WEBSITE: http://www.aldingaaeroclub.org.au Page 1

December, 2020 Editor: John Chambers

A “Super Connie” Celebrates Her 70th Birthday. Lockheed’s L -1049 Super Constellation, now hanging in the U.S. National Air & Space Museum (NASM), first flew in 1950. Arguably the most iconic piston airliner of the period, the Super Constellation and its derivatives represent, along with the Douglas DC -7, the ultimate step in the development of longer range, more capacity and more powerful piston -engined aircraft to meet the needs of both commercial and military aviation. Through its production run, some 579 were produced, the last of which were still flying in U.S. domestic service through to 1980. According to the NASM, their Constellation, a C -121C (1049F -55 -96), with former Air Force serial number 54 -177 and now registered N1104W, is one of the 33 C -121Cs delivered to the USAF and the Atlantic Division of the Military Air Transport Service at Charleston AFB, South Carolina. This aircraft arrived there in March 1956 and was assigned to the 1608th Air Transport Wing. Its original configuration was that of an over - water cargo/passenger transport, having eight crew membe rs and accommodations for up to 80 passengers. It was retired from military service near the end of 1977 and stored until 1981. It was to be part of a small fleet of passenger Connies flying between Los Angeles and Reno for Classic Air, but Classic Air was unable to get FAA approval and, according to NASM, the aircraft remained dormant. At this time the National Air & Space Museum was seeking a Super Constellation. A Mr Darryl Greenameyer had acquired two of the Constellations from Classic Air. He negotiated a trade with NASM providing them with their Connie in exchange for two Grumman HU -16 Albatrosses.

North American XB -70. (This article “stolen” from Peninsula Aero Club’s Newsletter “Tyabb Flyer” 5th December). Very rarely seen in the sun, the lone surviving North American XB -70 Valkyrie was recently rolled out of the hangar. Designed in the 1950s and test flown 1964 -68, the Valkyrie was designed as a Mach 3 bomber that used compression lift, which generated from a prominent wedge at the centre of the engine inlets that created a shock wave below the aircraft. The outer portions of the wings were hinged and could be pivoted downward by up to 65 degrees.

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David Ellis President 8386 1133 Evan John Vice President 0408 804 289 Club Executive

ø Steve McGuiness Secretary 0412 773 081 Club postal address: Philip John Treasurer 8381 4158 P O Box 726 John Chambers Newsletter Editor 8391 4720 Noarlunga Centre 5168 Page 2

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This increased the aircraft’s directional stability at supersonic speeds, shifted the centre of lift to a more favourable position at high speeds, and strengthened the compression lift effect.

Read and view more at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poyTP6tK -3Q and www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzAWfFJqaQc

Christmas @YADG. It certainly wasn’t Aussie Christmas weather for the club’s Christmas feast on Sunday 5th December. Planned as a cold meat & salad affair, in the club or in the gazebos, sheltering from the savage summer heat, the freezing temperature and roaring south -east gale drove us to relocate to Owen’s hangar. Despite the weather, a supply of club wine warmed the atmosphere nicely and the good roll -up of attendees gave it the “thumbs up”.

FLUT’s Wash & Wine. On Saturday 12th December, members of the Flying Logan syndicate group gathered to give their aircraft a Christmas wash and recover from the effort with a BBQ and a drop of wine. As you can see from the photos (thanks Owen), some participants took to the job lying down whilst others took the to the job as a committee group! Meanwhile Owen, not a FLUT member, sneaked in with his Mooney and gave the cleaning task to Ruby Blagrove.

C-47/DC3 Celebrates 85th Birthday With a Harbour Flight. HARS Aviation Museum will fly its Douglas C -47/DC3 over Sydney Harbour TOMORROW Thursday 17th to mark 85 years since the aircraft’s first flight. The aircraft will depart from and fly north to Long Reef on the Northern Beaches before conducting low -level flyovers of Sydney Harbour. It will then fly directly to and proceed back to the coast adjacent to Cronulla before returning home to Shellharbour Airport.

A Timely “Daffynition”. Inoculatte : To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

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Flying Cars. Last month’s Go -Round contained information on the Klein Air Car and promised a second flying car story this month - the PAL -V Liberty. No - that photo’s not it! The PAL -V Liberty has made history by becoming the first fly- ing car to pass stringent safety and emissions homologation tests to allow it to be driven legally on European roads. According to the Dutch manufacturer, the Liberty was handed over to testers last February for a rigorous and extensive test drive program that included evalu- ating its performance on roads and high -speed ovals before undergoing emissions and noise tests. The irony is, despite now legal to use on road, it’s still not permitted to fly within European airspace. To be legal to fly, it must undergo 150 hours of flight testing, but only after an incredible 1200 test reports have been completed. The three -wheeled car looks like a futuristic Reliant Robin, albeit with bat’s wings folded on top. A prototype first flew in 2012. The final version, which will be built in India, will cost from $500,000! Eight order have already been placed! Future owners will need a basic pilot’s licence. The two -seater will fly at up to 95 knots and have a top speed on the road of 170 km/h. Unlike many of its electric rivals that look like beefed -up drones, the Liberty uses existing technology. It is a gyrocopter and uses a propeller driven by two petrol engines to push it through the sky, while lift comes from a freewheeling rotor similar to a helicopter’s. The rotor and propellor tuck away when on the ground. For more information view the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFpNTykIYM0 10 Years Ago. The December 2010 Go -Round featured a “naughty boy” article. A 41 year - old Swedish man, about to pilot a B737 with 101 pax was arrested at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. False documents had allowed him to fly for airlines in Turkey, Belgium, Britain and Italy over a period of 13 years without a valid license! Also in that issue, a photo of Santa’s new air -conditioned sleigh, specially built for his Australian delivery trip, was shown for the first time.

$220M RAAF Edinburgh Upgrade for MC -55A Peregrines. The government has announced it will invest $220 million in major infrastructure upgrades at RAAF Base Edinburgh that will help accommodate its new MC -55A Peregrine. Four of these aircraft, modified Gulfstream G550’s, have been purchased at a cost of $2.26 billion. They will be based at Edinburgh alongside P -8A Poseidon, MQ -4C Triton and MQ -9 Predator/Reaper intelligence and reconnaissance systems. Minister for Defence, Linda Reynolds said the aircraft would improve ’s “situational awareness” during conflict and peacetime.

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Antonov AN -124 Arrives to Collect Classic Hornets. An Antonov AN -124 has been employed to collect classic F/A -18A Hornets from Williamtown RAAF Base for delivery to Canada. Last year the Australian Government reported Canada had purchased 18 RAAF Hornets to bolster its air force’s own CF -18 Hornet flying ranks, with an additional seven aircraft acquired for spares and testing. Local reports said the acquisition cost of the aircraft was C$90 million ($Aus96 million), while a total of C$550m ($525 million) had been budgeted for the acquisition which will also include spares and the fitting of unspecified “Canadian -specific equipment” and upgrades. The RAAF Classic Hornet fleet is being progressively retired as 72 F -35A Joint Strike Fighters are introduced into service.

Australian Pilot - P.G. Taylor. At RAAF Rathmines flying boat base in 1951, P.G Taylor and his PBY Catalina “Frigate Bird II” prepared for a test flight. for the JATO (Jet Assisted Take -off) bottles fitted to the aircraft. He was to fly to Rose Bay (Sydney), refuel, and depart to survey a future airline route to Chile via a number of islands, the last of which were Tahiti and Easter Island. At Easter Island he could only land to refuel in the open sea and the JATO were vital for take -off after fully refuelling. A sudden storm during the refuelling didn’t help - Taylor was washed overboard but managed to climb back on board. He completed the flight and returned safely to Sydney. Upon his return from Chile, Prime Minister Robert Menzies gifted the Catalina to Captain P.G. Taylor and it is now on display in Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum. Captain Taylor was best known for his daring when, as crew on board the Fokker FVIIB “Southern Cross” in a 1935 flight from Australian to New Zealand he made six trips outside the aircraft, his feet on struts, with a thermos full of oil to add to the ailing right hand engine. Readers can find out more about Captain P.G. Taylor at : - http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/taylor -sir -patrick -gordon -8763

Diary Dates. All Tuesdays (including Australia Day) - 0930 Member’s Coffee & Chat. Sunday 3rd January - Traditionally the first Sunday in January is a “take a friend flying day”. So how about doing so? And bring “something” for a BYO BBQ lunch to talk about how much you enjoyed it.

Wishing all readers a very happy Christmas and a safe and healthy 2021. Santa travels in many different ways. Some very tiring!