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fltfliS Austers At War IS Connellan Airways Paddy Heffernan ~ Series ~ Part 1 ■ t i i /yVi7IAT10N IfERITAiGE I______i I_____I “■

The Journal of the Aviation Historical Society of Hustralia Inc. adossassp Volame 28 ilambcr 3 Jane 1997 Editorial This issue marks the fourth that I have produced in just over a year. EDITORS, DESIGN & PRODUCTION I feel that the Society now has a consistent product to ‘sell’ and we Bill and Judith Baker should at long last start increasing our membership, however this is Address all correspondence to; also a job for all. Those within range are encouraged to attend your The Editor, local Branch meeting. If your state has not got a Branch, why not AHSA, think about starting one. Federal President Keith Meggs (phone P.O. Box 2007, number below) will give you a hand. South Melbourne 3205 Victoria, Australia. You will notice a couple of changes with this issue. Starting at the Subscription Rates; front, our new cover design which has been designed, by Gordon Australia A$40. Bird, to give a thirtie’s look. I have instigated a “Talkback” page, Rest of World A$50. Surface Mail which is really a letters to the Editor page, but is designed to add A$65. Surface Airlifted further information on past articles, and finally, a further expansion to A$85. Air Mail 40 pages. This is to keep faith with those members who have taken Overseas payment to be in Australian the time and effort to contribute an article, I feel that we must publish these as soon as possible. Every Club magazine lives or dies on the currency by International Money Order contributions of its members, why not let me know of your project. or Bank Draft. Overseas personal cheques cannot be accepted. The Editor’s wish list; Articles for Publication; Australian Airlines, Vietnam, Korea. Are to be on an Australian theme. The Editor reserves the right to edit any Cover article accepted for publication. One of the photos in Greg Sherman’s 16 AOP Auster collection, Payment is not made for articles. shows an Auster being unloaded from Tank Landing Craft 591 at Please include sufficient postage for the Labuan. Most of the photos in Greg’s article have never been return of originals if that is required. published before. A - H and the Computer; Contributions for the Journal are most welcome in any Contents; form, but if you have a computer, 67 Austers at War Greg Sherman exported on a S'A” disc in ASSCII 76 Noted in Passing - Alf Ashley Mac Job format (plain text), or WIN 6, would be 78 Larkin Lark Doug Pardee just great! (Include hard copy also). 79 Gipsy Moth Among the Vines Sydney Hamilton Disclaimer; 1. Whilst every effort is 82 Pioneer Australian Autogyro Greg Banfield made to check the authenticity of the 85 A Woodworker’s Experience Jack Rogers material and advertising printed, the 86 Talkback - Letters to the Editor Publishers, Editors, and the Aviation 87 Connelian Airways Ian Leslie Historical Society of Australia and its 88 Patrick George Heffernan Prologue Office Bearers cannot accept 97 So you want to be a pilot Paddy Heffernan responsibility for any non-performance. 101 Too little-too late, the CA15 David Eyre 2. The views expressed in ‘Aviation Heritage’ are not necessarily those of Meetings of the AHSA - the AHSA or its Editors. AVIATION HERITAGE Melbourne Branch: The fourth Wednesday in every month 7.30 ISSN 0815-4392 at the Airforce Association, Cromwell Street, South Yarra. Further information - Keith Meggs 9580 0140 Print Post Approved PP320418/00017 The NSW Branch: The first Wednesday in every month 7.45 at © 1997 By the Publishers; Studio 1 at The Powerhouse Museum, enter from the Macarthur AVIATION HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF Street end.. Further information - Gordon Lasslett 9416 7603 AUSTRALIA INC., A00336S3P P.O. BOX 2007 Please note our new postal address; SOUTH MELBOURNE 3205, P.O. Box 2007, South Melbourne 3025 VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA

66 AHSA Aviation Heritage

AUSTERS AT WAR The History of 16 AOP, R.A.A.F. by GREG SHERMAN The urgent need by both the Army and the RA4Ffor a light spotting/commiinications type aircraft led to a request from the Australian Dept, of Air to the British Air Ministry for the supply of a suitable aircraft. The area of senhce would be in the South West Pacific theatre of operations where Australian forces were heavily engaged with those of Japan. The US land forces at that time were using various American light observation aircraft. The author Greg Sherman flew the Piper L4, but states that the Auster vras by far a better prospect for the role it had to undertake. The aircraft offered by the British A ir Ministiy were British Taylorcraft 'A uster' Model E's which became known in Australia as Mark Ill's. These particular aeroplanes had seen considerable prior service with British forces having been constructed in the main in 1942/43. One of the chief considerations was their history of field repair and the fact that the powerplant, the de Havilland Gipsy Major was currently being manufactured in Australia by General Motors Holden in Melbourne, as a con.seqiience, many A usters came here less engines. The first ofthe.se second hand aircraft arrived in Melbourne aboard the S.S.Samanco on Saturday Jth.September 1944. The 19 aircraft were transported by rail to 2AD (Aircraft Depot) at Richmond NSW, where they were assembled and test flown. It is interesting to note that prior to 1962 all rail traffic between Melbourne and Sydney had to tranship at Albury on the Victorian/New South Wales border because the two states ’ rail guages were not compatible, a legacy of colonial jealousies. The newly arrived British Taylorcrafts (Austers) were given the RAAFprefix A-11. C/n 238, MZ 105, became All-1, this aircraft first flew at Rearsby, British Taylorcrafts factory, on the 30th. December 1942. 16 AOP was formed as part of 83 wing and as part of No. 4 Squadron. An Army Co-Operation Wing as it's name implies worked with army forces providing them with a number of essential services, namely; tactical reconnaissance, artillery reconnaissance, supply by air to troops, and the 'lead in' of attacking squadrons. It is interesting to note aircraft being used in these duties ranged from Wirraways and Boomerangs down to the Auster. This the only history of 16 AOP that I believe has been written. Accompanying this history are some photographs, most of which have never been printed before, from various collections. Greg Sherman had flown Boomerangs with 4 Squadron in Papua-New Guinea prior to graduating to All Austers. Gregflew with 16 AOP from its inception until it was disbanded and returned to Australia in late November 1945. The events listed here come from his Log-Book, official RAAF records, and the Australian War Memorial. It could be logically argued that the Australian Army Aviation Wing grew out of 16 and 17 AOP - BILL BAKER. R,A.A.F No. 4 Squadron's baby brother. 16 Air Headquarters and under the direct control of No. 83 Observation Post Flight (16 AOP) equipped with All (Army Co-operation) Wing Headquarters. Austers was formed to establishment at Lae, New The Auster known as "the flying jeep and, Guinea, on 20.10.44. as a separate Air Force unit grasshopper", radio equipped (when required) was a within the command of Northern Command side-by-side two-seater, high wing monoplane, powered by a 130 hp Gipsy Major engine, with a range of "75 mins, at a cruising speed of 90 mph". Its short take-off and landing capability, clear observation and manoeuvrability made it ideal for Army Co-Op. In reality our Austers had, by actual test (03.03.45) an endurance of 1 hr 40 mins. The function of the AOP was : 1. Provide elevated observation for observing officers to carry out shoots or reconnaissance. 2. Contact and general close reconnaissance. 3. Reconnaissance by commands and staff officers including R.A.E. and administrative services. 4. Message, dispatch and pamphlet dropping.

A11-30 being unloaded at Balikpapan. 5. Inter communication. 67 AHSA Aviation Heritage Lae, arriving 19,10.44 and set up camp alongside the strip. 16 AOP Flight was placed in support of Headquarters, First Australian Army. During our extended six months at Lae we fine-tuned our capabilities, conducted R/T and "arty " (artillery) shoot practice, photography, message drops, air searches, transported urgent medical supplies, evacuated seriously wounded personnel, conducted several operational Tac/Rs (Tactical Reconnaissance) -to

6. Minor supply in emergency. 7. Evacuation of casualties in emergency. 8. Naval co-operation in amphibious operations, with the limitation that "it would not fly over enemy occupied territory" (?!!!). 08.10,44 at 2AD Richmond, N.S.W. 16 AOPs Salamau Strip - Nov 1944. We enjoy a beer! formation aircrew comprised four pilots - F/Os L to R; ??, F/O Col Colmor, F/O Stu McIntyre, LAC G. Sherman, S. McIntyre and D. Darbishire under the “Short/' Bracken, F/O Dave Darbishire. command of F/L R. Drabsch (arrived Lae 27,10.44) - Boana, Tsilli Tsilli, Angisi, Buso area, Wau Rd. etc. all ex 4 Sqn. The aircraft, assembled, were test flown and ferried army personnel to distant outposts, as far by us (no parachutes in Austers), during our conversion afield as Annanberg, stretching aircraft endurance to (teaching each other) with varying degrees of success, the limit! Reconnaissance flights were made of the particularly during the landing! The pilot, on the left Annanberg-Angetti area. Officers and personnel of with central throttle control, was the reverse to the P.I.B. (Papuan Infantry Battalion) were transported to Wirraway and Boomerang, so our early co-ordination Annanberg from Dumpu when they were urgently needed during the Japanese threat along the Keram River. Stores, ammunition, rifles and Tommy guns were also delivered. Owing to the short range of the Austers, petrol had to be carried in two gallon tins and was used to refuel the aircraft before returning to Dumpu. One such flight 14.11.44 took us (pre dawn take-off) to Dumpu, Faita, Annanberg, Atemble, Faita, Dumpu, Faita, Annanberg, Faita, Dumpu, Gusap and on to Lae in the dark! Other sorties took us to Nadzab, Salamaua and Morobe (rescue work). (11.11.44 All-13 our first prang - C.O. overshot metal strip and turned over in the sand )and Finschhafen - several strips were only operational to Austers. Our only other mishap occurred 22.12.44 when All-15 F/O 16 AOP first prang, by the C.O. , at Morobe strip Darbishire lost his engine on take-off at Lae was somewhat out of s>nc, much to the amusement of and ditched in the sea and survived - aircraft spectators. 1 am sure they thought we were virgin went straight to the bottom, but a couple of months "sprogs"! later, was washed ashore in a storm! My passenger on a The dismantled aircraft were loaded into "Dougs" return flight from Annanberg 18.01.45 was a live pig - (Douglas DC-3's). and we left Richmond 16.10.44 for subsequently barbecued. "P/O Sow" behind me ______breathing down my neck, with legs tied enjoyed the 68 AHSA Aviation Heritage flight, but became restless when landing at Dumpu to as the skids chattered along the bitumen. refuel, and during the landing at Lae -1 had visions of On 11 & 18,01.45 ground staff of 16 AOP were li;gt attached to 24 Operational Base Unit at Mareeba, for the purpose of building up the aircraft and equipment strength. During March '45 this detachment was allotted six aircraft, and the unit departed Mareeba 04 04,45 under Army control, en route for Morotai. arriving 19 & 21,04.45 per S.S. General Butler and S.S Sea Barb respectively. On 30.01.45 (until 20.03.45) F/L F. ^■1 Chaney. F/0 J. Bagshaw, Lt S. Ket, A.L.O. (Air Liaison Officer), three airmen and a !W|B soldier with All-13, departed Lae for Tadji, to do duty as a detached flight. The ■QH detachment carried out medical evacuations of wounded A.l.F. personnel in the vicinity of Tadji, dropped supplies to A.l.F. in inaccessible locations and flew Army Officers from Tadji to Balif when the road was inundated due to tidal rises. A11-6 and other 16 AOP Austers at 10 RSU, Tarakan 02.05.45 From the middle of March '45, with little him committing suicide through the side panel fabric. activity at Lae. some of us offered our services to 33 01.01.45 Myself, F/O C. Colmer and F/0 McIntyre Sqn Dougs, (short of co-pilots) - this occupied our time celebrated New Year's Day with a 20 mins, glider until mid April. On 17.04.45 I flew to Momote, flight! Lt. Brunner, USAAF. camped with us at Lae Admiralty Islands (per Beaufreighter) to retrieve was supervising the assembly and test flying of several "abandoned" Wirraway for 4 Sqn. During test flight (at surplus crated gliders on the opposite side of the strip. altitude) I was mistaken for a Jap. recce, aircraft, and At Lt. Brunner's early morning invitation we took our Yank fighters were to be scrambled, before information places standing up behind him in the glider as the C47 was passed down through the chain of command that towed us off. It was an exhilarating sensation when the the aircraft was "friendly"! On 20.04.45 I flew the tow rope was released and we soared in the silence, Wirraway A20-232 back to Lae under C47 escort. On except for the swish of air and creaking of the 30.04.45 I ferried 4 Sqn A20-619 to Morotai via framework as we turned and banked. His misjudged Madang. Tadji, Hollandia, Wakede Island, (did a Tac/R downwind approach to landing necessitated a very of mainland opposite Wakede Is.), Biak, Noemfoor, sharp, creaking, tight turn at low altitude - we were (looking for u/s Wirra. - not there), Biak. Middleburg dubious of the outcome, but our foreboding disappeared Is, and arrived Morotai 05.05.45.

D-Day + 1 at Labuan All-28 being towed to the strip for assembly-had to retire-due Jap sniper fire! 69 AHSA Aviation Heritage 28.03.45 83 (Army Co-operation) Wing and unit personnel embarked on U.S.A.S.O.S. vessel Roger Sherman and arrived at Morotai on 04.04.45 in preparation for the Borneo landings at Tarakan (01.05.45), Labuan (10.06.45) and Balikpapan (01.07.45). On 25.04.45 letter was received from 83 Army Co-op Wing H.Q., R.A.A.F. Pacific, which read (in part):-

”The following correspondence has been received from No.71 (GR/B) Wing, Tadji. As the activities of No. 4 Sqn Tac/R and Nol6 A.O.P. Flight detachments in the area have now ceased, it is desired to convey the deepest appreciation for their operational effort in support of the 6th Division and this Wing.... Perhaps no other factor has contributed so much to raise the morale of the troops of the 17th Brigade in the Balif area than the work of 16 A.O.P. in evacuating wounded from the small strip prepared at Balif This strip is only 16 AOP Flight, Labuan, Borneo 1945 240 yards long and has difficult approaches Top; FA.t. Peter Muggleton (recovering from head injuries necessitating considerable skill in landing. P/0 White sustained after crashing into trees), F/Lt.Greg Sherman, P/0 made 20 trips and carried out 15 patients; F/0 Clark, ‘Blue’ Thomas, F/0 David Thompson,. Bot; F/0 Ted Dowse, F/0 Arthur Myers (Adj), F/Lt. Fred Chaney (C.O.), F/Lt Jack White. 16 trips and 14 patients. The Anny estimates that 20 of these casualties would have died had they not been 22.05.45, the remaining LO Capt. Holdsworth flew on flown out. The pilots often had to climb as high as twenty Auster sorties and carried on although injured 10,000 feet to get above the heavy cloud which always in a crash 13.05.45., A11-6. builds up during the day on the Torricelli Range. Their 16.05.45 During restricted-landing training at efforts in these small aircraft deserve the highest praise. Morotai over vertical 44 gallon drums, in an effort to We wish you and your pilots good luck and every beat F/0 C. Colmer's 105ft, I managed to land the tail success In the future... Signed J, R. Fleming, on a drum, and wrecked the aircraft (All-23), which Commanding 83 Army Co-op Wing H.Q. RAAF was not well received by the powers above! Pacific. At Labuan 10.06.45., I and a "runner”, LAC Les Vallance, landed with the invading troops to select the 16 A.O.P. Austers were the first aircraft to operate best emergency Auster strip site (from three aerial from small emergency strips at Tarakan. Labuan and photos) prior to the detachment's disembarkation. The Balikpapan within hours of the landings and carried "small and almost inadequate strip" was hastily out all vital Tac/Rs, "arty" and naval shoots and constructed by the 2/7 Engineers, 9th Division. As it photography during the first two to three weeks, prior was necessary to demolish a "grass house" on stilts and to the capture and reconstruction of the main airfields. several coconut palms along the take-off fly path, the 23.04.45 F/L R. Drabsch, F/Os S. McIntyre, J. Ellis, two of us entered the house and inspected (after S. Lawrie and E. Dowse with aircraft All-6, 11, 12, checking for "booby traps") the contents of a large 14, twelve airmen, two ALO's-Capt S. Ket and Capt. W. Holdsworth, and two AL (air liaison) personnel departed Oboe 1 for Tarakan. Equipment was loaded on board L.S.T. 993 on the 22.04.45 and the troops embarked on the 23.04.45. On 01.05.45 this detachment took part in the initial landing and later set up camp South East end of Lingkas Beach. At 0900 hours on the 02.05.45 work commenced on a small strip adjacent to the camp site by C.R.E. 1st Aust. Corps and at 1645 hours All-12 F/O McIntyre and Capt. Ket crashed on the first take-off - both were injured, Capt. Ket fatally - this was the unit's only fatality in all A11-29 in May 1945 at Labuan three Borneo operations. From 07 to 70 AHSA Aviation Heritage camphor wooden chest, containing bed linen, towels, a Japanese sword, a Hara Kari knife, a Japanese photo album and millions of dollars in Japanese paper invasion money. I subsequently returned that photo album to its owner, Mr. T. Umehara, in Tokyo 08.10.80 midst great ceremony. My Japanese friend, Mr. T. Momozawa located Mr.Uniehara in four hours!!! Mr.Umehara's Major friend, and owner of sword was killed in the war. On the same day another strip was completed by the 2/3 Engineers, 9th Division at Brooketon on the mainland. Flying operations began on 12.06.45 and two Austers flew south across Brunei Bay to Brooketon to support the 20th Brigade, whilst the aircraft operating from Labuan supported the advance of the 24th F/L R. Drabsch relinquished command of the unit Brigade A.I.F. As operations extended further afield we on 19.06.45 on posting. F/L G. Sherman assumed used emergency strips, south at Tutong and Lutong temporary command on the same date and acted in this (army construction), Miri and Kuala Belait (beach - role until F/L F. Chaney arrived from the Tarakan nature's strip. Later also preferred Tutong and Lutong detachment on the 21st. beaches below high tide!) in support of 20th Brigade The Austers most dramatic role was the rescue of A.I.F., east at Beaufort in suport of 24th Brigade A.I.F. eleven "missing believed killed" American airmen from and north at Papar (my aircraft "Papar Doll"!). On the "Shangri-la" (Bawang Valley) in the centre of morning of 13.06.45 in All-2L I flew Maj. Rod O'Loan mountainous, unmapped Borneo, June 45. The airmen across to Brooketon and returned with F/0 D. were from two Liberator bombers shot down over Thompson, who, on operations later in the day, flying Brunei Bay area Nov. 44 and Jan. 45 - one crewman All-21 with Lt. Scholes, was forced to land on the sea died from privations in the jungle and five starving in the vicinity of Timbalai strip due to engine failure. crewmen who surrendered to the Japs, died at Beaufort. They were rescued from the beach to which the Auster After horrendous interrogation the poor wretches were had been towed by a Catalina from 113 Air Sea Rescue pegged out naked, on ant nests in the hot sun and eaten Flight. Unit personnel escorted by a platoon of A.I.F. alive! Small scattered groups of the sick and starving infantry salvaged the aircraft. On 18.06.45 All-24 F/O survivors were eventually found, succoured, protected Thompson crashed on landing at Brooketon. and hidden by fierce head-hunting Dyaks, and later brought together, March 45 at Maj. Harrisson's Bawang base. After the Tarakan landing plans for a rescue attempt were formulated by F/L Gordon Reid, who borrowed an American Catalina, flew over the route, circled the village and dropped 100 gallons of fuel for use by the Austers. The Dyaks constructed a split bamboo strip 75 yards long - one end led in to mud, the other on the edge of a 30ft. ravine. F/L Fred Chaney, and F/O Jack White, escorted by Catalina made the first flight, mid June. F/O White landed first and pulled up with one wing over “Shangri-la”, Bbawang Valley bamboo strip. the ravine. F/L Chaney landed, but when 71 AHSA Aviation Heritage to drop five Army personnel, abandoned due to inclement weather. On 25 March drop was successful - Liberator last seen H V ^75* Liberator five miles north of J Jesselton at 5000 ft on a heading of 20^. y Both aircraft waggled their wings in I mutual greeting - A73-19I, Squadron H Leader Pockley, and eleven crew members never seen again. I made seven flights into the Bawang Valley with supplies and later, personnel and returned with Yanks, captured documents etc., and later, fresh fruit, live pig, goat and fowls and - finally, 11.09.45 a Dyak! 19.06.45 "Deadly precision bombing of L to R; Two US fliers, Dyak, Maj. Harrisson, Dyak, F/Lt. Chaney & strongly-entrenched Jap positions west of two US fliers. Labuan airstrip by American Mitchell he attempted the first take-off, the run was too short bombers was made possible by remarkable and he crashed. The strip was lengthened and F/O reconnaissance photos taken from 200ft (low obliques White took off next morning with the first American, a and verticals) by F/L G. Sherman and Capt. McIntosh seriously ill U.S. Navy flier named Harms. F/L in All-28, who used a standard aerial camera It was Chaney's damaged Auster was repaired using bamboo, the first time that a camera of such size and weight had telephone wire and strips of metal dropped by Catalina. ever been used successfully from these midget Auster Two more fliers were flown to Tarakan - Cpl. Capin, aircraft". Later the same day All-28 , during a Tac/R nose gunner and Cpl. Knoep, both Army fliers. of railway Weston to Beaufort, my passenger, Maj. The other Americans rescued from the closer Gordon was violently airsick in the cabin - !! Next day Labuan base late June were Capt. Harrington, Lts. Corrin, Reuben Robbins, James Shepherd, and Robert Graham, and Cpls. Haviland, Nelson, and Illerich. During the course of the evacuation, the Dyaks ceremoniously presented the Auster pilots with three Jap. heads on a pole subsequently erected alongside the strip together with a Japanese flag attached! The Americans fought as patrol leaders of the Dyaks, under the command of British Maj.Tom Harrisson of S.R.D. Z Force (parachuted in, March '45). F/L Chaney and I (my aircraft was All-29) made the first Ihr 10 mins hairy flight in from Labuan 23.06.45 and was very proud to receive Special Borneo Z Force badge 16 AOP Detachment at Macassar from Maj. Harrisson. The Dyaks enjoyed the return to All-27 with Maj. O'Loan, during Tac/R Padas River to the good old headhunting days, and many Dyak fathers Bainking, we saw two Japs mn into a house and many demanded Jap. head dowries before suitors could marry natives waving and saluting. Intelligence Report: their daughters - the heads were smoked then decorated Natives forced to wave - Japs in area but well hidden!! family huts! As a point of interest, Maj. Harrisson twice About this time, early one morning, a nearby flew to Central Borneo in Liberators but could not villager ran into our camp and told two guards a pinpoint his desired dropping zone. On his third flight Japanese soldier, armed with an Australian bayonet, he was determined to jump - he did, but the Liberator was threatening them. The two guards returned with disappeared without trace. Extract from Special duties the villager and shot the Japanese crouching in the Flight History; ...200 Liberator Special Duties Flight, bushes. He was obviously a starving straggler wanting Leyburn, Queensland. Departed 15 March 1945 and food - he was wearing a pair of Australian boots. I was staged through Darwin, Pitoe (Morotai), to Maguire detailed to inspect the deceased and go through his Field (Island of Mindoro) arriving 18 March. Flights possessions, which contained a photograph of his wife on 20 & 21 March to target area, code-named 'Sernut 1 72 AHSA Aviation Heritage sustained! Later, with Capt.Stark, I supervised a naval bombardment on the locality. On 14.07.45 1 pranged All-28 on landing at Beaufort - right undercarriage collapsed. Officially, "pilot error" though investigation revealed old, dull colour crack halfway through metal rod! Besides our Army Co-op sorties the "world's smallest airline" operated a daily service to outposts - the shortest return flight 50 miles, the longest 140 miles. On one such flight 30.07.45 All-35 while dropping a despatch bag for Kuala Penyu it caught in my D-Day Labuan Auster wings come ashore on ’DUKS’ tailplane and I had to take it on to Beaufort! and two young children! I felt it was a sad unnecessary 04.08.45 All-27 at Beaufort (army tents alongside death. Such is war - !! small strip) I experienced, what all Auster pilots feared! The Tarakan detachment ceased operations Without starter motor, the prop had to be manually QLQ7.45. On this date, 3 Austers from Morotai plus swung, which presented a problem flying solo, as the pilots and ground crew landed at Balikpapan with the throttle had to be "partly open" and closed when the assault convoy. Strip difficulties such as had been engine kicked over - hand brake useless! This day, as encountered on previous operations were not in usual, I had Army assistants - two holding down the evidence and by 03.07.45, quite a reasonable strip was tail, another leaning in the cockpit with hand on serviceable and operations in support of the 7th adjusted throttle with instructions to throttle back after Division, A.I.F. commenced. The detachment was I swung the prop - proceedings watched by army guys considerably supplemented on the 09.07.45, when three lying in various states of undress on stretchers in flap Austers with personnel, who had departed Tarakan on open tents nearby. The engine sprang to life OK, but the 05.07.45, arrived. my throttle assistant OPENED the throttle result army From 02.07.45 to 09.07.45, All-29 and 18.07.45 to "assistants" panicked and ran, ignoring my pleas to 21.07.45 All-28 F/0 Thompson (cook) and I camped close the throttle, while I tried to hold the Auster by and operated off Kuala Belait beach to extend our range grabbing the wing struts - to no avail. Back-peddling, I South to Miri and Riam Road (area causing trouble). was eventually bowled-over and aircraft swung to the During one of my Riam Road Tac/Rs 04.07.45 with a left towards the army tents the horror-struck fearless (on the ground but air scared) army officer we inhabitants leapt to their feet and were out of those were shot at. I heard the rat-a tat-tat but not my tents before their feet touched the ground!! The Auster came to rest against a tent pole, broke the prop and the engine stalled. After the initial shock, I could not stop laughing - the sight of bodies, arms and legs flaying, disappearing in all directions, as if being chased by some evil monster! 15.08.45 All-28 F/L P. Muggleton crashed into a tree whilst dropping despatches at Papar strip - aircraft wrecked, but pilot escaped with slight injuries. 16.08.45 All-35 F/L Chaney and All- 19 F/L C. White flew into Bawang Valley to evacuate a native Dyak woman. Maj. Harrisson of S.R D. presented them with badges of the Special Borneo Force for Labuan, some weeks after D-Day, first strip on edge of the LHS services rendered to it. about a third of the way from bottom. During August one particular sortie passenger - I flew back over the area to try and locate from Balikpapan located a large number of Indian the gun - this time my passenger also heard the sliots, prisoners of war in the Paraleen area and was later tried to stand up on the seat with his hands under his instrumental in directing the ground patrols which bum exclaiming, "Shit! Let's get out of here!" I thought evacuated the P.O.W's. he had been shot in the rump but no damage was 73 AHSA Aviation Heritage 10.09.45 All-30 F/L D. Lowing, passenger F/O L. from Labuan but were forced to return on account of Higgins and All-18 F/O B. Roadnight supplied cover bad weather. The landing was successliilly carried out for the official surrender of Dutch Borneo signed on on the 20.09.45 using the same crews and aircraft, board H.M.A.S. "Burdekin" off Moedjawa. On the 20.09.45 F/L Cock in A11-35, crashed on taking off same day, over British North Borneo, 1 was flying All- from Ranau and his passenger was slightly injured. A 27 returning from a early flight to Kuala Belait by a medical officer, passenger in All-13 elected to remain stroke of luck, (all Allied Aircraft were grounded), behind so that the injured member could be flown out. when 1 arrived in the Labuan circuit area at the same The escaped POWs, four of the known six survivors of time as Japanese surrender aircraft with General Baba the infamous Ranau death march were W/O Stipwitch, Bombardier Moxham (injured man) and Privates Short and Betterill. 21.09.45 Grp.Capt. Fleming led another party to Keningau for the purpose of inspecting the strip and general facilities in the area. The party was met by Lt. Col. Ogata, Commander of the Japanese troops in N.W.Borneo, and to all outward appearances the Japanese reception was friendly and they seemed willing to co-operate. Japanese ‘Betty’ surrender aircraft 30.09.45 at Balikpapan, three (later executed for War Crimes) on board. Needless to maintenance personnel and two say, 1 had to play the "big shot" -1 closed in on him and Austers departed on board a small Japanese freighter "escorted" him to a landing - so elated was 1, 1 had to destined for Macassar where the unit was to provide "put on a show" diving and climbing etc. as Gen. Baba another detachment. F/O Roadnight and F/O Higgins alighted. Officially recorded as "F/L. G. Sherman departed by air for Macassar on 01.10.45 and the flying All-27 escorted the Japanese surrender convoy detachment became operational 04.10.45 operating to Labuan airstrip". courier services with Mak Force to Pare Pare. 13.09.45 1 flew to Balikpapan, where on 17.09.45 I 02.10.45 1 flew in a Catalina in search of crashed flew in a Catalina (landed on river) to supervise Jap All-14 (F/O Eddie and F/O Alan Davidson RAFTC) - POWs constructing the strips at Samarinda and Sanga uninjured crew located at Tiram. Landed on river and Sanga - at Samarinda my Japanese interpreter, "Uriah rescued them. (Crew of a Royal Air Force Transport Heap" (George) reckoned 1 looked like Clark Gable and Command aircraft billeted with us, on the beach. Alan, wanted to know when 1 was returning to Hollywood! the captain wanted me to fly back to England with George had been the head waiter at the Imperial Hotel, them for ‘a week’ before returning to Balikpapan! ) Tokyo, where he had improved his English and French. 08.10.45 F/O L. Utber arrived Labuan from RAAF He told me he took food from the hotel to POWs before Staff College and assumed command of 16 AOP Flight. entering the army in May ’44. Later, on courier flights 06.11.45 Orders were received from 83 Army Co-op to and from Samarinda and Sanga Sanga, we would, Wing H.Q. instructing 16 AOP Flight to cease illegally fly low over the Jap. nurses POW compound at operations and all its detachments to close. Officially, Mangar to observe them showering in roofless my Balikpapan detachment ceased flying 07.11.45 but, enclosures!! 08.11.45 I took an Army Nursing Sister friend, 18.09.45 F/L Chaney departed Labuan on posting Margaret Clemence, for a very extended joyride in and temporary command was taken over by F/L All-30 - my first female passenger on my last Air Muggleton. Force flight! Subsequently all aircraft were packed 19.09.45 All-2 self and passenger, Cpl. ready for shipment to Canberra to F/O Utber - the only McKennally crashed near Sanga Sanga due to engine remaining 16 AOP officer there, early December, plus failure - actuating arm in fuel pump broken - no balance of 83 Wing, (Grp Capt. Fleming being posted injuries. to Air Board, Dept, of Posting - Supernumerary). 1 19.09.45 an attempt was made to land at Ranau to departed the area for Australia by Catalina 28.11.45 on evacuate escaped Australian POWs. Group Capt. J. posting to 2PD (Personnel Depot) located at Bradfield Fleming, CO. 83 Army Co-op Wing H.Q., F/L Park, Lindfield, on Sydney’s North Shore - my first Muggleton, F/L R. Cock, F/O E. Dowse and P/0 J. camp on entering the RAAF - 2ITS (Initial Training Thomas, flying All-27, 13, 35, 29 and 31 took off School). Actually discharged on 29.01.46.

74 AHSA Aviation Heritage

R.A.A.F. AUSTER A11-SERIES

A11- On charge AOP Fit Service Highlights Disposed Fate ■" ...... - 1 2/10/44 Australian mainland service only 10/03/60 VH-SNI 2 2/10/44 16 CR Sanga Sanga 16/11/45 Components (Boken fuel pump) 3 2/10/44 17 D Vernon Bougainville 03-04-45 11/02/45 Components 4 2/10/44 Mainland service only 08/03/50 Components 5 2/10/44 17 CR Balif, Tadji 08-04-45 12/02/45 Components 6 2/10/44 16 CR Tarakan 13-05-45 05/07/45 Components 7 2/10/44 17 CR Piva 02-08-45 14/02/45 Components 8 2/10/45 17 D Vernon, Bougainville 20-02-45 19/02/45 Components 9 2/10/44 17 D Vernon, Bougainville 30-05-45 30/05/45 Components 10 2/10/44 17 D Vernon, Bougainville 29-04-45 12/04/46 Components 11 2/10/44 16 D Balikpapan 24-07-45 02/01/45 Components 12 2/10/44 16 CR Tarakan 02-05-45 06/06/45 Components (1st Sortie) 13 2/10/44 16 CR Morobe 11-11-44 20/02/47 VH-BGI, DQN 14 2/10/44 16 CR Tiram 02-10-45 12/02/46 Components 15 2/10/44 16 CR Lae, into sea 22-12-44 29/12/44 W/Off 16 2/10/44 17 CR Torikino, Burnt out 27-12-44 27/12/44 W/Off 17 1/12/44 16 CR Morotai 04-05-45 Repaired 13/01/47 VH-BGU, FAE 18 1/12/44 16 Lae, Morotai, Balipapan 13/01/47 VH-GAE, DAE 19 7/12/44 16 CR Labuan 02-09-45 18/10/45 Components 20 4/01/45 Australian mainland service only 29/03/45 Scrap 21 4/01/45 16 CR Timbalai, Borneo 13-06-45 04/10/45 Components (D.T. in sea) 22 4/01/45 17 CR Lae 02-09-45 18/12/45 Components 23 4/01/45 16 Cr Morotai 16-05-45 031/07/45 Components(EGS landing on drums) 24 6/01/45 16 CR Brooketon, Borneo 18-06-45 031/10/45 Components (Thompson) 25 21/02/45 17 CR Torikino River, 08-08-45 10/10/45 W/Off 26 21/02/45 17 CR Oxley Strip 22-02-45 15/06/45 Components 27 15/03/45 16 D Beaufort N.Borneo 29-09-45 19/11/47 Components then VH-BYJ 28 15/03/45 16 Cr Papar 15-08-45 12/10/45 Components (Muggleton -into trees) 29 10/04/45 16 CR Labuan 27-10-45 05/12/45 Components 30 11/04/45 16 Delivered by air (C47) 23-07-45 13/01/47 VH-BBS (To Balikpapan) 31 11/04/45 16 CR Beaufort N.Borneo 29-09-45 20/11/45 Components 32 9/06/45 Australian mainland service only 13/01/47 VH-BDL, MAD, FED 33 9/09/45 16 Australian mainland service only 13/01/45 VH-BDM, RDM 34 9/06/45 Australian mainland service only 12/12/47 VH-BKK, CAJ, DAJ, DSJ 35 19/06/45 16 Cr Ranau 20-09-45 15/01/46 Components 36 16/06/45 Stored 13/01/47 VH-BCR 37 23/06/45 Stored 021/01/47 VH-BHA 38 23/06/45 Selected for prototype coversion 18/10/60 VH-RCT, BED 39 23/06/45 Stored 021/01/47 VH-BCF 40 27/06/45 Stored 202/01/47 VH-BCG

.AUSTER,

75 AHSA Aviation Heritage NOTED IN PASSING SL qfiueii ci.oliL±enrei:* by MACARTHUR JOB

Alfred Lyford Ashley: Pioneer airline pilot and them veterans of aircraft engineer. Bom Prahran, Victoria, June 24, 1907. either the Died Redland Bay, Queensland, September 17, 1996, Australian Flying aged 89. corps or the Royal Flying corps from Unlike many of his contemporaries. Captain Alf World War 1 - the Ashley's name never become a household word - more a tempestuous reflection of his reserved disposition than any lack of "Jimmy" Larkin achievement as an early aviator. himself, F.S. Briggs, Frank Mechanically-minded from his earliest years, Ashley Roberts, Les went on to the Caulfield Technical College after leaving Holden, Frank school and in 1926, at the age of 18, began an Neale and others. engineering apprenticeship with the Larkin Aircraft Supply Company in Melbourne. In the same year he Early in 1930, the Larkin airline subsidiary, began flying training with the newly formed Victorian Australian Aerial Services, operating between Division of the Australian Aero Club, initially on Avro Melbourne, Hay, Mildura and Broken Hill and Adelaide, 504K World war 1 aircraft, and later on the club's newly gained an airmail contract to fly a weekly service acquired de Havilland Moths. His first instmctor was the between Camooweal and Daly Waters in the Northern colourful former Australian Flying Corps pilot Territory. Alf Ashley, now licensed as an aircraft E.A.(Pard) Mustar, later to win fame for his maintenance engineer, accompanied company pilot developmental flying on the New Guinea goldfields. Frank Neale to Daly Waters in a four-passenger DH-50 biplane to inaugurate and operate the service. The extensive Larkin base on the old Coode Island aerodrome in the Yarra River was a hub of aviation Not long afterwards, Neale was recalled to take part activity in the late 1920’s and early 1930s, among other in the first Mackay aerial survey expedition of central things constmcting more than 30 de Havilland DH-60 Australia, leaving the base without a pilot. Undaunted, Moths under licence for the RAAF. In the course of his Alf Ashley, who by this time had sufiicient flying engineering work there, the young Ashley came in experience to qualify as commercial pilot, sat for the contact with many of the early Australian pilots, most of examinations in Daly Waters under the supervision of the

Pilot Alf Ashley (left) with passengers and the Australian Aerial Services DH-50 “Wattle Bird" VH-UEJ at Birdum, N.T., in the early 1930’s. Phcto Garth Ashley 76 AHSA Aviation Heritage local postmaster, and became the company’s resident expertise available in Qantas was no longer being folly pilot as well as engineer. Following a subsequent crash utilised for the war effort. Former KLM Lockheed ^ landing in thick Lodestars from the Dutch East Indies were therefore H fog in which his allocated to the company to enable it to supplement was RAAF and USAF military support operations from Port BI destroyed, he was Moresby. Alf Ashley was one of eight Qantas captains highly commended seconded to this campaign, flying shuttles with heavy W by the Minister for loads of ammunition and supplies across the Owen Defence for his Stanley Ranges to front line airstrips and returning with action in side- the wounded. M slipping into the H ground and For his part in this operation, one of the most H avoiding injury to intensive of its kind in the Pacific war, Ashley received a his three personal letter of appreciation from Lieutenant General passengers - one of Kenny, Commander of Allied Air Forces in the whom was to Southwest Pacific. become his father- in- law! Throughout the next two years Ashley continued as a Qantas pilot on Allied military transport flights between Ashley's Australia and New Guinea, operating C-47s (the military Alf Ashley with Qantas Dragonfly weekly flights to De-3), Lodestars, and Empire flying boats. at (possibly) Longreach in 1938. Photo Garth Ashley Camooweal over the following three When ill health forced his retirement from Qantas in years made him a "regular" ovemighter at Reilly's hotel, 1947, he and his wife took up fanning at Capalaba in where he became friendly with the landlord's six Queensland. Some years later when this too proved too attractive daughters, in particular with Rhoda, known to demanding, they bought a drapery business in Brisbane. all as Dooley. They were married shortly after Ashley Devastated in 1962 when their third son Bill was killed was recalled to Melbourne in 1933. in a motor cycle accident, they retired a few years later, first to Angler's Paradise, and then to Runaway Bay. In After a brief spell on weather observation flights for 1983 Alf Ashley and the former Dooley Reilly happily the Bureau of Meteorology in Tasmania, Ashley joined celebrated their golden wedding anniversary - a long way Qantas in Queensland. Based in Longreach, he became the company's charter and aerial ambulance pilot. Four years later when Qantas' magnificent Empire flying boats replaced its four- engined de Havilland DH-86 landplanes on the Singapore service, Ashley became a captain on the notoriously difficult DH-86s, operating the company's inland services throughout Once again VH-UEJ, Alf Ashley on right, the girl fourth from left could be Dooley Reilly. Queensland and the Photo Garth Ashley Northern Territory, and later a flying boat captain on the Sydney-Darwin route. removed from their pioneering days at Camooweal. A kindly, considerate man, Alf Ashley found his By late 1942, as a result of Japan's entry in to the war, fulfilment in his family of sons and their wives and Qantas had suffered the loss of several Empire flying children. Reserved and unassuming by nature, he spoke boats and its overseas network had been decimated. With little of his considerable aviation accomplishments, and Japanese forces advancing on the north coast of Papua in his old age these were scarcely known to his friends - and the outlook for Australia grim, the newly formed or even to younger members of his family. Allied Directorate of Air Transport saw that the aviation ^ 77 AHSA Aviation Heritage

The Larkin Lark Glider/Sailplane. By DOUG PARDEE Although the sport of gliding had become well established in Europe and the United States of America by the end of the 'twenties, Australia's first glider of 'modem' design did not take to the air until 1929. From that year until the War intermpted the development of this form of heavier-than-air machine, the popularity of the sport increased rapidly. The last ‘new’ design aircraft to be built by LASCo, before its demise, was the Lark glider prototype.

With the RAAF Moth contract almost complete, was provided on the underside of this component. The LASCo, in early 1930, had decided to build a prototype empennage was of wooden constmction, all components ,______^ ^ I being readily removable, and the pilot's seat was adjustable fore and aft through 4 Ins., giving correct trim automatically without regard to the weight of the pilot. It was noted that by attaching canvas spoilers between the lower fuselage longerons and the mainplane, the gliding angle could be steepened, thus making the machine suitable for short hops. A hook was provided under and in front of the pilot's cockpit, to permit the attachment of a tow-rope or shock cord loop for air tow or ground launch purposes. of an improved form of Glider, which would be marketed The machine, under test on in kit form at a price which would be attractive to the flat country with four men on each end of an elastic would-be glider pilot. Their Chief Designer, Shackleton, shock cord, took off and made a flight of 180 Yds; it was was therefore instmcted to design a machine embodying estimated that with more-effective streamlining, glides some of the latest features of overseas types, and in a few up to 600 Yds.would be possible. In fact, the machine weeks produced what was henceforth known as the 'Lark' held the British Empire Duration Record for a short - a single-seat aircraft in which the pilot sat inside a period in 1931, and on January 18th. of that year, at cockpit rather than on a seat open to the elements - a Tower Hill, Victoria, flown by Jimmy Larkin, remained machine known as a 'secondary' glider - and, because of aloft for 7 minutes; on May 19th. when piloted by Fit. Lt. the favourable wing area/weight ratio, a Ray Garratt, set an Australian record of 1 Hr. 54 Min., 'Glider/Sailplane'. Construction of the aircraft was and on October 28th. at Warmambool, Victoria, commenced immediately at Coode Island, and the remained aloft for 2 Hr.40 Min. with pilot H. Morris. machine was ready for testing in early December, 1930; the first flight was made, in fact, on December 8th. of Despite the optimistic forecast of the LASCo firm, that year, and proved that the design was most only the prototype of the Lark was sold. This was due satisfactory. undoubtedly to the economic situation at the time, when Australia was in the throes of the 'Great Depression' and It was anticipated that because of the simple form of businesses were going bankrupt with increasing construction, the machine could be built by amateurs frequency. (LASCo was soon to follow suit). By the time without difficulty. The wing had a load factor of 7V2 at the depression was virtually over Australia was at war, high incidence, the mainspar being strong enough to and when that conflict was over the Lark was obsolete. □ permit the machine to be lifted at the wing tips only. The ailerons were differentially operated to eliminate yaw. LARKIN LARK The wing was of the single-spar full cantilever type with Wingspan of 38 Ft., Wing Area of 180 Sq. Ft., Overall a plywood covered nose to provide torsional resistance, Length of 18 Ft. 6 Ins. Height (Level) of 4 Ft. 7 Ins. and was attached to a pylon atop the fuselage by 4 bolts. All-up Weight of 380 to 400 Lbs. Gliding angle of 17 to The fuselage itself was built on four spruce longerons 1 (34 mph) Rate of sink of 2.7 Ft./Sec. Radius of action with spruce and plywood bulkheads, and was plywood of 31/4 miles from a launch height of 1000 Ft; Landing covered; a single central skid, sprung on compression speed 22 mph. rubbers and braced to resist lateral forces when landing 78 AHSA Aviation Heritage Reminiscences of Early Flying in South Australia GIPSY MOTH AMONG THE VINES by Sydney Hamilton - Reported by Stuart Hawkins The word Vintage' for most A.H.S.A. members no the mast on windjammers doubt conjures up visions of grass fields, rag and tube for two years before joining aircraft, inverted four cylinder engines, wind on the face the family firm during the and other joys of early flying. But for serious wine 1914-18 war years when drinkers - and more importantly, for wine mailers - it his elder brother Eric represents the annual harvest of grapes and their served with the Australian conversion into a delightful beverage. There may be army. He is still a member some wine makers airborne in light aircraft today, but of the Cape Homers, a few will have achieved the eminence in their field that select group of veterans Sydney Hamilton of North Adelaide can be proud of In who rounded the Horn under sail. When well into his addition to winning gold medals for his wines, he had seventies he established a new vineyard and winery, nearly a thousand hours in a DH60 Gipsy Moth in the Leconfield Cellars at Coonawarra, achieving distinction late 20s and early 30s. with his red wines before 'retiring' several years ago. This article is based on a long chat I recorded with Retirement is a relative term to a person like Syd Mr.Hamilton on 27 December 1985. His memory is very Hamilton. He is still an active adviser to his nephew, vivid for an 87 year old, although clearly some details Richard Hamilton, who bought the Coonawarra property. may not be strictly accurate. I have reproduced the main The Hamilton brothers were fascinated with aviation points in much the way he told them to me in order to and purchased a DH60G Moth from Horrie Miller in capture some of the feeling of vintage flying, rather than 1928 for £756. They were active members of the Aero as a statistical record. Whatever his shortcomings in club at Parafield, although Syd did most of the flying remembering aviation details, his palate remains because of Eric's heavy business commitments. unimpaired. Syd received flying instmction at Parafield from The Hamilton brothers, Eric and Sydney, were Jimmy Mollison, a British pilot who later made a name principals of the family vineyards and winery at Ewell for himself with flights from Britain to Australia, and as near Glenelg in South Australia for many years. Syd husband of Amy Johnson. Syd remembers Mollison as an Hamilton lead an adventurous life, having sailed before excellent pilot and a very clever man who was quite

The photo shows Eric Hamilton about to embark in "Ewell" for a trip to Melbourne in 1930 - note the brief case (under the port wing) and suit. Diana Ramsay 79 AHSA Aviation Heritage fearless, but who was inclined to tipple when not flying. name inscribed on the cup before the race was started. Pilot's licences were renewed annually. Syd remembers: Horrie Miller died several years ago, but I was present on 'You had to have a medical test...the main test being to an earlier occasion at Syd's house when he reminisced hold your breath for two minutes, about as silly a test as I with Horrie about these early air races. The Adelaide- could think of..' He received his Private Pilot's Licence Melboume race always was a big event. Navigation was and Certificate of Competency No. 331 on 29 June 1929. considered to be relatively easy as most pilots followed The Moth, registered as VH-UGV (serial no. 833), the 'steel compass' both ways. This made for some was kept in a shed on his uncle Walter Hamilton's field interesting times when the cloud base was low and the across the road from Syd's house at the Ewell vineyards. slower planes heading to Melbourne met the faster planes It gave him great delight to wheel her out after the on the return leg to Adelaide. winery closed in the evening, unfold the wings and spend Some of Syd's fellow pilots at the Aero Club included an hour or so practicing aerobatics - presumably not on Dr.Harry Nott, Jimmy Melrose (who later participated in days of extensive product sampling! the Centenary Air Race from England to Australia), Lyn There appear to have been few mechanical or Wood, Malcolm Joyner, Keith Lawson and Norman structural problems with UGV apart from the engine Birks. Syd remembers sadly that Norman's brother Les overheating. Syd says he used to watch the oil pressure killed himself in a spin. 'The main thing with spinning gauge very carefully, and when pressure began to fall he was not to lose your nerve.' would glide down a thousand feet or so to cool the Aero pageants were a feature of that era, and Syd cylinders. The original oil pressure gauge was not very Hamilton was an active participant in Adelaide and reliable and he fitted a more modem version after several Melbourne pageants. He remembers the latter were years. Fuel was 'top-grade motor spirit' which gave no conducted from Essendon, with much of the display over problems. He also recalls using Castrol XL as the engine the city itself. On one occasion he set off for a pageant in oil. Instmmentation was minimal. There was a revolution Melbourne with Lyn Wood as a passenger. As Syd recalls counter, a dial-type air speed indicator inboard, and a it: 'We were advised it might be difficult getting through. vane type attached to a starboard stmt. The circular We got as far as Beaufort but ran into thick cloud. There spirit level was not so useful. As Syd said: 'You could was a bare little hill on the west side of the main take no notice of that - it was a very wise move not to highway, quite steep really. Today it is overgrown with look at it as it never showed the tme level of the plane.' trees. Anyway, I put the engine flat out, pulled the stick He also fitted a clock to overcome problems of reading back and landed up hill. Getting off was no problem - she his watch in bright sunlight. He had further training in went straight off like a sparrow.' instmment flying after the Sperry indicator was Syd Hamilton made a number of relatively long introduced in the early 30s. Although he does not recall flights in the Moth, including several to Sydney. He fuel tank capacity he says it was good for '300 miles on a recalls arriving at what is now Kingsford Smith Airport calm day' which was not enough for trips to Melbourne. at Mascot, which appeared to him from the air to be little So he designed, constmcted and fitted a long range tank more than a flooded paddock. He was circling the field which doubled fuel capacity. It would fly for 'up to six trying to work out a safe place to land, when Bert hours if you didn't hurry'. Hussey, another well known pilot of the day, flew in from Starting procedures were much the same as we see behind and went straight down with a great splash onto with Tiger Moths today. Even with chocks, Syd always what looked like a lake. So Syd, feeling that Hussey knew swung the prop from behind to avoid the nasty business his business, planned his subsequently safe landing in of having the Moth chase him. There was no mixture Hussey's wheel tracks. It was during one of these trips control to worry about, and he claims to have climbed to that he met Kingsford Smith and Ulm in Sydney. about 16,000 feet on many occasions, although he 'Kingsford Smith was a very nice man...you couldn't remembers it as a very uncomfortable experience. There frighten him.' was no intercom, of any kind, so that messages between Another memorable flight was to Melbourne with his pilot and passenger were limited to hand signals. He wife Mavis as passenger. He had planned to land at Nhill made several other modifications to the Moth over the to refuel on their return Journey. They departed from years, such as changing the propeller for one of more Essendon on a fine July morning. But, climbing over the suitable pitch. He said:'I also altered the luggage carrier hills west of Melbourne, they encountered a thick bank of just behind the pilot's seat...which I shouldn't have done. fog which rose faster than their heavily laden plane So I strengthened it with special metal plates I made... would climb. He describes it as like flying with 'a sheet of and it didn't fall apart' tissue paper gummed on the windscreen'. But he decided Club flying was very active in South Australia. Horrie to press on, relying on his considerable experience and Miller, who later was associated with MacRobertson ability to sense the right direction. Then 'all at once the Miller Airlines in W.A., had a DH9 which he used in air sun came through a hole in the clouds. But the sun was races. Although not a regular contestant, Syd won at least down there under the starboard lower wing - which is the one air race from Adelaide to Port Pirie. The race wrong place for the sun to be. So, as I had sufficient organisers had not given him much hope of winning, and light, I straightened her up and kept on for a couple of were so confident about who would win that they had a hours. I was heading for Nhill to pick up petrol, as at that 80 AHSA Aviation Heritage time I didn't have a spare tank and couldn't get through acres in fact. But he was a little careless and struck a post to Adelaide. All at once the masses of cloud broke and a which severely damaged a wing. Jack Breiman, the hole came...I didn't let that go and circled around it owner-manager, gave him a hand to refit a new wing tightly with the stick well back. Poor little Mavis went which he carted up from Adelaide in a utility some weeks sick. She didn't know what was happening. As it turned later. 'I did practically all my own rigging and servicing. out, we were dead in the centre over Nhill aerodrome.' Mrs. Hamilton also remembers the incident well. although she says she was more concerned about how cold and windy it was. Melbourne was a popular destination for the Hamilton brothers. Hence the need for a long range tank to avoid refuelling stops en route. Before this was fitted they had to estimate wind direction at ‘Ewell’, with Sydney Hamilton in the front cockpit and Norman Birks in the rear, on return from an Aerial Derby in Melbourne. different altitudes Diana Ramsay by observing It was not illegal to touch things in those days.' movements of different cloud strata, there being no Maintenance also was relatively straight forward, except detailed weather forecasting service. 'One day I was in the event of major stmctural damage. 'Any time there going to Melbourne and, looking out early in the was any flaw in the fabric I would stick pieces over it morning I could see clouds moving from the north east. using Irish linen and dope. You had to be careful to pull But at about 8000 feet there was a stratum that appeared the loose ends together before gumming a piece over it.' to be going like the wind from the west....l had rung No problems with D. of A. inspections! Melbourne to tell them I was coming over, and I got Pilots of that era were not so concerned with flight there in under three hours...it is very cold in a Moth at mles and procedures as their modem counterparts must 8000 feet.' Navigation was definitely by dead reckoning be. Although Syd was not regarded as reckless, he did only. However, local knowledge helped a great deal. As break the rules from time to time, with little fear of a Syd says: '1 used to get accustomed to where the railway dreaded 225. His sister, Mrs.Nancy Burton, was a regular stations were and fly accordingly.' passenger in the late twenties. She remembers vividly 1 asked Syd if he had ever had any bad moments. how Syd used to enjoy flying low along the Adelaide 'Well, yes, there was one! It got a petrol-air lock and I shore line, climbing enough to clear the various jetties had a bit of a buster right over our own aerodrome. It was that jutted out, then dropping down to scare the a calm morning and I was practising some aerobatics swimmers. when the engine cut out low to the ground and I landed Business pressures and a young family resulted in in the vines...it did a bit of damage to the lower planes. I suggestions that flying was too dangerous a pastime in think it cost £300 to repair.' I asked how high he went to the circumstances. The Hamilton brothers sold their perform aerobatics. 'You needed plenty of height with Moth in April or May 1933, although Syd continued to those machines as they didn't have the power like a fly from time to time as a member of the Royal Aero modem plane...I didn't go very high but I didn't like Club of S. A., probably until his licence expired early in doing them under 1,500 feet...Mollison taught me some 1935. He was somewhat vague about details of the sale of the aerobatics such as rolling, but I taught myself most when I spoke to him, other than it was bought by a of them.' couple of gold prospectors who soon crashed it and On another trip to Siam Station in northern S.A. he offered it back to him for £50. remembers landing in a very large field, thousands of

81 AHSA Aviation Heritage PIONEER AUSTRALIAN AUTOGYRO by Greg Banfleld

Albert Fortescue’s original Autogyro of 1909. He received first Patent protection for the design in 1909, a provisional patent in 1912, and a complete patent in four countries in 1914. Most people interested in aviation have heard of the design of wings. This was powered by a motor car Spaniard, Juan de la Cierva, who invented the autogyro. engine and he taxied It around on the Bonnie Doon Golf Or did he? Course at Arncliffe, on what is now the site of the Sydney Some years ago I first heard of an Australian Hilton International Airport Hotel, across the river from autogyro, built in Sydney by a Mr Fortescue, but nobody Kingsford Smith Airport. could tell me anything specific about it. Late in 1981, I "His next step was to build a monoplane, in about was fortunate to make contact with Mr George W. 1907 or 1908. The aircraft was entirely built here at the Fortescue, whose uncle, Albert John Fortescue, had been factory next door, in Loftus Street, Arncliffe. In 1909 he the designer and builder of this elusive machine. started to convert the monoplane to an autogyro. The George Fortescue still lived in the family home in wing span was reduced, the structure altered and, no Loftus Street, in the Sydney suburb of Arncliffe, next door doubt, strengthened to take the rotor, and the fuselage to the factory where his uncle first built his flying was made so that it could be lengthened or shortened. machines eighty years ago In fact, the building "We would take the autogyro down to the Bonnie continued to have a link with aviation, as it had then been Doon Golf Course for our trials as it was the closest big taken over by the Sydney Museum of Applied Arts and stretch of reasonably clear and level surface we could Sciences, and the Museum's Bleriot XI monoplane was find. We used to prepared there for later display at the new Power House fly it pretty well Museum. every time we "The firm of G. E. Fortescue & Sons was established took it down there, by my grandfather, George Edward Fortescue, in generally early on Yackandah, Victoria, in the last century," George Sunday mornings Fortescue told me. "They manufactured agricultural so we could implements such as firefighters, poison carts, fumigators, transport it down windmills and sulkies. The shop was transferred to the road when Tallangatta, Victoria, and then in 1904 my grandfather there was no and his four sons moved to Sydney and bought an area traffic about. For of land at Arncliffe, where they built a new factory. They a period of about brought ninety of their former staff from Victoria and three years, from resumed the manufacture of farm implements. In 1908 1909 to 1912, we my grandfather sold the factory but one of his sons, carried out trials Albert (my uncle), stayed on as Managing Director for the with it. We had new owners. no scientific "Albert Fortescue became interested in aviation after testing equipment the Wright Brothers' first flight but he considered that such as wind their take-off run needed to be shorter, and he sought a tunnels, and it way of reducing the length of runway. He started to was very much a Albert John Fortescue 1870-1936 experiment and first built a test vehicle to check the matter of trial and 82 AHSA Aviation Heritage about one-third of the distance that the Wrights required. His pilot was a Mr Nelson, but he wouldn't take it up more than about six to eight feet in height because he found that the controls weren't answering properly. He said that the machine would rise higher but he could feel that there was some Instability in the controls and he wasn't prepared to risk his life taking it higher. It attained speeds of about 40 to 50 m.p.h., about the speed of a fast motor car In those days, although speed was not the main aim." In the George A. The test vehicle built by Albert Fotescue in about 1907 to test the design of wings Taylor Memorial Lecture on Aeronautics error. We would test it and my uncle would assess the delivered at Sydney results, bring it home and make adjustments to this or University on 8th April 1931, Professor T. D. J. Leech, that." lecturer in aerodynamics, noted that the Fortescue In 1909 Albert Fortescue was granted first patent autogyro, for which he took out a patent in 1916, closely protection for his autogyro, while the provisional patent anticipated that of Cierva. The essential difference was granted in 1912, and a full patent in four countries between Fortescue's patent and that of Cierva was became effective in 1914. He was assisted in the extremely small, and amounted to a variation in the building of his machine by his youngest daughter, Dora. method of attaching the rotating vanes to the mast. Mr George Fortescue said that when an early Sydney Fortescue contested Clerva's right to the autogyro, but it aviation company closed down, a sale was held of a great was found that Cierva had applied for his patents 14 days variety of equipment and spare parts. It is probable that after those of Fortescue had lapsed. this company was the Australian Aircraft and Engineering Mr Leech said that the gyroplane was built In 1924 Company, which manufactured Avro 504s under licence and which closed in 1923. He continued, "My uncle, not knowing which parts he would need, bought the lot and kept them stored in ! the factory for years. As a result, I came to know people such as I' ^ Arthur Butler, Goya Henry, Hudson Fysh, Commander Wackett, and Nigel Love, who would call on my uncle seeking to buy some of the bits and pieces he had bought. "Albert Fortescue had a number engines and later fitted ■ a Clerget engine to the P autogyro, which was _ the final Installation. The machine took off in Bob Burton (left) and Con Waters working on the engine of the 1924 Fortescue Autogyro. 83 AHSA Aviation Heritage Fortescue. "One of those assisting was Bob Burton, who was one of the men who moved up from Victoria in 1904. He served in the First World War and later dropped dead while marching with his cobbers through the streets of Sydney one Anzac Day. "The development work continued until Cierva perfected his autogyro. My uncle's work then became redundant, as the problem of short take-off had been solved, first by Cierva and later by Minus wings, the Fortescue Autogyro was included in the parade marking the opening of the Sikorsky, and he Sydney Harbour Bridge on 19 March 1932. Albert Fortescue allowed himself some licence in closed the project depicting this later version as the 1909 model. down. He had spent half his life pursuing and was fitted with an Anzani engine at Sydney's Walsh the idea. Island Dockyard. George Fortescue remembered the "When Albert Fortescue died in 1936 at the age of 66, engine as a Clerget, but both are of similar appearance. two cousins of mine bought the autogyro from the estate. However, a photograph of the machine shows it to have a Leslie Hawley and Victor Fortescue, who had a garage fuselage very like that of an Avro 504, which may have near Wollongong, NSW, where it was kept, shared the been among the Items purchased from the Australian machine equally. They had plenty of land there to be Aircraft and Engineering Company sale. able to try it out and run it. Then Victor died, and in 1975 Also in 1924, Mr Fortescue built a monoplane for the Les Hawley also died. The machine could still have been Light Aircraft Competition which was held at Richmond, around until then. I have heard a report that a hiker came NSW, from 29th November to 6th December, 1924. The across an old mine-pit near Wollongong and saw an old monoplane was flown at Mascot by Reg Nelson but It was plane dumped half-way down it. It could possibly have damaged during the tests and failed to arrive at been my uncle's autogyro, which may have been dumped Richmond to compete. Reg Nelson was a World War when my cousin died." One pilot, who received a permanent commission in the The story of Albert Fortescue is another example of RAAF In World War Two. He later retired to Queensland, an imaginative and pioneering Australian inventor, whose where he died in 1980. work was not appreciated In his own country. It is our "The factory staff helped my uncle with the loss that we do not have a more detailed record of his construction and all the modifications," said George efforts.

The final version of the Fortescue Autogyro built in 1924. Note the Avro 504 fuselage resemblance. 84 AHSA Aviation Heritage A WOODWORKER'S EXPERIENCE IN AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURE by Jack Rogers (Given as a lecture to the AHSA NSW branch some 30 years ago) Mr. Rogers said that he had been apprenticed in the gilder which had a one-piece wing with a built-up spar cabinet-making trade in England and, before World War and plywood covering. Good flight performances were I, worked for the Sopwith Aviation Co. where, he had known Harry Hawker. There was little Inspection as we know it today and, Mr. Sopwith had told him "Your work is important - a man's life depends on it. In early 1914, he joined the Bleriot Works (a subsidiary or the French firm) which was still making the old designs although they were becoming obsolescent. About the end of 1916, he moved to the Fairey Aviation Co., where he worked on high ladders at the Isle of Grain to erect the company's seaplanes. Later, he was employed by the Whitehead Aircraft Co. but, with the end of the war, contracts were terminated and, though the company retained its employees as long as possible, he decided to leave and work for himself. An advertisement in the The LASCo Lark being readied for test flying. periodical "Flight" regarding model aircraft brought orders from all over the world, so Jack Rogers and his obtained and it was taken to Tower Hill near Koroit, brother went into partnership. In the country, they where a good soaring site existed on the slope of the converted fowl sheds Into workshops and made many crater of an extinct volcano. The glider was carried on a models for home and overseas markets, but business lorry with the wing secured on top with ropes, but a slackened after some years and, in 1927, he came to strong gust of wind snapped the ropes and threw the Australia with his wife and family. wing into a nearby paddock. He was sent to repair it, and several good flights were made subsequently at Tower On the day after arrival in Melbourne, he was Hill (Vie.). However, LASCO ceased operations and he employed by De Havilland Pty. Ltd. on assembly of D.H. then found employment with the Munitions Supply Moths in their new premises at Whiteman St. South Board at Maribynong (Vie.) which had a contract from Melbourne. The aircraft (with wings folded) were towed the RAAF for repair of wings ailerons, etc. for by car driven by Hereward de Havilland to Essendon Supermarine Southampton flying boats. The factory staff aerodrome for testing. knew nothing of aircraft practices, and he found that their work had to be watched very carefully. However, A D.H.61 (Giant Moth) G-AUHW was erected also inspectors from the RAAF wottld not accept the and, on a flight with five passengers to Phillip Island, components so the work ceased, and he foimd himself erratic oil pressure readings caused a forced landing in a once again, out of a job. The Depression was affecting paddock near Cowes. Plough furrows that had been the Australian economy and it was an exceedingly hidden by grass caused failure of the starboard difficult period to make a living. undercarriage, which was pushed into the fuselage. Fom men, including himself, repaired the broken longerons, He began making model aircraft and parts again, and struts and plywood skin in about a week by use of a designed and made tools for quantity production of tripod erected over the engine to lift the aircraft. They various items. He supplied the Model Dockyard Co, slept, in turns, in the cabin of the D.H.61 overnight. Central Aircraft Co., Herbert Small Ltd, and the chain store, G.J. Coles Ltd. As an adjunct he ran two Saturday- When the company transferred operations to Sydney, aftemoon "schools" for boys to make models. he was asked to go as foreman of the woodworking shop but decided to stay in Melbourne. When conditions improved, he joined the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation and, among other He joined the Larkin Aircraft Supply Co. which had things, designed jigs for production of the Boomerang, just received an order for 32 D.H. Gipsy Moths to be built and had worked on the mock-up of the CA-4 bomber. for the RAAF under licence and was given the job of Mr. Rogers left C.A.C. soon after the end of World War designing jigs (under advice from W.S. Shackleton, chief II and returned to the cabinet-making trade In which he designer for the company at the time) and building them was employed until his retirement. for production of the aircraft. After the contract was Jack Rogers is the father of the well-known aeronautical completed the company had no orders on hand and many draughtsman, Frank Rogers, who also worked at C.A.C. employees were dismissed, but Jack Rogers and some before joining Victa Aviation Division as a draughtsman apprentices were retained. They built a LASCO-designed on the Airtourer program. □ 85 AHSA Aviation Heritage TALK-BACK Letters to the Editor.

FROM IAN DEBENHAM, Curator, Transport, Powerhouse Museum, Sydney. Re. Vol. 28 No. 1. Page 28.

Belated thanks for sending the latest edition of Aviation Heritage which includes the Tom Pethybridge letter to "Bill". To correct a misconception the letter was actually addressed to Bill Hancock not to P G "Bill" Taylor. It is unfortunate that Bill Hancock did not rise to any prominence in aviation circles although he rubbed shoulders with those who achieved historical renown. He appears to have died at a young age of a non­ aviation related illness. Although time does not allow a detailed history of Bill Hancock's activities, I will summarise his career as far as I can. After learning to fly he took a job as an instructor at the Newcastle Aero Club, with responsibility for their north western training area, with headquarters at Tamworth. In 1939 he Joined North Western Airlines at Moree and applied for and was granted the rank of Pilot Officer in the R.A.A.F.R. In 1940 he joined Hawker DeHavilland as the test pilot for Tiger Moths and in 1941 joined Australian National Airways Pty Ltd as a First Officer. After six months service he felt obliged to retire from commercial aviation due to high blood pressure and applied for the position as a Flight Checking Officer at Archerfield. Without further research I am unable to continue the brief narrative.

FROM JIM FULLARTON, Lower Templestowe, Vic. Re. Vol. 28 No. 1. Page 3.

Ian Monk's article in your January issue on Mr. Ittershagen and his Klemms was of more than usual interest to me, as some years ago, I had heard much of this story from one of the characters mentioned in the article; namely Gil Ford, who, as it happened, was connected by marriage to my late wife's family. As stated, Gil was a motor cyclist of some note, who, in November 1924, had broken the Sydney to Perth record for motor cycles and sidecars by over two days. With passenger, Charlie Watson, he did the trip in seven days, and if you can imagine what the roads (if any) were like in those days, this was no mean achievement. He did some mechanical work on the Klemms in return for flying time, but on one occasion this did not turn out so well. This was a complete reconditioning job on one of the Salmsons, involving a rebore and manufacture of new pistons. On the first flight, the engine seized up, an occurrence which led to considerable recrimination between the two parties, with Ittershagen alleging faulty workmanship, while Ford's response was that they had taken off straight away on full throttle without any preliminary running in. The primary glider in the photo of the race track is Gil's own design "Bluey", easily distinguished by the curved outline of its rudder and elevator. Of all metal construction, this glider was fully described in Dave Craddock's book "Primaries Omnigenous" published around 1991, shortly before Gil's death. With its big sailplane inspired wing, the Klemm was a remarkably efficient machine, and to get two people off the water, floats and all on only 40 h.p. was pretty good going. However, it met its match on one occasion when trying to take off from a small field with a full load of fuel, a photographer and a heavy camera. As Mr. Ittershagen subsequently described it, "Suddenly there were trees everywhere". This may have the crash at Manjimup referred to in the article, and the repairs necessitated the complete rebuild of one half wing. The man who carried out this considerable task was most impressed by the lightness of construction, his comment being that “There was not a solid piece of timber in the whole wing". With regard to the conversion of the Salmson to dual ignition, Gil told me that he did this by making a ‘Y’ shaped piece which accommodated two spark plugs in the one hole, though I must say, I have since wondered what effect this might have had on the compression ratio. Gil also informed me that Mr. Ittershagen acted as German consul for Western Australia; but an odd fact about this remarkable man was that although he was the State's oldest licensed pilot, he never learned to drive a car, trouble with the clutch being his downfall.

NANCY-BIRD WALTON, A.O., O.B.E., Hon.D.Sc., Hon. M.E. Sydney. Re. Vol. 28 No. 2. Page 47.

I was delighted to see the name of Professor Heinrich Von Focke in the Henry Millicer obituary - I met him in Germany in 1938 and he took me to see the Helicopter he had invented. He gave me signed photos of it and the Sydney Library were very stunned when I gave them to them. I also flew with Smithy in the “Miss Southern Cross”. We actually looped in it. I have a photo of myself standing in front of it, in my book “My God! It’s a Woman” - (between pages 120-121). Of course I knew Sid Marshall and did you know he took a film of Amelia’s take off at Lae? We gave a copy to the American 99’s. 86 DH 89 VH-AHI at Timber Creek, N. T.

REMINISCENCES - CONNELLAN AIRWAYS A talk given to the Society by IAN LESLIE Eddie Coimellan toured Northern Australia in 1938 arriving in Alice in December 1939, it was written off in in a Spartan VH-UIT. During tour he met John McEwen an accident in February 1940 with Jack Kellow flying it. at Mistake Creek who persuaded him to set up an air There were some exciting moments in this period of service between Alice Springs and Wyndham. He was the airline. On 21 December 1939 Jack Kellow had an assisted in finance by his friend Damien Miller and engine failure in the Gull but managed to make Victoria purchased 2 Percival Gulls and a 1920 Silver Ghost Rolls River Downs Station. At Alice Springs, Eddie and his Royce with a tourer body to be used in constructing brother removed the engine from the other Gull and set aerodromes. off in the Rolls. The Wet season had arrived and, One of the Gulls was VH-UVA, purchased from although 600 miles were covered in the first 24 horns, P.G.Taylor, and it was this aircraft in which he had they were then faced with flooded creeks and impassable undertaken many famous flights, including one from roads. It was December 26 before they got to VRD. England to Australia, and another, with the films of the Engine change completed, the Rolls set off again but that coronation of King George V from Singapore to gave Eddie time to contemplate the enormity of his Melbourne. VH-UVA had a speed of 105 k and, while problem - the other Gull now had no engine there was no initially flown with overload of 500 lbs with spare and no cash. undercarriage strengthened, a 250 Ib. overload was Damien Miller came to the rescue and a Miles Falcon eventually approved. This Gull was flown by Jack Kellow VH-AAS was purchased from Arthur Schutt in March in August 1939 on the first scheduled flight from Alice 1940, but it was not really suitable. It did fly some mail Springs to Wyndham. The other Gull was G-ACUP was services to Wyndham but the problem of unsuitability acquired from Shackletons in England and delivered in was resolved when it failed to climb away on take off at August 1939. This aircraft, with registration VH-CCM is Hatches Creek, a wolfram mine northeast of Alice now at Airworld. Springs, whilst engaged on a medical evacuation flight. Damien Miller and Sam Calder with a total of fifty To make quite sure a bush fire then burnt the remains flying hours between them, came to join Eddie. Damien before it could salvaged. had an Avro Avian VH-UMX. This was used to start a The next acquisition was a Hawk Moth DH-75 VH- flying school at Alice Springs, but had a short life as. UNW which was re-engined with a Armstrong Siddeley 87 AHSA Aviation Heritage Cheetah 340 h.p. engine. It was said to be a good robust two survived. His brother Vin and the two O'Keefe aircraft and it did a good job but was hard to start. brothers were all killed. The War had just started, and for Eddie's plans there The end of the War brought the return of Sam Calder, was a major setback as his staff joined the Services. It one of the originals and also another pilot Kyle Sellick. became a one-man one aircraft operation. Eddie was The Wyndham service, having started with 10 ports had appointed to the RAAF Reserve but was required to grown to 23 ports by May 1945. The local Mt.Irwin maintain his operation of the mail run. service, started in 1942, was serving 7 ports by 1945 A In 1944 Eddie purchased a Beech 17 which had been fortnightly service to Borroloola in the Gulf started in modified by Beech for a flight in the Antarctic - it had a May 1945 serving 21 stations. In the post-War Years the tremendous range. When it arrived by sea the RAAF service was gradually expanded throughout the Northern impressed it but he finally appealed to the Minister, Territory and into Mt. Isa and the top of South Australia Arthur Drakeford and finally got possession of it, albeit and though the Kimberleys to Wyndham and Halls in pieces and with some bits missing. It was many years Creek. before it got into the air. It was eventually registered as Equipment was still a problem. Eddie sought vainly VH-AFP. to obtain Beech 18s, then reluctantly agreed to try a DH- From October 1940 to May 1945, Eddie was the only 84, VH-AXL. This type was just not suitable for the hot pilot, except for four days in 1942 when Jack Kellow did conditions and predictably, in September 1946 on a some trips, and some medical flights were flown by take-off at Hermansburg it sank back on and was a write­ Harry Moss who was then the engineer. Then for two off. months in 1944, Damian Miller was seconded from the The DH-84 was replaced with a DH-90 Dragonfly Air Force whilst Eddie underwent an operation for a VH-UTJ, and another DH90, VH-UXB was purchased. corneal ulcer. Damian Miller encountered a number of In 1946 Kyle Sellick was killed and VH-UXB destroyed problems including extremely poor weather conditions whilst doing a beat-up at Camooweal. which resulted in his force-landing and having to wait In 1947 the operational fleet consisted of two for someone to find him. The mail run took three weeks Dragonflys, and one DH-82 Tiger Moth, fitted with a to complete and that record has stood the test of time. canopy and stretcher. The first of the DH-89 Dragon And so in 1945 came the end of the War. Of the five Rapides VH-BKR was added to the fleet in 1948 and was friends and helpers who started with Eddie at the then followed by VH-UZY, VH-AHl and VH-AIK. In commencement of the airline just before the War, only 1949 Colin Johnson was killed in a Rapide VH-UZY at

88 AHSA Aviation Heritage Coolibah Station on the Victoria River NT. ultimately the F27, it started to lose the pioneering aura So the operating fleet when I came to Connellans in of the earlier years. 1950 consisted of two DH 89s, one DH90 Dragonfly, In 1979 Eddie was forced into a position where the and DH82 BIW which had been purchased in June 1948 only way out was to sell the airline to East West Airlines. In 1951 the first new aircraft, an Auster Aiglet VH-KAU Trading as Northern Airlines the new operator was purchased, and I flew it from Sydney to Alice commenced in January 1980. Predictably, it encountered Springs. The Beech 17 VH-AFP was finally completed problems, and lasted less than twelve months although it in 1956. had been given most of the support Eddie had been In 1955 destruction of Dragonfly VH-UTJ at seeking from NT. Govenunent - with his customary Tennant Creek, whilst being refuelled by the Shell intensity and uncompromising approach, but without agent, did not help in the short term, but it paved the way success. That was the story of the Airline for a transition to metal aircraft. With the settlement Going back a bit, in 1953 the years of hard work and from the Shell Company, a Beech C18S VH-KFD was pressure finally took their toll of Eddie and he lost his purchased from Brown & Dureau, and this was a turning pilot licence due to hyper-tension. He engaged a manager point for Connellan Airways. Over the next few years to run the airline while he retired to his cattle station, two more Beech 18s, VH-BJJ and a Beech D18S VH-CLl Narwietoome, to work with his cattle and to recover his were acquired and also Beech Travelair, Beech Barons health. It was a period of great difficulty for the Airways and Beech Twin Bonanzas. and after a year or so, it became clear to Eddie that there The first Twin Bonanza, VH-CLA, was ferried out were problems. from the USA by Brian Monkton. During this period two At that time I had flown as a full-time pilot on all the DeHavilland Beavers were leased and used on some of routes and I ran the office. I was appointed manager in those services suitable for single-engined operations. 1955 and managed the Company until I left in 1961. It The post-War years, until about 1960, were the was a gratifying task as the airline had expanded in size formative years of the airline where it progressed from and now had a staff of about forty. It had acquired being a one-man show. Eddie was able to acquire surplus additional aircraft and we were imdertaking a equipment from Army disposals to set up workshops and considerable amount of charter work. the hangar was enlarged to develop engine shops I was with the Airways from 1950 to 1961 and I was propeller and metal working facilities. The 1950s also fortunate in being with the Airways during its period of marked the development of a good maintenance system greatest expansion. Perhaps I might now make a few suitable for a developing airline. comments on how it operated. From 1947 to 1960 the numbers of passengers carried AIRCRAFT EQUIPMENT and passenger miles flown increased by a factor of 13, I will comment briefly on the types which were and mail from 18.1 tons to 50.4 tons. In 1947 the flying during the early 1950s, as they are the more Airways served 75 stations, mines, and settlements and interesting in a historical sense. by 1960 this had increased to over 100, and then rising to We operated one Tiger Moth VH-BIW, and it was about 120 and operating over 12,000 route miles. fitted with a stretcher. It had brakes, modified The Airways continued to provide the flying service undercarriage and it was virtually impossible to nose for the Flying Doctor Service at Alice Springs and in over in it. It had a canopy covering the two seats. It was a 1955 flew its 1000th medical flight. Five years later the horrible aeroplane to fly. I even flew a few scheduled 2000th medical flight was flown. services in it, and as we operated it under our airline Meanwhile charter flights became an important licence, I think I am probably the only pilot in the world aspect and particularly tourist flights to Ayers Rock to have operated a DH82 on an airline service. I It is worth noting here that throughout these early remember even carrying a passenger on one scheduled days, no passenger was killed or injured on scheduled service, and I had to get him to hold a couple of bags of services. The safety record of the airline was excellent - mail in his lap as there was no other place for them. conditions were difficult and it is a tribute to the The DH 89 Rapides were good for the job and they standards adopted by Eddie to meet the difficult were nice to fly. They were fitted to carry up to seven conditions. At times these standards and practices were passengers but we seldom carried more than 6 - as we ridiculed by some but, looking back, I believe that the needed the space in the cabin for the bulky mailbags and Airways had an outstanding performance in operating in freight. They were very reliable aircraft. Occasionally poor conditions. the wind-driven generator would fail, and that was not In 1962 the Herons were introduced into the fleet - good - I recall once that happening to me on the first Eddie had negotiated the purchase of these from India - stage of a six day flight and I had to hand swing the negotiations including an interview with the Prime propellers for the next six days. I became very proficient Minister Nehru. but very tired. The nature of the Airways tended to change from the One of the problems with the Rapides was engine introduction of the larger type of aircraft like the Heron fires on start-up. In conditions of extreme ambient and then with the introduction of DC3s at Darwin, and conditions, after being shut down for about five minutes, the fuel in the carburettor tended to boil and flow into the 89 AHSA Aviation Heritage manifold and sometimes into a cylinder. If starting were to land on the Stuart Highway. It surprised a couple of attempted during this critical period there was a real people in a car who came along and gave me a lift back chance of fire. One Rapide was thus damaged by fire and to Tennant, where it surprised even more the operator at this led to a modification of fitting metal panels near the Aeradio, when I walked into his shack and there was no exhaust. Later, Eddie had a fire with a Rapide VH-AIK aircraft outside. The aircraft did not carry a radio. This at Turkey Creek in WA and the aircraft was destroyed. aircraft was subsequently destroyed by fire whilst being The fire extinguisher was saved, but nothing else, refuelled by Shell at Tennant Creek including the annual budget submission that I had Beech VH-AFP, the Stagger Wing Beech. This was a prepared for. the DC A subsidy negotiations. Eddie was great aeroplane It had been used by the US Navy to fly considering this whilst flying this mail-service. I had over the South Pole. At that time it had been powered by kept no copy, so I had to start again. a Jacobs 380 hp engine. We converted it to a Pratt & Engine oil temperatures were high in the hot ambient Whitney Wasp Junior 450 hp engine with a kit from conditions and it was a frightening day for pilots when Beech. It had a tremendous range, was fast and it was oil temperatures gauges were fitted. Some of us found it good for charter flights and for some medical comforting to paste paper over the gauge. Surprisingly, evacuations. We had problems with spare parts - the laboratory tests indicated no break-down in the brakes gave us some difficulties. Particularly on one lubrication qualities of this overheated oil. Ultimately oil occasion when we had an unexpected visit from two

Beech D-17S VH-AFP coolers which could be adjusted, albeit externally, were DCA airworthiness surveyors in co-incidence with the fitted and we could look at the gauges without alarm. arrival back at Alice Springs of a Beech I7S without This also virtually fixed the fire problem. brakes, and for whose arrival we had positioned most of The DH 90 Dragonfly was under-powered with two our staff on the strip so as progressively to grab its wing Gypsy Majors, and lacked in carrying capacity, but was tips and slow it and stop it at the end of its landing run. good for the shorter service through Mount Isa and the The introduction of the Cessna 180 and Cessna 182 Barkly Tablelands. The DH90 had a great desire to was very successful and they were used extensively on ground loop, and you never really finished the flight until charter flights and on the local services from Alice it had come to a stop with engines switched off. Springs. I suffered an engine failure shortly after taking off Gradually the Beech 18 replaced the Rapides and they from Tennant Creek and, even though I was the only proved to be a worthy replacement. The Wasp Junior person on board, and was lightly laden, it had no hope of engines were most reliable mainly, I suppose because maintaining height in the hot conditions and I was forced 90 AHSA Aviation Heritage they had never been 'stretched' beyond the original conditions in Alice Springs, the exhausting working design of 450 hp. conditions of heat, flies, and so on were a severe test but MAINTENANCE there was always a determination to keep the aircraft During these years of great expansion the Airways flying. When Ted Briggs left in 1954, Owen Lawry took continued its excellent maintenance under the leadership Owen came to the Airways in 1951 from Adelaide of Ted Briggs, an Englishman who had served in the where he had been a fitter and turner, and he acquired all Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. He initiated airline type classes of LAME licences during his time with us. He maintenance standards and procedures and set the later joined DCA as an Airworthiness Surveyor and organisation on a sound basis to conduct maintenance ultimately became Regional Director in Queensland. ------During the 1950s modem aircraft were introduced into the fleet and the old wooden and fabric aircraft were retired. It was in this period that the organisation achieved 'approved organisation' under the new DCA airworthiness requirements and, this, together with revised arrangements in the flying operations area, meant that Connellans were becoming properly structured for airline operations. GOVERNMENT FINANCIAL • SCHEDULED MAIL FLIGHTS • CHARTER FLIGHTS ASSISTANCE • TOURIST FLIGHTS • FLIGHTS TO AYERS ROCK The subsidy provided by the Government was essentially for the carriage of mail and so negotiations with the Government was a very important factor of managing the airline. The Government mail payment/subsidy was the single biggest item of revenue and fiirther, any capital expenditure had to be approved by Government - this led to some interesting battles. OPERATIONS In the 1950s, as the aircraft in service were all types with only single pilot control positions, the conversions were essentially self taught, as no-one was very keen to give instmction without having access to the controls. Of more importance was route qualification as it took many months for a new pilot to be trained; the terrain was difficult, and although all flying was visual there were few land­ marks, and the weather conditions in the Wet season in the North and dusty All Enquiries to — conditions in the Centre made it Box 47, ALICE SPRINGS, N.T. essential for the pilot to know the Telephone: Alice Springs 19 terrain in fine detail. We made our Town Office: Gregory Terrace, Alice Springs own 'mud maps' and these sketch

Hangars; Townsite Aerodrome, Alice Springs maps were of more use for visual navigation than the official aeronautical maps. Although the Airways operated and overhauls of engines and propellers. There was a some local services from Alice large turnover of staff but there were many notable Springs, the main activity was in services operating to contributions. The isolation and difficult living schedules, spanning three, four, and even six days 91 AHSA Aviation Heritage duration away from base. On the longer services the delays of the service. We also maintained a listening aircraft would make about 35 stops, would reload at watch in our office in Alice Springs which could monitor places like Katherine and Wyndham and would stay our progress usually by hearing the read-back of the overnight at cattle stations. Services were operated to Aeradio station. strict timetable. We operated to schedules with a margin The pilot was responsible for the whole operation of 10 minutes early and five minutes late, and relied on once he departed from Alice Springs. He kept the load stations to report if the aircraft did not arrive. charts, made out invoices for freight, collected or At first we had no radios although we carried a small invoiced passenger fares, loaded and refuelled the portable Traeger transceiver for emergency use on the aircraft, and carried out inspections and minor repairs to the aircraft. Physically it was a demanding job particularly in conditions of extreme heat in humid conditions. The flying of the aircraft was the easy part. Pilots became well known to the people living in the outback, and at some times of the year, in the wet season, the Connellan pilot was the only outside contact. We provided all sorts of service to those living in the remote areas - shopping for instance. I was a JP and was in demand to witness documents in between loading the aircraft, refuelling it and, so on. Flying during my time with Connellans was all visual but some of you will note that I did not say VFR, as I must confess that there were many occasions when it was impossible to comply. The nature of our operations, albeit classed as regular public transport, did pose some problems for the operational control service which DCA sometimes endeavoured to exercise, but usually we were left to get on with it. I remember once flying to Mount Isa in fairly difficult conditions and was told. through Aeradio, that Cairns was my alternate. Whilst I acknowledged the instructions I mused to myself that I would have to refuel twice somewhere along the way to get there. I had, on the other hand, before departing Alice Springs, telephoned the wife of our taxi-driver at Mt Isa and asked if she would look out her window and The ‘Ambulance' Tiger, VH-BIW tell me if she could see the smoke ground. As radios were gradually fitted to our aircraft we stack of the mine. She assured me were able to maintain communications using a virtually that she could see the top of it, and the cloud was a bit discrete frequency in the 8 mgs. band with Flight above it, so I set off. We learnt to use all sorts of local Service, then called Aeradio stations. All pilots became information and from each other pilots experience good friends with the Aeradio operators and we received On the longer services we scheduled overnight stops great assistance from them - they usually monitored the at stations and it was seldom that we were overnight in various Flying Doctor Service radio frequencies and towns. The stations had to put up the passengers but could keep stations informed as to our progress and many times they were bush people, and it all added to the 92 AHSA Aviation Heritage informality of the service. For instance, at Coolibah, if diversion was sometimes effective in stopping the nausea, the station manger were not there the pilot would assume not just for that flight but also in they future. Not a very the role of host and carve the roast at dinner. The good operational practice but they were simple services remained overnight at Brunette Downs twice per aeroplanes to fly. week and the manager told me once that I had spent ROYAL FLYING DOCTOR SERVICE more nights there in one twelve month period than he The Airways had operated the flying services from had. Alice Springs for the Royal Flying Doctor Service since We carried some emergency rations and water - 1939. Under the terms of our contract we kept one enough to keep us going for 24 hours in extreme heat. aircraft ready during daylight hours, however there were We also carried tools, spare fabric and dope, a spare many occasions when we were able to send out three magneto, spark plugs and so on. The pilot was aircraft on separate evacuations. responsible for daily maintenance and some defect Whilst we had a roster of pilots for the medicals I rectification once he left base. flew many of them in the early years. I was normally at When I joined Connellans all the pilots were the ofiice, and if the case was very urgent I could put experienced and, other than Eddie,were all ex Air Force. down my pen and be airborne in a few minutes. I flew For most of us it was a step backwards in technical sense well over one hundred medical flights from Alice Springs in having to fly Rapides, as we had all been flying and carried a variety of patients. At that time it was modem military types. However the compensation was unusual to carry a doctor but sometimes a nurse attended. that it was an interesting life. Many times we used the Tiger Moth DH-82 VH-BIW Thereafter it was not always possible to get aircraft, and this meant that only the oatient could be experienced pilots, and we had to employ some with just carried. the bare Commercial licence experience. They were also We did not fly at night, and this did lead to some used in other jobs, such as in the hangar or in traffic difficult decisions or refusals when the request came too work, and it gave us a pool to train, and to draw on. late for the flight to be completed that day. Nevertheless Some of the young pilots has some large gaps in their the senior doctors at Alice Springs, who handled the aeronautical knowledge. For example, I could not cases over the radio, understood the risks involved and I understand why one pilot had an aversion to topping up never experienced any great problems in making the with oil - when his aircraft was checked at base it always decision although I was sometimes left overnight with needed a lot of oil. He said he had been told whilst concerns. On some occasions it was decided that the training to reduce the amount of oil in the tank in hot aircraft would go to the patient but remain overnight. In conditions as the oil would then circulate more frequently these cases medial staff also went. There was one such through the oil cooler, and therefore would cool the case where a lad at Moxmt Cavenagh station was thrown engine. Another pilot reported by radio from a cattle from a horse and sustained head injuries. I knew that it station that the bolt attaching the tail wheel assembly to would be touch and go as to whether the aircraft could his Auster had broken. I told him to re-fit it with a gutter get to Mount Cavenagh by last light, and, having given a bolt he could get from the station, but he demurred tight deadline line for the medical staff to get to the saying it was illegal. Not wishing to have an argument aerodrome, I recall commencing to take off with the over the radio heard by everyone in the area, I sent a doctors and nurse still getting themselves into their seats. LAME in another flight to fix the problem. On the other It was a marginal operation, and it was dark by the time I hand, on a subsequent flight he flew his Auster back to had landed and taxied at Mount Cavenagh. The lad base although it had some fabric tom off the top surface survived the night and, after arriving Alice Springs very of the main plane of the Auster. This had occurred when early the next morning, he underwent surgery and he ran off a landing strip into some scmb. He said that he subsequently recovered fully. thought that as it was on the top of the mainplane it We introduced a policy that whoever was in charge of would not matter. The yoimg pilots were employed operations at the Company would make the decision as to essentially on local services, charter services and medical whether or not a medical flight would be undertaken. flights and this worked quite well. For the longer services This was to take the pressure away from the pilot who it was necessary to employ experienced pilots, and this could otherwise have been faced with great pressure from sometimes proved a problem. understandably concerned relatives who, nevertheless We got to know very well the people we served. We were not equipped to assess the aviation risks. At that often carried children on the first stage of their journey to time there had been several fatal accidents in Australia boarding school. In the very turbulent flying conditions where pilots of other companies had been pressured into which persisted for much of the time, children did not making medical evacuation flights into adverse travel well and some were air-sick on every flight. For conditions. In one case the pilot, the nurse, the child some, air-sickness developed before they even boarded patient and his father were all killed when a flight was the aircraft, because there was an association with the attempted into atrocious cyclonic weather conditions. In thought that they were leaving home again. I found that fact the child was not in a dangerous condition but his having a young child sit with me at the fi-ont of the DH- mother would not accept a delay and the pilot was put 89 and by putting their hands on the control colximn the 93 AHSA Aviation Heritage under tremendous pressure to undertake the flight with of whisky and to announce to the world, by medium of the Flying Doctor Service radio, that ’Connellans aircraft is on its back at Timber Creek’. He then raced back to the aircraft to give me a drink and, upon my refusing, he had one for me and one for himself. The bad weather conditions persisted, and it was not possible for another aircraft to land at Timber Creek for several days. Finally a charter aircraft from Darwin flew in with necessary spare parts, but then it was unable to take off owing to the soft condition of the airstrip. Eventually both aircraft flew out. In my own defence I might add that I had landed at Timber Creek the previous week and found the Connellan hagar at the Townsite Aerodrome, Alice Springs. strip OK, but in the meantime grass had been cleared from the centre however, terrible consequences. unbeknown to me, it had been cleared only on one side of AERODROMES the centre so that I landed with one wheel on hard surface and the left side on soft unconsolidated surface. As the airline operated under an Airline Licence, The problem of soft airstrips was always present and there was a requirement that all aerodromes be licenced, it was quite difficult for those on the ground to decide not just Authorised Landing Areas. Maintenance of these whether the strip could be used particularly as in many aerodromes was a problem for the owners and a cases failure to land meant that there would not another continual problem for the DCA Airport Inspectors - call for two weeks. particularly as we in the Airways had our own ideas In Central Australia it was not the same problem, and about what could be reasonably achieved, and what we in any case, when rain came there was usually such relief required for safe operation. For us, clearing and that missing a flight was not as serious. On one occasion consolidating and keeping smooth the centre thirty feet I got into trouble through my own stupidity and I came or so was our priority, with the remainder of the strip very close to missing my own aircraft. I landed at kept free of any outcrops or holes or anything that could Argadargada Station, some 200 miles north-east of Alice damage an aircraft running off the centre strip. Springs. It was a new station and the airstrip not well On one occasion, following heavy rains throughout consolidated and there had been a lot of rain. I did not the whole of the North, we had virtually our entire fleet know that there was no-one at the station homestead, out of action either due to being bogged and damaged, or which at that stage was only a tent, and that the strip had being repaired, or just with mechanical unserviceability. not been inspected. My Auster aircraft became badly As manager I had been pondering as to what action I bogged on my landing run. I dug the earth from in front should take in regard to one of the pilots who had of the wheels of the aircraft and pushed the aircraft with damaged an aircraft on landing on a soft strip. I felt that a lot of engine power applied, but to no avail. I then cut he had not taken sufficient care to establish the condition up some mail-bags to use in the tracks and this worked of the strip before attempting a landing. better, suddenly the aircraft came out of the bog, reached Whilst thinking about this I was also engaged on a firmer ground and accelerated rapidly. I had great mail-run flight. I landed at Timber Creek, in the Victoria difficulty in scrambling aboard. I think my mind must River district, the surface was extremely soft and the have locked onto getting out of the bog and off the strip aircraft went onto its nose and stayed there. Timber because, still sprawled in the aircraft, I left the throttle Creek was a Police Station and the Officer in Charge was open, gradually got myself into the seat and then had no a famous and highly respected policeman, Tas Fitzer. alternative but to continue with the take off as trees were Tas had come to meet the aircraft mounted on his rapidly approaching. I missed the trees by a whisker. It horse, and seeing my mishap he came galloping up and was not one of my better decisions. then tried to pull me through the cockpit window. I had FUEL to resist strongly as, were I leave the aircraft, the loss of Apart from towns such as Wyndham Katherine and my weight against the weight of my four passengers and Mount Isa and Tennant Creek we had to maintain fuel freight and mail would have dropped the aircraft back on dumps at a number of our stopping places - some with its tail with disastrous results. We got the passengers out, probably fifty drums, others were regarded as emergency then I got out, but Tas disappeared on his horse without dumps, and had just a few drums. Getting the fuel to the word. It was apparently to go to the Station to get a bottle 94 AHSA Aviation Heritage dumps was always a problem, but the various we took the Minister for Civil Aviation and the station owners and mines co-operated when they Director-General for a tour of the Barkly Tablelands could. Water in the fuel was always a problem due area. Eddie was flying the Beech 18. At Brunette to the high temperatures and humidity in the Downs Eddie, when commencing to taxy, the northern areas, and also there was contamination aircraft ran into a fuel drum and damaged one blade with sediment. Nevertheless the methods used for of one of the propellers. I had to arrange for a refuelling at bush dumps were effective. It appeared propeller to be flown from Alice Springs, and this to be something of a Heath Robinson system but was difficult because our spare propeller had just effective. At each dump a semi-rotary pump was completed its service overhaul life, and I knew it mounted on a tripod and, using a standpipe was about to be sent away for overhaul. In a radio reaching to the bottom of the slightly tilted drum, the conversation being heard by all those stations on pump delivered the fuel by hose to a filter/funnel the Flying Doctor network I had some difficulty in device consisting of a cut-down four gallon square persuading our Chief Engineer, to ignore this fuel can, with an intake pipe to which was fitted a illegality, and to dispatch it to us. At that stage I was sock of several thicknesses of aircraft fabric. The beyond worrying about the legalities. The next day I fuel would then drop onto a single thickness of wished that I had had a camera to record the scene fabric held over the can with a spring wire to keep in of an engineer fitting the propeller with the Minister, place. Inside there was a half jam tin with fine mesh the Director-General, and also Eddie Connellan all on the top and covered with another larger half can endeavouring to assist. I kept out of the way and or deflector. From there the fuel went through the waited in the shade. The whole episode was an outlet pipe to the aircraft tank. Each filter unit was embarrassment to Eddie and to me, but I must tailored made for the aircraft involved and was record that the Minister and the Director-General carried in it. It was quite ingenious but it worked and were very reasonable and did what they could to we never had problems with fuel. Engines like the minimise any publicity given the incident. Yes, Gypsy Major and Gypsy Six had voracious appetites Eddie did submit a CA 225 - Air Safety Incident for oil so we had to ensure that there were adequate Report! stocks. In later years when I was heading the Flying On a long mail service it was always good to Operations and Airworthiness Division in have a man passenger or two to help in the Department of Civil Aviation I frequently had people refuelling. On one occasion I had a passenger, who from the industry discussing many problems with was making a round trip with me for the whole five me and more than one would say that, of course, I days. On the fourth day he seemed to lose his just would not know of the difficulties faced by sense of humour, and had to remind me that he was general aviation operators as I was a civil servant! paying for the flight as a passenger. My years with Connellan Airways were Whilst speaking of fuel, Eddie and I had a interesting and rewarding years and I learnt a lot, different sort of a problem with a fuel drum. In 1957 many the hard way.

START OF A NEW SERIES-PROLOGUE condition that they graduated from the R.M.C. They all Patrick George Heffernan made it, and were transferred to the R.A.A.F. on 1st Patrick Heffernan was born at Bowenfels, N.S.W., on February, 1929. 16th April, 1907, son of G. J. Heffernan of Timolague, "Our flying course (recalled Heffernan) did not start County Cork, Ireland. Heffernan's mother's family until July, 1929, so we filled in the time at Laverton doing migrated to Australia much earlier - her grandfather, routine work in No. 1 Squadron and No. 1 Aircraft Depot. Frederick Michael Stakes, arrived in 1830 and in the We ... graduated as pilots in May, 1930. I had a grand following year founded The Sydney Morning Herald. total of 105 hours." Paddy Heffernan went to The King's School, On graduation, Heffernan was posted to No. 3 Parramatta, in 1922, but left in 1924 intending to become Squadron, at Richmond, N.S.W. After that he did a flying an electrician, however this was cancelled when an instructor's course at Point Cook and at the same time advertisement calling for applications for entry to the was O.I.C. Cadets. From then onwards until the end of Royal Military College caught his eye. On making 1933 he did flying instruction, and lectured on armament, inquiries, he found that he could possibly combine his army co-operation, administration and other subjects. love of soldiering-he had risen to the rank of sergeant- Meanwhile, in 1932 the three-year transfer period of major in the cadets at Katoomba, N.S.W. - with electrics Heffernan and the others had come to an end; by then, in the army engineers, so in went his application; and in the army was in the process of retrenchment, but the February, 1925 he entered Duntroon as a staff cadet. He R.A.A.F., not wishing to lose them, offered them graduated in December 1928. permanent commissions. During their last year at the R.M.C., when they were From November, 1933 to April, 1936 Heffernan inspected by Air Chief Marshal Sir John Salmond, R.A.F., served with the Fighter Squadron (Bulldogs), and was and Group Captain Richard Williams, C.A.S. of the then sent to England on exchange duty for two years with R.A.A.F. On "Dickie" Williams asking if any of them were Bomber Command. For the first nine months Paddy was interested in transferring to the R.A.A.F. for three years, with No. 101 Squadron (Overstrands) and then for a year six applied. Later four of them - V. E. Hancock, A. G. with No. 90 (Hinds and Blenheims) - both squadrons Carr, M.O. Watson, and Heffernan - were selected on 95 AHSA Aviation Heritage were located at Bicester. After that he spent a month at mixed up with other members of the Empire Air Training Martlesham Heath learning something about a test pilot’s Scheme to form a full crew. It was also Impossible to job. form a wholly R.A.A.F. crew because the E.A.T.S. in Returning to Australia in 1938 Heffernan was Australia did not produce enough gunners, and therefore appointed chief flying instructor at Point Cook. At this a crew of seven Australians was a pure accident. Luckily, time he was responsible for the testing and acceptance of the scheme never came to fruition”. the Wirraways into the R.A.A.F. He was also put in On his way home after the end of hostilities in Europe, charge of our end of the arrangements for the R.A.F's Heffernan did a three months staff course at the U.S. long-range flight to Australia. In 1937 the R.A.F. deciding Army Command and General Staff College at Fort to go for the long distance record, Wellesleys flew from Leavenworth, Kansas. Back In Australia, he became Ismailia to Darwin, a distance of 7,000-odd miles. Paddy Director of Training for the R.A.A.F. met them with four Ansons and flew with them round By the second half of 1946 he was back again in Australia. In May, 1939, he received the Air Force Cross London this time for two years as S.A.S.O. at Overseas for his work In connection with this flight. Headquarters of the R.A.A.F. His next appointment was In March, 1939, came promotion to Squadron Leader that of Staff Officer, Administration, at Eastern Area and the command of No. 1 Squadron at Laverton - and headquarters, 1948-50. Eastern Area was part of the old under him No. 1 that year gained the Australian Flying geographical command scheme, and embraced New Corps trophy for the most efficient R.A.A.F. squadron. South Wales and part of southern Queensland. Following the outbreak of war, Heffernan took over the In June, 1950, No. 90 Wing was formed, with R.A.A.F. station at Canberra, where No. 8 Squadron had Heffernan in command, to work with the R.A.F. in Malaya just been formed, and was at first equipped with D.C.3s against the terrorists. It consisted of No. 1 Squadron (six then standard commercial aircraft. One of them he Lincolns) and No. 38 Squadron (six Dakotas), and small piloted from Pearce in Western Australia to Richmond in headquarters staff. On reaching Singapore, No. 1 was New South Wales In twelve hours non-stop. Promoted based at Tengah and No. 38 at Changi. The headquarters Acting Wing Commander in July, 1940, he took the staff was attached to Air Headquarters, Malaya, at squadron to Malaya the following month. Changi. No. 90 Wing, however, was a divided command. On his return to Australia in February, 1941, to form In that all operational matters were controlled by the No. 4 Service Flying Training School at Geraldton, he R.A.F. and all purely administrative matters by Air Board was asked by the Director of Training, Group Captain in Australia. However it worked fairly well, he remarked (later Air Marshal Sir George) Jones, to see what could later, "except when Air Board tried to tell us how to be done to reduce the casualty rate, which was then operate our aircraft in contradiction to the policy laid about one accident for every 500 hours. By a system of down by the R.A.F. As usual, I opened my mouth and briefing, threatening, fining and sundry other unofficial collected a blast from Melbourne, but after a while things methods, he managed to Improve the accident rate to smoothed out." one In 1,800 hours. In fact, the school went for twenty- Returning to Australia at the end of 1950, Paddy once two months before it had a fatal accident. In June, 1941, more became Director of Training a post that he held for he was promoted Acting Group Captain. almost the next three years. He was then appointed Heffernan's next postings 0.1.C. Pearce January, A.O.C. North-Eastern Area, and promoted Air 1942, 0.1.C. Richmond May, 1942. At last, in April, 1943, Commodore. His territory went from Rockhampton to he got the opportunity he had been looking for - to serve Manus Island, west to the Queensland-Northern Territory In Europe. From Amberley in Queensland he was flown border, and east almost to New Caledonia it was (he by U.S. Air Force Ferry Command to San Francisco, and said) "the greatest acreage of the old geographical thence by civil air lines to Washington and Montreal. His command system, but It had the least number of men to experience at Montreal is best told in his own words: "On the acre." arrival ... I found that the passenger priority afforded to a This was to be Heffernan's last command In the Group Captain was about the lowest I found Wing R.A.A.F. He retired In 1956 after an eventful career in Commander 'Sam' Balmer, also on route to England, in which he had flown some ninety genuine and separate the same predicament. After a day or so of fruitless types of aircraft, ranging from 1918 DH9A's to Vampires. searching for a seat I was lucky enough to locate Group Summing up, he remarked that he had had the usual Captain Gwynne Powell, whom I had known in England share of forced landings that Included one in the middle before the war when he was with Imperial Airways, He of the Nullabor Plain, a couple of minor accidents caused was now S.A.S.O. of 45 Ferry Group, so I explained our "through my own stupidity and overconfidence", and one problem to him and that afternoon Sam and I found major prang - in a Wellington. For the next four years ourselves doing a conversion course on to Mitchells, after his retirement he was manager of the Royal preparatory to ferrying one to England”. Victorian Aero Club, at Moorabbin, near Melbourne. In Heffernan left on 19th May, 1943, and Balmer the Birthday Honours of 1951 he was made an O.B.E. followed a few days later. "On arrival in England (he Retirement did not last long for in 1960 he was continued) I found that ! was to become one of a number appointed Associate to Mr. Justice Pape of the Victorian of senior officers sent from Australia to form a group of Bar. Heffernan found during his Interview that he knew R.A.A.F. squadrons Instead of having the Australian Justice Pape from his R.A.A.F days where he served squadrons scattered throughout Bomber Command. from 1939 to 1945 rising to the rank of Wing Heffernan said; "All this was a political move, sparked Commander. off by the Canadians who wanted the same set-up within Paddy spent the years 1961 - 1979 as Judge Papes the R.A.F. Why we followed suit. I’ll never know. The Associate when he finally retired and eventually died in whole thing was ill conceived and against the wishes of 1994. most of the Australian aircrewmen, who preferred being 96 AHSA Aviation Heritage THE HEFFERNAN ARTICLES 1

As supplied by John McKenzie

SO YOU WANT TO BE A PILOT? BY THE LATE AIR COMMODORE P.G.HEFFERNAN, O.B.E.,A.F.C. Director of Personnel at Air Board, Squadron Leader Ray During my last year (1928) at Duntroon, applications Brownell, who informed us that our course would not start were called for keen young officers of our class to until July. Therefore we had five months to fill in and he transfer to the R.A.A.F. for a period of three years. Full of proposed to post us to Laverton as supernumeraries. Two optimism, along with five others I submitted mv name. of us would go to No. 1 Squadron and two to No. 1 We were duly interviewed and round about September Aircraft Depot. After two months we would change over. four of us were notified of our selection. Apart from a ten- Initially, Max Watson and I went to the depot, and Tony bob joy ride at Mascot, I do not think any of us had flown Carr and Val Hancock to the squadron. before; but in those days there was something glamorous I was put with a section called (if I remember about being a pilot or "a hawk faced, blue eyed knight of correctly) Salvage and Sales. About that time the the sky". As none of us was hawk faced or had blue eyes, R.A.A.F. was disposing of a lot of 1914-18 stores and it was obvious that our instructors were In for a tough job. everything had to be identified and categorised as Anyway, there was one consoling factor about being saleable, repairable or reduce to produce. The sergeant in accepted by the R.A.A.F. and this was that It saved us charge was one of the old school and knew all the tricks from route marches during the annual camp at the end of of the trade. In fact, the things I learnt from him saved me many a time during future annual stocktakings. There was a voucher known as a "conversion voucher", and as far as I could see it could be used for almost any

purpose. Actually It was used to convert a major component to many minor components; but it fell down once when I tried to convert a Thorneycroft lorry into a Sopwith Pup areoplane, when the stock cards showed that I was surplus one lorry and down one Sopwith. Another item that caused us some concern I was a huge quantity of biscuits that had been bought during the Melbourne police strike of 1926 to be used as emergency rations. These were listed as "Biscuits, oatmeal, 7 lb tins". On weighing them, we found the tins to be much First Class 1928, Paddy Heffernan top row second from left. lighter than 7 lb, so a tin was opened and, as was the year at the Royal Military College. By way of to be expected, weevils had eaten a large portion experiment the R.A.A.F. sent three Cirrus Moths to of the contents. So we converted them to “Biscuits, Duntroon for the period of the camp. The pilots were oatmeal, 4 lb." Then the fun started. No matter how much Flying Officer (later Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick) we tried to explain the discrepancy, the auditing staff did Scherger and Flying Officer J. G. Cardale (Group not seem to appreciate that weevils could get into a Captain, retired), both Duntroon graduates, and Sergeant sealed tin and that weevils had to eat. I never found out C. Preston, who combined the duties of pilot and fitter to what eventually happened, because I moved on and left it the detachment. The Moths were used for artillery to the sergeant to sort out. spotting and reconnaissance work and, despite their To digress for a moment, the story of the missing 40- limitations, everybody gained valuable experience of the gallon petrol drum is worth repeating. When H.M.A.S. use of aircraft with the army. Geranium was doing a survey of the Barrier Reef in 1927, While our class mates were slogging over the the R.A.A.F. co-operated by using Mk. 1 Seagull flying paddocks in the "Battle of Gungahlin", fought annually boats. At the main base at Bowen, moorings had to be between “Redland" and "Blueland", we at least had the laid down for the Seagulls, so the logical thing was to use pleasure of flying over them and dropping apple cores, an empty 40-gallon drum. In those days petrol received stale "corks" (the cadets' name for scones), and other bits from the oil companies was taken on charge as two items of the unconsumed portion of the day's ration. - 40 gallons of petrol, and one drum, steel, 40 gallon. Occasionally, the consumed portion was also dropped in Some years later, when the work was completed and the a paper bag, with what accuracy I never found out. I refer survey flight was being closed down, it was found to be of course to the habit of the human stomach of rebelling two drums short. No amount of explaining could satisfy against the ups and downs of air travel. The air around the auditors as to how "drums, petrol" became "moorings, Canberra can be very turbulent and all of us, being seaplane'-particularly when the moorings were inspected newcomers to flying, suffered the pangs of air sickness. and no drums could be located. Naturally they had rusted Nevertheless, the few hours we flew during these four through and sunk. The file on this matter grew into weeks only whetted our appetites, and we looked forward enormous proportions until eventually it came to the to graduation day and our posting to Point Cook. notice of the Chief of Air Staff, then Air Commodore On the 1st of February 1929 we reported to the Williams, who rook the courageous step of writing on the 97 AHSA Aviation Heritage minute sheet the words "This correspondence will now anything generally cared little for the plane or for the pilot cease". I say courageous, because in those days the who was to fly it after hinn. The simile between a pilot and auditors were all-powerful. Nowadays a more enlightened a horseman is rather apt. A good rider can stick to outlook prevails regarding stores accounting. anything, without any regard as to what may happen to To return to my story. After two months at the depot, the horse; a good horseman may take a few falls, but his Watson and I transferred to No. 1 Squadron just in time horse will be looked after and be able to carry on day for the annual Citizen Air Force camp. In the light of our after day. Duntroon experience we were promptly made drill With all flying courses there is considerable instructors and spent most of the fortnight "square competition among the instructors to see who can get his bashing". When we were not doing this, we took classes pupil solo first. The bit of flying that we had had before in small arms and the Vickers gun. One of our best joining the course gave the four of us a lead on the •pupils was Flight Lieutenant Fred Thomas (later Sir cadets, and Norm put me up for my first solo test at five Frederick Thomas, Lord Mayor of Melbourne), who had hours. My spinning recovery was not up to standard, so been one of the first to join the newly-formed C.A.F. In after another 1V2 hours dual I was tested again. The 1925 as an airman, and became a pilot the following squadron commander was Squadron Leader (later Air year. Everything went well during the camp, despite a Vice Marshal) W.D.Bostock, a most immaculate pilot. couple of crashes. But nobody worried greatly as there After my somewhat erratic landing I heard his precise were no casualties and the aircraft, D.H.9As, were due to tones through the speaking tubes; "Heffernan, your be scrapped at the end of the year. The only people who landing was very rough, you let the aircraft swing during moaned were the permanent airmen, who said that they the landing run, your turns leave much to be desired and had spent all the year building up the planes for the your spin recovery was violent. However, your take off is C. A.F. to wreck. Not quite true, but anything for a moan. fair and you may go solo". With that he climbed out and In the next two months Watson and I did waved me off. supernumerary duties round the squadron, such as Our firsf solo consisted of a take-off, one circuit of the assistant adjutant and lots of orderly-officer, and field and a landing. Somehow or other I made it, and managed to get in a bit of passenger flying. But above ail Norm met me after landing. He had been watching my we learned much about the administrative side of the performance from the tarmac and apparently thought that R.A.A.F. which proved most valuable in our future I was safe enough, as he sent me off for some more careers. practice landings. I have forgotten who went solo first; it Then the long-awaited signal arrived: “Posted to was not myself, but there was only about a half-hour's Cadet Squadron, Point Cook, to undergo pilot training on difference between the four of us. No. 7 Course w.e.f. 1 July 1929". Besides the four of us, As ours was the first full course to be trained on the our course consisted of three airmen to be trained as D.H.60X Cirrus Moth, we were a sort of experimental sergeant pilots and nine cadets. We also picked up two course. No. 6 Course had been trained partly on the old cadets who had been Injured on the previous course and Avros with rotary engines, and half on the Moths, so the were to complete their training with us. The officer in experience gained on that course was tried out on us. The charge of the course, Flying Officer George Rice-Oxley, Moth was a very easy plane to fly and the "slots" on the an R.F.C. pilot of 1914-18, was a lovable chap who leading edge of the upper mainplane made it almost mothered us like an old hen with her chickens. We were unstallable. On the other hand, the old Avro stalled, that divided into flights for flying training and only reported to is, lost flying speed, at approximately 60 m.p.h. and then our flight commanders. Flight Lieutenant D. E. L. Wilson spun at the slightest provocation, as many a trainee (later Air Commodore) was in charge of our particular found to his cost. In addition, the rotary engine created section, and after some rather dour words of greeting he terrific torque which required a lot of rudder pressure to pointed to a very oily Cirrus Moth on the tarmac, and counteract. Another problem with the rotarv was to get it said: "There's only one way to learn about aeroplanes running properly. The throttle had only two positions, and that is to get close to them. Get some buckets and open or shut, and once opened, the mixture control had mops and scrub that one." to be juggled to get the engine running smoothly. We were then allotted to our instructors. I was lucky The Moth engine was like the car engine and the to be given Flying Officer Norm Evans, who had been throttle was used in the same manner as the accelerator trained on the No. 2 Course in 1924 and had then gone to of a car. A certain amount of torque was created by the QANTAS. Rejoining the R.A.A.F. in 1927 as an instructor, airscrew, but nothing comparable with the rotary. Full he later went to Australian National Airways as a pilot on throttle was used for take-off, after which the engine was D. H.86S on the Tasmanian run. He was killed when the throttled back to the required revolutions. The Moth would "Miss Hobart" crashed into the sea through structural stall, but the action of the "slots" delayed the onset of the failure off Flinders Island in 1936 or thereabouts. stall to about 40 m.p.h. and even then the aircraft Norm was a fine pilot and a very sympathetic wallowed before spinning. The ease of learning to fly this instructor, being one of the few who did not start a pupil's aircraft was amply shown in the reduced amount of dual instruction by scaring hell out of him. I am afraid the required before going solo. I cannot recall the exact popular theory at that time was to see if the pupil could figure, but it was something of the order of two hours less stand up to half-an-hour of violent aerobatics without than on the Avro. being sick. If he could, it was generally accepted that he Despite this, four of the cadets were unable to solo would be a good pilot. In practice and in fact it was and so were discharged as unlikely to become efficient proved later, when flying instruction became more pilots. One lad, from the back-blocks of New South scientific, that the pilot who was prone to air-sickness Wales, had enormous hands and could not appreciate usually became a better type of pilot. He flew more the need for gentle movements of the control column. His accurately and consequently placed less strain on his instructor persevered for a long time, but finally admitted aeroplane. The "tough" type who could stand up to defeat. He tried to explain to the lad that he was too 98 4HS4 Aviation Heritage heavy-handed. "Well", said the boy fronn the bush," if you speechless, a rare occurrence for him. had dagged as many sheep as I have, you'd be heavy- After dinner we would adjourn to the anteroom for handed too!" I suppose that if the R.A.A.F. had been coffee and to carry on with the revels. We had as an prepared to give him enough dual he would eventually honorary of the mess a British Army officer who was a have gone solo, but there was a limit and it was pretty wizard on the piano and knew about every mess song obvious from the start that he was not pilot material. that had been written. The piano would be stripped of all Generally speaking, you were regarded with suspicion superfluous woodwork, a pint of beer placed in front of if you had not gone solo after twelve hours, and during him, and he was set for the evening. the war ten hours was usually the limit. One chap on a For those who did not fancy a little choral practice, later course had as much as twenty-two hours before the game of "weak horses" was an alternative. The four of going grounded; he then had another ten at the Aero us from Duntroon still wore army mess-kit, complete with Club, at his own expense, before he went solo. He spurs. Naturally we were in great demand, as there was became quite a good pilot and when last heard of was nothing more conducive to making your horse collapse flying with a leading airline. than a dig in the ribs with a pair of spurs. Eventually It Friday afternoon was the official clean-up day, and the was ruled that spurs would come off after dinner, the last flying period ended at 1500 hours. From that time leading protestant being the Navy who were dining with until 1645 all hands were put on to cleaning and the R.A.A.F. during the inter-service sports weeks. scrubbing the planes. The C.O. then made his inspection, Following these dining-in nights we always hoped and if all was well we stood down at 1700 until midnight that the weather would be too bad for flying next day, on Sunday. because flying with a hangover did not help (a) your own During the week we were under strict control. Reveille head and (b) the Instructor's liver; but I am afraid our at 0630, do our rooms, breakfast at 0715, and colour hoist parade at 0800. We then marched to the hangars, about half-a-mile away, and got on with the flying programme. When not flying, we did practical work on engines and air-frames and practised Morse. As part of the practical work, each pupil took some component of an aircraft or engine and completely overhauled it. At the end of the course all the overhauled components were assembled into a complete plane and each member of the course flew it. So the work had to be good enough to be passed by an Inspector of the Aeronautical Inspection Department. In the afternoons we had lectures on technical subjects, administration and law, army and naval co­ operation, air force history and sundry other subjects. If the weather happened to be poor In the mornings, the programme was reversed. Drill and physical training daily kept us alert, and a run of about two miles to the trees on the far Paddy about to take his ‘ten bob joy ride’. side of the aerodrome each night sweated the beer out of us. prayers were seldom answered, and it was a sorry Although we Duntrooners were commissioned, we looking gang that arrived on the tarmac on Friday lived with the cadets and followed the same routine. Mess mornings. Despite this, mess life was good fun. Dignity life was strictly controlled and we were not allowed to was seldom lost even during the most convivial exceed £2 per month on our accounts. Everything was moments, and I often regret the passing of the weekly done on "chits” in those days. As beer was 1072d a dining-in nights and the other customs that went to make Service tradition. bottle and Capstans Is. for 24, we got along fairly well. Once a week, on Thursday, the living in personnel dined By Christmas we had completed our "ab Initio” phase in, and once a month there was full-scale dining-in night of the course, without any damage except a couple of for everybody mess kit, the band, mess silver and all the busted undercarts and a prop tip or so, and we were trimmings. ready to start the service training after the holiday break. The old officers' mess at Point Cook looked at its best Initially we started dual on D.H.QAs, the last of the 1914- on these nights. The dark panelled walls, silver 18 planes. Only two of us got solo, Len Diprose and candelabra and trophies on the tables all added to the myself, before we switched to Wapitis. The Wapiti was a dignity of the scene when we first sat down. However, as kindly old soul to fly, its only fault being that it was very the evening progressed and the drinks flowed, it nose-heavy and if the aerodrome was at all boggy one sometimes became necessary for the President to fine had to be very careful when taxylng, otherwise the tail noisy customers a round of drinks. Naturally, the more rose and the airscrew hit the ground. It then became a frequent the fines became, the better the party. One fifty-fifty chance if the plane would dig right in and go over evening, when Wing Commander "Kanga" De La Rue on to its back. If this happened and the pilot was not was presiding, a certain amount of fruit was becoming thinking, and released his safety harness, he fell some airborne. "Kanga" pounded the gavel and stood up to three feet on to the top of his head. I cannot remember if blast the offenders, when a bunch of overipe muscatels any of our course managed to turn a Wapiti over, but got him right in the middle of his boiled shirt. He subsided quite a few scored hits on the airscrew. 99 AHSA Aviation Heritage The highlight of this portion of the course was the Technically nny story should finish here, but to prove cross-country flight. This was a navigational exercise that the instructor is always right, I will continue with the and, as none of us had flown outside the fifty-mile radius details of the first few weeks at Richmond, where I was from Point Cook, was all over new country. So invariably posted on completion of the course. I reported to the the instructors prepared for some pupils to become lost. C.O., Squadron Leader Harry Cobby (later Air Our first trip was to Denillquin, about 150 miles north of Commodore), and we discussed the time of the day and Point Cook. When I think back and realise the panic we how little I knew of the Air Force. all went through in preparing flight plans, and getting Some days later Flight Lieutenant Bill Duncan sandwiches and thermos flasks, one would have thought suggested that I should do some night flying as we had we were preparing for a flight to Mars. The flight took not done any on the flying course. The system then was about two hours each way; today it would be done in to start flying solo just before dusk and carry on into the twenty minutes. We were using strip maps - sections of dark. Dual instruction at night was unheard of at that the map of Victoria cut in a strip and covering the country time. It was a beautifully clear night and, to my for about five miles on each side of the track. This strip overconfident mind, just the night to show my flight was then wound on to rollers In a small box with a commander how good I was and how easy this night perspex top, and you wound off the map as you used it. If flying could be. I therefore decided to do my last landing by any chance your navigation was bad and you ran off away from the flare path and near the hangar. It was a the side of the strip, you had to use your imagination beautiful landing, about twenty feet too high up, and in freely as to your location. the awful silence as I descended vertically from twenty We got the usual briefing from our instructors to fly at feet I said to myself, "'Stiffy’ must be right". The damage 2000 feet above terrain, look out for bad weather, etc. In to the aircraft was not great - a couple of bracing wires spite of this, I think every one of us broke all the rules and and a bit of woodwork - but my pride suffered more than flew the course at ground level. Low flying can be most the plane. The C.O. sent me to Mascot to buy the exhillrating and also very dangerous, because most pilots replacement wires out of my own pocket, 22s. 9d. to be flying in an open cockpit tend to look over one side only. correct, and I had to work on the aircraft till it was Then the tree that has not been noticed appears on the serviceable again. other side, and that is that. Some of the planes returned A fortnight later I had to do a run to Newcastle and, with bits of tree still in the undercarriage, but I do not full of over-confidence again, failed to look at the map to think any of us got lost on this run. see where the airfield was located. I flew around Our second trip, to Nhill, presented a some what Newcastle a couple of times and, as fuel was getting low, different story. The flight was easy as far as Stawell, but decided to land on a racecourse. This was accomplished the last fifty miles had to he done over the Mallee which is successfully, but there was a lot of water lying about virtually featureless. Ignoring the fact that we were between me and the area where I wanted to go. The good supposed to navigate in the real sense to Nhill, we all book says that once you have landed on a strange field, gave it away and followed the "iron compass", I.e. the you must get out and inspect the area before going any railway line. Now railways have a habit of wandering further. Anyway, it "looked O.K. and I did not want to get round the country, and on this trip there were several my feet wet." So I taxied on. I had hardly gone a couple of junctions that could get the unwary pilot into trouble. At yards when there was a splashing noise, a bit of the Horsham, what appears to be the logical line to take, airscrew flew over my head, and the plane came to rest goes to Goroke, some thirty miles south of Nhill, while at with the lower mainplanes flat on the ground. Cursing my Dimboola the unwary could head off to Jeparit and all stupidity, I got out and disappeared Into three feet of points north. Most of us made the grade, but one of our water. A couple of locals appeared and together we company had to spend the night under the wing of his dragged the plane out. I was told that I had taxied into the plane before being rescued. Luckily the country round water jump of all places! A new propeller was flown up there is flat wheat fields, so nobody broke anything. from Richmond and after it was fitted I found a dry patch Another lad picked a better spot and spent the night in a and flew the plane back to Richmond. The C.O. was comfortable bed at some station near Warracknabeal - so waiting for me on the tarmac, and in a few well-chosen you can be lucky. words gave me a brief summary of my ancestry, my All's well that ends well, and a few days later we were general uselessness and incompetence as pilot, and a given our final test for "wings". Flight Lieutenant "Stiffy" fortnight's orderly officer in which to think over my crime. Wiggins was my testing pilot and he gave me the works. So I took stock of my wrong-doings and decided that Including a landing in the much feared "instructors’ my previous flight commander, "Stiffy", was right when he paddock", a small triangular paddock with a maximum said I was over-confident. Both these accidents could run of about 150 yards. It got its name because have been prevented if I had stopped to think of what normally only instructors were allowed to land in it. could occur, but overconfidence seems to regard such Somehow or other I made it; I think that the top wire of thoughts as waste of time. A pilot cannot afford to relax the fence may have come out, but I got In and out of the for one moment and, provided he sticks to the rules, can paddock without breaking the plane. Back to Point Cook eliminate most of the causes of accidents. I was lucky in and that was my last flight as a pupil. A couple of days some respects because I had only these minor accidents, later we received the results of our written examinations but they made me think - and, because I thought, I and were fully fledged pilots. I had 105 hours and, as the managed to fly for another thirty years without a self record in my log shows, I was "over-confident and should inflicted accident. As somebody rightly said: “There may watch this tendency" until I had more experience. How be old pilots and there may be bold pilots, but there are right "Stiffy” was! no old bold pilots.”

100 AHSA Aviation Heritage Too little - too late. The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation CA-15 By David Eyre

The CA-15 was the second single seat fighter progressed it was decided to move on to the R-2800-57W designed and built in Australia for service in the Pacific radial with a General Electric C2 turbocharger with Theatre of Operations, the Boomerang being the first. water injection. Consideration was also given at one stage to fitting the Bristol Centaurus 12SM radial, or the During the war, a RAAF specification (No 2/42) was R-2800-22W. However, in the event, the R-2800-57 also conceived for a long-range, medium altitude, high became unavailable as the production line had been performance fighter. The original intention was to closed down, and thus would not be available in develop the Boomerang by fitting a higher powered sufficient quantity for full scale production. Thus it was engine than the 1,200 hp Pratt and Whitney. However it decided to substitute the Rolls Royce Griffon 125 with a was found that the basic Boomerang fuselage would not three-speed supercharger using a Spitfire auxiliary take the extra weight of the larger engine such as the gearbox and a Dowty Rotol 3.81 m(12ft6in) diameter Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp, without a propeller. However further design changes had to be considerable amount of redesign, and so this idea was made as this engine was not immediately available, and a discarded. Griffon Mk61 with a two-stage two-speed blower was substituted. This involved further redesign and caused A number of conferences were held between officials yet fiirther delays in the aircraft’s development, two or the RAAF and CAC during 1943 the design of the Griffon 61s being obtained from the United Kingdom on CA-15 was accepted to fill the above specification. Much loan for the project, these units having later to be work went into the design of the new fighter, and an returned. engine mock-up, and a fuselage mock up, were built during 1943 designed around the R-2800 engine. A The installation of the Griffon on the drawing board number of wooden models were also constructed for wind enabled a better performance to be available than had tunnel testing. been originally estimated, a maximum speed of 796.6 (495 mph) and a cruising speed of 466.7 km/h (290 mph) The Pratt & Whitney R-2800-10W Double Wasp (the at 7620 meters (25,000 ft) being available. There were first choice) was a 18 cylinder radial air-cooled engine several innovations amongst the engine accessories on with a two-stage supercharger with Pesco water injection the Griffon, one of which was the liquid-cooled heat driving a 12 ft. (3.65 m) diameter propeller providing exchanger system for the oil supply instead of the normal 2300 hp for take-off. Work on the prototype commenced, air cooling. The cooling system located below the and by August 1944 the fuselage was 60% complete, and fuselage comprised one Morris type single-row main the wings were said to 20% complete. As the design intercooler, followed by a Morris type three-row radiator 101 AHSA Aviation Heritage with a matrix area of .53 (5.8 sq ft). The exit duct range of 4087 km (2540 miles) at 1524 m (5000 ft) at was varied by a hinged door thermostatically controlled 1600 rpm. by the temperature of the engine coolant. A cartridge system was fitted in place of the conventional electric The prototype, resplendent in all-over natural metal motor. The latter was decided upon because a battery with blue and white wartime roundels, the serial A62- with sufficient capacity for reliable and repeated use of 1001, black anti-dazzle panel in front of the cockpit, was an electric starter for such a large engine could not be rolled out in 1946, long after the end of the war and at a obtained without the penalty of undue battery weight. time when its future was very much clouded by the The cartridge system, which was used for many years in advent of the Gloster Meteor and de Havilland Vampire a variety of military aircraft, was considered to be light in the United Kingdom, the fighters in the United States and efficient and its use did away with the dependence on such as the Bell Comet etc. And by this time the capture a small battery that was fitted to some fighters, or battery of turbojet aircraft and test data in Germany. Be this as carts in the field. The accessories such as the generator, it may, the aircraft, despite many delays, was finally hydraulic pumps and air compressor were grouped around a shaft driven auxiliary gear box instead of being fitted to the rear of the engine.

When seen at a distance, the average spotter might have confused the CA-15 with the North American Mustang, which was at the time being built under licence by CAC in Melbourne as the CA- 17. Compared with the Mustang, the CA- 15 had a smaller wingspan and increased length. One of the most obvious ready for testing and these commenced on 12 February differences was the nine degree dihedral setting the that year. tailplane; another being the air-scoop for the chest position radiator. The installation of a Rolls Royce Newspaper articles of the time announced the “CA-15 Griffon in place of the Packard built Merlin of the made its first flight from the Fishermen’s Bend runway Mustang, involved a complete redesign of the cowling. of the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation at 6.30 p.m. This gave improved vision over the nose and employed a yesterday” 4 March 1946 (other records show 6.10 p.m.). deeper radiator beneath the fuselage. “The first flight was kept a secret and only a few CAC officials were witnesses as test pilot Jim Schofield took Another problem encountered was the installation of her off’. The plane was a picture of sleek silvered grace the armament. Various combinations of 20-mm cannon against the sunset sky. Schofield flew for 20 minutes, and 12.7 mm (0.50 in) machine guns were considered never out of sight of the field. When he landed he said and, after much procrastination it was finally decided to ‘she is a very nice aircraft, and I was well satisfied with install six 12.7 mm (.50 in) machine guns with 280 her. She will do everything that is expected of her, and 1 rounds per gun in the wings. Provision was also to be think she will show a better performance than any other made for ten rocket projectiles under the wings. single-engine aircraft 1 have flown. ’

Fuel capacity of the aircraft was two 500 litre (110 The aircraft was allocated to the RAAF on 2 June Imp gals) tanks in the wings and 182 litres (40 Imp gals) 1946 and was delivered to No 1 Aircraft Performance in a tank in the fuselage. Two 909 litre (200 Imp gal) Unit (APU) at Laverton, Vic on June 27. Familiarisation drop tanks were to be fitted beneath the wings, thus flights re commenced with APU pilots including Wing making a total of 3000 litres (660 Imp gals). This was Commander J.H. Harper and G.D. Marshall: Squadron an exceptional figure for a single-seat piston-engine Leaders D.R. Cuming, G.C. Brunner, C.V.J. Stark and fighter for the time, and gave the aircraft a maximum G.H. Shields: and Flight Lieut J. A. Archer. 102 AHSA Aviation Heritage H camera. The pilot had manual control of the ■ shutter release and cocking lever of the d camera. He could take photographs at will I during flight manoeuvres and this enabled I him to concentrate on flying instead of H making notes on a knee pad with a pencil.

Pilots reported that they were delighted with the orderly and rational manner in which cockpit instruments and controls were installed. The cockpit itself appeared to be narrower than in some fighters, but the space available was said to be adequate, The windscreen had three large flat sections giving very good visibility, and the bubble was “free blown” in manufacture, no moulds being used; it was claimed that this method gave superior optical properties. In an emergency a lever jettisoned the enclosure, together with the head rest and rear armour plating, thus enabling the pilot to leave the aircraft without too much difBculty.

Reports stated that pilots found the Ca-15 a pleasant uncomplicated aircraft to fly with no apparent vices. On the ground the wide wheel track of 4.26 m (14 ft) gave the aircraft Testing continued until the aircraft made a crash an exceptionally stable tracking even whilst landing due to hydraulic failure on December 10 1946. taxying over excessively rough ground. Jim Schofield On this occasion whilst being flown by FI. Lt. Archer reported the aircraft could be landed normally on three whilst approaching Point Cook, Vic when the points without any tendency to swing or boimce. The undercarriage was selected down the red lights remained only advice he considered that he needed to give the on in the cockpit and, although the emergency system average fighter pilot about the machine was the tendency was activated, the gear could not be extended due to the to swing on take-off from the torque of the 2,035-hp loss of hydraulic fluid, which also meant the flaps could Griffon. This was partly due to the fact that the propeller not be extended. Ultimately the pilot landed on the main ran left-handed and most pilots were accustomed to runway wheels up, the aircraft being stalled on the right-hand rotation. This swing was easily checked and ground tailwheel first, then the intercooler and then the fully controllable. aircraft pitching forward until coming to a rest seriously damaged but with the pilot uninjured. Unofficially the CA-15 was known as the “Kangaroo”. It is considered by some that had The aircraft was subsequently rebuilt, but this further development proceeded at a faster pace, or had the war delayed the programme and, as already mentioned, the been prolonged in the Pacific, the type would have days of the fighter powered by a reciprocating engine proved one of the fighter successes of World War II but, were already numbered and the CA-15 really became just like the Martin Baker MB-5 in the United Kingdom, the a test vehicle. The machine was returned to the RAAF design did not get past the prototype stage. on May 19 1948, and a limited test flying programme References; Aircraft Periodical continued until 1950 when further development was RAAF News Periodical cancelled. Janes All The Worlds Aircraft Aircraft of the Fighting Powers Australian Aviation and Defence Special fittings in the aircraft included a torque meter Review on the control colunrn; a quick release fitting on the fin Air Enthusiast October 1972 Australian Defender 1994 for the use of a tail parachute if release of this became Air Entusiast April 1973 necessary during spinning tests; and the fitting of a AHSA News AHSA Journal complete duplicate set of instruments, electrically Newspapers - various- Sydney and Melbourne illuminated, in a metal case set in front of a 35-mm robot Thanks to Dave Anderson , Frank Smith and Keith Isaacs

103 AHSA Aviation Heritage

SPECIFICATIONS Type. Single seat, long range, medium altitude fighter. Wings. Cantilever low-wing monoplane. Low drag laminar flow aerofoil section derived from NACA series. Maximum thickness at 45% chord. All metal structure in two main sections joined at fuselage centreline. Formed sheet metal spars and ribs, flush riveted metal skin. All metal Frise type differentially controlled ailerons extending 48% or the span. Shrouded nose balance with fabric seals. Servo and electrically operated trim tabs. Hydraulically operated trailing edge flaps between ailerons and fuselage. Take off angle 20 degrees. Landing: 50 degrees. Fuselage. All metal semi-monocoque structure with flush riveted stressed metal skin. Tail Unit. Cantilever monoplane type. All metal structure with flush riveted section over all surfaces. Tailplane set at nine degrees dihedral; Trim tabs in rudder and elevators Landing Gear. Retractable two wheel type. Wheels retract inwards under fuselage and enclosed by fairing plates attached to the legs and hinged fairings under the fuselage. Dowty Live-line hydraulic system. Hydraulic brakes on main wheels. Tail wheel retracted into fuselage and enclosed by twin doors. Power Plant. One Rolls Royce' Griffon 61 twelve cylinder Vee liquid cooled engine rated at 2,035 hp with ma.ximum boost of 18 lbs/ sq, in. at 7,000 ft,; 1.820 hp at 21,000 ft.; Take-off power 1,540 hp at Sea level. Flexibly mounted on built up sheet metal bearers. Dowty Rotel four blade constant speed airscrew, 3.18 m (12 ft. 6 in.) diameter with compressed wood blades. Morris type ducted coolant radiator and intercooler beneath the fuselage. Liquid cooled heat exchanger for oil system. Cartridge starter. Normal fuel capacity 1000 litre (220 Imp. gallons) in wing tanks and one 182 litre (40 Imp. gallon) tank in fuselage. Provision for two 909 litre (200 Imp. gallon) long range drop tanks under wings. Armament. Six 0.50 in. machine guns: Provision for two 227 kg (500 Ib) or two 453 kg (1,000 Ib.) bombs on external racks. Dimensions. Span 10.97 m (36feet). Length 11.03 m {Wfh”). Wing Area 23.5m^ (253 Sq. Ft). Height(tail down, one blade vertical: 3.4m (IP 2"). Height(level) 4.05m (13' 3"). Weights. Empty 3420 kg (7,540 lbs.) Normal loaded 4882 kg (10,764 lbs.), Max T/0 5597 kg (12,340 lbs.) Wing loading(normal) 37.5 Ibs/sq.ft. Wing loading(maximum) 48.8 Ibs/sq.ft. Power loading (normal) 412 Ibs/hp Performance. Maximum speed 721 km/hr (448 mph at 8,047 m (26,400 ft) (combat power) Max speed 592 km/hr (368 mph) at sea level, Max speed 11,277 m (37,000 ft.) 607 km/hr (432 mph). Initial Rate of Climb 1112.5 m/min (3650 ft/min) Time to 6096 m/20,000 feet 5 minutes 30 seconds. Service ceiling 11,887 m (39,000 ft.) Maximum ceiling 13,716 m (45,000 feet) Range (max)4087 km.(2,540 miles) at 1524 m. (5,000 feet) at 1,600 rpm. Stalling speed 156 km/hr (97 mph)

cr- o CA-15

(Above) The turbocharged Pratt & Whitney R-2800-57W Double Wasp version.

(Right) Rolls-Royce Griffon 61, V 12 cylinder liquid cooled version

104