R5868 ‘S for Sugar’
LEFT: The German He 162 Salamander, showing how basic these early jets were.
On 7 October 2014, the RAF Museum in Hendon, London, England, held an Open Cockpits Evening. This ticketed event allowed visitors an after-hours opportunity to access the cockpits of the Chipmunk, Jet Provost T5 and Westland Gazelle, the cabin of the Wessex, and the rear fuselage of the B-24 Liberator. In addition, steps were placed alongside several other aircraft allowing for viewing and photographing a number of additional cockpits. The most innovative attraction was the provision of a scissor lift beside the nose of RAAF-operated Avro Lancaster R5868 ‘S for Sugar’. Visitors were lifted up, one at a time, to look in through the pilot’s side window and view the very original cockpit of this historic bomber, believed to have flown 137 missions during W.W.II. This attraction proved very popular on the night, with a steady line of visitors waiting patiently for this rare opportunity throughout the event. Other cockpits open for viewing included restored Bf 109G ‘Black Six’ and the He 162 Salamander. A number of early jets, including the Buccaneer, Canberra, Hunter, Meteor and Vampire were also open. A limited number of pre-booked tickets, which sold out well in advance of the event, were made available to give access to the cockpit of the Museum’s Avro Vulcan B2. The Museum is to be commended for providing this opportunity for enthusiasts to view and photograph the cockpits of some of the aircraft in its Collection. Mike Shreeve
Imperial War Museum Reopened On 19 July, the Imperial War Museum’s flagship building in Lambeth, London, England, reopened after a £40m (A$73m) refit lasting two years. The rebuilt atrium is now more compact and houses a pair of aircraft in place of the five previous. The B.E.2c and P-51D have been moved to Duxford, and the Fw 190A reclaimed by the RAF Museum at Cosford. The Sopwith 2F.1 Camel has been repositioned to the W.W.I galleries. Of the original five aircraft removed from the atrium, only the ex-609 squadron Battle of Britain Spitfire I R6915 has been rehung. It has been joined by Harrier GR.9 ZD461, which saw combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. The three aircraft now on display in the building provide a representative cross-section of eras and conflicts. In the side galleries, a home has at last been found for the A6M Zero wreck purchased some years ago by the IWM. The Museum’s atrium has also been extended downwards by a floor, into what was the basement, visitors now descend a staircase before accessing the atrium. The surrounding galleries now contain a variety of artefacts telling the story of conflicts involving UK forces over the past century. However, many of the larger artefacts jut out from the edge of the galleries into the atrium, giving a somewhat cluttered appearance. One of the most captivating displays is the Lord Ashcroft Gallery, where the world’s largest collection of Victoria Crosses, and a significant collection of George Crosses (the VC’s civilian equivalent) with placards, memorabilia and photographs describing
the actions for which each was awarded. This informative captioning contrasts with those in the rest of the galleries. The overall effect of the refurbishment is, sadly, one of style over content, with dumbed-down captioning and many exhibits such as the ‘as found’ Long Range Desert Group Chevrolet Truck and the Lancaster nose section being completely unprotected. In addition, poor flow routes through the galleries leads to significant congestion at busy times. Mike Shreeve
ABOVE RIGHT: The nose of RAAF operated Lancaster ‘F for Freddie’. ABOVE: The IWM’s Zero wreck on display, replacing an earlier cockpit section display. RIGHT: The Battle of Britain veteran Spitfire Mk.I R6915 and middle eastern veteran Harrier GR.9 ZD461. [All Mike Shreeve] F L I G H T PAT H | 13
Lancaster Summer After a triumphant six week tour of the UK, the Canadian Warplane Heritage (CWH) Avro Lancaster Mk.X C-GVRA, FM213, made it safely back to its home base at Hamilton Airport in Ontario Canada on 28 September. Gary R Brown caught up with the two Lancasters several times during the Thwaites ‘Lancaster Bomber Tour 2014’ and this is a brief account of his encounters with the iconic pairing.
A
fter arriving at Conningsby, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s base, it was the historic Battle of Britain airfield of Biggin Hill in Kent that became a temporary base for the tour, for displays at Eastbourne and Headcorn. Crowds flocked to the airport to watch, but the airport administration promptly closed the viewing area! Their stay was shortened, as the crosswind limits of the pair were hindered by the airfield’s hill-top location and they relocated to Southend. The Eastbourne display is a mecca for enthusiasts, with the rare opportunity to view the aircraft from above – although the viewers have to combat the winds of the precariously lofty perch on Beachy Head, the hill also having the Bomber Command Tribute Memorial officially unveiled only two years ago on the 26 June 2012, thanks to the unparalleled determination of Joe Williams and his team.
0153-B AVB Third Pg Sept.qxp 23/09/2014 3:11 pm Page 1
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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP CENTRE: Taxiing in at Biggin Hill. The two Lancasters together in the air – a sight not seem for decades. Canadian Lancaster C-GVRA on landing approach and a canopy up fly-by. NX611 taxiing on the grass at East Kirby. Canadian and British flags by from C-GVRA. [All Gary R Brown] The Lancasters were observed again at Duxford and Goodwood where for once they were blessed with glorious sunshine. The Goodwood Revival is probably the finest general ‘vintage’ event in the world, and Goodwood becomes a time capsule for one weekend each summer. With the majority of attendees dressing up in period attire, the 2014 incarnation will be remembered as the year the Lancs arrived! For many, the most memorable Lancaster experience was East Kirkby, the former Bomber Command airfield that has been magnificently restored by the Panton Brothers and their team. The atmosphere at this event was just magical, and a sell out crowd were there to witness the great spectacle. Desperately difficult to photograph, it was one of those events where it was better to put the camera down and just soak up the atmosphere. Hopefully in the next decade we will see the East Kirkby Lancaster NX611 ‘Just Jane’ (the former G-ASXX, ‘Spirit of Surfer’s Paradise’) take flight and regularly join the BBMF’s PA474 on flights up and down the country. Despite the CWH having to borrow a Rolls Royce Merlin following the failure of No.4 engine, the tour was a great success, with an impressive serviceability record for a seventy year old aircraft. The engine change at Durham Tees Valley airport was made more challenging by differences between the Packard Merlin 224 and the Rolls Royce engine but these were quickly surmounted and FM213 successfully returned to the tour. There were many other highlights, including the Avro Vulcan XH558 overflying the Derwent Dam. The Lancaster tour certainly swelled the coffers of some display organisers with record attendances at most venues. The duo also caused many traffic management issues not witnessed since the retirement of Concorde, or the first flights of Vulcan XH558. Financially the tour appears to have been a success, with the related merchandising doing particularly well wherever the tour’s sales trailer has been in attendance, along with internet sales resulting in airshow flightlines filled with a plethora of tour-inspired T-shirts and caps. The only reservation was that, although there was a great demand for a public event at which the Lancasters could be seen on the ground, this opportunity was limited to one event at RAF Waddington which, due to its front-line service activities, was itself limited. Given the Lancaster tour’s success, there is now talk as to whether a Mosquito tour could be staged sometime in the future! F L I G H T PAT H | 15
Luftwaffe Over Seattle O LEFT: The display pilots are introduced to the spectators arena prior to engine start. From the left; Carter Teeters and the Storch, Bud Granley with the BF-109, and Steve Hinton for the FW-190.
n Saturday 16 August 2014, the Flying Heritage Collection (FHC) held its monthly flying day at Paine Field, Everett, Washington State, USA. FHC has some of the rarest and best examples of W.W.II aircraft, from many participants. This day featured three Luftwaffe aircraft, the Fieseler Fi 156 C-2 Storch, Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3, and Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-5. All three are combat veterans; the Bf 109-E W.Nr.1342 was built in 1939, and operated mostly over France, piloted by Eduard Hemmerling. In July 1940 Hemmerling shot down two British aircraft, but suffered damage to hisBf 109 ‘Emil’, crashing off the coast of Cap Blanc Nez. In 1988 the aircraft was discovered by a man walking on the beach near Calais and the wreck restored over many years. The Storch was built in 1943, and saw service in Occupied Europe and on the Russian Front. It was found in a derelict condition in East Germany in the 1980s, and has been fully restored. The Fw 190, W.Nr 1227, was built in 1943 and modified for ground attack, and saw service with 4./JG54 near Leningrad. On July 9 1943 it suffered engine failure from possible sabotage, and crashed in a wetland, where it was discovered almost complete in 1989, being restored over many years in the UK and finished in the USA. The flying days are open to museum guests as well as the general public. They have an arena where they introduce the aircraft and the pilots that fly them, then the visitor can see them start and taxi out. Then they open the taxiway up so the crowd can move to near the runway to see the display. Being an airport, the flying is limited to flypasts, nevertheless it is a unique opportunity to see them in action. For more information on this amazing collection, or future flying events, see their website www.flyingheritage.com. John Freedman ABOVE LEFT: Steve Hinton flying the Fw 190, W.Nr 1227. Built in 1943 it saw service with 4./ JG54 in WWII. LEFT: The Fw 190, W.Nr 1227, was built in 1943 and later modified for ground attack. It was recovered , as a wreck, from Russia in 1989.
16 | F L I G H T PAT H
CLOCKWISE: The FHC’s 1943 Fieseler Fi 156 C-2 Storch, on short final. The FHC’s Fw 190A-5 and Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3. The crowd get a close look at starting the Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3. The museum’s combat veteran Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3 pulling up and away. [all images John Freedman]
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The Museum is open daily from 9:00am to 5:00pm (except Christmas Day and Boxing Day). Tours operate daily and bookings are essential. Combination tour packages are also available.
www.qfom.com.au
Phone: (07) 4658 3737 Fax: (07) 4658 0707 Email: info@qfom.com.au Address: Longreach Airport, Sir Hudson Fysh Drive, Longreach QLD 4730
F L I G H T PAT H | 17
From Palestine to Bull Creek A
mystery has been solved at the Aviation Heritage Museum of W.A at Bull Creek in Western Australia. Mike Mirkovic, the main researcher and photo librarian at the museum has been perplexed by a section of fabric mounted with photo and a diary extract, that have been on display. Mike explained, “The first thing that intrigued me was that the photo was of an Albatros D.III D.636/17, which was forced down in October 1917. The diary belonged to Lieutenant F. C. Conrick of 1 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps, whose family donated the artefact to the museum.” One section reads: ‘05.30 Left ground with Ned Kenny, Escort Stew Paul and Bill Weir, Eastern Recco. Madeba – Kastal – Anwar also Muakka. A little movement. Hun alarm. ‘13.00. L (t). Johnny Walker, L. Harold Letch dived on the Hun 2 seater above the drome. A fire broke out in the fuselage and they fired 2 Verrys [sic] lights and pulled out – the fuselage was blown off & Johnnie’s body was found a mile or more away from the wings and engine. – ‘16.00. Harold not found yet. Capt. Allan Brown and Finlay finished the Hun machine off and forced him to land in our lines both pilot and observer are in the Compound, The pilot has an Iron Cross & has been on three fronts, they said they made their wills today for the first time. Engine O.K. Undercarriage collapsed. German pilot: Lieut. Dittmar was flying the above aircraft, a D5 A.’
18 | F L I G H T PAT H
After a search of the museum’s photo collection, Mike found a series of photos of the incident from D. Stewart (a Lieutenant in 1 Squadron, AFC) and most of the photos accompanying this article are from this collection. “The action described in the above diary extract, happened on 22 August 1918 in which Lts. J.M. Walker and H.A. Letch were shot down in Bristol F.2b B1222, while in combat with an LVG over Ramleh. The LVG, a German twoseat reconnaissance and artillery spotting aircraft, was then shot down by Capts. Brown and Finlay flying an F.2b B1284. As far as possible given the time elapsed, Mike has reconstructed the story of the mystery of the wing fabric. On the morning of 8 October 1917, four Bristol Fighters of 111 Squadron, RFC, were patrolling in pairs over the front lines at Gaza, Palestine. Meanwhile on the other side of the lines, Oberleutnant Dittmar of Flieger Abteilung 300 took off from Samach airfield in Albatros D.III D.636/17 with another Albatros at 7.30 for a patrol over the
LEFT: Gustav Dittmar in Luftwaffe uniform sometime in 1943. BELOW: Albatros’ lower wing cross at the AHM of WA. BOTTOM: Colour tinted photo by Frank Hurley of the Albatros [All photos from Aviation Heritage Museum of W.A (mostly from the D. Stewart collection), a 1 Squadron AFC, Lieutenant and pilot]
FA 300 at Huj airstrip, , Palestine, Oc tober 1917 its th wi 7 6-1 63 II Albatros D.I w. cre nd pilot and grou
9th Light Horse troopers movin g the Albatros to the gun limber for towing to Beir el Belah airstrip.
ObLt. Dittmar watching as RFC ground crew
remove the wings.
Albatros D.III 636-17 being towed to Weli Sheikh Nuran by 67 Squadron’s Crossley Tender.
F L I G H T PAT H | 19
front. At about 8.00 o’clock they saw the British aircraft and dived out of the sun to attack them. This was their first encounter with Bristol F.2bs and they were surprised by the speed and manoeuvres of the Bristols. 2nd. Lt R.C. Steele and Capt. John J.L. Williams in F.2b A7194 fought with Dittmar’s Albatros over Wadi Gaza and after the Albatros was holed in the fuel tank and radiator, ObLt. Dittmar was forced to land between Goz el Basal and Karm. The Albatros was then surrounded by the men from the 9th Light Horse, who were based at Goz el Basal and they stopped ObLt. Dittmar from destroying his Albatros. The men from the 9th then got an artillery limber and hooked up the Albatros to it and towed it to Beir el Belah airstrip, where its wings were removed and it was then moved to the airfield of 1 Squadron,AFC (67 (Australian) Squadron at Weli Sheikh Nuran. The squadron’s staff then repaired and re-assembled the aircraft and it was probably test flown but though any documents in the archives confirm this. Its was inspected there by General Allenby later that month and later was repainted with crude RFC roundels on
the fuselage and tail, later replaced with a fin flash, which was probably when this piece of wing fabric from the bottom of one of the lower wings was removed. Later on at a date unknown, probably early in 1918, the Albatros was gifted to the Khedive (King) of Egypt and went to Cairo, although some sources say it was sent to Britain, however I haven’t found any records confirmin this. From there D.636/17’s fate remains unknown. In 1990 the family of Lt. Conrick donated this memento and it has been on display at the Aviation Heritage Museum of W.A ever since.
The Albatros D.III D.636/17
Built by Albatros Flugzeugwerke at Johannisthal, Germany during early 1917 and was 36th built of the second production batch (D.600 to 649/17). It was fitted with two radiators in the upper wing for operations in Palestine, and was fitted with a160P Mercedes D.III inline engine and equipped with 2 x IMG 08/15 &.92mm machine guns (Spandaus).
Oberleutnant Gustav Adolf Dittmar
Born 24 November 1890 and disappeared in
1945 (Probably captured by the Russians after W.W.2.) He joined the German Army in 1908 and served in various units until transferring to the Fliegertruppe in August 1914, and served in Feldfliegerabteilung (FFA) 2 as a Feldwebel. Promoted to Vizefeldwebel on 15 August 1914. In January 1915 went to Offiziers-Stellverteter and then onto FEA 9 for pilot training. Between 13 and 30 September 1915 was with Insp. Der Fliertruppen and on 1 October 1915 went to Osmanische Fliegertruppe. In April 1917 joined Fliegerabteilung 300 ‘Pascha’. POW from 8 October 1917 until 18 December 1919. Postwar history unknown, joined the Luftwaffe and was a Major in 1944. Served as political and military representative at the Junkers factory in Madgeburg between 15 December 1941 til 19 May 1944, but nothing is known after this. References include: One Airman’s War, Joe Bull’s Personal Diaries 1916-19, edited by Mark Lax, Banner Books, 1997. Desert Column website (Australian Light Horse Study Centre) and The Aerodrome website.
ObLt. Gustav Dittmar watching his Albatros being recovered.
9th Light Horse recovering the Albatros with ObLt. Dittmar wearing the Fez observing.
Albatros with RFC roundels on the tail and fuse
20 | F L I G H T PAT H
lage.
Albatros’ fuselage being towed away with the Light Horse watching.
Albatros now repainted and wearing full RFC markings, c.1918.
g in front of General Allenby posin
the Albatros at Weli Sh
eikh Nuran air strip.
F L I G H T PAT H | 21
Mailbag
Those Atomic Mustangs Hi Rob, I was interested in “Six of the Best” in this month’s magazine [Vol.25 No.4] as it was mentioned they had seen pictures from a source who had flown in there. I guess I was the source, as we landed our Mooney VH-MBO into a small area at the bomb side that had been cleared for tents. It wasn’t possible to land on the strip itself as there were steel tank traps down its length. The photos in the magazine must have been taken at Emu after the Mustangs were towed there as there were no fences further south where the bomb pulverised the tower it had been on, although the Submarine Conning Tower nearby it did not seem damaged, nor did the Mustangs other than the fabric tail feathers - probably damaged by sun, wind, and vandals of course. The first picture is Emu to the north. After seeing the Mustangs, I bought A68-119 VH-IVI. An excellent magazine. Cheers, Langdon Badger, South Australia
ABOVE RIGHT: The Emu atomic test site when first vistited by Lagdon Badger in his MooneyVH-MBO, with A68-30 in the foreground. ABOVE: The Mustangs as found by Langdon on his original visit to the Emu. RIGHT: Langdon Badger about to do his fisrt solo in his CAC Mustang VH-IVI,formerly RAAF A68-119.
Ferrying the CAC Mustang A68-7 Dear Rob, It was very interesting to read about the Emu Mustangs, “Six Of The Best” as my father Geoffrey Marshall was one of the RAAF pilots who flew the Mustangs into Emu Creek. In his memoirs he wrote the following: “By the time I was posted from ARDU in 1951, the Long Range Weapons Establishment was well advanced, and work both in the United Kingdom and Australia as extensive as if in wartime. The early work at Woomera mainly involved conventional flying like the testing of high altitude improved bombs and parachutes, but steadily various sorts of guided weapons arrived. Not all the equipment or endeavour came from England, and Australian participation was highly praised, not only
show the Emu ferr Geoff Marshall’s logbook entries
22 | F L I G H T PAT H
in building hangars and runways, but also in technical and design work, including the great amount of instrumentation and analytical work. One of the important fields was the testing of the means of delivery as well as the actual testing of the extremely powerful nuclear weapons. Woomera had become known as the Joint Project. My first interest in nuclear activity was an invitation to me in my job as Director of Technical Support at Victoria Barracks, Melbourne. The task was to fly four Mustangs to Emu Creek, which is almost in the dead centre of Australia. Experienced pilots were required, as there was no runway at the Creek and aircraft took off and landed on the bed of a dried-up lake. The aircraft were to be used as “target response” items.
y flight entry and the diverse typ
es he flew.
They would be placed close to the point of bomb explosion just to see how they were affected. (The pilots were first removed!) This testing to damage or destruction was one of the widely used excuses for letting off the new bombs. I agreed to fly one of the aircraft for the test, which took place in April 1953. We had many over produced Mustangs, some brand new and stored at Tocumwal. The other 3 blokes were Pete Parker, Lee Archer and Ron Susans, all good fighter pilots. Our first stop was to be Mallala and I assumed that we would fly in formation but realised quite soon that was not the case. I didn’t want to thrash the engine so I always turned up last, except the last leg from Woomera where I arrived second. The lakebed was not very big and I finished up only a few yards short of the stunted tree growth. We only stayed long enough for food - the flies were pretty bad at Emu Creek - and were taken back by Bristol Freighter to Mallala. My aircraft was A68-7 and I still have the magnetic compass which I removed at the Creek.” From accounts by Geoff, I believe A68-7 had problems with the flaps. He made a “hot” landing without flaps and had to ground-loop the aircraft to avoid the trees. I have attached a photo-copy of the relevant page from Geoff’s log book. The log book also records numerous flights in A68-1001 and A68-1 when Geoff was Commanding Officer at ARDU. Geoff passed away in 2002. Yours sincerely, Rick Marshall, Forrest, ACT
Mailbag
Pregnant Lincoln Dear Rob, I recently read the “Pregnant Lanc” article in Vol.25. No.3, and was reminded of a similar scheme dreamed up by the RAAF in the mid fifties to transport spare R.R. Merlins in the bomb-bay of an Avro Lincoln. It had been found that the bomb-bay doors would not close fully with a Merlin in a cradle hung from the bomb hooks, so wooden stop blocks had been made to fit the shafts of the door jacks to limit the closing of the bomb doors. I became involved during the testing of these at No.1 A.D., Laverton. The No.3 engine was started to power the hydraulic system, but was soon stopped with a shout of “We’ve got a fire!”. I scrambled up through the fuselage
and out through the upper hatch and on to the engine nacelle and removed a small cowling panel, to find a smouldering birds’ nest built around and under the coolant header tank. The fire was soon put out and the nest removed! The aircraft had not been flown for some time, so it and another parked Lincoln nearby were inspected for nests, and I heard later that enough material had been removed to fill a 44 gallon drum! I don’t know if the scheme was proceeded with, as I left the Air Force in December, 1956. I hope this is of interest, and perhaps other readers may know if the scheme was proceeded with or not. Yours Faithfully, Peter Lang, Mordialloc Vic.
The B-24 Big Emma The crash site of this aircraft is stated in Michael Claringbould’s article [Vol.26 No.1] as being twenty miles SouthEast of Port Moresby, near the Rigo Village. On the Pacific Wrecks website the location is given as near Galley Reach North West of Port Moresby! I remember a wreck in the given position at Galley Reach which was in the Moresby training area during the
late sixties, and was told it was a B-24. I’m even more confused than usual! Please help! Regards, Jim Pescott, via email Michael Claringbould replies: My mistake, I confused the data base! The B-24 wreck is on Fairfax Cattle Station, in the Galley Reach area, and less than one mile from the coast.
CALENDAR OF AVIATION EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015 24-March 1 Australian International Airshow and Aerospace and Defence Exposition Avalon Victoria. Visit http://www.airshow.com.au/ airshow2015/index.html MARCH 27-29 The Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia National Fly-in, Echuca Victoria. See http://www.antique-aeroplane.com.au *The RAAF Museum at Point Cook VIC conducts an Interactive Flying Program – this takes place at the museum every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday at 1.00 pm. Visit: www.airforce.gov.au/raafmuseum *Temora Aviation Museum’s Aircraft Showcase Days are conducted on the first and third Saturdays of each month, visit: www.aviationmuseum.com.au *Please confirm all airshows and events with the organisers as details may have changed after the production of this publication.
A68-35 Hello Rob, I was interested to read Neil Follett’s article on the Mustangs used for atomic testing. One of the aircraft featured in the article was A68-35. I have included a photo of my late father Bob Miles about to taxi in “35” for a sortie for City of Melbourne squadron in 1952. His log book says he flew “35” a number of times, the last time being on 21 September 1952, his log book entry reads “A/A 1/4 attacks cine” (i.e. quarter attacks using gun camera). Bob worked his way through general aviation in the early 1940s at the Royal Victorian Aero Club then progressed to a job with Ansett Airways as a DC -3 First Officer and then up through the Ansett fleet culminating in a 727 command. He joined 21 (City of Melbourne) Squadron on 16 June 1951 as a Flying Officer and also had a stint at the Government Aircraft Factory, Fishermans Bend as a test flight engineer on Lincoln Bombers. He passed away in Sept 1993. I have followed my father’s footsteps and have been flying since 1987, currently with Jetstar on the A-320, but have also been lucky enough to fly Mike Jarvies’ Stearman on occasion which featured in the latter pages of issue Vol.25 No.4. Love the magazine. Regards, Robert Miles, Strathmore, Vic.
ABOVE: Bob Miles about to taxi CA -18 Mustang A68-35 whilst with the 21 (City of Melbourne) Squadron at Laverton in 1952. LEFT: Climbing aboard a 21 Squadron DH Vampire, Bob Miles also had a stint at Fishermans Bend GAF as a test flight engineer on Lincoln Bombers. ABOVE RIGHT: Bob Miles training in the CAC Wirraway A20-557. F L I G H T PAT H | 23
Personal Effects Crosswinds – life on the wing
The Vandersarl Blériot Exceptional for having survived a full century, largely intact, the Vandersarl Blériot is one of very few original aircraft to survive from aviation’s pioneering days. This handsome coffee table book designed by Javier Arrango and Flightpath contributor Philip Makanna commemorates the restoration of the Vandersarl Bleriot XI and completes the story of two Denver boys building a flying machine in 1911. Lavishly illustrated period images, reproduced diagrams and original plans are complemented by photographer Makanna’s studio quality images. The work follows how it came into being, was first flown, later preserved and how the dream was fulfilled over a century later. As Javier says; “when the Blériot arrived in California, its journey through one hundred years was evident. Components were missing, metal parts were rusted and its wood was old and twisted. But its soul was intact”. We can follow the daunting task of rebuilding, from scratch, the oneof-a-kind engine that exactly replicates the Vandersarl’s original inline powerplant. The Vandersarl Blériot restoration project was completed by Javier Arango in late 2012, and he took it back into the air for its first and successful flight on 12 November 2012. The Vandersarl Blériot XI is the only flyable aircraft of this genre, and it may also be the oldest Americanbuilt airplane that still flies. ‘Javier’s Blériot. A Limited Edition’ each book is autographed by Philip Makanna. (Reviewer: Rob Fox) Javier Arango & Philip Makanna, US$30.00 plus P&P GHOSTS, www.ghosts.com 24 | F L I G H T PAT H
A key member of the Flightpath team, Ron Watts, has released his autobiography in co-operation with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) where he has worked and flown for most of his life. This has been, as Ron notes, a remarkably rewarding and much travelled life in mission flying for MAF. They are a worldwide Christian organisation that provides aviation, communications, and learning technology services to more than 1,000 Christian and humanitarian agencies, as well as thousands of isolated missionaries and indigenous villagers in the world’s most remote areas, and obviously depends on people to undertake a remarkable mix of tasks requiring a unique skill set, attitude and religious calling. Ron’s book is (at the risk of stating the obvious) in many ways a particularly Australian story, with an engagement with the wide brown land that many Australians can relate to, though many fewer have real – or as extensive – outback experience as Ron. One essential element for Ron, however is the role of Christianity in his life as well as that of aviation, and a passionate devotion to worthwhile good works. The book goes from Ron’s childhood through many remarkable and varied experiences right up to (and beyond) his successful record attempt ‘every6minutes’ in 2011, as documented in Flightpath Vol.23 No.1. Like Ron in real life, the book is a
straight, modest, but clear and engaging account of interesting times and experiences lived to the full and with his faith. Readers should find it inspiring. (Reviewer: James Kightly) Ron Watts $15.00, includes P&P, Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) Australia, www.maf.org.au Proceeds from sale of this book support the work of MAF.
Hidden Warbirds II The adventure of hunting for hidden treasures has always conjured up romantic notions of risk and reward, none more so for our readers than the thrill associated with W.W.II warbird discoveries. This work is an attractive follow-up to the acclaimed Hidden Warbirds book, in which the author further explores the romance and the stories behind some of the most celebrated wrecks and recoveries of more recent times. As with volume one, this is a great read which again covers a wide variety of warbirds, places, people. In this sequel, wreck discoveries and recoveries include the P-47 Dotty Mae, lifted from depths of a lake in Austria; a Junkers 88 recovered from the icy waters of Norway; the Australian Iron Range P-40, and a host of others, including some that were not so hidden! All chapters benefit greatly from the quality photographic reproduction of the before and after, and historic images of the large array of recovered aircraft.
Over 150 photographs, depicting more than 20 warbird stories, document the history of each featured aircraft. Spanning the worldwide warbird restoration movement, Hidden Warbirds II successfully honours those that have invested (and risked) time and money recovering and restoring warbirds, and shows how they have helped expand the understanding of W.W.II aviation history. (Reviewer: Rob Fox) Nicholas A. Veronico, US$30, Zenith Press, www.zenithpress.com
Night Cats & Corsairs – The Operational History of Grumman and Vought Night Fighter Aircraft While the history of the Grumman F6F Hellcat, F7F Tigercat and Vought F4U Corsair has been very well recorded and recounted over the years, the specialised night fighter variants of these types have generally been given a short note at the end of the account of the better-documented earlier versions. This is usually because the aircraft were (very obviously) operated at night, but were also obscured for other reasons: like many other technological advances in aviation, the development and entry to
Personal Effects They Gave Me A Seafire
service of the US Navy’s airborne radar was, as the time, understandably top secret. Furthermore, the Navy and Marine Corps’ night fighter crews often were operated as ‘penny packets’, sometimes even dispersed among units with other more high-profile tasks. As a result, little reliable information was made public or is to be found in most sources. Alan Carey’s book amply redresses this imbalance, in this handsome, large format, wellpresented book of over 200 pages. He goes into comprehensive, well-illustrated detail on the development of the radar, aircraft, and the resultant training and development of tactics, before delineating the early, faltering steps of Pacific night fighter operation and the maturing of the task into the early Korean War. The text is a well-sourced but also well written account with plenty of direct experience, and the book is also illustrated comprehensively. Some early operational images are of originally poor quality, but more than balanced by their historical interest and Alan’s dedicated work in finding previously secret highquality factory images of the aircraft and their radar fitouts, all well presented. It’s a pleasure to see a new work that essentially brings a previously obscured area to prominence, while also providing comprehensive authoritative detail to the reader. (Reviewer James Kightly.) Alan C. Carey, US$49.99, plus P&P, Schiffer Publishing Ltd., www.schifferbooks.com
The late ‘Mike’ Crosley, who died in 2010, joined the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) at the height of the Battle of Britain because the ‘wait list’ for the RAF was too long. Joining a service struggling with its own identity, a lack of modern aircraft and members of the leadership team who vehemently questioned the very existence of the aviation branch, he makes it through intensive - albeit occasionally archaic and amusing training before flying operationally. He survived the sinking of HMS Eagle, the North African landings, Arctic convoys and much more before taking command of a Seafire squadron prior to joining the British Pacific Fleet. Crosley is frank about the service’s failings, particularly the mis-use of the Seafire and fighter force in general, but highlights the fine men who made it work. The FAA, by 1945, was a very effective fighting force perfectly placed to take advantage of the massive advances in naval aviation, many developed by the service itself, that were to come in the post-war years. Crosley was there for all of it. This book is a typically well put together and illustrated hardback from this publisher and has been subtly updated. If you have not already read this superb book, this is the perfect opportunity to right a wrong. If you’ve read it, introduce a friend! It is one of the most honest, candid and truly delightful memoirs of the era. This new edition, with a postscript lovingly written by Crosley’s wife, is the perfect memorial to one of the FAA’s greats.
(Reviewer: Andy Wright) ‘Mike’ Crosley, 15.99 GBP plus p&p, www.pen-andsword.co.uk
Australia’s Few and the Battle of Britain The sheer presence of this beautiful hardback demands attention. The hardcovers replicate the dust cover artwork and prove there is more to life than dark cloth and gold-embossed text. They are a taster as, once the book is opened, the crisp, clean pages, the superb layout and the professional notes and index are the pinnacle of book design. Such effort was required because the content is sublime. Yes, it’s another book on the Battle of Britain but, rather than another angle on this most famous of aerial campaigns, this one is very personal and re-introduces eight relatively unknown Australian flyers to the world. Only Hughes, Glyde and Sheen were familiar names. Even so, for Glyde, this is the first time his story has been told in detail. Indeed, the same could be said for the others too – Millington, Crossman, Holland, Kennedy and Walch. Most, if not all, simply became one of ‘The Few’ in photos or on plaques and headstones in semiforgotten fields in England. These young men have a voice again (notably Des Sheen was the only one to survive the war). Their lives are laid bare via an impressive collection of letters and diary entries. There is, of course, a lot of combat but these sequences do not outweigh the pre-war lives, training and personal lives and loves in England.
The final chapters emotionally detail the families’ struggles to live without their beloved boys. Everything is so well done and, importantly, eight men can live on in the hearts and minds of all who read this book. They deserve it. Postscript. First published in Australia, a UK edition is now due in 2015. (Reviewer: Andy Wright) Kristen Alexander, $49.99 plus p&p, www.newsouthbooks.com.au
GHOSTS 2015 – A Time Remembered & The Great War Internationally renowned aviation photographer and a favourite contributor to Flightpath, Phillip Makanna, has produced two stunning calendars to adorn the walls of our studies and offices in 2015. GHOSTS’ W.W.II types in ‘A Time Remembered’ are a faithful representation of some of the best types the warbird movement has
F L I G H T PAT H | 25
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sion is loaded with extras. (Reviewer: Andy Wright) Hugh Garlick DFC, $34.07 plus p&p (hardcover), www.lulu.com/au; $3.99, Apple iTunes; 1.99 GBP (ePub), www.lulu.com
Mosquito Down!
to offer. This year the venerable P40K Warhawk heads up this great selection of rare warbirds. These include the B-17, FG-1D, Lysander and P-26A to mention a few. Additionally the W.W.I – ‘Great War’ Calendar presents further enduring images that are led off by a formation of three German Albatros, complemented by other flying rarities including a Sopwith Tabloid, Curtiss JN-4H Jenny, B.E.2c, Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe, and more to admire for each month of 2015. (Reviewer: Rob Fox) Phillip Makanna, $29 + $10 P&P, www.aviationart.com. au, phone 03 9592 1943, PO Box 2311, Nth Brighton, Vic 3187
One Life Left
There were so many incredible, ‘unknown’ people in the RAF. Wing Commander Hugh Garlick DFC was one of them. His service career was incredibly varied and the aircraft he flew were from a more romantic era of aviation. The author’s first posting was to No. 56 Squadron in the mid-thirties, where he flew Gloster Gauntlets and proved a talented pilot. RAF pilots flew in the Fleet Air Arm so Garlick eventually ended up in the Mediterranean flying float-equipped Swordfish and Hawker Nimrods. The flying, as so entertainingly described, was simply idyllic. With the war imminent, Garlick expected to be sent home. He ended up in Gibraltar, again flying Swordfish floatplanes, performing convoy and U-boat 26 | F L I G H T PAT H
patrols. When he did return home, he was given command of No. 235 Squadron and its Beaufighters based in the Shetlands. Amazingly, he returned to the Med after the squadron is posted to Malta. However, after six weeks, Garlick returned home and became Chief Instructor of No. 2 OTU. He was then unable to avoid a stint in Operations (during the height of the V-1 campaign) before seeing out the war as Fleet Aviation Officer for C-in-C Home Fleet. Back in the Navy! This is a delightful book. It is written with humour, modesty and regularly has a wonderful turn of phrase e.g. “…I was decanted into the rear of a Swordfish…”. It does have the occasional little niggle in print-on-demand form but it’s a great read and, pleasingly, is available in many formats, notably the iPad ver-
Frank Dell joined Bomber Command’s Light Night Striking Force (LNSF) with more than 1,000 hours in his logbook. After initial training in England, he had been sent to the US to earn his wings but was kept back to instruct. He finally flew his first operation at the end of August 1944. He was shot down on his thirteenth. The main focus of this book is the author’s remarkable journey as an evader in Germany and Occupied Holland, so do not expect great insight into the life of an LNSF crew. The final operation, and a beautifully detailed account of the first are the only flights written about in depth. But the meat of the book is his evasion after shoot-down. Few readers would not be on the edge of their seat as the author treks generally westwards for five nights. He survives a number of close calls with German civilians and soldiers. Failing physically, he maintains his wits to make it just inside the Dutch border where he is found by local teenagers. What follows is as remarkable as his fifty-plus mile walk. Looked after by the Dutch Resistance, the author assists them during supply drops and,
along with other downed fliers, manages to get out and about surprisingly often although this was sometimes in response to ‘hunting parties’ looking for Allied airmen. Six months in hiding and several more close calls pass before he is ‘liberated’. A book of typical quality from this publisher, this is very much a tribute to the brave men and women of the Dutch Resistance as told by one they saved. (Reviewer: Andy Wright) Frank Dell with Brett Piper, $30.95 plus p&p, www. booktopia.com.au
Victory – New Zealand airmen and the fall of Germany The announcement of a new book from this author is always well-received. Max Lambert has made a name for himself over the past decade for beautifully constructed and written anthologies about New Zealand airmen in WW2. His latest and, incidentally, last, is no exception. The author’s first two books (Night After Night and Day After Day) concentrated solely on the bomber and fighter boys respectively. With Victory, it is the last year of the war in Europe that is the focus. New Zealand aircrew flew in every imaginable role in the European theatre. Bombers, fighters, fighter-bombers, airsea rescue, anti-shipping and long-range convoy and U-boat patrols all feature in this superb book. It is the Coastal Command operations that really stand out. The bomber and fighter operations are, from this author, familiar territory and, as ever, are gathered from interviews and first-hand accounts supported by an excellent bibliography. The same applies to the Coastal Command tales but this is the first time Lambert has, in this series, ventured into this realm. The result is pure delight. Yes, Kiwis employed in U-boat hunting has been written about before but, with the Lambert touch, they
Personal Effects
take on another quality – that of deeply moving tribute to the memory of these men. Well-illustrated and with the author’s insistence on rounding out an airman’s story (as opposed to just a passing reference), this is the perfect finish to the trilogy and will be one of the best new aircrew books of 2014. (reviewer: Andy Wright) Max Lambert, Harper Collins, $28.95 plus p&p, www.harpercollins.com.au
The Bomber Command War Diaries The release of this epic work in 1985 suddenly made research into Bomber Command’s operations so much easier. Here was every single raid complete with details of the target, aircraft dispatched, losses, a surprising amount of notable personnel anecdotes and even reports from German sources as to damage and loss of life on the ground. Having all of this information in one book is a godsend in the great scheme of things. This would have been particularly so in the days before the internet. The original edition has been copied verbatim and placed on several websites (which was not really legal.) Why, then, bother with a new print edition? Handling this 800+ page book is surprisingly easy and, despite the online content, it remains a valuable resource. This new paperback edition from Pen & Sword includes a section correcting errors from the first
book. Every operation is laid out in chronological order and grouped together in campaigns i.e. “The Phoney War”, “The Thousand Raids” etc. enumerating 21 campaigns in all. Each of these sections concludes with a summary of the statistics for the period covered. These make for interesting comparisons as the war progresses. Part Two accumulates these statistics as they apply to air and ground crew, escapers and evaders, and aircraft types. Part Three looks at the numbers from a group, squadron and OTU point of view. It is as comprehensive as it can get and is guaranteed to be one of the more well-thumbed books in any Bomber Command collection. (reviewer: Andy Wright) Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt, Pen & Sword Books, $38.50 plus p&p, www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
A Wooden Wonder Restored – de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito FB.26
From New Zealand comes this DVD (also available as a BluRay) disc of film featuring the recently restored Mosquito KA114. Unlike most other aviation DVDs, this includes over two hours of video footage, including airshow displays, airto-air and onboard footage, and dual-audio tracks. Interviews
with the pilots are an added extra. Rather than being a film, this series from Alex Mitchell and Allan Udy’s Historical Aviation Film Unit (HAFU) is, as they say, a “scrapbook collection of short film clips between two and fifteen minutes long, which provide the sights and sounds of the aircraft in action” which are rarely made available for the enthusiast and not normally included in broadcast media. While there is a narration by Glenn Kirby, this can be selected ‘off’ so the ambient sound of the flights (predominantly the two Merlin engines!) can be enjoyed. This is one for those who have not had a chance to see this aircraft in action in New Zealand (or now in North America) or for those who have seen it, and want to keep a version of the experience at home! (Reviewer James Kightly.) Historical Aviation Film Unit, Blu-Ray: NZ$49.95, DVD: NZ$34.95, plus NZ$5.00 P&P, www.aviationfilm.com
this work is an essential study tool in gaining an overall view of military flying operations. The role of the little understood observers, aerial gunners/ gunlayers and kite balloon observers who flew with the RFC, RNAS and later the RAF between 1914 and 1919 opens the work and sets the scene for the following chapters. These go on to examine the proliferation of non-pilot aircrew categories until in 1942 when the observer was supplanted by the air bomber and a variety of specialised types of navigator. First published in 2001 this edition is fifty percent larger and expands the Great War and W.W.II eras and the often overlooked less evocative inter war and post war periods. It continues, reflecting on the RAF’s ill-conceived policy of the ‘1946 Aircrew Scheme’ which had to be abandoned in 1950 in favour of an all-officer policy for pilots and navigators. The author examines the way in which this egalitarian program has actually been implemented while continuing to trace the rises and falls in the fortunes of all nonpilot aircrew categories and the evolution of post-war aircrew training until the last navigators graduated in 2011. This is undeniably an essential reference guide for all those interested in military aviation. Wing Commander C.G. ‘Jeff’ Jefford, MBE, BA, RAF (retired) £40 + P&P www.grubstreet.co.uk, via Capricorn Link, www.capricornlink.com.au
Observers and Navigator
And other non-pilot aircrew in the RFC, RNAS and RAF This updated and expanded work, is a detailed examination of the often glossed over ‘ancillary’ aircrew in British military aviation. Comprehensively researched, associated with high quality photographic reproduction of the plethora of images, F L I G H T PAT H | 27
damage was sustained and the Dolphin returned to Rathmines on auxiliary fuel tanks. A35-2 was out of service for several periods in 1943 during extended maintenance caused by corrosion problems in the hull, but was flown by 9 Squadron and 3 OTU at Rathmines until December that year when it went into the hangar for a complete overhaul. The corrosion and other maintenance problems were considered uneconomical to repair, and on 14 February 1944 approval was given to convert it to components. A35-3, c/n 1001. The fourth Dolphin was built as a Dolphin Model 3 and delivered in November 1931 as a luxurious air yacht for US industrialist Powel Crosley of the Crosley Radio Company. This aircraft was powered by two 300 hp (223 kW) Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior A engines and fitted with a spacious cabin for just four passengers, and registered as NC982Y. Its subsequent civil career is not known, but it was taken on RAAF charge on 5 October 1942 when it was received at RAAF Station Point Cook and erection commenced immediately. Service records describe it as “Received from RAF”, though no British serial numbers were ever allotted to the type. The American civil registration NC982Y was still on the mainplane when the aircraft was assembled. The RAAF engineering records state, “All previous history of this aircraft before RAAF acceptance is unknown. Airframe log books make no reference to previous hours flown.” The machine’s erection at Point Cook was delayed while awaiting spare parts, but it was eventually completed on 9 November and the aircraft was flown to Rathmines to enter service with 9 Squadron and 3 OTU. By now it was fitted with Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior SB1 radials. 32 | F L I G H T PAT H
LEFT: The only known surviving Dolphin, restored and displayed at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. [James Kightly] It was last flown by the RAAF 6 December 1944 at Rathmines, then retired and held by 3 OTU pending a decision on it disposal. A survey report dated 13 December stated its general condition was good, although the brakes were unserviceable, so only airworthy for water operations until the brakes were repaired. A35-3 flew a total of 145 hours and 25 minutes in RAAF service. The report recommended that the aircraft be handed over to the Commonwealth Disposals Commission for civil disposal and notes: “This aircraft being the only one of its type in RAAF is most uneconomical from both service and maintenance points of view, as replacement parts are impossible to procure.” In March 1945 A35-3 was sold to Mr. M. Whittle of Sydney for £750. A35-4, c/n 1279. Originally ordered by Wilmington-Catalina Airline during 1934 as a Dolphin Model 114, this version was powered by two 550 hp (410 kW) Pratt & Whitney Wasps and fitted for 13 passengers. Registered NC14204, it remained in service on the Catalina Island run until after the attack on Pearl Harbor when the airline, now renamed Catalina Air Transport, ceased operations for the duration, and NC14204 was photographed in service at Catalina Island in June 1941. Later purchased by the RAAF and shipped to Australia, A35-4 was taken
on RAAF charge 8 April 1943 at Point Cook. After assembly the aircraft was delivered to 3 OTU Rathmines on 22 May 1943 before being issued to No. 4 Communications flight, (4CF) Archerfield Aerodrome, Brisbane, on 8 July. A35-4 thus became the only RAAF Dolphin to be issued to an operational unit rather than being used for training at Rathmines. However its life on communications flying was destined to be very short. After pilot familiarisation with 4CF, involving a series of dual pilot sea landing exercises during July, it crashed during its first travel flight and was written off on 29 July 1943, when A35-4 was scheduled to operate a flight from Archerfield to the Rose Bay Flying Boat base, Sydney. Crew were Squadron Leader Wood and Flying Officer Forbes and passengers were Air Commodore Summers and Flight Lieutenant Ebeling. The Dolphin departed Archerfield 12.20pm and reached Rose Bay at 4.45pm when it crashed on landing in the water - although the occupants were not injured. The cause was found to be a faulty hydraulic line which allowed the main wheels to extend for the water landing. The airframe was badly damaged and the wreckage was taken to RAAF Rathmines for an inspection report before being authorised for conversion to components on 8 August 1943.
A35-1 at Tamworth NSW.
LEFT: This is the only known surviving Dolphin, displayed at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. Originally built for William E. Boeing as NC14205 and named ‘Rover’, it operated in California and Alaska as NC26, NC26K and N26K. Here it’s photographed at San Rafael Sky Harbour, California on 9 September 1962. RIGHT: A35-4 in its pre-war Wilmington-Catalina markings and registration of NC14204. To summarise the RAAF use of the Dolphin: • A35-1: June 1940 – September 1941 Rathmines • A35-2: September 1941 – December 1943 Rathmines • A35-3: November 1942 – December 1944 Rathmines • A35-4: May 1943 - July 1943 Rathmines, July 1943 4CF Archerfield RAAF maintenance men at Rathmines showed a great degree of skill and ingenuity to keep the Dolphins airworthy with very few spare parts available. After the war, Donald Douglas, who had personally designed the Dolphin, commended the Rathmines effort in virtually rebuilding A35-3 to keep it in service during 1943 - 44, using many parts from A35-1 & 2.
A POSTWAR DOLPHIN.
The final chapter in the story concerns the only Dolphin to survive wartime RAAF service, A35-3. Sold by the Commonwealth Disposals Commission in March 1946 to Mr. M. Whittle of Sydney, the aircraft was in an airworthy condition and ferried from Rathmines to Mascot in early May. During May Mr. Whittle, a former RAAF pilot, advised the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) of his plans for the Dolphin. A new company, New Castle Safety Airways, had been formed by Stuart F. Doyle Enterprises to operate a scheduled daily passenger service from Sydney to Newcastle landing at coastal towns en route. DCA allocated the civil registration VH-AGE on 4 May but later that month wrote to Whittle to advise him that it had been decided that a C of A would not be issued to the Dolphin for passenger work because of concern over its airworthiness and flight
performance. Whittle objected strenuously but the Department remained firm, stating that the type had never been on the Australian Civil Register and no performance figures for such an old aircraft were available, but quoting a pre-war performance report that gave the ceiling with one engine out as “sea-level”! In June, Whittle requested approval to ferry the Dolphin from Mascot to Essendon for civil conversion, but DCA refused. Whittle then advised the Department that because of their refusal to give the aircraft a C of A he was in a serious financial situation and threatened legal action against CDC who had sold him the aircraft as airworthy. DCA wrote to the CDC suggesting they take the Dolphin back and have it scrapped. Meanwhile Whittle attempted to sell the aircraft, but a possible sale to a Queensland buyer who considered using it to fly tourists from Gladstone to Heron Island was thwarted by the same C of A ruling. E.J. Connellan, of Connellan Airways, Alice Springs, was interested in the two Wasp Junior engines as spares for his Beech 17 and planned Beech 18 acquisitions. Veteran aviator Sid Marshall of Marshall Airways, Sydney, purchased A35-3 from Whittle in August 1945 and began a lengthy battle with DCA to have a C of A issued for joyriding, freight work and private flying. It was agreed that DCA would consider a C of A for non-passenger flying subject to a sat-
isfactory performance flight test, and a date was set for 3 October at Mascot; that was when DCA airworthiness officers were planning to flight test the first Avro Anson to be converted for civil use, Adastra Airway’s VH-AGG. However, Marshall decided not to go ahead with the flight testing because his main intention for the Dolphin was joyriding and the Department insisted that it would not consider a C of A for any form of passenger flying. The Dolphin sat alongside Marshall Airway’s hangar at Mascot for several years, still wearing its olive drab military paint scheme, until it became derelict and was carted away as scrap metal about 1950. The registration VH-AGE was never formally added to the Register, and was reallocated to a CAC Wackett Trainer.
This article comes from the extensive files of the Aviation Historical Society of Australia, for further information visit www.ahsa.org.au F L I G H T PAT H | 33
Stow Maries Mike Shreeve paid a visit to the preserved Great War Aerodrome at Stow Maries in Essex to witness the first time that B.E.2s had been seen there for almost a century. Saved from demolition and now undergoing restoration, it is the only aerodrome of this era to be preserved as it was in-period, untouched by later development.
D
uring the Great War, with the onset of raids by Zeppelins and Gotha bombers against London (and other targets) in the south east of England, the decision was taken by the Government to station aircraft close to the coast in order to intercept these raids. A number of airfields were built to accomodate these aircraft. These included Stow Maries, in a rural area of Essex situated between the town of Chelmsford and the coast. The first unit to be stationed there was B Flight of 37 squadron Royal Flying Corps (RFC), operating B.E.2s, which arrived in September 1916. No. 37 Squadron was formed as a Home Defence squadron, with a headquarters at Woodham Mortimer and flights based at Rochford and Goldhanger in addition to Stow Maries. Initially wooden huts and tents were used to house the personnel at Stow Maries, but these were later replaced by more permanent brick buildings. The first commanding officer was Lieutenant Claude Ridley - although only 19, he had already served on the Western Front where he had been awarded an MC and DSO. At one point, on a spy-dropping mission whilst serving with 60 squadron and flying
34 | F L I G H T PAT H
a two-seater Morane LA parasol monoplane, Ridley and the agent he was carrying were forced down behind German lines due to engine problems and spent the next three months evading capture before being able to return home via neutral Holland. Ridley later died of natural causes in 1942 whilst serving in the RAF as a Wing Commander, and was buried in Stow Maries churchyard at his request. The first recorded action from Stow Maries took place on the night of 23-24 May 1917, when Ridley and Lieutenant Keddie took off to intercept a Zeppelin raid against London but met with no success. On 7th July 1917 aircraft from Stow Maries were sent to intercept a formation of 22 Gotha bombers heading towards London. Although the bombers were engaged, the squadron was unable to shoot any down. The bombers reached London and bombed the capital, causing significant destruction and 57 deaths. Although some 95 aircraft in total were sent to intercept the raid, the combination of intercepting aircraft and anti-aircraft fire was only able to bring one down before they were able to escape back across the coast. Although during the time
that Stow Maries was operational there were no losses to aircraft operating from there due to enemy action, there were a number of flying accidents which claimed several lives. Three of the flyers killed (along with Ridley) are buried in the churchyard at Stow Maries. The airfield increased in size in summer 1917 when A Flight of 37 squadron moved in from Rochford, with Ridley (by now a Captain) being posted away to Rochford to form another squadron there. The squadron gradually congregated at Stow Maries, with headquarters flight moving across from Woodham Mortimer later in 1918, by which time 219 personnel and 16 aircraft were assigned to Stow Maries. Finally C Flight from Goldhanger was posted across in February 1919, bringing the station complement up to some 300 people and 24 aircraft. This made the first time that the squadron (by now flying Sopwith Camels in place of the venerable B.E.2 and B.E.12 - the latter being a single-seat variant of the B.E.2) had been co-located at the same site since its formation. This was to be short-lived however, as a month later the squadron was re-numbered as No. 39 and moved out to its new
base at Biggin Hill in Kent, the other side of London. The airfield at Stow Maries was then closed and the land returned to the Turner family, who continued to farm it and use the buildings for agricultural and accommodation purposes. Because of its remoteness, the site remained largely untouched, and was acquired in recent years by Russell Savory and Steve Wilson of RS Performance (who develop and manufacture high-performance bespoke vehicles), and moved their workshop to the site. The new owners decided to launch a project to restore the site, due to its uniqueness in being a largely untouched Great War aerodrome, preserved in the state in which it was abandoned in 1919. Some two dozen original buildings (which since 2012 have been given Grade II listed status) remain. A ÂŁ1.5 million (A$2.6m) grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, awarded in 2013, has ensured the future of the site, and backing has also been received from Essex County Council, Maldon District Council and English Heritage. The aim is to continue the restoration of the buildings on the site, and return it (as near as possible) to its appearance as an opera-
TOP: The pair of B.E.2es made their public debut at the end of June, flying at Stow Maries and Old Warden. [all Mike Shreeve] LEFT: The cockpits of the B.E.2es have been fitted out to authentic period specifications. BELOW: Gene DeMarco from The Vintage Aviator Ltd with one of the pair of B.E.2es shipped over from New Zealand to the UK.
LEFT: S.E.5as of 37 squadron being worked on in one of the hangars at Stow Maries during late-1918. [Cross & Cockade International, via Ivor Dallinger]
BELOW: Oliver Wulf’s B.E.2e replica at Stow Maries, it wears the markings of A2943, a machine of 7 squadron RFC.
F L I G H T PAT H | 35
tional Great War aerodrome. A temporary hangar has been built, but the plan is to construct a number of more permanent structures of period appearance to house the aircraft to be based at Stow Maries. In 2010 a memorial was unveiled at the site, listing the names of the ten servicemen who died whilst on active service at Stow Maries from 1916-1919. A wooden building, which had been used as a village hall in Drinkstone, Suffolk, for many years, was dismantled and moved to the site in 2011. It had originally been constructed as the Officer’s Mess at nearby Great Ashfield airfield during the Great War, and was presented to the village after the War as a memorial. It is intended that some of the buildings be restored for accommodation use, and then Stow Maries can then be used for educational purposes, focusing both on Great War aviation, and on conservation and local wildlife. Workshops have been refurbished, and are being used to restore period vehicles to be exhibited at the site. Several events and fly-ins are now held at the aerodrome each year. A support organisation, the Friends of Stow Maries Aerodrome (FOSMA) exists to “support the fulfilment of the aims of Stow Maries Aerodrome in all ways possible.” In addition to the work being carried out on the airfield itself, the World War One Aviation Heritage Trust (WAHT) has been formed “to provide an enduring flying col-
lection of World War I Allied and German aircraft based in the UK flying from heritage sites like Stow Maries Great War Aerodrome.” Their aim is to bring an authentic reproduction aircraft to the UK every year from 2014 to 2018 (each of the five years of the centenary of the Great War) to be operated in events and flypasts to educate the public in the evolution of aircrew, technology and tactics during the Great War, and eventually to offer apprenticeships in vintage aircraft preservation, restoration and reproduction. The intention is to raise funding to present an aircraft a year to the nation, much the way in which presentation aircraft were funded at the time. Additionally, and marking a notable difference to the days of the airfield’s foundation, German collector Oliver Wulff has also agreed to base his aircraft at Stow Maries. These include a Fokker D VII currently under construction, and an S.E.5a which was built in the US and is currently in Germany. The WAHT has also allied itself with The Vintage Aviator Ltd. (TVAL) in New Zealand, which has resulted in a pair of newlyconstructed authentic B.E.2e replicas arriving in the UK in June. One of these, for Oliver Wulff, is painted as A2943 of 7 squadron as flown by Captain Horace Webb Bowen. The other is painted as A2767 of 37 squadron, based at Stow Maries in 1917. These two aircraft were re-assembled at Old
Warden in mid-June, where they will be based until a suitable hangar has been built at Stow Maries. Gene DeMarco, production manager at TVAL (see Flightpath Vol.26 No.1) travelled over from New Zealand to supervise the reassembly of the B.E.2es and undertake the test flying and pilot conversions. They flew across to Stow Maries on 28th June to appear at the Armed Forces Day event there, the first time a pair of B.E.2s had flown over the site in 95 years. The following day they were the stars of the Shutleworth Military Pageant at Old Warden, their newly-built, authentic RAF.1a V8 engines providing a sound unheard in the UK for many years. These tandem projects, the restoration of Stow Maries and the provision of authentic period aircraft to operate there, whilst ambitious in their scope, are making very real progress. I was hugely impressed with the work being done there on a recent visit, and will be following their progress closely over the coming months as they gear up to partake fully in the Great War centennial commemoration. Online Links www.stowmaries.org.uk www.fosma.co.uk www.rsperformance.co.uk ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk thevintageaviator.co.nz
Along with many of the the buidings, the aerodrome’s original water tower remains as a landmark.
The memorial at Stow Maries commemorates the ten personnel of 37 squadron who lost their lives flying from the squadron’s three bases in Essex during the Great War.
36 | F L I G H T PAT H
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Wirraway VH-WIR ex A20-652 at the Jamestown Airshow in 2009 after it was earlier bought off eBay in controversial circumstances. In 2010 it was acquired by the Queensland Air Museum and although still airworthy it is on static display at Caloundra. [Rob Fox]
Wirraway
Part 3
75th Anniversary Following the previous features on the Wirraway’s origins and war service, Derek Buckmaster takes the story from 1945 right up to today. Retirement & disposal
Nearing the cessation of hostilities in August 1945 the RAAF requirement for Wirraways was drastically reduced. The order for CA-16 aircraft was cut from 150 to 135 in January 1946 and many aircraft were delivered from the factory directly into storage at Tocumwal. By February 1954, RAAF Wirraway strength was down to 267 aircraft, mostly serving with Citizen Air Force units or Training Schools. The Department of Air handled the sale of redundant aircraft and the Department of Aircraft Production handled the destruction of those not sold. In August the 38 | F L I G H T PAT H
DoA proposed to dispose 65 aircraft, but problems with obtaining spare parts for operational Wirraways resulted in those aircraft being reduced to components instead. Nineteen Wirraways were transferred to the Royal Australian Navy between November 1948 and November 1953. A further six airframes were transferred for use as spare parts but these were not needed and were sold to Willsmore Aviation Services for scrapping in July 1954. In July 1958 it was decided that the RAAF requirement for Wirraways would be reduced to 42 aircraft and the remaining aircraft would be made redundant by January 1959. This would make 72 aircraft redundant and these were offered for disposal. In August CAC requested five of these aircraft for use in the Ceres agricultural aircraft program. On 4 December 1958 a formation of nineteen Wirraways from Point Cook – one for each year of their service – flew over the city of Melbourne in an official farewell fly-past. By February 1959 all Wirraways had been declared redundant, their training commitments being taken over by Vampires or Win-
jeels. The last Wirraway to arrive at Tocumwal for storage was A20-691 which arrived from 10 Squadron on 6 March 1959. 24 Squadron held three Wirraways until the end of February and then two until the end of March to enable several cadets to complete their training. These aircraft were approved for disposal in situ in May 1959. In May 1959 41 aircraft were sold to Horsham Foundry and Engineering Co. But they did not collect the aircraft from Tocumwal and in March 1960 these aircraft were all resold to CAC. In total, CAC procured 58 Wirraways from the RAAF for use in their Ceres program. A total of 47 Wirraways were sold to R.H. Grant Trading Company at Tocumwal and these aircraft were dismantled and melted down. 62 airframes were also sold to L&M Newman (Metals) Pty. Ltd. in May 1956 for the same purpose. In May 1954 Austin ‘Aussie’ Miller of Super Spread Aviation, purchased two lowhours CA-16 Wirraways from the Department of Air and installed tanks and plumbing for agricultural spraying operations. Although Miller was confident that the Wirraways would be suitable for his
Borg and Anthony Sorensen in VH-CAC (722) on an early post restoration flight in June 2002. [Rob Fox] BELOW: Now owned and operated by Borg Sorenson, Wirraway A20-722 is seen here in service at RAAF Point Cook in the mid-1950s. [via Borg Sorensen] BELOW RIGHT: The complete fuselage and centre section of A20-99 under restoration by HARS in NSW. [HARS]
The oldest surviving Wirraway, A20-10, is seen here in post-war colours. It was recently returned to its original scheme by a volunteer team at the Austalian National Aviation Museum, Moorabbin to celebrate its 75th birthday. [The Collection p1171-0005]
F L I G H T PAT H | 39
spraying operations, they ultimately proved to be poorly adapted for the task and both were de-registered in April 1956 and later dismantled at Moorabbin Airport, Victoria. Several other companies also attempted to use Wirraways for agricultural uses or pilot training after purchasing them as disposals, however the Department of Civil Aviation was unreceptive to the use of exmilitary aircraft for civil operations. Despite being demonstrably airworthy after a long military career, there was no established method of documenting this fact according to civil airworthiness standards, hence the reticence of the DCA. The stall/spin characteristics of the design were also held up as a reason for not allowing private owners to operate Wirraways.
Starting the Warbird Movement
Contrary to some reports, the Wirraway was not the first ex-military aircraft to be operated on the civil register. But they were certainly among the earliest entrants onto the civil aviation scene as ‘warbirds’. The first Wirraway to be restored to airworthy condition took to the air on 4 December 1975 at Moorabbin in the hands of former RAAF pilot Jock Garden. A crowd of around 20,000 people witnessed its first pubic display at Point Cook three days later. VH-BFF was constructed by Graham Schutt and Ron Lee using spare parts acquired from CAC along with the wings and cowlings from A20-570 and an engine purchased from Harry Wallace. Richard Hourigan carried out the electrical work for the restora-
The RAAF Museum’s static Wirraway, A20-687 on show at the 2005 Avalon airshow. It is painted in the colours of A20-561 of 4 Sqn. [James Kightly]
tion. Although the aircraft adopted the identity of A20-653 BF-F of No. 5 Squadron, it did not contain any original parts from that aircraft – that machine had actually been disposed of in Papua New Guinea. Schutt and Lee battled with bureaucrats within the Department of Transport to enable the aircraft to be granted a certificate of airworthiness in the private category, albeit with tight restrictions on how the aircraft was operated. The aircraft continued as a mainstay of the Australian warbird scene, with David Lowy purchasing VHBFF from Malcolm Long in 1999 and donating it to the Temora Aviation Museum in December 2000, where it continues to be a regular airworthy display aircraft. At the same time as VH-BFF was being restored, the Australian Aircraft Restoration Group were working to get A20-649 back into the air, with the work being carried out at Point Cook. The registration VHWIR was allocated and the group battled through the same bureaucracy that Schutt and Lee had met. By 1984 the aircraft was externally complete and was displayed at a Tullamarine airport open day. However the aircraft was sold to Kermit Weeks in 1988 before being granted a certificate of airworthiness. It was displayed for several years at his Fantasy of Flight theme park before being placed into storage, where it currently remains – more recently joined by a second machine (VH-BFO)
Paul Bennett taxying in at Echuca in VH-WWY (A20-81) which is finished in WWII colours of A20 -176. [Rob Fox]
An attempted, and ultimately unsuccessful short cut to making an agricultural spray aircraft, Wirraway A20-692 VH-SSF is seen here with re-purposed drop tanks and centre-section spray booms. [The Collection p1171-1114]
40 | F L I G H T PAT H
Many Wirraways that had been purchased by CAC for Ceres production eventually made their way to collectors and restorers. In 1963 A20-652 was purchased from CAC by Peter Frearson who displayed the aircraft at his Fleet Wings petrol stations in Pascoe Vale and then Reservoir. In 1983 the aircraft was purchased by Dusty Lane, Geoff Milne and Vin Thomas who started restoration to airworthy condition. The registration VH-WIR (the same that A20-649 has hoped to use) was obtained and a comprehensive restoration to zero hours was carried out from 1984 to 1986. The aircraft made its first post-restoration flight from Essendon on 19 September 1986. In August 2006 the aircraft was sold on eBay to Peter Smythe, who needed to mount a legal challenge to confirm the validity of the sale. In 2010 the aircraft was purchased by Queensland Air Museum with a grant from the John Villiers Trust. The aircraft is now displayed at the museum in Caloundra and kept in airworthy condition. Several Wirraway airframes passed through Pearce Dunn’s Warbirds Aviation Museum in Mildura during the late 1970s, one of those being A20-719 (C/N 1171). The aircraft went to Jack McDonald in 1982 and he commenced the restoration process at Point Cook. In late 1989 the project was purchased by Rob Greinert who formed a syndicate with Jack Curtis, Doug Haywood, Iain McLeay, Ray Seaver, Brian Parkinson and
LEFT: One of Lincoln Nitschke’s Wirraway frames on display in his remarkable private collection in Greenock, South Australia. [James Kightly]
BELOW: The most recently restored Wirraway is also the oldest survivor, A20-10 is seen here at its 75th birthday event at the Australian National Aviation Museum, Moorabbin, Vic. [Rob Fox]
F L I G H T PAT H | 41
The CAC CA-16 Mk.3 Wirraway VH-BFF as A20-653, picture Rob Fox
LEFT: Really Wirraway A20-704 (registered as VH-BFO and painted as A20-436) seen here flying near its home base of Wangaratta in 2005, this Wirraway was recently exported to the USA. [John Parker] RIGHT: A20-674 is shown while still essentially complete at Tocumwal in June 1961, after its sale to R.H. Grant Trading. The tailwheel has been removed to stop anyone playing with the aircraft, and the aircraft was scrapped shortly after the photo was taken. See Flightpath Vol.24 No.4 for more on this machine. [The Collection p1171-0347]
ABOVE: The Temora Aviation Museum’s Wirraway A20-653 on take-off for a display at the museum. [Rob Fox]
Owen O’Malley, a former RAAF Wirraway pilot. The aircraft was restored by Phil Lloyd and his team at Classic Aviation at Bankstown and returned to the air on 18 August 1994. The aircraft was registered as VH-WRX and finished in the wartime training colours of A20-458, an aircraft that was flown by syndicate member Owen O’Malley. The aircraft performed at many air displays and paraded as a Douglas Dauntless in the movie The Thin Red Line. Tragically O’Malley and Lloyd both lost their lives when the aircraft crashed during a handling display at an airshow at RNAS Albatross at Nowra on 30 May 1999. The first of two Wirraways which were returned to airworthy condition at Sandora Aero Engineering was A20-81 (C/N 79). Ed Field and and Paul Lobston purchased the restoration project from Jack McDonald in 1993. They organised a syndicate of eight current or former Cathay Pacific pilots for its restoration to airworthy condition. The majority of the work was carried out by Sandora Aero Engineering at Caboolture in Queensland. The CAC-manufactured Wasp engine was overhauled by Superior Aviation at Moorabbin. The aircraft was painted in the colours of A20-176 of No. 4 Squadron, to commemorate its efforts in the Buna offensive in 44 | F L I G H T PAT H
A20-719 and A20-652 (VH-WIR) in formation at Mangalore in the 1990’s. -719 was registered as VH-WRX and painted as A20-458, however, it was lost along with its crew when it crashed on 30 May 1999 at an airshow at Nowra, NSW. [Rob Fox]
Papua New Guinea in late 1942. The restored aircraft made its first flight on 25 March 1995 in the hands of syndicate member Ed Field registered as VH-WWY. Tony Adler bought out the other syndicate members in 2006 and the aircraft eventually became part of Steve Searle’s collection at his facility Wirraway Station in Beaudesert, Queensland. After Steve’s demise, the aircraft is now owned by Paul Bennet and operated on Warbird adventure flights from Maitland. One of two Wirraways disposed from RAAF Mallala in South Australia, A20-704 (C/N 1156) was purchased by Ray Causer and ferried to Bankstown in February 1960 but he was not able to register the aircraft and eventually sold it to Airfarm Associates in 1963 for use in training pilots for Ceres operations. Les Arthur at the Toowoomba Aero Museum obtained the aircraft in 1974 and he sold it on to Murray Griffiths in 1985. Griffiths commenced an airworthy restoration in Deniliquin and the work was completed at Moorabbin. The aircraft finally flew again on 16 June 1997 registered as VHBFO and finished in the overall foliage green colours of No. 4 Squadron. It was operated from Wangaratta until 2012 when it was purchased by Kermit Weeks, and was shipped to join A20-649.
Another former Pearce Dunn airframe which was also restored by Sandora Aero Engineering is A20-695 (C/N 1147). Disposed by CAC to a scrap metal merchant in 1963 the remains were salvaged by Pearce Dunn and made their way into the hands of Jack McDonald around 1982. Ed Field and David Jones then purchased the aircraft and commenced restoration work at Point Cook in the late 1980s. The restoration was completed by Sandora Aero Engineering and the first post-restoration flight took place from Caboolture on 8 July 1997, also with Ed Field behind the stick. The aircraft is now owned by Warbirds Pty Ltd who operate adventure flights out of Caboolture. The most recent Wirraway to fly again is A20-722 (C/N 1174). Following its disposal from the RAAF at Point Cook it was recovered from a farm near Horsham by Borg Sorenson who commenced restoration at his Hallam engine overhaul workshop using additional parts from A20-522 (also from the Horsham farm) and A20731. Final assembly was completed at Tyabb and VH-CAC made its return to the air on 8 June 2002 in the hands of Ray Vuillermin. A20-722 is now a regular at airshows and displays in its immaculate RAAF trainer colours.
ABOVE: Three Wirraways, A20-695 (VH-MFW), running up ready to depart Tocumwal on the RAAF’s 90th Anniversary Pilgrimage. The Temora Aviation Museum’s VH-BFF in overall foliage green with Paul Bennett in VH-WWY A20-81 which is finished as -176. [Rob Fox] LEFT: Seen in 2012, Wirraway A20-395 is undergoing a long-term restoration by Ian Whitney. [Wayne Harder]
Current Airworthy Restoration Projects
The Wirraway is still a rare bird, with only four aircraft operating on a regular basis in Australia, and none overseas. But the outlook is bright for the historic type as there are at least 11 airworthy restoration projects under way at present. Several of these can be described in detail as follows: The Historic Aircraft Restoration Society are carrying out the airworthy restoration of A20-99 (C/N 97) in a joint venture with Eric Lundberg. Rob Greinert, Jay Lazarus, Jack Smid, Bill Smith and Jason Cockayne have all worked on the project and numerous volunteers have helped to keep the project moving along, including Geoff Forest who worked on the engine cowls and Geoff Cuthbert who sorted and sourced parts. Geoff Eastman from Geelong assisted with some hard-to-find parts. The engine was overhauled by Historic Aircraft Engines in Brisbane and Mary Ellen Conrado from Tucson, Arizona assisted with specialist fabric covering work. The craftsmanship displayed on the restoration shows the high
standard for which the HARS team have become known. Well-known aviation conservationist and pilot Ian Whitney is currently working on a long-term restoration of A20-395 (C/N 596) at his Romsey workshop. The aircraft is another that was saved by Pearce Dunn. Ian has reserved VH-IVS for this aircraft once it is completed. Former president of the Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia Matt Grigg is also working on a long-term airworthy Wirraway restoration. The fuselage structure from A20-222 (C/N 222) forms the basis for Matt’s project, complemented by a large collection of original parts, with new parts being produced as required. When the Wirraway originally entered service it featured several cutting-edge technologies for its time, and Matt has used today’s cuttingedge CAD-CAM technology to reproduce several important load-bearing fittings. The intention is to restore the aircraft to its original CA-7 configuration, with extensive research undertaken to ensure authenticity.
Matt’s attention to detail required the sourcing of correct hardware and primer/ paint finishes, and he is now able to provide these products to other restorers. The registration VH-NBG is reserved for this aircraft. Also in Victoria, Jason Stagg is working on an airworthy restoration based on some of the remains A20-404 (C/N 605) following its recovery in stages from Lake Glenmaggie where it crashed in March 1942. Also sourcing many extra parts from other aircraft, Jason is including a good amount of rare and original detail in his restoration. With these newly restored aircraft returning to the air and a good number of Wirraways conserved in museums (see page 4 for the latest Wirraway news) the legacy of this unique aircraft which has touched the lives of thousands of Australians is assured. [The author is currently researching and writing a comprehensive new book about the Wirraway. Contributions, corrections and additions related to this article would be most welcome, via the Flightpath office.] F L I G H T PAT H | 45
The Bristol M.1C Monoplane at the memorial just out of Minlaton, South Australia. [Phil Hosking]
Minlaton Monoplane Marvel Phil Hosking explores the history behind Minlanton’s ‘Red Devil’, one of several aircraft on display in various Australian towns.
A
relatively unknown piece of aviation history is preserved within a memorial on the outer limits of the small country town of Minlaton, a little over two hours drive from the South Australian capital Adelaide. The town’s Captain Harry Butler Memorial is home to a unique Bristol M-1C Monoplane, ‘The Red Devil’. Built in 1917, this monoplane is the only original M-1C still in existence and has been immaculately restored and preserved. It belonged to the late Captain Harry Butler, a renowned South Australian aviator, decorated W.W.I flyer and entrepreneur. Today the ‘Red Devil’ is a proud possession of the town. Harry Butler, son of John James Butler, and his wife Sarah Ann, was born 9 November 1889, at Yorketown, on the Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. He grew up on a farm just out of Minlaton and it seems his passion for flight was already developed - even whilst working the farm and weighing chickens, he’d measure the wingspans be-
46 | F L I G H T PAT H
fore releasing them, as well as the more normal activity of building model aircraft. He had limited schooling at Koolywurtie, a nearby district, where there was one teacher for the twenty students. Developing a talent for mechanics, he built his own motorcycle with an engine imported from England. In his early twenties, Harry would ride his motorcycle 120 miles (200 km) in two hours to Smithfield, north of Adelaide. Here he spent time with Carl William ‘Bill’ Wittber constructing a monoplane. Wittber constructed the entire aircraft himself including the engine. Once the aircraft was completed both Butler and Wittber taxied the aircraft around the paddocks and on occasion would make short hops. Harry’s passion saw him, farming by day and devoting the nights to aviation research and study, eventually leading him to joining the newly established Australian Flying Corps (AFC) at Point Cook in February 1915 as an aero mechanic, the only successful ap-
plicant in his intake. The AFC, although formed in 1912, only began flying in 1914, and although Butler scored highly in his examinations, he didn’t stay in the service for long being frustrated by the slow progress in his pursuit of becoming a pilot with the AFC. With W.W.I in Europe escalating, Harry used all of his savings, plus a loan, and headed to England to join the Royal Flying Corps. He was enlisted again as an aero mechanic but after being promoted to Second Lieutenant, he then became a flying instructor at Turnberry, Scotland, in 1917. He was thrilled to be flying and was more than willing to share knowledge with fellow pilots-in-training. During the war, Harry made the opportunity to fly missions in France with active fighter squadrons. He would spend several weeks at a time studying the German’s tactics and working out how to counter them. He would then return to the flying school and pass on his first-hand experiences to
A view of the port underside of ‘The Red Devil’, showing the aircraft has had the cylindrical original profile restored. [Phil Hosking]
his students. His front-line combat ended over Douai on February 1918 when he received a head wound, but it was as the Chief Fighting Instructor at No. 2 Yorkshire School of Aerial Fighting, in December 1918, that Harry was awarded the Air Force Cross. In his time at the training school, 2,700 pupils were passed, most informed with Harry’s firsthand knowledge of the enemy’s tactics of the current period. Captain Harry Butler remained in the United Kingdom until the war ended in 1918. He then returned back to home soil on 5 July 1919, bringing with him the thrill of flying. Harry also purchased two aircraft and three engines from the Aircraft Disposals Board at Waddon, Surrey. One was an Avro 504K biplane, H1973, later registered as G-AUCG, which was subsequently converted to carry two passengers, rather than one. For a fee of £5 for 15 minutes, applicants could have a joyflight. The other aircraft was the aerobatic Bristol M1.C, fighter
ABOVE: A close-up of the nine cylinder 110hp rotary engine, seen without the type’s original large spinner, as Butler had flown it, but missing the small spinner he had used. [Phil Hosking] RIGHT: Inside the simple and well-preserved cockpit of the Bristol Monoplane. [Phil Hosking] F L I G H T PAT H | 47
The Avro 504K that took passengers for joy flights for £5 for 15 minutes. [State Library of South Australia]
Butler’s Avro 504K after the crash landing in a wheat paddock, near Minlaton. [State Library of South Australia] The Bristol Monoplane just prior to being reassembled after shipping from the UK. [State Library of South Australia]
monoplane (serial C5001) that became known as ‘The Red Devil’. Although allocated the civil registration G-AUCH, it seems this was never carried on the aircraft, just an underwing number of ‘83’ on each wing in a diamond. He also wisely imported three 110 horsepower (82 kW) Le Rhone rotary engines that could be used on either airframe. Engineer Lieutenant Henry Alexis ‘Harry’ Kauper (inventor of the Sopwith-Kauper Interrupter Gear for machine guns) Sergeant Major Samuel C. Crawford and Leslie J. Lucas oversaw the importing process to Australian shores. In early August 1919 the ‘Harry J Butler and Kauper Aviation Company Limited’ was formed, and operated from a small hangar at Northfield, in greater Adelaide. Butler made the airfield available for the arrival of Sir Ross and Sir Keith Smith in the Vickers Vimy G-EAOU on 23 March 1920, as part of their triumphant tour following the flight from England in 1919. This airfield was used by the company until it moved to Albert Park aerodrome which Butler later purchased. They then operated from Albert Park aerodrome until the closure of the company on the 24th September 1921. 48 | F L I G H T PAT H
Butler’s greatest achievement however occurred on the 6th of August 1919. He had dreamt of this day since working on the farm, he was to fly home to Minlaton across Gulf Saint Vincent from Adelaide. ‘The Red Devil’ monoplane was wheeled from the hanger to endure 70 mph (110km/h) winds, however there was no turning back, Butler was determined. He had onboard a 40 lb (18 kilo) mail bag consisting of letters and postcards destined for Minlaton from Adelaide. This was not only the first airmail in South Australia, but also recognised to be the first overwater crossing by air in the southern hemisphere. Butler was persuaded to wear a couple of tyre inner tubes around his neck and waist, as a makeshift life jacket, should the aircraft ditch. At 10:40am that morning, he took off with that nasty head wind. He tried changing altitudes to evade the conditions, from 1,500 feet to a high 15,000 feet, over the 67 mile (108 km) journey, but the wind was constantly against him. At Minlaton 6,000 people had gathered to witness this significant event, most of whom had never seen an aircraft, let alone a flying one. As time progressed and with no sign of the aircraft peo-
ple started to worry, but then out of the skies came the Bristol. It took Butler 27 minutes to make the crossing across the Gulf, and Butler, revelling in the moment, put on a aerobatic display for the spectators. It was reported at the time that Butler “did a nose dive” from 8,000 feet (2,500 metres) skimming over them before pulling up into the skies once again. As lunch was scheduled for midday, Butler, considerate as he was, proceeded to land the aircraft at 11:45am. Once his feet were back on terra firma again, his family in a car, plus an entourage of spectators, swarmed toward the aircraft to greet Butler. After the official proceedings, welcoming Butler home by the Chairman of the District Council and lunch, Butler returned to ‘The Red Devil’ and took off again for another aerial display. Contemporary accounts say he dived from altitude, barrel rolled, looped, side slipped, and spun, delighting onlookers watching in awe. On the 11 August, he returned to Adelaide with two bags of mail. As a means of raising funds Butler held several aerobatic displays. The most significant one was held before a crowd of 20,000
Harry and his wife, Elsa Birch, nee Gibson. [State Library of South Australia]
The Bristol as VH-UQI ‘Puck’ with the Gipsy engine and narrow fuselage.
spectators at Unley Oval on 23 August 1919, and a couple of days later he launched the first Australian Peace Loan by dropping leaflets over Adelaide. He was often seen to perform low passes over crowds in Adelaide and over jetties along the coastal regions, even on one occasion ‘escorting’ Prime Minister Billy Hughes’ train. On 8 September 1920 he flew in the first of the post-war air races, the Peace Loan Aerial Derby, and won the race. On 11 January 1922 Harry had a passenger flight to do in the Avro 504K. He had been concerned about the running condition of the Avro’s engine. Despite his worries, Harry, and the passenger, one Mr. Miles, strapped in and, after an extensive warm up, the engine seemed fine. However, just after the aircraft took off and began to climb out at 1,400 feet, the engine seized and Harry dived - hoping to recover - but was too low and the aircraft crashed into a wheat field and was wrecked. Miraculously, the passenger walked away unscathed, but Butler sustained significant head injuries. Harry took some time to recuperate from this incident, and contemporary reports
After Captain Butler’s death, the Bristol was stored in a shed for a number of years. Mrs Butler then sold it to Captain H C ‘Horrie’ Miller (of MacRobertson-Miller Airlines) who refurbished it and replaced the rotary engine with an Gipsy I inline four-cylinder engine, and also re-profiling the fuselage with flat sides following the narrower nose. Painted silver, named ‘Puck’ and registered VH-UQI, it was raced successfully, and even operated in an aerial circus, and being given a Gipsy II and later still a Gipsy III engine. However the Gipsy refused to behave in the 1932 Victorian Aerial Derby, and ‘Puck’ withdrew. In 1936 the Aerial Board refused to renew the Certificate of Airworthiness, and the aircraft languished until being flown (on a ferry permit) from Adelaide to Perth, and after W.W.II apparently Horrie Miller flew it a couple more times from Guildford Airport before dismantling and storing it. In 1956, Minlaton native Mr C B Tillbrook, discovered it while looking for
say that he never completely recovered. However, in October 1922 he founded another business venture, The Harry Butler Aviation and Motor Engineering Garage in partnership with Mr. Nicolson, backed by the Egerton-Warburton family. Butler’s life was progressing, albeit in an alternate direction. However, residual effects from the Avro crash were to be Butler’s demise. After a pleasant evening at the Minlaton Returned Soldiers League, on the following day, 30 July 1924, Butler suffered a burst cerebral abscess and he passed away in a matter of hours, aged only 34. Following a well-attended and moving funeral ceremony, he was laid to rest in North Adelaide’s North Road Cemetery. After his death, a de Havilland DH.53 Humming Bird lightplane was delivered
[CAHS, Allan Betteridge Collection]
From a Devil to Puck with a Gipsy – & back
a crop-spraying aircraft and, after speaking with Miller, they recognised the now-rare and historic machine’s importance. Miller kindly offered to donate the Bristol to Butler’s home town. One last flight was made as dismantled air cargo, it was overhauled and reassembled in Parafield, then transported to Minlaton and into the newly-erected Captain Harry Butler AFC Memorial Museum on 11 October 1958, with the anachronistic VH-UQI registration and ‘Puck’ name, but painted red. In 1973 the original engine was reinstalled in the Bristol, though the fuselage retained the narrow form. Later still, the Balaklava (SA) Gliding Club repaired the damaged fabric and restored the engine cowl in 1989 to bringing the aircraft back to how it was configured when operated by Butler and Kauper. With a fascinating and unique history, this Bristol is also notable as the last remaining original Bristol M1C remaining out of the 130 built. James Kightly
from the UK that he had ordered, and this was offered for sale by his executors in September 1924. Today, the original Monoplane is housed in a hangar-like building that greets you as you enter the township of Minlaton from the north. Soon there will also be a bronze statue of Butler erected adjacent to the memorial. There is no doubt that Butler significantly contributed to South Australian, and indeed Australian, aviation. To celebrate the centenary of Butler’s first airmail run crossing Gulf Saint Vincent as well as Butler’s noteworthy life, there are planned celebrations underway for the year 2019, locals currently hoping to hold a significant airshow at Minlanton’s nearby airstrip. With thanks to Joe Butler for his assistance and the State Library of South Australia. F L I G H T PAT H | 49
The Shuttleworth Collection’s replica M.1C in action [Gary R Brown]
Contributing Editor James Kightly profiles the Bristol M.1C, the type brought to South Australia by Harry Butler and considers the enigma of why it was sidelined from combat.
Bristol’s Blunt Bullet
The RAF Museum’s replica built by Don Cashmore. [James Kightly] 50 | F L I G H T PAT H
A Bristol being operated in the middle east. [RAAF Museum Archive, Rutherford Album]
I
n the spring of 1916 casualties among Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service (RFC and RNAS) aircrew were mounting to unacceptable levels as the aircraft they were using were no match for the Fokker monoplanes used by the Germans. Better fighting machines were desperately needed, and the requirements of what we now know as fighters (then called ‘scouts’) were becoming clearer. Captain Frank S. BarnwelI had been seconded from the military to work back at the Bristol Aeroplane Company as Chief Designer, and he designed a new single-seat monoplane incorporating much of the experience gained from earlier machines, the perceived
performance of the Fokker E.1 Eindekker, and the rapidly developing state of combat experience. The new design included the large, bowl-shaped spinner first used experimentally on the Bristol Scout D, streamlining a 110 hp (82 kW) Clerget 9Z rotary engine, all on the front of a reversed bullet shaped fuselage supported by a clean, thick (for the period) monoplane wing and conventional empennage. As well as having less drag with only a single set of wings, the rigging and the struts still required in the cockpit cabane area, were also minimised. The prototype, designated the Bristol M.1A first flew on 14 July 1916 and was a private venture design.
BELOW LEFT: A Bristol was flown in the 1919 Arial Derby flown by Maj. C. H. C. Smith. [Via Author] BELOW RIGHT: The Bristol’s 110 hp le Rhone engine with the cowling removed. [James Kightly] BOTTOM: This enigmatic image shows an otherwise undocumented American Bristol M.1C fitted with a radial engine, and to be flown by Lieutenant G.S. Haberle. [Via Author]
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g used for Another Bristol seen (probably bein atre [via Author] training) in the middle eastern the
The new aircraft was found to have a remarkable performance and manoeuvrability, the prototype reaching the speed of 132 mph (212 km/h). It was, in many respects, superior in all round performance to much later types such as the S.E.5a and Sopwith Snipe. Great things were expected of the M.1 by the hard-pressed pilots in France and Belgium, who heard early reports of it, and by Bristol, who understandably believed they had delivered a winner and expected their successful relationship with the military would mean the aircraft was going to enter service rapidly. But something went wrong. The Bristol, on the surface, seemed a ready-made answer for the RFC in particular, far better than the ad-hoc designs like the single-seat B.E.2 being pressed into service, but as noted W.W.I aviation historian Colin Owers stated; “Its performance was such that its failure to be ordered for the Western Front has remained one of the unresolved questions of the Great War.” While it is clear that the Bristol was immediately rejected for frontline service with the RFC in France, it remains unclear as to why. Evidence indicates that General Hugh Trenchard disliked it when demonstrated to him in France, and wrote requiring no more were sent – even before he had his pilot’s report. Other concerns that it had a high landing speed (which was in fact only slightly faster than the D.H.2 pusher biplane) and that it lacked effective manoeuvrability for combat, have been advanced, but on their own cannot explain the early official rejection of the type. Certainly there had been a British military ban on monoplanes after a number of accidents
(including with a Bristol-Coanda monoplane) before W.W.I, but that was rescinded before the Bristol M.1’s appearance. Nevertheless, there remained a suspicion in official circles of the monoplane configuration, not alleviated by the poor performance of French Morane monoplanes pressed into British service. One aspect often overlooked today is that the M.1 has a configuration that has been regarded as normal in the last half-century of flight, being a nose-engine powered midwing monoplane with a three-part tail surface arrangement and a standard cruciform configuration. However in the mid-Great War, that layout was far from standard and the sleek looks may have actually counted against the type in the minds of those that then, as now, tend to think that if an aircraft ‘looks right it will fly right’. It may simply have been that the Bristol looked too fast for use and too streamlined to be structurally sound in the terms of the era. Conversely, its known faults, particularly the lack of forward and downward visibility, are never cited in period accounts as reasons for rejection, though they were noted in reports of the time. A realistic assessment of the real possible capability of the type is hard to quantify, as most formal reports have it down with ‘good’ manoeuvrability. While they weren’t fighting for their lives in front-line conditions, the fact that so many instructors at air warfare schools chose Bristol M.1s as their personal mounts must indicate some significant merits as to the type’s dogfighting ability, and many added superlative-laden comments in their log books under ‘Remarks’ against the type. It also garnered a
remarkable array of individual schemes in the hands of these expert, experienced pilots, this (if nothing else) indicating that they thought it worth marking up to stand out on the airfield and in the air. The last word, almost literally, is the fact that Harry Butler (see page 46) retained the Bristol he flew as a combat training instructor in the UK and had it shipped to Australia, where, as we see in the preceding article, he flew many extrovert aerobatic displays. Sadly, it seems the flight regime limits of the modern replicas, notably Don Cashmore’s briefly flown example (as G-BLWM) from the eighties, and the current Shuttleworth M.1C pictured here are understandably restricted to limits that mean we may never get a final answer to this performance question. The first order was for five aircraft: the first, being the private-venture M.1A A5138, was supplemented by four more modified to M.1B standard with improved visibility wing cut-outs, the Vickers gun mounted on the port wing root, and other changes. Further changes (including moving the gun centrally in front of the pilot) resulted in the Bristol M.1C of which 125 were built, making 130 of the type in total. Blocked from operating in northern Europe, a few were sent as fighters to the squadrons in combat in the middle east, and more to the training units in Egypt. This was an even worse decision than it seemed at first, given that the rotary engine and its streamlining cowl and prop-boss were thoroughly unsuited to desert conditions. While eastern Bristol M.1s acquitted themselves well, they were not the stars one might have expected in more temperate conditions. Only five squadrons were partly equipped with the M.1 for operational use, and some were even palmed off as foreign disposals. Several were sent to Chile as part-payment for Chilean battleships retained in Britain. This had the unexpected result that one of these Chilean Bristols achieved a remarkable record far from home, with the first crossing over the highest peaks of the Andes mountain range by the Chilean Military School of Aviation’s Teniente Dagoberto Godoy on 12 December 1918, while on 4 April 1919 Teniente Cortinez repeated the feat. Post-war a couple flew in air racing, but apart from Harry Butler’s example here, the Bristol M.1C vanished, like so many other Great War types, until a couple of replicas were constructed to bring this unusual and under-appreciated type back to prominence.
Many of the M.1Cs used by fighting instructors were painted in outlandish schemes, both for reasons of status, and here, enhancing the aircraft’s presence in the air. [via Author]
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Bristol in the Great War Photograph of the Bristol Scout prototype in March 1914, in its original form on display at the 1914 Aero Show in Olympia. [via Author]
The Great War was a major change in aviation, with many companies established and growing within the period. One company, however, entered the war with more experience and capability than almost any other. James Kightly reviews the Bristol lineage of 1914-18
T
he Bristol Aircraft Company entered the Great War in a remarkably advantageous position as a well founded, funded, and dedicated aircraft company with multiple successful types to their name, putting them ahead of many competitors in the early period of the war as well as ahead of those scrambling to obtain military aircraft orders once major production was needed. They were the offshoot of an existing transport-orientated business, and had notable experience in developing new designs by – for the time – a well developed engineering basis. Thus Bristol stood out from many other ambitious organizations lacking elements Bristol deployed – an established, experienced design (and development) office, workshops and production facilities, a stable,
knowledgeable governing board, and sufficient cash to be secure. (In 1913, the company had been recapitalised at £250,000.) Further, they had been operating a pair of Bristol aircraft-equipped flying schools prior to the war, and had exported production aircraft literally worldwide, with their Boxkites in service in locations as far flung as Australia [See Flightpath Vol.25 No.3.] India and Russia. By 4 August 1914, the Bristol company had built 260 aircraft, and the Bristol flying schools had trained more than 300 pilots, a remarkable record for the era. While everyone knew the business as ‘Bristol’, we should note that throughout the company’s history it was initially properly the ‘British & Colonial Aeroplane Company’ and later the ‘Bristol Aircraft Company’.
Bristol’s Scout
Just before the war erupted, Bristol had produced the neat looking little Bristol Baby (later ‘Scout’). Designed by Frank Barnwell, and test flown by expatriate Australian Harry Busteed, who was heavily involved with the company, it proved to be faster and with a better climb rate than the Sopwith Tabloid and the Royal Aircraft Factory’s S.E.2, the latter designed by Geoffrey de Havilland. Official development of the machine, then only weighing 617 lb (280 kg) empty, into a more robust and serviceable aircraft followed, along with a range of semi-extemporary armament fits, one, an outward-pointing Lewis gun, arranged so as to clear the propeller’s arc. This was used by Captain Lanoe Hawker in the action which saw him F L I G H T PAT H | 53
The actual Bristol Scout C flown by Lanoe Hawker in his Victoria Cross-earning military engagement on July 25, 1915. [via Author]
The Shuttleworth Collection’s Bristol Boxkite seen at Old Warden in 2003. [James Kightly] LEFT: The Bristol Baby is seen on 23 February, 1914, at the time of its first flight at Larkhill, with test pilot Harry Busteed in the cockpit and designer Frank Barnwell holding up the tail. [via Author]
down two enemy aircraft and drive off a third, recognised by Hawker’s award of a Victoria Cross. One Bristol Scout was shipped to Australia in 1916 for the Central Flying School at Point Cook, coming complete with “bomb sights, bombs, Lewis guns, aerial cameras and accessories at a cost of £1,000”. It was regarded as a bit too much for trainees, and was used as an instructor’s hack aircraft, surviving, remarkably until 1924, one of the last of the 374 built.
The M1
While later Scouts did get fixed forward firing guns and synchronisation gear, their performance by then was no longer viable in front-line use. Barnwell realised that a monoplane could have a speed and performance advantage and developed what became the Bristol M.1, as outlined on page 50. But it did not make a difference on the Western Front, the Air Ministry ostensibly distrusting it because of ‘high landing speeds’ (unsuitable for the small fields of France) but also generally understood to be a lingering distrust of the monoplane after the fatal pre-war crash of a Bristol Coanda monoplane in military service, so only 130 were built. 54 | F L I G H T PAT H
Having produced one of the premier single-seat biplane scouts at the war’s start, followed by a remarkable single seater monoplane, Barnwell turned his talents to designing what became a two seat biplane fighter, though it was ostensibly to replace the general duties B.E.2 type. (Today we look on what they then called ‘scouts’ as the modern fighter, which is what they swiftly developed into, but it is worth remembering that then the term ‘fighter’ actually equated more to the later heavy fighter concept.)
A Heavyweight Fighter
The Bristol F.2B Fighter was unarguably one of the most important types of W.W.I. At first glance it looked like a conventional two-seater type, with the crew back to back. But while other two seaters were intended for bombing and the under-recognised reconnaissance and artillery observation, F.2Bs were critical in establishing air superiority and being used for what was later known as interdiction. After initial disasters caused by being instructed to fly in formation, pilots realised they needed to fly (and fight) the machine as
a single seater, advantageously with a gunner to protect the tail. Careful design by Frank Barnwell gave a sloped down rear fuselage terminating in an unusual horizontal sternpost, and the fuselage hung between the mainplanes, putting the pilot’s eyeline on the upper wing’s trailing edge, and ensuring excellent vision and arc of fire for the crew. With over 5,000 built, at the war’s end Bristol’s excellent F2B fighter was recognised by the newly-formed RAF as one of the key types worth hanging on to and, later nick-named the ‘Brisfit’, this type soldiered on in RAF use across the Empire, able to continue to undertake a remarkable variety of roles as it had in wartime. While Bristol Fighters were not a major military type in Australia the Bristol Tourer civil ‘air taxi’ version was an important type in the foundation of Western Australian Airways. Having entered the war with a successful production type, Bristol were to finish in 1918 in good shape and went on for decades more, right up to participation in the Concorde project, and with aircraft part production still continuing (under other legacy names) in one of the company’s original sites of Filton, Bristol.
The Bristol M.R.1 [via Author]
The Minor Types As well as the three great successes of the war-time aircraft, Bristol developed several other machines that didn’t make the cut. The Bristol T.T.A A large two-seat, twin-engine biplane designed in 1915 as a local defence fighter, with two prototypes built, but it did not go into production. Bristol Scout E & F A single seat biplane fighter built in 1916 to use a proposed 200 hp (150 kW) Cruciform radial engine, which was never completed. Next, 200 hp Hispano-Suizas were proposed, then 200 hp Sunbeam Arabs. With the Arab engine the design was redesignated the Scout F, and a later still version with a Cosmos Mercury radial as the F1, but never produced, the Armistice intervening.
A Bristol Scout being operated in the Middle East. [Rutherford Album, RAAF Museum Archive]
Bristol F.3A A three-seat, single-engine biplane designed in 1916 as an anti-Zeppelin fighter. Two prototypes were ordered, but not completed.
Frank Barnwell, seen here in a later RAF uniform, was a remarkable designer, key to Bristol’s success in W.W.I. [via Author]
One of the most famous images of Australia’s W.W.I, this Frank Hurly photograph shows Ross Smith (left) with his observer and a Bristol Fighter. [RAAF Museum
Bristol M.R.1 Perhaps the most interesting of the unsuccessful types, the M.R.1 was an unusual experimental biplane trialling the then rare concept of metal construction, having an aluminium monocoque fuselage and metal wings, originally to be aluminium, but sub-contracted out to be built in steel. Sometimes noted as a ‘metal F.2B’ it was of similar layout but new design, with two built, but the war’s end stopped development.
Archive]
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Lt Kawai Shirō leads FPO1c Ōshima Tōru and FPO2c Sakai Yoshimi from his assigned Type 21 Zero V-153 back towards Lae on 9 April 1942, some 2,000 feet above the bomber formation they were assigned to protect. V-153 sports two oblique yellow fuselage stripes, denoting his leadership of the Tainan’s 3rd Squadron. This fighter was previously coded F-153 with the No. 4 Naval Air Group’s fighter detachment when Kawai served with that unit at Lae before being reassigned to the Tainan NAG. Kawai was one of the few Tainan pilots who returned safely to Japan in November 1942 when the Tainan NAG was disbanded. [Artwork info@aerothentic.com]
Kokoda’s Unidentified Bomber ABOVE: A G4M1 tail gunner poses by his mount at Vunakanau before embarking on another mission against Port Moresby. 4 NAG would eventually lose more than fifty G4M1s to combat and operational accidents. Their losses were so severe they were sent back to Japan in late September 1942 to reform. RIGHT: Target for the day was the town of Port Moresby, as seen in this photograph taken just prior to the outbreak of hostilities.
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FPO2c Itō Tsutomu pulls away from P/O Arthur Tucker flying Kittyhawk A29-47 after placing several 7.7mm rounds in his wing. Itō’s Type 21 Zero carries the red oblique sash of the Tainan NAG’s First Squadron. [Artwork info@aerothentic.com]
T
he wreckage of a Japanese bomber lies strewn in jungle on the side of Mount Bellamy, high in Papua New Guinea’s mountains. It ended up there after a combination of circumstances which involved RAAF Kittyhawks, an Australian spotter nicknamed ‘Golden Voice’, a Japanese fighter escort being taken by surprise, all hinging on the actions of the bomber’s commander Kawarazuka Kunimori, whose remains, and those of his six comrades, still lie unclaimed in Papua New Guinea’s jungle. A young Australian district officer named Captain Tom Grahamslaw was eyewitness to the bomber’s demise. On 9 April 1942, Grahamslaw was approaching Kokoda on his first patrol, “...I was within an hour’s walk from the station when I witnessed the shooting down of a Japanese bomber by two Australian Kittyhawks. The bomber was one of a number returning to New Britain from a raid on Port Moresby. They were flying in perfect formation with Zero cover when the Kittyhawks dived out of the clouds, attacked the leading bomber, and then darted back into the clouds with the Zeros in hot pursuit. I watched the bomber crash into a mountain behind Kokoda station. On arrival at the station I found Assistant District Officer Lt Peter Brewer about to depart with a small party of native police in search of the bomber, so I joined him.” The bomber crashed into the Owen Stanley Mountains, northwest of the wartime village of Isurava, on the side of Mount Bellamy. For years, its identity proved elusive and the subject of debate, although recently the Mitsubishi constructor’s number – 5194 – was established by examination of a piece of wreckage. This number identifies the bomber as a twin-engined G4M1, built in January 1942, the 194th of 1,200 eventually built at Mitsubishi’s Nagoya plant. Grahamslaw had indeed been correct when he surmised that the bomber was on its way back to Rabaul, and that it had been
shot down by Kittyhawks. By cross-referencing Japanese, RAAF and Australian colonial records, Flightpath is able to present a complete picture of what occurred that day. The Zero fighters, in fact six of them, as seen by Grahamslaw that day, were led by Lt Kawai Shirō whose sole purpose it was to protect the bombers intent on attacking Port Moresby. Kawai arranged his Zeros in two flights, with FPO1c Ōshima Tōru and FPO2c Sakai Yoshimi as his wingmen. The second flight was led by Warrant Officer Yoshino Satoshi with FPO2c Itō Tsutomu and Flyer1c Suizu Mitsuo as wingmen. These pilots represented the Japanese Imperial Navy’s crack fighter unit, the Tainan Naval Air Group. The bombers (only later to be code-named Betty) were from the No. 4 Naval Air Group (NAG). This was a hybrid unit formed on 10 February 1942 when it acquired aircraft and crews transferred from the Takao Naval Air Group. The new unit was allocated the unit code (and thus tail prefix) ‘F’. Its commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Ito Takuzo, flew into Truk on 11 February 1942 aboard bomber F-348 in company with F-350 and F-354. (It appears that upon formation, the new unit replaced the letter ‘T’ for ‘Takao’ to ‘F’, whilst maintaining the numbers in the original tailcodes.) This original batch of G4M1 bombers sported the ‘kumogata’ (cloud pattern) green and brown camouflage pattern which would later be discarded in favour of overall green when No. 4 NAG later acquired new inventory. Seven G4M1s bombed Port Moresby on the morning of 9 April 1942 – departing, unusually, from two different venues. Two launched from Lae under the command of FPO1c Miyazaki Kozō, and they rendezvoused at 0924 hours with Lt Omura Kuniji’s five bombers originating at Vunakanau, not far from Rabaul. At 1000 hours nine 75 Squadron RAAF Kittyhawks scrambled from 7-Mile to intercept them, of which six attacked the bombers.
Forewarning of the attack came from a remarkable personality named Leigh Vial who, just prior to the Japanese occupation of Rabaul, led one hundred RAAF groundcrew from the doomed 24 Squadron RAAF to New Britain’s east coast, from where two flying boats evacuated them to Townsville. After this rescue, Vial, who came to receive the affectionate sobriquet of ‘Golden Voice’ was reassigned to coastwatching duties. Briefed on his new dangerous profession, he walked to Salamaua which he reached on 20 February 1942. Along with a cumbersome teleradio, eight days later on his thirty-third birthday, he and two locals established an observation post looking north-east over Salamaua and Lae. It was from this fledgling post on the morning of 9 April 1942 that ‘Golden Voice’ radioed “Two flights of unidentified planes seen heading South at 0948. 7 in ‘V’ formation in the lead flying at between 8,000’ and 10,000 ft. 3 in ‘V’ formation at 1,000’ lower and two or three miles behind. Second wave are smaller planes and look like fighters”. The 4. NAG bombers were flown in three staggered flights; the first under the commands of Lt Omura Kuniji, FPO1c Toyama Norihiro, and FPO1c Sanetori Tadateru, the second flight under Lt(jg) Ozeki Toshikatsu and FPO1c Haraguchi Nobuo, and the third comprising FPO1c Miyazaki Kozō and FPO1c Kawarazuka Kunimori. After dropping bombs on the town, the seven G4M1s, each with a crew of seven, set a return pace for a north-easterly course with their Tainan fighter escort behind and 2,000 feet above them. The sky was filled with cumulus clouds, affording protection for a deadly game of hide and seek. The bomber formation was surprised by the six RAAF Kittyhawks which attacked between 1045 and 1050 hours, after they had approached around cloud cover. Flying Officer M.D. Ellerton made the first attack in P-40E Kittyhawk A29-41, conducting a diving port quarter pass developing into an
F L I G H T PAT H | 57
LEFT: A rare photo of Lt Kawai Shirō, a particularly aggressive leader, whose squadron became known in Japanese as the ‘Kawai chutai”. This photo was taken in Rabaul circa mid 1942, after the squadron had transferred there from Lae.
LEFT: Commander FPO1c Kawarazuka Kunimori and his six comrades struggle to stay airborne after flames enveloped the aircraft. As commander of the bomber, Kawarazuka was not behind the controls, but sat behind the pilot in an observer’s seat. The unclaimed crew still lie somewhere on the side of Mount Bellamy. [Artwork info@ aerothentic.com]
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astern attack against the port tail-end bomber; this under the command of FPO1c Haraguchi Nobuo. Ellerton caused it to trail smoke, however, as he pulled away, he was tackled by a Zero at long range - but with no adverse affects. F/Sgt R.W. Crawford in A2926 then made a quarter approach on the same bomber, firing four short bursts. This resulted in white smoke pluming from the starboard engine, and another Zero attacked Crawford from behind, this time planting several bullets into his Kittyhawk. Sgt M.S. Butler then made a quarter astern attack slightly below on the starboard tailend bomber; this was FPO1c Kawarazuka Kunimori who then veered starboard, but quickly returned to formation. F/O J.W. Piper in A29-23 carried out two swift runs against FPO1c Kawarazuka Kunimori; his first burst entered the starboard engine from which smoke spewed; the second attack brought smoke from the starboard engine of another bomber (most likely either FPO1c Sanetori Tadateru, FPO1c Miyazaki Kozō or FPO1c Kawarazuka Kunimori). P/O Geoffrey Atherton in A29-21 then attacked Kawarazuka’s bomber with a div-
G4M1 bombers head back for Vunakanau against a backdrop of Rabaul’s volcanoes in 1943. These are from the 705th Naval Air Group (NAG), one of the groups to replace No. 4 NAG after it returned to Japan. The latter unit eventually lost more than fifty G4M1s to combat and operational accidents. Their losses were so severe they were sent back to Japan in late September 1942 to reform. ing front quarter run; after one short burst the bomber returned fire but then lurched out of formation. P/O Arthur Tucker in A2947 made a beam attack developing into stern quarter attack on this doomed bomber, leading with tracers, then fired three short burst and one lengthy one into the formation leader Lt Omura Kuniji. The seven bombers banked starboard, however Kawarazuka’s aircraft kept turning more steeply than the others, and lagged badly before entering an ultimately terminal starboard diving turn, and ploughing at high speed into the jungle below. Another Zero then distracted Tucker, hitting his Kittyhawk’s wing in several places. Perhaps the most notable aspect of the day is reflected by the fact that the Tainan fighters were caught unawares by the RAAF interception. Notwithstanding considerable expenditure of 3,500 rounds of ammunition, Kawai’s Zeros were unable to prevent the loss of the starboard kamo ‘sitting duck’. In addition the RAAF pilots’ accounts appear to suggest that Kawai’s men were not particularly sharp in their attacks, nor in deterring the Kittyhawks. The uncharacteristic incident truly marks one of the rare occasions upon which Tainan Naval Air Group fighters arrived late at the scene and put up an ineffective defence. Lt(jg) Ozeki Toshikatsu returned to Lae safely, landing there after Kawai’s six Zeros. The other five bombers meanwhile cruised
back to Vunakanau, touching down there at two o’clock that afternoon. Back at Lae and inside the rudimentary wooden shack which represented the operations centre, the Tainan pilots claimed two enemy fighters destroyed plus one probable. At Vunakanau the bomber crews claimed one Kittyhawk shot down, having used a total of 275 x 20 mm and 1,312 x 7.7 mm rounds of defensive ammunition. In fact, the RAAF lost no fighters that day, although two of their aircraft were slightly damaged. The Kittyhawks in return claimed two bombers and one Zero shot down. While they too overclaimed, alongside the Japanese, at least one of these claims was a genuine kill.
Epilogue
We return now to Captain Tom Grahamslaw who finally made it to the crash site midmorning, the day after the crash on 10 April 1942. “At nightfall we pitched camp at 6,000 ft, without having discovered any trace of the crashed bomber. The following morning we met a Village Constable who was on his way to Kokoda to report that he had actually seen where the bomber crashed. With the Village Constable as guide we climbed another mountain (Mount Bellamy) and found the remains of the bomber and its crew at approximately 7,000 ft. We made two discoveries which we felt would be of major interest to Army intelligence. The first was a code book with English numerals. The other was an excellent
map of the Territory and northern Queensland. The part, which related to North Queensland had several ringed markings on it, we thought had some special significance to the enemy. Another interesting find was a machine gun, which appeared to an exact replica of the Lewis gun held at Kokoda station (we subsequently found that its parts were interchangeable with the station gun). Our first action on return to Kokoda was to dispatch two police runners overland to Port Moresby with the code book and map . . .” Over the next few months, No.4 Naval Air Group came to be all but wiped out in the New Guinea/ Solomons theatre of operations. It became known by the Japanese as “the hard luck unit”. On 25 September 1942, the unit’s few survivors, including their six remaining bombers, made their way back to Kisarazu, Japan, to regroup. In only seven months of combat, the ill-fated unit had lost two commanders in quick succession, six squadron leaders, and over forty crews with approximately fifty bombers shot down or written-off. In October 2003, the crash site was scheduled for an investigation by the Japanese Ministry of Health & Welfare to recover crew remains. Their visit caused a landowner dispute that in the end placed the wreck off limits. Thus the remains of FPO1c Kawarazuka Kunimori and his six comrades still lie on the side of Mount Bellamy.
A rare photo of two Port Moresby defenders, Kittyhawks A29-28 and A29-31 (Ex ‘Black 186’) seen at Archerfield in March 1942 prior to their northwards deployment. In the background are 22nd Bombardment Group B-26 Marauders with striped tails applied in Hawaii en route to Australia. [Buzz Busby collection] F L I G H T PAT H | 59
The many Fusel With so many impersonators over the years, the KLM Douglas DC-2 “Uiver” could be called the ‘Elvis of the Skies’. Apart from the original DC-2, sadly, lost in an accident, four other DC-2s and one DC-3 have been painted to represent PH-AJU. All six ‘Uivers’ have a very strong Australian connection, all having flown in Australian skies.
T
he original Uiver was Douglas DC-2, c/n 1317, registered PH-AJU. Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij (KLM) had ordered the DC-2, and their first one was delivered ex-factory on 25 August 1934, less than two months from the start of the Melbourne Centenary Air Race, in which it had been entered. Arriving in Holland on 11 September, it was assembled, test flown, and operated on the Amsterdam – Berlin route for a week to eliminate any bugs and give the crew operational experience. Carrying race-number 44, PH-AJU, named ‘Uiver’ (Stork) left Mildenhall on 20 October 1934. It had made 17 stops before the wellknown landing in the early hours of the morning on the Albury race course, during heavy rain, with the race course ‘landing strip’ lit by a multitude of car headlights. Uiver became bogged and the next morning it was manoeuvred by man power and departed at 9.55, crossing the finishing line at Melbourne’s Flemington Racecourse at 10.52, the second aircraft to do so, securing first place in the handicap section of the race. The crew were K.D. Parmentier (captain),
J.J. Moll (co-pilot), B. Prins (flight engineer), C. van Brugge (radio operator) and three paying passengers. This Uiver made several goodwill flights in Australia before departing for Holland, arriving back there on 20 November 1934, but sadly its days ended on 20 December that year when it crashed in a fatal accident during a sandstorm near Rutbah Wells in Iraq. The Douglas DC-2, c/n1286, ex A30-11, NC13736 was originally operated by Eastern Airlines in the USA, after which it was purchased by the RAAF in 1941 and sold to Sid Marshall in 1946. It was stored on his property bordering Bankstown airport until purchased by the Albury West Rotary Club in 1979. After restoration it was painted to represent ‘Uiver’ and mounted upon three poles at Albury Airport. Later a number of large bronze plaques were mounted on a brick wall, beneath the aircraft, detailing the history of the 1935 London to Melbourne Centenary Air Race. Due to the aircraft’s structure deteriorating, it was removed from its elevated position in 2002 and at the time of writing its future is uncertain. Late in 1983, with the 50th anniversary of
VH-AES, ‘Hawdon’ in full ‘Uiver’ markings photographed at RAAF Laverton during filming of the television series “Half a World Away.” [Bob Fripp]
60 | F L I G H T PAT H
the MacRobertson race approaching, Rob Swaneborg of the Netherlands Broadcasting Corporation conceived the idea of making a documentary film on the role played by KLM’s Uiver. He envisaged a DC-2 retracing the route of the original race. He located the (then) only airworthy DC-2 in the world and commenced negotiations to lease the aircraft. It was Douglas DC-2 c/n 1404, NC39165, an ex U.S. Navy transport aircraft, owned by Colgate Darden, a nuclear physics professor, based in South Carolina. The aircraft was dismantled and shipped to Holland where it was completely overhauled by KLM, and painted to represent Uiver. The re-enactment flight left England on 18 December 1983 and after a very leisurely flight, to allow for filming, landed at La-
elages of ‘Uiver’ The fuselage of ex A30-9 at the Moorabbin Air Museum painted as “Uiver” to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the original’s flight of 1934. [Roland Jahne]
verton on 5 February 1984. After the flight the aircraft was returned to its owner, but in 1999 it was purchased by the Aviodome of Schipol (now Nationaal LuchtvaartThemapark Aviodrome at Lelystad Aerodrome) in Holland where it was displayed in Uiver colours. As a result of the Aviodrome Museum experiencing financial problems, the DC-2 is now owned by a foundation of KLM, Schipol Group and the Lelystad Municipality. The aircraft is still airworthy, but the new owners have no current plans to put it back in the air. Originally operated by Eastern Airlines in the USA before being purchased by the RAAF in 1941, Douglas DC-2 c/n 1288, ex A30-14 (VHCRH), NC13738, was sold to Sid continued page 62
EX A30-11 on display at Albury NSW Aerodrome, mounted above a brick wall containing eight large bronze plaques giving a detailed history of the 1934 race. [Neil Follett]
NC39165, photographed at Albury Aerodrome during its re-enactment flight in 1984. [John Docker]
ABOVE: Close up of the nose of ex A30-14 showing ‘Uiver’ DC-2 painted markings. [Coert Munk] F L I G H T PAT H | 61
VH-AES in part ‘Uiver’ markings for a 75th anniversary flight from Melbourne to Albury. [Roland Jahne]
During the re-enactment flight and a visit to Albury Aerodrome, two of the five ‘Uivers’ meet.
The original “Uiver”, PH-AJU, soon after landing at RAAF Laverton on 24 October 1934. [Tom Reynolds]
The Dutch CAA has formally given it the registration PH-AJU for historical reasons, and has indicated that the registration cannot be withdrawn. Marshall in 1947 and stored in his compound bordering Bankstown Airport. It was acquired by the Dutch Dakota Association in February 1987 from Ralph Cusack, and transported to the Netherlands on board HMS Zuiderkruis in December 1988, an appropriate month and year for an aircraft with a c/n of 1288. It was stored in various locations, but it is now at Lelystad, in an unrestored condition and is currently for sale to interested parties. The Dutch CAA has formally given it the registration PH-AJU for historical reasons, and has indicated that the registration cannot be withdrawn. Some photos of it in an unrestored condition show ‘Uiver’ painted on its nose and the registration PH-AJU chalked on the fuselage. The Douglas DC-2, c/n 1292, ex A30-9 (VH-CRK), NC13782 was originally operated by Eastern Airlines in the USA and was purchased by the RAAF in 1941. It was one of 62 | F L I G H T PAT H
several acquired by Sid Marshall after W.W.II. In the eighties, a private syndicate acquired the aircraft with the intention of restoring it to airworthiness. Restoration began at Essendon Aerodrome, but extensive corrosion in the centre-section left the aircraft permanently grounded. It was on display at Tyabb airfield for some time before being donated to the Moorabbin Air Museum. In 2009 the aircraft, minus wings, was painted in markings to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the original “Uiver” flight of 1934. The odd one out is Douglas DC-3, c/n 6021, VH-AES. Ex 41-18660, VH-SBA. This aircraft originally served with the USAAF before coming onto the Australian register in September 1944, as VH-AES, being operated by Australian National Airlines. It was transferred to Trans Australian Airlines (TAA) and named ‘Hawdon’, when TAA was formed in 1948. It operated in New Guinea
on TAA’s Sunbird Services as VH-SBA from 1960 to 1970, and again from 1971 until 1973. It was displayed at Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport from 1979 until 1987, mounted upon a pole, after which it was then restored to flying condition, one of a very few aircraft to escape back to the air from such a display. In 1990, ‘Hawdon’, was repainted as ‘Uiver’ to portray the KLM DC-2 in the television production Half a World Away, the story of the 1934 Melbourne Centenary Air Race. “Hawdon” again donned Uiver’s markings in 2009 to make a commemorative return flight from Melbourne to Albury to mark the 75th anniversary of the original race. It is interesting to note that of the eight DC-2s still thought to exist, five of them have an Australian connection and four have masqueraded as ‘Uiver’, the most famous DC-2 of them all.
NC39165, the DC-2 used in the 1984 re-enactment flight photographed at Sydney International Terminal at Mascot on 12 February 1984. [Neville Parnell] ‘Uiver’ made a few goodwill flights in Australia during the short time it remained in the country after the race.
ABOVE: Ex A30-14 was purchased by the Dutch Dakota Association in 1987 and has not been restored, as was the original intention. Although allocated the registration of PH-AJU by the Dutch civil aviation authorities, it is only chalked on the fuselage, as is ‘Uiver’ on the nose. The RAAF roundel is still visible on fuselage, as seen here in December 1992. [Coert Munk] LEFT: The re-enactment flight DC-2 NC39165, still wearing ‘Uiver’ markings at Aviodrome aviation museum at Holland’s Schiphol Airport.
F L I G H T PAT H | 63
Part 2
Night Corsairs Following Alan C Carey’s feature on the US Navy’s secret pioneering night fighter operations in W.W.II in the previous issue, here we present a short extract from his new book Night Cats & Corsairs, recounting the initial events of the first Corsair night fighter units in the Korean War.
T
he Navy operated the F4U-5N Corsair (and the NL-variant) almost exclusively for close air support and interdiction strikes. The Corsair’s primary function was night defence of the task force and, since as no real aerial threat to U.S. surface forces eventuated, they were often released to attack ground targets inside Korea during daylight hours. A number of former W.W.II US Navy night fighter pilots served in Korea including Cmdr. Chick Harmer, skipper of VC-3 and Lt. Cmdr. Bill Henry, the highest scoring American night fighter ace of W.W.II, in charge of the squadron’s Detachment C. VC-3 lost seven pilots in Korea including Lt. Robert Humphrey, another W.W.II night ace, killed in action while flying an F4U-5N for Detachment E aboard USS Princeton (CVL 23). Conducting night operations at sea during a Korean winter typically mirrored those of land-based units stationed in either Korea or Japan during the conflict; that of operating in extreme cold, often
Ensign F.E. Blum attached to VC-3 based on USS Boxer CVA-21 piloting his F4U-5NL named ‘Vibrating Virgin’ in 1953. Here again, typical of night fighters in Korea, a light coat of paint has been applied to the squadron code, designator, and “Navy” title. [Emil Buehler Library, NMNA]
NP-5 of VC-3 being transferred from the deck of Philippine Sea after a tour of flying interdiction missions over Korea. [Robert A. Rice via Nicholas A. Veronico]
64 | F L I G H T PAT H
ABOVE: Deck crew sweeping snow from USS Valley Forge (CV-45) stationed off Korea in January 1951 during its 6 December 1950 to 7 April 1951 deployment. On the left stand a trio of F4U-5N Corsairs of VC-3 before the unit received the winterized version F4U-5NL. [National Archives]
LEFT: An F4U-5N of VMFN-513 at Wonsan, Korea in 1950. [US Navy]
F L I G H T PAT H | 65
RIGHT: A fully armed F4U-5N of VMFN-513 on the ground in Korea. [US Navy] BELOW: Engine run-up on VC-3 NP-5 aboard Philippine Sea. Vought modified 101 F4U-5Ns to the –NL configuration. The –NL saw extensive service in the Korean Conflict, primarily with VC-3 and VMF(N)-513. [Robert A. Rice via Nicholas A. Veronico]
ABOVE: F4U-5NL Corsairs of VC-3 in the foreground aboard USS Philippine Sea (CV-47) off Korea. Detachments from VC-3, nicknamed ‘The Night Hawks,’ operated from this carrier on four separate occasions from 5 July 1950 to August 1953. [Robert A. Rice via Nicholas A. Veronico]
combined with snow, ice, and poor visibility, but Navy composite squadrons had the added problem of launching from and landing on a moving aircraft carrier at sea. That, however, is where the similarity ended, as many carrier-based night fighter pilots taking off and landing on a short flight deck, in extreme weather conditions, experienced mind-numbing stress, gut-wrenching takeoffs and landings, loneliness, anger, and bitterness. F4U-5 night and all-weather aircraft were assigned to a detachment or detachments belonging to a larger composite squadron that operated a variety of fighters and fighter-bombers. A night fighter detachment typically consisted of five F4U5N/L Corsairs, five pilots, and some 30 to 40 maintenance and ordnance personnel. Lt. James Brown, serving aboard the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany (CVA 34) and assigned to Detachment “George” of VC-3 during the winter of 1952-53, experienced firsthand the stress of flying a F4U-5NL during harsh winter conditions. On one particular evening in the Sea of Japan as Brown remembers, four of the detachment’s Corsairs prepared to leave USS Oriskany’s deck to fly a night interdiction mission. The aircraft they were to fly had been stored on the warm hanger deck located below before being raised on the carrier’s elevator to the frigid flight deck for a catapult launch. The first, flown by the team leader 66 | F L I G H T PAT H
launched without difficulty, but a second preparing to take off suffered a ruptured oil line as it went to full power and the pilot aborted. The third Corsair’s catapult cable broke as it started down the flight deck, and not having enough power for a successful launch, the pilot jammed on the brakes causing both tires to blow out. The fully-loaded aircraft slid sideways and skidded towards the edge of the deck. Miraculously, the aircraft came to a stop within inches of falling into the sea without catching fire. Meanwhile, the team leader orbited above the ship, his aircraft burning fuel, as the fourth Corsair ran into trouble with one of its wing locking pins. One wing went down and locked without a problem but the other, frozen solid, would not move. After several unsuccessful attempts to lock the wing into position, a plane handler, in total darkness, climbed out onto the wing, which extended over the deck’s 50 feet above the sea and jumped up and down until he broke the pin free and it slid into place. This Corsair launched, and joined up with the team leader; only two out of the four aircraft VC-3 had planned for the mission made it into the air that night. Interdiction proved a thankless task as night ground attacks on troops, vehicles and bridges would be cleared up and bridges repaired by dawn. The lack of evidence to support the pilot’s reports caused distrust on the part of senior officers. Lieutenant James
Brown of VC-3 was taken down with “Don’t try to win this war all by yourself” by a senior naval officer. In the air, US Navy pilot Lt Guy P Bordelon, Jr and Major John F. Bolt of the Marine Corps both scored five kills, but only Bordelon, of VC-3 scored all five of his kills at night between June and July 1953 flying his Corsair. The first were Yak 18 trainers being used as night ‘hecklers’, while later the notable Lavochkin La-11a fighter was his tough target, the last exploding in front of his guns, destroying his night vision, and forcing him to swiftly switch and rely on his autopilot to fly out of trouble. Ten days after, the Korean armistice came in to effect, and by the time the next war flared up, the night fighting Corsairs had flown into history.
The extracts on W.W.II (previous issue) and Korean War era night fighting Corsairs are from Alan C Cary’s book ‘Night Cats & Corsairs’ published by Schiffer, and reviewed in this issue.
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A Flying Tribu Today, a total of about 45 Chance Vought F4U Corsairs are believed to still be privately-owned in the United States. Frank B. Mormillo introduces us to one, the much travelled F4U-4B, a rare Korean War combat veteran Corsair, until recently, owned and flown by Doug Matthews.
68 | F L I G H T PAT H
C
urrently based at Ramona, California, Doug Mathew’s Corsair NX240CF was originally delivered to the U.S. Navy as a F4U-4B, Bureau Number 97359 in March 1946, just missing W.W.II. Later in the Korean War it flew more than 300 combat hours with VF-44 ‘Hornets’ Fighter Squadron. After US military service the fighter was to be one of those sold by Robert Bean to the Fuerza Aérea Hondureña (FAH, or Honduras Air Force), registered as N5213V. However, it did not go south like the others and was retained by Bean in 1959 and stored at Tolleson, Arizona for fifteen years. Refurbished at Tucson it was sold to Tom Friedkin who operated it from his Cinema Air Jet Center at Carlsbad, California, as N97353 flying the airplane in the ‘Black Sheep Squadron’ television series (called the ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep’ in its first season) from 1976 through 1978. Registered to Cinema Air of Houston, Texas in 1980, as N240CA, it passed to Ray Hanna’s Old Flying Machine Company based at Duxford, in the UK in 1988, and cam-
paigned extensively at the UK airshows of the era, in RNZAF colours as NZ5628. In March 1992, the Corsair was brought back to the United States by Norm Lewis of Louisville, Kentucky and finished in VF-44 colours and markings. Max Chapman then bought the Corsair in 1998, and had it finished in VMFT20 Naval Air Reserve colours and markings, earning the Reserve Grand Champion, PostWorld War II Award at the 2000 Oshkosh EAA AirVenture. After an abortive sale to an Australian collector in 2005, and a brief relationship with the Vintage Wings of Canada collection, it was finally obtained by Doug Matthews for his Classic Fighters of America collection in 2007. Doug began to race his Corsair as a stock competitor at the Reno National Championship Air Races in 2009 and, in 2011, decided to refurbish the fighter as a tribute to U.S. Navy VF-32 Korean War Medal of Honor recipient Lieutenant (Jg) Thomas J. Hudner, Jr. During a mission near the Chosin Reservoir on December 4, 1950, while operating
MAIN: Doug Matthews and the F4U-4 Corsair in flight near Ramona, California. BELOW: The F4U-4 Corsair was powered with a 2,450 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800-18W Double Wasp Radial engine.
bute ABOVE: As Doug Matthews breaks off from the AT-6 Texan photo plane flown by Pete Hunt, the Corsair’s external load of dummy underwing ordnance (eight 5-inch rockets, a 500-pound bomb and a 50-gallon drop tank) comes in to full view. LEFT: F4U-4 Corsair BuNo. 97359 on the ramp at the Ramona Airport, California with its wings folded. F L I G H T PAT H | 69
He crash landed his Corsair nearby and tried to free Brown from the cockpit…
from the aircraft carrier USS Leyte, Hudner’s wingman, the U.S. Navy’s first black pilot, Ensign Jesse L. Brown had to make a forced landing in rocky, snow-covered ground behind enemy lines. When Hudner noticed that Brown was still alive, but trapped in the cockpit of his smoking Corsair, he crash landed his own Corsair nearby and tried to free Brown from the cockpit. As the Corsair began to burn, Hudner alternated between trying to free Brown’s leg which was pinned in the cockpit and packing snow against the cowling to fight the smouldering fire. Although a rescue helicopter eventually arrived on the scene, Hudner and the helicopter pilot together were still not able to free A dummy 500-pound bomb mounted under the wing Brown who eventually centre section of F4U-4 Corsair BuNo. 97359. lapsed into unconsciousness. With darkness approaching and the enemy in the vicinity, Hudner and the helicopter pilot finally had to abandon Brown’s body in the cockpit of his Corsair. Hudner was awarded the Medal of Honor for his efforts to save his squadron mate by President Harry S. Truman on April 13, 1951 and is currently trying to return to North Korea to search
Doug Matthews flying F4U-4 Corsair BuNo. 97359 near Ramona, California. 70 | F L I G H T PAT H
for Brown’s possible remains. In September 2011, Matthews met Hudner at a Tailhook Convention in Reno, Nevada and introduced the Navy hero to the Corsair that replicates his wartime fighter plane. Matthews’ F4U-4 Corsair currently flies with Hudner’s name on the starboard side of the fuselage and Brown’s name on the port side. The paint job was done by John Lane in Idaho, and the Corsair is often seen with a full complement of replica armament, including six .50 machine guns and ammunition in the wings, eight 5-inch (12.7 cm) rockets under the outer wing panels, and 500-pound (227 kg) bombs or a pair of 150-gallon (570 litre) drop tanks under the centre-section. A genuine reflector gunsight is often seen in the cockpit as well. Although the replica external ordnance is not very heavy, Matthews reports that the increased weight and drag do make the airplane a bit sluggish at the start and the fuel flow increases by about fifteen percent. Matthews told us his Corsair has great handling qualities in the air, being light and responsive on the controls and very stable in each axis at all speed regimes. The cockpit is large and comfortable, with the instruments and controls being particularly well-situated in the F4U-4. However, the long ‘hose nose’ limits visibility taxiing and on landing in general, and gunnery would be a bit more challenging because the long nose tends to block the view where the guns are bore-sighted. In comparison to the P-51D Mustang that Doug also owns and races at Reno, Matthews noted that the Corsair is a far more
LEFT: The fully restored cockpit of F4U-4 Corsair BuNo. 97359, complete with gunsight. complex aircraft, weighing several thousand pounds more than the Mustang. “While the P-51 has two hydraulic sub-systems, the Corsair has eight! It has superior ordnance capability and it can have a great combat radius. Due to U.S. Navy requirements, the Corsair also has a substantial construction,” he said. “As for Reno, it is a blast to fly the course in any fighter, much less the iconic Corsair,” Matthews stated. “With it being heavier, it comes down the starting chute better than the P-51s, but once on the course the Big Blue Beast doesn’t perform at low altitudes like the P51s. It’s a high-altitude performer for sure I race both the P-51 and the Corsair as stock, without any modification, so as to preserve their historic value and to demonstrate what great designs they still are.” As a final note of interest, Matthews said: “At war’s end, all (US) contracts for fighters were terminated, except for one – Corsairs were produced until 1953. If I were going to war in the Pacific, I’d want the F4U-4 for its range, ordnance, comfort and durability. If the war was in Europe, I’d want the P-51 for escort work, but the Corsair for any ground attack. I have roughly 500 hours in each and I feel honored.”
Replica 5-inch rockets mounted under the wing of F4U-4 Corsair BuNo. 97359.
F4U-4 Corsair BuNo. 97359 has been faithfully restored to represent the plane flown by Korean War Medal of Honor recipient LtJg. Thomas J. Hudner.
Doug Matthews running up the engine on the F4U-4 Corsair before taking off from the Ramona Airpor t for an air-to-air photo session.
F L I G H T PAT H | 71
Magnificent Cors Supporting the ‘Top Ten Corsair Survivors’ we featured in the previous edition, Flightpath presents here a selection of notable Corsairs in preservation and flying today.
It is somewhat rare to see Corsairs gathered in numbers. The Yankee Air Museum’s Thunder Over Michigan airshow in 2011 had six. Five of those flew demonstrations for the crowd. [John Freedman] ABOVE RIGHT: After its US Navy service F4U-5 Bu.123168 ended up in Honduras from 1956 to 1978. It returned to the US as components, and combined with parts from Bu.122179, which it assumed the ID of. N179NP and is being flown by Dave Folk. [John Freedman]
Goodyear built FG-1D Bu.67089 ‘Skyboss’ is owned by Jeff Clyman F4U Inc. and based at the American Heritage Museum at Farmington New York. disassembled and stored for many years till Bob Odegaard restored it in 1999. [John Freedman]
72 | F L I G H T PAT H
rsairs Worldwide Texas Flying Legends FG-1D Bu.92489 served the US before the Fuerza Aérea Salvadoreña as FAS 208. It returned to the US in 1974, and after being restored by Airpower Unlimited Jerome, ID, it debuted at Oshkosh in 2010. [John Freedman] The Corsair is of great significance in New Zealand, as the most-advanced fighter the RNZAF used in W.W.II. The FG-1D Bu.88391 is a genuine ex-RNZAF survivor (NZ5648) and after being rescued from scrapping postwar, and restored to taxiing condition at the Waikato Aero Club, it was exported to the USA, where it flew again in 1982. Operated for some years in the UK, including by New Zealander Ray Hanna’s Old Flying Machine Co., it returned to New Zealand in 2003 where it has operated there since as ZK-COR – owned by The Old Stick and Rudder Company. [ Rob Fox]
Vintage Wings of Canada FG-1D Bu.92106, C-GVWC represents the aircraft of Canadian Lt. Robert Hampton Gray, who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his action in the Pacific. Previously, this Corsair was one that starred in the ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep’ TV show. [John Freedman]
Military Aviation Museum Virginia FG-1D Bu.92508 (N46RL) is painted to represent that of Norfolk born Ray Beacham, who flew with the VF-17 in the Pacific during W.W.II. [John Freedman]
ABOVE: The American National Air and Space Museum’s F4U-1 Bu.50375 has never been in private hands. The Navy stored it from 1946 to 1960 by before turning it over to the NASM. It was restored in 1980 and is now on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center Dulles Airport Virginia. [John Freedman] F L I G H T PAT H | 73
BELOW: Back flying again the Olympic Flight Museum’s FG1D Corsair Bu. 92436 was built by Goodyear Aircraft Corporation in Akron, Ohio and was delivered to the US Navy on the 10th of July, 1945. It is seen here departing this years Reno AirRaces. [Roger Cain]
The Commemorative Air Force’s FG-1D Bu.92468 (N9964Z) was accepted by the US Navy on July 19, 1945. It was struck off January 7 1957 and acquired by the CAF on April 21 1961. It represents VMF-312 “530” of USMC Lt. Merritt O. Chance, and is based at the Dixie Wing at Peachtree City Georgia. [John Freedman]
The F4U-5N, formerly FAH601 Bu. 124569is now owned and operated by John French of Ketchum, Idaho. The Corsair was one of those ferried from Tegucigalpa AB Honduras to Houston, Texas in, December 1978. [via John French]
The USS Midway Museum in San Diego has F4U-4 Bu.96885 in the hangar deck. After US Navy service it went to the Fuerza Aérea Hondureña as FAH 618 from 1960-1978. [John Freedman]
ABOVE: Owned by the USMC Museum F4U-4 Bu.97349 is on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation, NAS Pensacola. [John Freedman] ABOVE: Yanks Air Museum has F4U-4B Bu.97390 (N47991) under restoration at their Chino facility. [John Freedman] 74 | F L I G H T PAT H
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T
he 51st Reno National Championship Air Races at Stead Field in Nevada, USA, will be remembered for quite some time, and not just for the final Unlimited race. On Saturday during qualifying for pole positions we saw one of the tightest Unlimited finishes ever, but with one disqualified. Bob Button’s crew took their second Gold win in his heavily modified P-51D Mustang named Voodoo, flown by Steve Hinton Jr. at an average lap speed of 462.926 mph. This was Hinton’s sixth consecutive win, the last two years in Voodoo, and the previous four years in Bill “Tiger” Destefani’s P-51D Strega. Second place was followed closely at 458.856 mph by Sherman Smoot’s Czech Mate the heavily modified Yak-11, a bestever finish for the pilot and team, partially in credit to the Grumman Bearcat Rare Bear flown by Stewart Dawson pulling out after the first lap due to an engine issue. While the spectators and fans of Precious Metal, a Griffon-powered P-51 with counter rotating props thought that pilot and owner Thom Richard had won third place, a crowd Aero Vodochody L-39s in the Jet Class lined up on the ramp as the Gold Race contenders run up in the background.
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line course violation disqualified him, and Dennis Sanders in fourth place was bumped up to third in the Sanders Aeronautics’ Sea Fury Dreadnought, a T. MK 20 powered by a Pratt and Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major engine at 419 mph. Curt Brown in a Sea Fury Sawbones received fourth place, while Korey Wells in another Sanders Aeronautics’ Sea Fury 924. This was the first time that Sanders Aeronautics had all three of their Sea Furies racing in the Gold Unlimited race, unfortunately for Mark Watt in Argonaut – an engine issue took him out of the race right behind Rare Bear. Earlier in the week, one of the expected top contenders, Robert “Hoot” Gibson flying Sea Fury 232, lost an engine while qualifying but landed safely. The big race that will be remembered was on Saturday during the Gold Heat #3 which will decide the pilots’ starting positions for Sunday’s main race. With Voodoo leading the entire time, Bill Destefani flying Strega started from the back of the field and moved up to third on the first lap. He continued, working his way past Rare Bear staying right on
Hinton’s tail up through the last lap. At the finish pylon, Destefani who flew a high line, dived down, making for a photo-finish with Hinton, and then ‘maydayed’ with a lost cylinder. After safely landing, Destefani was disqualified for flying too high (above the FAA mandated safety barrier) and was unable to race the next day due to the lost engine. On Sunday morning, seven-time Gold winner Destefani announced his retirement from air racing. The Jet Class had four types participating – Aero Vodochody L-29’s, L-39’s, and a sole Siai Machetti S211 and an TS-11 Iskra, totalling 15 aircraft for the races. The Jet Gold races were won by L-39’s with Phil Fogg of Oregon taking first in his racer named Fast Company at 495 mph. Behind him was Rick Vandam of Reno, in American Spirit at 485 mph with third going to Australian Mark Pracy in True Blue (up from 7th place in 2013). In the Silver race, Lachie Onslow of Armidale, NSW took second place with his TS-11 Iskra Hot Section, and Charlie Camilleri of Bathurst NSW took 4th in his L-29 Miss Independance. Roger Cain
Airshows
Stewart Dawson received first place in the Tigercat named La Patrona after Korey Wells bumped up to race in the Gold race. Steve Hinton in Voodoo blazes around Pylon 2, eventually winning the Gold Unlimited race.
Stewart Dawson in Rare Bear taxies out for a heat race. An engine problem left him out of the Gold Unlimited race after only one lap completed.
Four Sea Furies share the ramp space in the pits area. Jim Tobul raced in the Silver Unlimited race in his F4U-4 Corsair and departs for home, following the end of the races.
Clocking 458.856 mph , Sherman Smoot’s Czech Mate the heavily modified Yak-11, made its best ever finish this year.
Rod Lewis’ Fury and Tigercat on the ramp, Race 232 had an engine failure earlier in the week putting it out of the competition.
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Airshows The Hawker ‘Hurribomber’
Dunsfold 2014
The Old Flying Machines Companies (OFMC) Spitfire IX and P51D fly their tight formation.
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t is hard to believe that the Dunsfold Airshow celebrated its tenth anniversary this year. The original concept, which brought together aircraft and motoring enthusiasts for the first time, has come a long way from that first show. This year’s incarnation was opened in fine style by some sublime flying by the RAF Chinook team led by Flt Lt Charlie Brown, by far the best display of the type I think I had ever witnessed, however, sadly, Charlie will not be its display pilot next year. Warbirds are always well represented at Dunsfold, and many of the huge crowd present this time had come specifically to see the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and Canadian warplane Heritage Lancasters perform. Sadly they would not be present on the ground, but their aural presence was more than enough for most people. These were joined by an unusual D Day balbo consisting of the Aces High C47, Dutch B25 and OFMC Spitfire IX and P51D. The OFMC duo later flew an impeccable leader and wingman display, in perfect synergy, which was reminiscent of those great Breitling sponsorship days. Amongst a host of superlatives, the appearance of the Midair Squadron’s Hunter and Canberra completed a perfect event, with the spirited nature of the Canberra display being something I had not seen since the retirement of the last target towing Canberras many years ago. Dunsfold was a tremendous success, and somewhat over subscribed, but it was a fantastic day out for all the family. Gary R Brown
The Midair Squadron’s Canberra and two place Hunter.
The Dutch based B-25 landing back after the D-Day balbo.
The Sopwith Triplane closes in on a pair of Fokkers in the Great War display. 78 | F L I G H T PAT H
Airshows
Eastbourne F
or many, Eastbourne 2014 was their first chance to see the two airworthy Lancasters together, and naturally huge crowds gathered on the seafront for each of the four display days. The town’s historic pier had suffered a devastating fire just before the event and the view of the town from my lofty perch at Beachy head was somewhat sad in comparison to previous visits, but hopefully the huge crowd added significant cash to the restoration fund that has been started. Thankfully the weather was just about kind enough for the Lancasters to perform, as the crosswind limits of the Lancasters operating from Biggin Hill and Southend were right on the acceptable limits. Somewhat surprisingly, the Lancasters did not fly past the Bomber Command Memorial at Beachy Head, but their emotive presence at this seafront airshow was very warmly welcomed. Other highlights included the Norwegian Historic Flight single seat Vampire, Jet Provost XW324 and the Hangar 11 P51D. The D Day-marked Dakota of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight must take the award for capturing the most salt spray in a very evocative low-level entry in and out of his display slot. The crowd-pleasing Red Arrows once again wowed the general public with a highly polished routine in near perfect conditions, which is something of a rarity at Eastbourne. The Eastbourne display organisers once again staged a first class show, which has become a keystone in the town’s annual economy. Gary R Brown
TOP: For many, the event was their first chance to see the two Avro Lancasters flying together. ABOVE: Jet Provost XW324 operated by the Norwegian Historic Flight. LEFT: The Hangar 11 P51D. BELOW: The Norwegian Historic Flight single seat Vampire.
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Airshows Line up of Texans and Harvards were on show front and centre.
Thunder Over Michigan T
[ALL images Roger Cain]
he 16th annual ‘Thunder Over Michigan Air Show’ was held at the Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti, near Detroit, raising funds for the Yankee Air Museum. Each day started with a huge battle of Germans versus the Americans and allies with tanks, trucks, jeeps and ground artillery and lots of re-enactors. While the Americans lost the first battle, they won the afternoon battle with the help of an L-5 Sentinel spotting the enemy positions from the air. Next were single passes by show-theme feature T-6s of various models, followed by several twelve-ship formation passes. Jet power really picked up the pace afterwards with Paul Wood flying his N.A. F-86F Sabre ‘Smokey’. An Army Air Force Victory Flight was led by the Yankee Air Museum’s B-17G ‘Yankee Lady’, with a P-38 Lightning, two
The ‘Yankee Lady’ B-17G Flying Fortress is the pride and joy of the 80 | FYankee L I G H TAir PAT H Museum.
Mustangs and a P-47 Thunderbolt. Heavies from the combined days included the B-17G leading a pair of B-25 Mitchells, a Lockheed C-60, AT-11 Kansan, C-47 and the Berlin Airlift’s C-54. The fighters included the two Mustangs of Mark Peterson and Anthony Bueschler, Fagen’s P-38 ‘Ruff Stuff’, the P47D ‘Jacky’s Revenge’, and John Bagley’s P63C Kingcobra. Making individual passes later was the Commemorative Air Force’s B24A Liberator ‘Diamond Lil’. Additional warbird aerobatic demonstrations were put on by Mark Peterson in his Mustang HELL-ER BUST and John Bagley in his P-63. The Yankee Air Museum, directors Kevin Walsh and Michael Luther, and its many volunteers did an excellent job of organising this show, and keeping everything running smoothly and safely. Roger Cain
The B-25J Mitchell ‘Briefing Time’ is part of the Mid Atlantic Air Museum from Reading Pennsylvania.
Airshows Jacky’s Revenge came from the American Airpower Museum at Farmingdale New York.
Charlie Cartledge’s Beech AT-11 has been immaculately restored to its full original wartime configuration.
Along with their two Hueys, the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation sold rides in their Cobra gunship all day long.
John Bagley brought his Bell P-63C Kingcobra out from Rexburg Idaho.
Rarely seen flying during an air show, the Berlin Airlift Foundation’s Douglas C-54D flew for the warbird show on Sunday.
Led by the Yankee Air Museum’s B-17G Flying Fortress, the Army Air Force Victory Flight was a hit with the air show audience. Currently the only DH Vampire flying in the United States, Marty Tibbitts and Paul Stambaugh taxi in with the World Heritage Air Museum’s jet for static display.
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Airshows
AirVenture 2014 A Year of Firsts
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he Experimental Aircraft Association’s (EAA) AirVenture at Oshkosh, Winsconsin, USA, can always guarantee a first or two, and some are particularly notable. Going against a declining trend of the last few years, attendance numbers were up, many coming to see the USAF Thunderbirds display team perform for the first time over Wittman Airport. However, for the keen enthusiasts it was the appearance of three ultra-rare aircraft which drew them. These were - the only flying Fairey Gannet T5, XT752, the Lockheed Vega, and NASA’s WB-57F 927 that returned to service after forty years in the ‘Boneyard’. This year also featured some great jet warbird action, with four T-33s in formation, four L-39s, a Mig-17 and F-86 flying together, and a dissimilar formation of the MiG 17 leading the F-86 and two T-33s. An all-yellow Tempco T-610 Super Pinto flew in the jet show as well. The GEICO Skytypers performed at Oshkosh for the first time in their NAA T-6 Texans, and other highlights were seven Lockheed 12 Electra Juniors in the Antiques area, and a flying replica Gee Bee QED. AirVenture had the usual mass formations of T-6s, T-28s, T-34s and Eastern Block trainers, as well as some of the best airshow acts in the US. It will be on again next July with, as ever, a promise of more firsts. John Freeman
NASA brought their latest WB-57F, NASA 927 (N927NA), to Oshkosh. It was built by Martin as a B-57B (53-3918) and was converted to an RB-57F in 1964 by increasing the wingspan to 122 ft and adding Pratt & Whitney TF-33 turbofans. It was retired by the USAF in 1972, and sat at AMARC in Tuscon, Arizona until May 2011 when it was restored to flight. It flew again in August 2013 as NASA 927.
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WN365 was built as the prototype T2 dual control aircraft in 1954. The Gannet was later converted to the prototype T5 dual control with more powerful Double Mamba engine.
Seven Lockheed 12 Electra Juniors gathered at Oshkosh this year, only 126 were built and as few as two dozen remain airworthy. CF-LKD (SN 1222) was built in 1937 for Varney Transport which became Continental Airlines. After serving in the Canadian military in WW2 it was sold to Texaco, and is now owned by Peter Ramm from St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.
Airshows LEFT: In 1960 it was sold to Indonesia as a trainer but remained in the UK, later returning to Royal Naval service until retirement as the last flying Gannet in January 1978. It was acquired by Shannan Hendricks in 2004, and first flew after a restoration in August 2013. BELOW: John Magoffin’s 1933 Lockheed Vega DL-1, NC12288, (construction number 161) is now the only airworthy of the six remaining airframes. This was assembled while the Lockheed Aircraft Corp was in receivership by chief engineer Richard Van Hake.
The EAA Museum’s 1932 Waco UEC Serial Number 3638 (NC12472) was one of 40 built, and was sold to the Mid-West Airways Corp. of Aurora Illinois. Owned by the Meredith Family at one time, it passed through other hands before being re-acquired by Ted Meredith who restored it, and in 2007 3638 was donated to the EAA Museum by Mrs. Katie Meredith.
BELOW: Bristling with machine guns, the nose of the US Marine version of the venerable B-25, the PBJ or Patrol Bomber J for North American Aviation, the manufacturer of the B-25. In 1943 more Mitchells were produced than the USAAC needed, so they were offered to other services, the Marines took them to use for “Night heckling”, Anti shipping, and close air support missions. N9643C is operated by the Commemorative Air Force Georgetown Texas Squadron.
The Trojan Horsemen are the only six ship NAA T-28 formation aerobatic team in the world. The aircraft reflect the diverse service history of the T-28, having served in the Air Force, Navy and Marines.
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