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■11 The Journal of the AVIATION HISTORICAL SOCIETY of AUSTRALIA Inc. A00336533P, ARBN 092-671-773 Volume 33 - Number 4 - December 2002

EDITOR, DESIGN & PRODUCTION EDITORIAL Bill Baker Another year ends, and we have produced 172 pages of Address all correspondence to; Aviation Heritage, 16 pages of newsletter and 18 pages of The Editor, AHSA, Index to Identities, not a bad effort. The greater proportion P.O. Box 2007, that has never been published before. What upsets me is South Melbourne 3205 Victoria, Australia. that there is a huge amount of information that will never be 03 9583 4072 Phone & Fax published and thus might die with the writers. Web sites are E.mail: [email protected] OK, but can never replace the printed word by virtue of their www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/ahsa.html need for a computer. Subscription Rates; Subscrition Renewals. We have managed to keep our Australia A$45. costs down, so last years rates will still apply. We will issue, Rest of World A$68. to our Australian subscribers, a stamped return envelope, Overseas payment to be in Australian but please note it will have a 45 cent stamp on it, and that currency by International Money Order or postage will rise to 50 cents on December 31, so please Bank Draft. Overseas personal cheques don't put us in an embarrassing position by using the 45 cannot be accepted. cent postage after this date without adding a 5 cents supplementary stamp. Articles for Publication; Editors wish list; Are to be on an Australian theme. Priority 1: First to Fly in Australia.( Still waiting, waiting.) The Editor reserves the right to edit any Any facet of Australia’s aviation history, Malaya, GAF article accepted for publication. Nomad, Korea, Vietnam, anything that interests you and can Payment is not made for articles. be printed. How about the history of Airbus in Australia? Or Please include sufficient postage for the some photos out of your collection for the Members Photo return of originals if that is required. Page? Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands come A - H and the Computer; Contributions for under our banner also. Anything!! the Journal are most welcome in any form, Cover: To accompany Reg Adkins double photo page of but if you have a computer, exported on a Empire Class flying boats shot in 1939-40, is this beaut 3V2" disc in ASSCII format (plain text), or picture of A18-10 at rest in Port Moresby Harbour. WIN 6, would be just great! (Include hard copy also). However Macintosh discs can be Next Issue; Volume 34 Number 1 will be in your letter-box translated. All photographs submitted will be in the first week of March 2003. copied and the originals returned within 5 Contents; days of receipt. 135 John Robins Chas Schaedel Disclaimer; 138 Bizjets Falcon CC Barry Tate 1. Whilst every effort is made to check the 140 Pre War WA, DH 86 Edward Fletcher authenticity of the material and advertising 149 The 'Diamond Bird' Incident Douglas Pardee printed, the Publishers, Editors, and the 152 Saved Reg Adkins 154 Skies Over Uranquinty John Laming Aviation Historical Society of Australia and its 162 The Australian Gold Flight Office Bearers cannot accept responsibility 164 2 Squadron RAAF in Vietnam Bob Livingstone for any non-performance. 168 Aviation in Australia Flight 1910 2. The views expressed in 'Aviation 169 Rockhampton Tony Marsh Heritage' are not necessarily those of the 171 The CAC Wallaby AHSA or its Editors. Meetings of the AHSA; Melbourne Branch: The fourth Wednesday in every AVIATION HERITAGE month, 7:30 at the Airforce Association, 4 Cromwell Street, ISSN 0815 -4392 South Yarra. Further information - Keith Meggs 9580 0140. Print Post Approved PP 320418/00017 NSW Branch: The first Wednesday in every month 7:45 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Studio 1 at the Powerhouse Museum, enter from the ® 2001 by the Publishers; Macarthur Street end. Further information Warwick THE AVIATION HISTORICAL Bigsworth 02 9872 2323 SOCIETY OF Queensland Branch: The last Friday in every month 7:30 AUSTRALIA INC., at the RQAC Archerfield. Meals available. Contact Richard A0033653P ARBN 092-671-773 Hitchins, 07 3388 3900 P.O. BOX 2007, SOUTH MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA AHSA Aviation Heritage

Guinea Airways Pilot His flying career as told to CHAS SCHAEDEL

The size of the Junkers G31 VH-UOW is emphasised by Pilot George Cannon. Photo by G.Cannon John Robins qualified as a member of the Early Birds in terrible weather and hit Botany Bay right on the nose by Association when he began flying at Mascot in 1935. In dead reckoning. 1936 he flew a Leopard Moth in the 1936 Brisbane- Then Robins was given the choice of two positions, Adelaide Centenary Air Race for Axel von Goes, who was either as assistant Instructor at the Aero Club or with the son of the Swedish Consul in Sydney, and Robins was Guinea Airways in New Guinea. The Aero Club job was the pilot of his Leopard Moth VH-UVD. A bit younger than about £4-10 a week and the Guinea Airways position was Robins, Axel was a character, educated at Eton, always £500 per year plus living expenses and free of tax, so he wore his Eton tie with a grey suit, and while he would write took the latter. He went to New Guinea in 1937, got out a cheque for a Leopard Moth without a second married in 1939, came down on leave about 1940 and thought, when it came to everyday items he was very tried to join Qantas, but was stopped by Guinea Airways careful with his money. so joined ANA instead. He flew with Norm Croucher on Axel originally wanted to incorporate his initials in the the Sydney-Melbourne route and also out of Brisbane, registration VH-AVG for his aircraft, but that had already then Guinea Airways talked him Into going back to New been allotted so he settled for -UVD until he later changed Guinea to help them out and he was there until February it to -AAG. Robins was aged about 22 when he flew it in 1942, when the Japanese came in and blew up most of the Centenary Air Race as -UVD with race No.38, but he the aeroplanes. was unplaced and Reg Ansett was the winner. Robins flew most of the Guinea Airways types during The Leopard Moth was a lovely little aeroplane, and that time, beginning with the DH60G Gipsy Moth VH-ULJ. Axel tried to fly it a bit himself but he wasn’t a good pilot. This machine eventually returned to South Australia, and After Robins and Axel flew in the Air Race, Axel pranged it after being an exhibit at the School of Mines and then the when he overshot trying to land on the Bowral (or Birdwood Mill Museum, now resides at the SA Aviation Goulburn) racecourse In heavy weather, so he took the Museum at Port Adelaide. Another type that he flew was wings off, loaded it on a trailer and took it to de Havlllands the Stinson Reliant, of which Guineas operated two SR-7B in Sydney where It was put together again. landplanes VH-URC and VH-UGC, and also an SR-9FM Axel later sold the Leopard Moth and bought a lovely VH-ABJ seaplane. But on 27 August 1937 Robins Fairchild 24 VH-AAW from A. A. Watkins in Melbourne. It crashed VH-URC at Wau when he attempted to take off was just like a sedan car, fitted with side-by-side seats and one morning while he could see a hole in the clouds at the a couple at the back, a self starter, most modern end of the strip. But the weather suddenly closed right in, instruments of that time, a high wing with plenty of lift, and and when he tried to do a circuit to land again he flew into it was beautifully finished. Laurie Johnson was one of the some big pine trees and crashed badly. The load of bags freelance instructors around Essendon at the time, and he of potatoes and cartons of beer etc all came forward and checked Robins out on the Fairchild and then tried out smashed the legs off the seats, and Robins had the Axel. But In the end he suggested that Robins fly Axel control wheel forced back against his chest when the back to Mascot and finish training him there. This they did centre-piece of the dash broke out. He was pulled out by native boys and taken down to the hospital by other

135 AHSA Aviation Heritage

people who had by then turned up, and he was very lucky he came over in a Ford with half a dozen drums of petrol to get out of it with only slight injuries. Unfortunately there to fuel the Junkers. Then O'Dea took half the passengers was one native killed and another one Injured in a house and they both got away safely and down to Moresby that was hit by the Reliant as it came down. without further trouble. In the opinion of Robins the pilots of today with all the gold braid on their sleeves would be Robins had another lucky escape in October 1938 packing it just as much as the pilots of Robins' era If they when the undercarriage of the Junkers F13L VH-UKW were faced with trying to get into some of the early collapsed at Salamaua, and he escaped with a bad airfields in New Guinea. shaking. The Junkers, which began its career in South Australia in 1929 with Eyre Peninsula Airways and then Late on the morning of 21 January 1942 Robins Goldfields Air Navigation Ltd before going to Guinea returned from a flight to Kokoda to his base at Port Airways in 1932, was damaged but repairable. Moresby, where he was greeted by Guinea Airways pilots I Tommy O’Dea and Bert I Fleath and others who would normally have been at Lae and Salamaua. When he asked why they were all at Port Moresby he was told that Japanese aeroplanes had come over about an I hour before and blown those places to bits. He then realised that some aircraft he had observed on the other side of the range must have been Japanese, and if they had seen him at best he would probably have been walking home, and without having the Kokoda Trail to follow. Robins also flew the Ford Trimotors which Guinea Loading the damagedfuselage of Stinson Reliant VH-URC into Junkers G31 VH-URQ. Photo j.o'ieary Airways Operated In two versions, the smaller 4-AT-E Robins considers that the Junkers G31 trimotor was a with Wright Whirlwinds as great aircraft. He thought his Junkers seemed sluggish on VH-UTB and VH-USX and the bigger 5-AT-C with Pratt & one trip, even though the manifest Indicated he only just Whitneys as VH-UDY and VH-UBI. With some of the had a full load. But when he landed he was asked for the loads they used to stack in the Fords such as tractors and other manifest, and only then found out that somebody heavy machinery, he would have to wind the trim right had doubled up on his load. In those days they would fly forward on the elevator and still push hard to get the tail anything, ail sorts of cargo Including drums of petrol, while off the ground, and then fly all the way back to Lae like nowadays they seem wary of carrying even a cigarette that. How the funny little double wheel at the back lighter or lighter fluid! And drunks! Once while piloting a managed to take all the load was amazing! He once flew Ford he had three drunks in the cockpit trying to take over a Ford while they photographed New Guinea at about the controls, but he managed to keep on flying and told 18,000 feet, equipped with a couple of oxygen bottles tied the most sober one to get them back in the cabin before to the wall of the cabin and some rubber tubing and a pipe they all finished up in the jungle. stem to breathe through, and they were up there for eight hours. But the Fords were still not as good as the During the 1942 evacuation of New Guinea when the Junkers. Japanese forces landed there, they had to transport 1,000 women and children in a week. It was bad weather, very Robins brought the Ford 5-AT-C VH-UBI back to windy in what they called the north-west season, and one Australia with nurses and hospital patients who were day with 50 women and children and their baggage evacuated early in 1942, and he later tested it at Parafield crammed In a Junkers G31 tri-motor he couldn't get after It had been converted there by Guinea Airways to an across the Owen Stanleys, although he had previously air ambulance as RAAF A45-1. Robins considers that the done five or six such trips. It was mid-afternoon, and he conversion probably cost the Department of Air about ten had already done one flight in the morning to Port times the original purchase price of the aircraft! Tommy Moresby from Wau or Lae, but this time he couldn't get O’Dea flew the Ford back to New Guinea in November over the mountains. He was on the Kokoda side, and 1942 with a view to evacuating wounded service every time he got near the range the downdraught would personnel from Myola in the Owen Stanley Range, where pull him down and he would have to go around and try an airstrip had been cut from the kunei in an old dry lake again. By now he didn't have enough petrol to go back to bed and called an aerodrome. But it was in a 300 inch Lae, but there was a small aerodrome at Yodda where he rainfall area and it was all bog, so when O’Dea tried to had landed Ford Trimotor VH-UBI in December 1941, land the Ford, which was fitted with high pressure tyres in although he ran out of space and the Ford stood on its contrast to the balloon tyres fitted to some of the other nose. This time he told everyone to hang on tight and aeroplanes, it sank down and was badly damaged. O’Dea managed to put the Junkers safely down without damage suffered bad cuts to his knee and hand and was on the short strip. By means of the pedal radio set at hospitalised brfore being returned to Australia by air, but Yodda they contacted Tommy O'Dea at Port Moresby, and

136 AHSA Aviation Heritage the Ford remained where it lay until 1979 when it was stayed there, held up because of appalling weather airlifted out by helicopter and taken to Port Moresby. conditions with heavy rain and clouds right down on the treetops and up to 30,000 feet. Cameron decided to press Robins tried to return to New Guinea during the war on but got lost, and those on the ground listening to the but Guinea Airways wanted him on the Darwin run and radio conversations could hear them flying on for hours wouldn't let him go. He initially flew a few times to thinking they could see lights here and there, until finally Renmark., and,. Mildura inr DH89 Dragonuu uRapide *u VH-UBN,. a lack of fuel forced them to attempt a landing in the dark type with which he was familiar although there were not as wreckage was found on 30 June 1942 on many Dragon Rapides in New Guinea as Dragons, which Annaburroo Station north of Pine Creek. were less inclined to drop a wing than the tapered Rapides. VH-UBN was lost on 20 July 1944 when it Late in 1942 Guinea Airways received from the Allied crashed in the Adelaide Hills in bad weather, the pilot Directorate of Air Transport an allotment of three ex- Captain Frank Gill and his six passengers all being killed. Netherlands East Indies aircraft to use for government charter work. They were given ADAT radio callsigns and Robins also put in time on the Lockheed 10 and the were Lockheed 18 VHCAC, Lockheed 14 VHCXI and Lockheed 14, which some say was the worst aeroplane in Lockheed 14 VHCXJ, and it was VHCXI which gave the world to fly. You had to be quick with it and aware of Robins one of the closest shaves of his career on 13 the effect of the Fowler flaps which came out the trailing February 1944. At that stage of the war it was the practice edge of the wing on runners. If you had to go around to have an RAAF pilot acting as First Officer to gain again and opened up the engines, the terrific pressure experience on the Darwin run, and on leaving Alice under the wings with the flaps extended put the nose down and Into the ground, which happened In several instances. An accident along those lines occurred on 13 August 1940 when RAAF Lockheed Hudson A16-97 crashed while coming in to land at Canberra, killing four crew and six passengers among whom were the Minister for Air J. V. Fairbairn, the Minister for the Army Brigadier G. A. Street, the Chief of the General Staff General Sir Brudenell White and other high officials. The pilot FLt R. E. Hitchcock was the son of H. S. Hitchcock who The gashed nose of Lockheed 14 VHCXI after its accident at Alice Springs. Photo J. Fisher perished with Keith Anderson in the Tanami Springs FSgt Bird began the take-off from the co-pilot’s Desert when their Westland Widgeon was forced down right hand seat. Unfortunately a swing developed that while they were on the way to search for Kingsford Smith rapidly became uncontrollable, the undercarriage and Ulm in 1929. collapsed, the left hand engine tore away from the wing Robins was still in New Guinea when t(ie first and the propeller carved its way through the nose just Lockheed 14 owned by Guinea Airways crashed at inches in front of the feet of Robins. The cabin was fully Katherine in the Northern Territory on 18 January 1939, occupied by American servicemen but fortunately no one but while the official Investigation into the loss of VH-ABI was injured, so there was a mad scramble with everyone Indicated pilot error as the cause, he wonders If the including the crew trying to get out through the rear door at accident could have been the result of water in the petrol the same time in case of fire, the speed of exit hastened because the same thing later happened to him at the by the fuselage being at ground level. VHCXI did not fly same place. Both engines cut out on his Lockheed 14 just again. before he reached flying speed, but fortunately he was Robins continued to fly for Guinea Airways until the able to pull up without any damage. It was found that both time of the Berlin Airlift In 1948, when as a member of the fuel pump drives had sheered off and there was water in Active Reserve he was called up by the RAAF and sent to the carburettors. The trouble was that they could fill a East Sale to do a refresher course. As requested, he took bottle from the self-sealing tap under each fuel tank and it along his logbooks which at the time showed 7 or 8,000 would look clear, but unless there was a bit of petrol put In hours as against the desk pilots there with about 1,000 the bottle first to show a difference, what looked like a hours. He was checked out and went to Mallala to fly the clear bottle of fuel could actually be a full bottle of water. Woomera run for two years or so, after which he wrote to Guinea Airways lost a second Lockheed 14 on 21 April Bobby Gibbes about a piloting position with Gibbes Sepik 1942 when VH-ADY with Captain D. G. Cameron, First Airways in New Guinea, but the salary was nothing like it Officer W. T. Gray and a number of American servicemen had been in the pre-war years and It was hardly worth passengers went missing on a flight from Alice Springs to while going up there. He returned to Guinea Airways and Batchelor. Robins was at Katherine at the time, having continued to fly with the company after it became flown from Daly Waters on the way to Darwin, but having Airlinesof South Australia In 1960, until eventually he reached Katherine by some very careful contact flying he retired in Adelaide. ^

137 AHSA Aviation Heritage

The first Australian ‘Pocket Rocket’ BIZJET’S FALCON CC By BARRY TATE

The term “Pocket Rocket” was given to the now many CC -Cross Country. The modification involved important jet powered business aircraft. The first of these now redesign and rework of the lower part of the fuselage numerous corporate jets flying Australia’s skies was where the wheel wells are located. The CC had a max introduced into this country by Ron Walker who started a design ramp weight of 26,650 lbs and carried 8 company known as Bizjets based at Essendon Airport, passengers and not much baggage. Powered by two 4250 Melbourne. This aeroplane was a Avions Marcel Dassault lb st General Electric CF700-2D turbofans. Cruising speed Mystere 20 S/n 73, VH-BIZ, and was a one off. It was was 466 mph at 40,000 feet giving a range of 2230 miles. specially modified for Bizjets to enable it to operate from The cost of the Bizjets Falcon was $1.56 million which unpaved strips that were currently available to the Fokker included the modifications. VH-BIZ was first placed on the F27s and DC-3's. This modification was made by Australian register on July 13 1967 and was removed on replacing the twin main and nose wheels with a bigger 18 September 1973. wheel, nearly twice the size of the standard Falcon, and low pressure tyres. It was given the sub-classification of The island state, the Republic of Nauru, had long been desirous of having an air link with Australia, in 1969

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138 AHSA Aviation Heritage

and dined on witchetty soup, yabbie Own foyr own Airline pancakes, Murray crays. Go you want, when yoa want, ahvaya m relaxed romfort. The company also operated Beech Queenairs on intrastate services in Victoria to Portland, Warnambool, Swan Hill and sale from Melbourne under the name “Aircab”. Due to one of these Queenairs VH-ILK being destroyed one night at Essendon by an act of vandalism, the Falcon saw itself being used on the commuter runs for a while to Swan Hill and Portland I was fortunate enough to be a First Officer on the Falcon during 1972 and 1973 and to act as First Officer along with Captain Jack Marshall together with Flight Engineer David Staig and his wife who acted as Hostess on its return A promotional 'gimmick' - a book of matches (shown here greatly reduced). flight to Le Bourget, Paris in July

Nauru negotiated an air services agreement f FiLp'TACi with the Commonwealth of Australia with the 'FALCON :SliFiT MGIC initial route being Nauru to Brisbane with technical stops at Honiara and Noumea to refuel. Nauru at that time was a phosphate rich island and used Melbourne as Its Australian HQ, as it was the centre of the phosphate trade. Melbourne was also used as an educational base for Nauruan children. The availability of the Bizjets Falcon was used to provide a jet service for Nauru. It was the right size and suited the Nauruan Governments pocket. VH-BIZ started flying a fortnightly service via Honiara. Leaving Saturday and returning Sunday. It was painted in Air Nauru's colours prior to departure and these were painted out on its return. The fortnightly service soon became a weekly one and the terminal changed from Brisbane to Melbourne, a more logical step. Eventually the Falcon proved to be too restrictive in passenger and freight capacity (almost nil) and the government of Nauru purchased a Fokker F28 to be operated on its own account. WM Although VH-BIZ was the first U ij commercial business jet, QANTAS Empire Airways Ltd ordered two Hawker Siddeley HS r iii 125’s to be used for crew training. The first 1 arrived on 15 June 1966 and the second on 8 July 1966. The RAAF also operated several Mystere 20’s In their VIP Squadron. At times Bizjets would cross charter one of the Qantas HS 1973 following the collapse of Business Jets. This flight 125’s to help out with Its charter obligations. was conducted under the auspices of Executive Air Services at Essendon who became the Falcon I would serve as First Officer on many charter flights, representatives in Australia after Biz Jets colapse. With a principle charter clients were companies such as Esso, route of Melbourne - Alice Springs - Port Hedland -Bali - ICI, the Australian Tourist Commision. Bizjets operated a Singapore - Rangoon - Calcutta - Delhi - Karachi - Bahrain service from Sydney to Melbourne via the Swan Hill - Damascus - Athens - Rome - Paris. A distance of 10,147 Pioneer Village where the pasengers took in all the sights nautical miles in 28 hours 16 minutes flying time. 4-

BIZJETg

139 AHSA Aviation Heritage

Pre-war Civil Aircraft By EDWARD FLETCHER of Western Australia The De Havilland DH 86

VH-USD "RMA Brisbane" at Fitzroy Crossing in 1938 Photo;G^vyn Williams Proposals to establish an aerial mail link between destined to commence in late 1934. The machine had to Britain and Australia commenced in the late twenties and comply with the Australian specification with regards to planning continued for some years in a sporadic manner speed, range and capacity and have four engines for even to the extent of a small number of trial mall flights safety on the Timor Sea crossing. One further between the two countries. These were plagued with requirement, which could well have been the beginning of forced landings and accidents and, apart from establishing the problems associated with the type, was that de the possibility of a 16 day service between the England Havilland were given four months not just to design, build and Australia, did little to further the cause. It was not until and test fly the prototype but to have it certified as 1932-33 that serious discussions began to take place, airworthy by the British regulatory authorities, culminating in the issue of a tender by the Australian Faced with this time constraint, Arthur Hagg of de Government in September 1933 for a service between Havilland had no opportunity to design and adequately Singapore, Darwin and Brisbane, with internal feeder test a new type of aircraft more in line with the all-metal services within Australia from Daly Waters to Perth, American designs beginning to take to the air. Instead he Charleville to Cootamundra and Melbourne to Launceston. turned to a typical de Havilland design of 1932, the DH 84 A specification was also issued detailing the minimum Dragon and scaled it up to a 10-12 seater biplane with requirements of aircraft to be used on each route. more load capacity and four six-cylinder engines which This air mail scheme was to have a profound effect on Major Halford had scaled up from the Gipsy Major. It had the development of Australian airline routes, companies the typical plywood box fuselage favoured by the and equipment. MacRobertson Miller Aviation (MMA) company, with external longerons covered by doped fabric displaced West Australian Airways on the Perth to and four tapered mainplanes, the four engines being Wyndham sector (with a new extension to Daly Waters mounted on the lower wings. There were no flaps fitted and later to Darwin), while the Singapore to Brisbane and as a result the aircraft had a high landing speed. One sector fell to Qantas Empire Airways (QEA), a joint feature of the design which was to cause a great deal of company between Q.A.N.T.A.S. and Imperial Airways. concern to the Australian operators was the fin bias Cootamundra was selected as the southern terminal of the adjustment which consisted of a worm driven bobbin eastern sector so that mail for Sydney and Melbourne mounted transversely under the fin, the bobbin having an could be sent on by rail, a move which enlivened the elongated slot which housed the forward fin post and debate about the protection of the rail services from aerial allowed for the arcing movement made by the fin post competition. Perhaps more importantly for the future of when the drive was actuated by cable from the cockpit. Australian aviation in the long run, the Insistence by the The design was such that, if mis-assembled, the fin post Government that only British aircraft could be used on the could jam in the slot during actuation, with an excessive service, was to highlight the huge technological gap load being placed on the forward fin post, possibly between these rag, wood and tube machines and the all- causing it to fail with subsequent detachment of the whole metal American airliners being made by Lockheed, fin from the fuselage. Boeing and Douglas, a gap which would quickly lead to Describing the design as “typical de Havilland” carries the belated introduction of these machines on Australian more truth than just a reference to constructional details. air routes. The aircraft shared with the DH80 Puss Moth and the DH As soon as the tender was issued, the newly-formed 106 Comet I the dubious distinction of killing a consortium of QEA requested the de Havilland company considerable number of people in early crashes while de to design, build, test and obtain certification of an aircraft Havilland struggled to come to terms with basic design for use on the Singapore to Brisbane sector of the service flaws while at the same time Ignoring evidence and advice

140 AHSA Aviation Heritage from experts which may have prevented many of the larger brakes and a better tail wheel. This was designated deaths. A total of 32 passengers and crew were to die in the DH 86A and 20 were buiit. Australia in accidents which destroyed a third of the DH 86 In September 1936, the DH 86A G-DYFH crashed on aircraft on the Australian register. Some bitter battles take off from Gatwick and the Air Ministry asked the were fought between the British authorities, de Havilland A&AEE to immediately re-test the type. The subsequent and the Civil Aviation Branch in Australia over the reports from Martlesham were highly critical of the problems which beset the early production models and the handling of the aircraft and as a result seven were whole affair became a litany of misunderstandings, poor grounded and a further nine were deemed safe to fly only communication, professional pride and egotism that was in very restricted daylight conditions and in the hands of to cost dearly. Any reader interested in pursuing the pilots with at least 50 hours experience on the type . This matter should read the comprehensive accounts of the work brought out into the open the sores which had subject given by Lumsden and Heffernan\ MacArthur festered for two years and culminated in yet another re­ Job^'^, and Eric Allen.'' design, with two extra fins being installed on the After several months of wrangling, claims, counter extremities of the tailplane—the so-called “zulu shields”— claims and compulsory groundings, the problems were to all the remaining DH 86As. Lumsden and Heffernan sorted out to a level of commercial acceptability and for have written an excellent account of these trials the next four years the aircraft became as reliable as most De Havilland built ten more aircraft with this other in airliner service. Like some other English designs modification to the tail, increased chord in the tail plane the inherent problems of lightly built wooden machines and higher gearing in the aileron linkage and these operating in hot. turbulent skies and landing on rough and models were designated as DH 86B. In all, 62 machines badly maintained airfields would result in a high rate of were constructed and nineteen had an Australian minor damage, but the industry in Australia accepted this connection. One single pilot and 11 dual pilot DH 86s normal operational hazard. They always retained as a to Australia initially and later three DH 86Bs entered undesirable characteristics which made them came some service with W R Carpenter Ltd in 1937. To these 15 unpopular with many pilots and terrified others. Randall, in aircraft can be added three RAF impressed machines his history of 36 Squadron RAAF, mentions he first flew a used by No 1 Air Ambulance Unit in the Middle East DH 86 when the pilot originally detailed for the flight during World War 2, and in 1948 the only DH 86A to arrive refused to fly the aircraft and was court-martialled in on Australian shores was ferried to Darwin by Bill Mellor consequence. Because all four propellers rotated in the for Warren Penny. It never received local registration, same direction they tended to swing on take off and being sold to an American operator who took it back to the handling of the throttle controls became a fine art which Netherlands East Indies where it became involved in rebel many pilots never really mastered. Aileron action at low fighting and other adventures before being broken up at speed was slow to respond and landings, particularly on Bandoeng in 1949. the afore-mentioned poor surfaces and with no tail wheel locking mechanism, were also tricky and the aircraft were Of the 15 aircraft that came to Australian airline prone to ground looping with resultant expensive repairs. companies, five would be used by QEA on the Singapore- By 1938-39 the influx of American all-metal aircraft had Brisbane sector, four would be used by Holyman’s taken over the major routes and there must have been Airways/Australian National Airways (ANA) and five by W several pilots and chief engineers who breathed a sigh of R Carpenter Ltd. One of the aircraft which was destined relief when most of the DH 86s flew into the sunset. for QEA service crashed in Queensland on its delivery flight and had to be urgently replaced with an ex Imperial The aircraft was given the designation of DH 86 and Airways machine. Four ex-QEA machines were to have while no type name was chosen, it was known in airline significance in the development of Western Australian use as the “Commonwealth” or “Express” class. The first aviation. They were all operated by the MMA on the Perth test flight was made by Hubert Broad on 15 January 1934 to Darwin service, two serving before the war and two and the aircraft went to the Aeroplane and Armament during the closing stages of hostilities. Unlike QEA and Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) at Martlesham Holymans/ANA, who both lost two machines at a cost of Heath where it was rushed through its Air Ministry trials, 30 deaths, MMA escaped relatively lightly, losing only one receiving its C of A on 30 January 1934, one day before the expiry of the four month time limit. Their report machine at a cost of two lives. mentioned that controls were very heavy at maximum MMA began operating between Perth and Daly Waters speed and ended nicely in neutral territory by saying “it in Qctober 1934 with de Havilland DH84 Dragons to was as good as the usual de Havilland” connect with the Singapore-Brisbane route being operated The first four machines were built with single pilot by QEA with the new DH86 aircraft. In mid 1938, the cockpits as in the Dragon and one of these, c/n 2301, whole nature of the scheme changed. Three Empire flying would become the “Miss Hobart" VH-URN for Tasmanian boats a week would fly the Singapore-Darwin-Brisbane- Aerial Services, later known as Holyman’s Airways. QEA Sydney route. The distribution of the mail on these aircraft asked that their five aircraft be modified to dual control became the centre piece of inter-departmental warfare and, being worried about the 70 mph landing speed on between the Defence department and the Post Master poorly surfaced and short aerodromes from which the type General’s department. The PMG wanted all the mail other would have to operate, also requested provision be made than that unloaded in Brisbane, to be distributed to the for flaps to be fitted and tankage increased from 114 States from Sydney by rail unless an airmail surcharge gallons to 183 gallons to cover the sea crossing leg. The was paid. Howls of protest arose from the States and none next 28 aircraft were all fitted with the dual control cockpit were louder than those from Perth which would now and small design improvements were progressively receive its mail four days after Sydney. This ridiculous incorporated during the production run of these aircraft. In situation was highlighted by the fact that the proposal was made public on 2 June 1938 and the service was due to late 1935, following 18 months operational (and emotional) start in two months. Eight days later the plan was experience, another modified version was issued with changed—the mail for Perth and Melbourne would be pneumatic undercarriage legs, a metal-framed rudder.

141 AHSA Aviation Heritage flown from Darwin to Adelaide by Guinea Ainvays and on 10 September 1934, but VH-USC Canberra was the flown on to Melbourne and Perth by ANA. Almost first to fly to this country. Lester Brain of QEA had spent immediately the Minister made another change, this time some time in England at the de Havilland works and was “"Small SioVd'eVat^rLSSo^'toum'S? JirseeSTerS see

^ a spare Gipsy Six engine strapped on a pallet and a It was not until 15 July that MMA were officially given a (.Qpsiderable quantity of spares. The first stage of the six-month contract to operate the Danwin to Perth route. ^ France worried Brain as the machine showed The new timetables decreed that the sector would have to g^^g^pg (gii heaviness and, on arrival at their first halt, he be flown in two days and as the Dragons had neither the reloaded the aircraft, moving spares from the tail speed nor the load capacity to conform to the riew gornpartment to the nose locker, schedule, Horrie Miller decided that the Lockheed 10A ^ Electra would be the ideal machine for the route. Delivery From then on VH-USC could be^ trimmedj. .. to, fly■ .“ handsu i * of the two Electras ordered could not be made until off but still showed a degree of directional instability. December 1938 and a logical solution to the problem was On the third day. Brain handed over control to Price in found QEA no longer needed all of their fleet of five order to go aft to the toilet and, knowing the inherent tail DH86 aircraft and two, VH-USC and VH-USD, were sold to heaviness, he put Pink in the left hand seat. After his visit, MMA as a stop gap until the arrival of the Lockheeds. he sat down on the folding seat at the rear of the cabin to , _ . . „ relax and enjoy the view. He felt the aircraft yaw, first to MMA now faced the task of obtaining the new aircraft, violently to the left again training crews, establishing spare part stocks and service ^o go into a flat spin. Brain clawed his way back to facilities ready to start the service in two weeks time. Both ^ ousted a very frightened engineer from airliners were equipped with wireless, suitable either for captain’s seat, finally getting the machine back on voice or morse signals, and regular schedules had to be told him he had tried to correct the yaw but arranged for communication between ground stations and controls felt dead The flight concluded without further aircraft for the transmission of weather reports and other j,.gp[3|gg gnd the DH 86 landed at Archerfield on 13 information adding to safety in aerial navigation. The October. Brain apparently made no official mention of this advent of the new service saw several important changes jpgjjjent to de Havilland or the authorities. It is of interest being made in WA to radio communication facilities, to note that Parmentier’s DC-2 covered the UK-Melbourne Ground wireless stations at Maylands, Geraldton, Broome, ^g^te in the Centenary Air Race a few days later in under Wyndham and Darwin would be able to maintain contact ^ compared to Brain’s time of 19 days—an omen with the airliners throughout the 2,300 mile journey. Special direction-finding equipment had been installed at Maylands and Darwin stations and similar equipment was being installed at the intermediate stations along the route. These would be in full operation for aircraft use from the beginning of August 1938. Another station was established at Port Hedland by Post Office wireless engineers and would be in operation by August 5. Jimmy Woods was sent to Darwin to collect VH-USC which he flew to Broome solo and picked up Frank Cooper as VH-USC ^'RMA Canberra" while still in QEA service Photo;Author second pilot for the flight to Maylands where they arrived of things to come. Hudson Fysh wrote to the Controller of on 23 July. Three days later he flew the DH86 back to Civil Aviation three days after the DH86 arrived, telling him Darwin with Alex Whitham as First Officer and Frank that Brain had enjoyed a successful trip and QEA had Cooper and Jim Branch as crew for VH-USD, which the much added confidence in the machine. Three days later latter immediately flew back to Maylands ready to start the the Holyman’s Airways machine VH-URN Miss Hobart service in August. It had been a busy few days for Woods carrying ten passengers and two crew, was lost in Bass who stated the DH86 “flew beautifully” But then he was a Strait and the official enquiry into Its loss had no sooner very experienced pilot having put in many hours on big opened when the news came through that the second multi-engined aircraft like the DH 66 Hercules and the QEA ferry flight to Australia of VH-USG had crashed in Vickers Viastra. Queensland with the loss of all four on board. DH86 VH-USC Canberra c/n 2307 In an interview some years later Brain was much more The first DH86 to arrive in Australia was VH-URN forthcoming^. He recalled the crash of the second Miss Hobart of Holyman’s Airw/ays which arrived by sea DH 86 near Longreach on 15 November 1934 which went

142 AHSA Aviation Heritage

into a flat spin while being ferried to Australia by the aircraft would not fit in the MMA hangar and Prendegast, killing all four on board with Captain negotiations had been made to place it in the Airlines Prendergast’s body being found in the rear of the cabin. (WA) Ltd hangar next door. One sharp-eyed reporter Brain compared the behaviour of that aircraft with his own noted that a face in the crowd belonged to Mr K Dursear, experience in DSC and said “I couldn’t help but think it the Perth agent for Brown and Dureau with whom the nearly happened to me”. Job rightly asks why Brain was order for the Lockheed Electras had been placed. In six not so forthcoming at the enquiry into the loss of USG, months he would be back to see his aircraft arrive. being unable to give any possible reason for the crash and On 1 August VH-USC, crewed by Captain Frank failing to mention his own experience. If this information Cooper and First Officer Jim Branch left Maylands for had been given earlier to all concerned, re-design Darwin and, at the same time VH-USD, crewed by Captain investigations may have started earlier and lives may have Jim Woods with First Officer Alex Whitham left Darwin for been saved. Maylands. The service was under way and those with While the first Brisbane to Darwin service was started letters aboard for the United Kingdom enjoyed a reduction by the Duke of Gloucester on 10 December 1934, It was in postage from 1/6 to 5d per half ounce. While welcoming not flown by a DH 86 as they were all grounded due to an the reduction in rate, the local press reminded its readers enquiry into their airworthiness. The flight was made by a that those In the UK writing to Australia only paid lV2d DH 61 Giant Moth and a DH 50J from Brisbane to Darwin postage, the same rate as the surface mail. where Imperial Airways took the mail on board one of VH-USC operated on the run until the Electras entered their Atalantas for the flight to Singapore. Meanwhile QEA service when it was placed in reserve. Rather to engineers had examined the wreck of USG and found everyone’s surprise it had proved a satisfactory and evidence that there had been a mis-assembly of the fin trouble free aircraft in its eight months flying in the West. bias mechanism which had resulted in undue pressure The only problem that arose occurred In late January 1939 being placed on the fin post attachment points, cracking when the aircraft made a request stop at Wallal and, the fin post along the attachment bolts when the bias landing on rough ground, sheared the head off an eye bolt screw was wound to Its full travel. As a result, the fin post holding the tall wheel shock strut rubbers in compression. attachments were strengthened on USC and the servo tab Luckily help was surprisingly close at hand as Chief on the rudder eliminated. A test of USC by Brain showed Engineer Frank Colquhoun, Captain Alex Whitham and a directional stability greatly improved to the point where an metalworker and wood worker were on their way south in uncorrected yaw no longer escalated to an out-of-control VH-USD which they had just repaired at Derby following a situation. Finally the DH 86 ban was lifted and when G U ground loop. They landed alongside the sister ship, (Scotty) Allan flew VH-USC to Singapore in February 1935 swapped tail wheel assemblies and sent USC on its way it was the first international commercial flight made from Australia. with the mail. Using the station manager’s forge the resourceful Chief Engineer soon made a new eye bolt for The Canberra settled down to regular airline surface the damaged assembly and USD continued south to with only three Incidents over four years. Landing in heavy Maylands. rain at Singapore on 11 January 1936 with R B Tapp at By November 1939 USC had a total time up of 6,166 the controls, the aircraft swung broadside on and skidded hours so the aircraft had given MMA over 2 000 hours of for some distance before fouling a light railway on the good service. It only flew sporadically after the new year aerodrome boundary. Repairs took 11 weeks before it and by September 1940, when impressed by the RAAF, was back in service. All went well for almost a year when had flown another 743 hours. Jim Woods flew the aircraft misfortune overtook Bert Hussey on 19 March 1937 while to Essendon and it remained in RAAF service as A31-5 landing at Roma in Queensland. The aircraft ran off the until May 1942 when it was returned to the civil register as runway and bogged with the nose and three propellers VH-USC and leased to QEA. being damaged in the subsequent rapid stop. Repairs must have been smartly effected as only four weeks later, Fitted with long-range tanks and altitude controls, the while flying near Brunette Downs with Ron Adair at the aircraft made 18 flights over the 12,000 ft. Bismark Range controls, a mail bag being dropped through the hatch in during the Mount Hagen evacuation and later, in the rear cabin floor was swept on to the tall in the December 1942 made a series of supply drops to Buna in slipstream causing some damage but leaving the aircraft the PNG interior. flyable. On 9 October 1944, only a few days short of a ten By April 1938 VH-USC had flown just over 3,700 hours year operational life in Australia, DH 86 VH-USC was since new and Its service life with QEA was drawing to an badly damaged in a heavy landing at Darwin and was end as the new Empire Short S23 Flying boats would soon struck from the civil register in the same month. be on the Singapore—Brisbane—Sydney run. A new life DH 86 VH-USD Brisbane c/n 2308 was to start for the DH 86 in Western Australia and the aircraft was flown from Darwin to Maylands by Jimmy The second DH 86 for QEA was shipped Brisbane on Woods and Frank Cooper, arriving on 23 July 1938. The the SS Bendigo and arrived shortly before the fatal press were in attendance and provided some nice details accident to VH-USG near Longreach The fin of USD was of the scene which often never get into the history books. examined during assembly and was found to have a They were much taken with a plate on the instrument similar fin post mis-assembly problem to that suspected of panel advising the pilots that the aircraft could fly on two causing the crash of VH-USG and the engineers were engine alone if necessary and also with the siren which able to make the same corrections to the aircraft as they was sounded on start up to warn bystanders to move had done with USC. This DH 86 performed reliably in away from the propellers. A nice touch, reminiscent of the service with QEA until 7 November 1937 when an engine mail boats, was the mail pennant hoisted on a short failed during take off at Darwin and pilot Sims had to swing retractable mast on the cockpit roof after landing, and the aircraft violently to halt the take off. The undercarriage which fluttered in the breeze as the airliner taxied in to the collapsed with the inevitable damage to the lower port tarmac. Their joy was unconfined when it was found that wing and engines. There were no injuries to passengers or crew. On 28 July 1938, the Brisbane was sold to MMA

143 AHSA Aviation Heritage started in disaster as the starboard inner engine failed on When USF arrived at Darwin an inspection revealed take off at Broome and Woods had his hands full trying to the fin post mechanism was badly out of adjustment in the clear the trees at the end of the runway. A wingtip hit the same way as had been found in the wreckage of USG and small branches of a tree but fortunately only slightly the newly-arrived USD. The aircraft was allowed to fly tearing the fabric. They flew to Nookenbah on three back to Singapore after adjustments had been made and engines and found a blocked main jet to be the problem once there, the local QEA engineer, George Beohm, then which Woods was easily able to rectify. Mollie’s diary found the timber in the fin post was breaking up. He made described the take off as “sticky”! With the engine a new fin post and re-worked the mechanism, finally performing normally again, a leisurely flight was made getting it to function correctly. All this information was without further incident and VH-USD became VT-AKZ. At given to Holymans who had just received their second DH 86 VH-URT, which was examined and also found some time. between 1940 and 1941 the aircraft was impressed for use by the RAF and modified with bomb defective. A terse exchange of correspondence between racks for use in coastal defence. The DH 86 was allotted the Controller of Civil Aviation and de Havilland in the serial AX 800 and served with No.2 and No. 5 Coastal Australia resulted in a further redesign of the mechanism by the parent UK company and all DH 86 aircraft in Defence Units, In November 1943 the units were disbanded and AX 800 was transferred to No.1 SFTS at Australia were given clearance to fly. Ambala. During take off on a ferry flight to Bombay, With Lester Brain at the controls, USF returned to probably in December 1942, the aircraft experienced the Darwin on 26 February 1935 and the full service as dreaded take off swing and the port undercarriage planned was finally under way. On 30 April 1935, Captain collapsed, damaging the machine allegedly beyond repair. Bert Hussey arrived at Darwin in USF from Singapore with Its subsequent history is vague but a repair was possibly the first passengers that had travelled from the UK to made, as in September 1943, it was transferred to the Australia. From then on the Melbourne gave reliable Indian Department of Civil Aviation after all the military service until the outbreak of war. In September 1940, the modifications had been removed. It was not withdrawn aircraft was impressed by the RAAF as A31-6 and was from service and struck from the register until over a year flown from Brisbane to Melbourne by Captain Donaldson later in November 1944. and First Officer MacMaster. The QEA house journal From 1939 the two Lockheed 10A Electras took over noted that USF had flown 788 000 miles without a forced the north west service and their speed and reliability landing or mishap at the time of handing over. transformed the route operations. After war broke out in In March 1942 the DH 86 was transferred back to QEA September 1939 the service continued to operate normally on loan and, fitted with long range tanks and altitude but the entry of Japan into the hostilities in December controls, joined its sister ship VH-USC in flights over the 1941 put a different situation in place. With Australia now Bismark range during the Mount Hagen evacuation. Later much more in the front line than ever before in its history, in the same year the two DH 86s again joined forces in transport aircraft were at a premium and many of the DC-2 supply drops to Buna in PNG. In July 1944 the aircraft and DC-3 machines were diverted for varying periods to ground looped at Blackall in Queensland while taking off defence requirements. At one stage the Electras of MMA and sustained the usual damage. The remains were were flown to the east coast to maintain vital inter-city carted to No.3 Aircraft Depot at Amberley where it joined aerial transport for a short period in the absence of the another DH 86 VH-USW, the ex ANA Lepena, both being Douglas airliners and MMA was left in a precarious sold to MMA as we have seen. Chief Engineer Frank position, trying to maintain the service to the north west Colquhoun and his assistant Charlie Rolandi were sent to with totally inadequate aircraft. By late 1944, the traffic on Amberley to get them airworthy. the route to Darwin had increased to such an extent that the two Electras were unable to cope and Miller made an VH-USW was in fair condition and the two engineers appeal to the Department for help in acquiring more soon had it ready for Jim Woods to fly back to Maylands. aircraft. Much to the dismay of the engineering staff at VH-USF was an entirely different proposition. It had been MMA, the pleas were finally answered with an offer to stored in the open, only the four Gipsy Sixes being given purchase two DH 86 aircraft, VH-USF and VH-USW which cover. The fuselage, outer mainplanes and rigging were in were lying at Amberley Air Base in Queensland in one heap, the inner stub wings, nacelles and landing gear uncertain condition. It was a case of “beggars can’t be in another. The personnel at 3 AD showed no interest in choosers” (or perhaps “when needs must, the Devil the project—to them it was a heap of junk. The two MMA drives”) and the offer was accepted. men set about locating all the components but much was missing. QEA were helpful but had passed virtually all DH 86 VH-USF Melbourne c/n 2310. their DH 86 spares to the RAAF. Colquhoun’s brother The loss of VH-URN and VH-USG 27 days later Dave, who was Overhaul Superintendent with ANA as resulted in the grounding of the type in Australia. As a Essendon, was able to find some vital components. matter of urgency, de Havilland subjected the next QEA Luckily, the Base Commander, Group Captain Eric aircraft VH-USF to structural trials at the works and to Douglas was an old colleague of Horde Miller from their more flying trials at Martlesham Heath. While no major RAAF days and was very supportive. defects were found, several precautionary changes were made including strengthening of the fin and blanking off After several weeks the aircraft was ready for Woods the servo tab in the trailing edge of the rudder. to return for the ferry flight to WA. The sale included some RAAF spares but they were located at No.3 Stores Depot The aircraft was then flown to Australia by Imperial at Kingaroy, 150 miles away from Amberley, so after a Airways Captain Youell but, as the type was grounded in satisfactory test flight, the trio set off for Kingaroy to pick Australia at that time, QEA suggested that it be used by up what spares they could scrounge. Colquhoun decided it Imperial on the Singapore-Darwin leg while the DH 61 and would be politic to fly to Archerfield on a Sunday when DH 50J continued to operate the Darwin-Brisbane sector. there were no DCA staff on duty who might inspect the This arrangement found ready acceptance by the English aircraft out of curiosity and find fault. Unfortunately they airline as the Atalantas being used by them as a stop gap blew a tyre landing there but the ANA workshops offered until QEA was fully operational, were costly to operate. immediate assistance. Then it was the on to Mascot

144 AHSA Aviation Heritage

swap tail wheels with USC a described above. Back in the air again and headed for Geraldton, they ran into dense cloud and climbed above it at 3,000 feet. After their calculations indicated that they should be about over Carnarvon they confidently let down through the cloud knowing that there was no high ground at that port. When they broke through the cloud base at 1000 feet there was certainly no high ground, in fact there was no ground at all—^just an unbroken vista of sea. They flew east with a rapidly depleting fuel supply VH-USD at Fitzroy Crossing after a typical ground loop with gear collapse and damage to wings and and finally crossed the coast fuel tanks. The pilot, Jim Branch, is in the white singlet and was to die in the crash of VH-USF eight but had no idea if they were years later Photo; F Colquhoun north or south of Carnarvon. and was ferried from Darwin to Maylands, by the MMA Their radio had no DF crew of Woods and Whitham. capabilities but Whitham’s experience of the routes indicated they were probably south of the town. After 20 VH-USD proved more troublesome to MMA than Its minutes their destination came in sight and they came into sister aircraft VH-USC. In November 1939, Jim Branch land with almost dry tanks. suffered a massive ground loop at Fitzroy Crossing which collapsed the right hand landing gear with the resultant With a strong nor-easterly blowing the DH 86 floated destruction of the shock leg and bracing, a crushed oil badly before touchdown and Whitham had to ground loop tank and lower main fuel tank, along with lower firewall and lower mainplane wing tip damage. A DH84 took engineer Frank Colquhoun, metal worker Bill Bland and woodworker Jack Hopkins up from Maylands to effect repairs. It Is hard to visualise today the difficulties faced by these people on such a task. The job took several weeks to complete and was conducted in conditions of over 40 ° C heat and high humidity under a crude awning tied to the top wing. Spares had to be flown from Perth or even the eastern states If no local stock was held. Sleeping and messing VH-USD at Muntok, Banta Island, en route to TATA Bros, in 1939. Co-pilot Clive Foreman arrangements were rudimentary in MMA uniform. Pholo;Author and, being skilled engineers, the aircraft to avoid hitting the far perimeter fence. The they were often called upon by locals to repair equipment low all-up weight and the smooth clay pan surface saw the that had been out of action for some time. Colquhoun airliner skid sideways in a cloud of dust, fortunately without recalls that In the middle of the job a serious leak occurred the dreaded undercarriage collapse. On arrival at the in the hotel’s refrigeration plant with ammonia fumes filling refuelling point, the attendant remarked on the somewhat the building. With a wet towel wrapped around his head unusual landing he had witnessed. Whitham replied and slits for eyeholes he was able to dash into the plant “Sometimes we can do something spectacular without any room and shut down the valve, later repairing the pipe and Intention of doing so!” refilling the system from stored gas. It is unlikely the team paid a great deal for refreshment from then on! It was With the arrival of the Electras, VH-USD was sold for interesting to note that the pilot was expected to remain on £3,000 to the forerunners of Air India, Tata & Sons Ltd in the scene to assist in the repair. Whether this was a Bombay, and in February 1939 was ferried to its new disciplinary act by Head Office or a valuable training owners by Jimmy Woods. He took Clive Foreman as co­ exercise is not known, but the same procedure was pilot and his wife Mollie as a passenger. The aircraft adopted not long afterwards when Alex Whitham had a carried a spare Gipsy VI which Tata had bought for £250, similar experience at Derby. four life jackets and a small collapsible dinghy with oars. Perhaps the presence on board of his wife may have After repairs to USD were made, and the team were on decided Woods to show more caution than he was usually their way south to Maylands, they had to divert to Wallal to wont to display. As it happened, the delivery flight nearly

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ripped off and USF then cartwheeled and burst open the fuselage. Branch and one passenger died, Rumney and six passengers were injured with varying degrees of severity and only two passengers escaped with minor scratches and shock. The DH 86 had claimed its last victims in this country. The subsequent accident enquiry threw little light on the cause of the crash. Branch was an experienced 10 000 hour pilot, with 4 000 of these hours on the DH 86 type. Rumney, who suffered severe head injuries, could recall little of what had happened or why they had turned back. The finding of the investigators threw much of the blame on Branch, claiming a The remains of the fuselage of VH-USF after the Geraldton crash, A miracle that nine very indifferent landing had got survived a crash of this severity. Photo;Gyvyn HUliams totally out of control and further blamed the crew for not warning where they encountered a front coming in with gusting passengers of the need to fasten safety belts. The winds, definitely not DH 86 weather, and the dreaded publishing of the Martlesham report in 1984^ indicated that swing developed on landing followed by the inevitable Branch may have been unjustly judged, as that report of ground loop. Heavy rain was now falling and to add to the work done in 1936 made specific mention of handling crew’s despondency, the tower sent out a message that difficulties that could be expected in turbulent air and also an international flight was due in and “if you don’t get that stressed that aileron control at low speed was slow and rubbish off the runway Immediately, a bulldozer will come ineffectual. These findings were apparently never sent to out and scrape It off’ this country. QEA staff had observed the accident and produced jacks and a flat trolley to place under the collapsed landing De Havilland DH 86 VH-USW Lepena c/n 2315 leg and VH-USF was moved on to the grassed area. Jim This DH 86 led a life unique in the history of the class Woods rang the Vacuum Oil Company’s aviation officer, in Australia. It was never Involved in a fatal accident, only Fred Haigh, who dried them out at his flat, fed them and had one serious accident which was due to a found them a hotel. Repairs took three weeks and misunderstanding of the situation by the pilot, and was the depleted the spare parts stock even further. Jimmy longest lived of all the machines operated in this country. Woods came over from Perth to ferry USF back to VH-USW Lepena was bought by Holyman’s Airways Maylands which was reached with only one untoward and shipped to Australia in April 1935 . The machine was incident. During the approach to Parafield, one of the erected at Laverton in early May and entered service on fasteners on the port inboard rear undercarriage fairing the Tasmanian run, joining VH-URT Loina in the service sprang open and Woods had to throttle back to prevent across Bass Strait. Safety measures had been markedly the slipstream tearing It off. At the end of the landing roll improved. Radio communication had been upgraded Colquhoun asked Woods to turn the aircraft with the port with the establishment of the dedicated Aeradio station side away from the control tower so he could hop out and VML at Essendon which had direction finding capability. A relatch the fairing before taxying in to the observant eyes similar station was installed at Western Junction in of the airport staff. Tasmania with the call sign VMK and both were Once back at home base, the aircraft was given a full supplemented by the marine stations on Flinders and King overhaul and any temporary fixes were replaced to full Islands which could provide weather reports and relay airworthiness standards. This work took another four messages. weeks and the aircraft was air-tested by first Miller and then Woods who declared It ready for service. It was to be In September 1935 a third DH 86 VH-UUB Loila joined a tragic exercise in futility. Jim Branch was selected as the the service and with three machines now available, the Captain with Don Rumney as First Officer. On 24 June planned Melbourne to Sydney service could now be 1945, the Melbourne made an uneventful flight to commenced and the frequency of Melbourne to Geraldton with nine passengers aboard, although the Launceston flights increased to twice daily. On 2 October flying conditions were fairly rough. After refuelling and VH-URT left for Launceston on the first flight of the day, changing a spark plug in the port inner engine which had made contact with Flinders Island and announced been misfiring, the DH 86 prepared for take off into a gusty Intention to land in a few minutes. Radio contact was then north westerly wind. The take off was normal but the discontinued as the trailing aerial had to be wound in for aircraft failed to climb and, instead of turning to the east to landing. The aircraft never arrived and when the alarm get on course for Carnarvon, it turned west and made a was raised, Ivan Holyman, who had just arrived at long slow low-level circuit back to the southern end of the Essendon in VH-USW, immediately ordered the DH 86 runway. Touch down was erratic, the aircraft landing back into the air for a search of the Flinders Island area. heavily on one wheel, bouncing and then sinking heavily Soon wreckage began to be washed ashore and it was on to the other wheel. A wing struck the ground and was apparent that the aircraft had entered the sea with great force.

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A committee of Investigation was formed immediately to the type and with 21 lives already lost , his action was and a decision was made to try to film any unusual wing justified as was the decision of the crew to abort the flight”. twisting or aileron problems while in flight. Lepena had all Lepena was dismantled and, with great difficulty loaded on passenger seats removed and movie and still cameras to the ketch Valetta, which took it to the mainland for installed which were focussed on indicating protractors repair at Essendon. Knowing Ivan Holyman’s somewhat mounted on the wings. Captain Ken Frewin of Holyman’s, irascible nature, it would have been Interesting to have Gordon Berg of the Civil Aviation Branch and Defence overheard his subsequent conversation with Captain Department engineer J L Watkins were to be the crew and Bayne! elaborate precautions were taken to protect them in the Repairs took three months to complete before Lepena event of a mishap. They all wore parachutes, a ladder rejoined the route. From then on the Qantas and Holyman was attached to the floor to aid movement if the aircraft aircraft performed reliably without any major problems spun and a rip off plywood panel was installed in place of except the inevitable ground loops and it was the last the cabin door. On 2 November they took off from dramatic episode in the life of the DH 86s in Australia for Essendon and climbed to 12,000 feet where Frewin just over six years until VH-USE was lost in another subjected the aircraft to an hour of manoeuvring. No unexplained crash near Brisbane on 20 February 1942 failures were encountered and when the films were with the loss of nine lives. Any chance of gaining processed they revealed that wing twisting did occur with evidence from the wreck was lost when the Department’s some aileron reversal. The results were taken to England staff in Brisbane burnt the wreck the next day before the by Berg but were ignored by the British authorities. It was investigators from the Air Accident Enquiry Committee not until three British DH 86 machines had crashed that could reach it. the previously mentioned exhaustive test programme was instituted at Martlesham Heath which resulted in seven In November 1936, the newly formed consortium of machines being grounded and nine certified to be flown Australian National Airways absorbed Holyman’s Airways only by experienced crews in gentle weather conditions. and took over ownership of USW late in that month. In These findings were apparently never sent to the January 1937, the Lepena was based at Mascot for Australian authorities. operations by ANA from that airport. On 13 September 1940 the DH 86 was impressed by the RAAF as A31-4 Two months later VH USW was involved In another and underwent a considerable overhaul by Ansett at dramatic episode over Bass Strait. On Black Friday, 13 Essendon A few days later it was torn from its moorings in December 1935, while flying from Launceston to a gale and suffered damage to lower and upper Essendon via King Island, Lepena radioed that a wing mainplanes which took some months to repair. The strut had failed and the pilot In charge. Captain Bayne, aircraft was finally issued to No.1 Air Observer’s School in was turning back to the Tasmanian mainland to try to May 1941 and remained at that unit for nearly a year. reach Smithton. A short time later another call indicated that a landing was going to be attempted on Hunter Island. In February 1942, the RAAF leased A31-4 to QEA as A search was started immediately and three Civil Aviation an emergency replacement aircraft with the re-issued staff Ross, Watkins and Shorland, were rushed to registration of VH USW following the loss of VH-USE in Essendon where a RAAF DH 89 Rapide was already the crash at Mt Petrie. By May 1942 the aircraft had been warmed up for flight. They flew over Hunter Island and returned to the RAAF and in July 1942 was issued to No.2 were relieved to see Lepena down on a small grassed area, apparently intact except for undercarriage damage. The party flew to Smithton to arrange a rescue boat for the uninjured passengers and Ross borrowed a DH 60 to fly back to the Island to Investigate. His examination of the aircraft was an anticlimax. The strut had not failed but an aluminium fairing around the base of the strut had worked loose and, from the cockpit, gave the Impression that the base of the strut itself had come adrift. The discovery was too late to stop a knee jerk reaction from the Department of Defence. On being informed of the apparent yn-US IV being refuelled at Kankinara in Bengal on its delivery flight to the UK which ended in near disaster. Minister Parkhlll Allahabad when abandoned by the crew. Immediately suspended the certificates of airworthiness of Ambulance Unit. In March 1943 more repairs were all DH 86 aircraft In Australia and was placed in the f^^^essary and the DH 86 went to de Havilland for this embarrassing position of having to reinstate them on the done. It was back at No.2 Air Ambulance Unit following Monday morning. The Incident received bad August. Just over one year later, in September 1944 publicity in Britain and brought some harsh words from the machine was declared surplus to RAAF requirements press and authorities, a de Havilland director stating that having all service modifications removed was “hasty ill considered action such as that of Mr Parkhill ^he hands of No.3 Aircraft Depot at Amberley greatly harms British aeronautical prestige”. Parkhill was awaiting disposal, unrepentant and countered that “with so many accidents

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The condition of the DH 86 at this stage was uncertain. the ferry firm engaged in legal wrangles over who owed In a memorandum to the Secretary of the Commonwealth who for what. It is believed to have been broken up at that Disposals Commission in November 1944 the Department airfield at some later date. of Civil Aviation noted that A31-4 was valued by the Other DH 86 aircraft came to the West, albeit only Department of Civil Aviation at £1500 and that Aircrafts briefly, and strictly speaking are outside the scope of this Pty Ltd had offered £1000 for it as it stood as about article as they were not civil aircraft at the time. However, £2000 was needed for reconditioning. They went on to as they were impressed civil aircraft, a little poetic licence say that as it was unlikely that £1500 could be obtained for can be taken and they deserve a brief mention.. At least the aircraft, the offer should be accepted if no other one machine from the No.1 Air Ambulance Unit flew to purchaser could be found at £1500. However, in Timor via Drysdale en route to the Middle East while two December 1944, in discussion with other Government and others made a longer stay. In May 1943, A31-1 (VH- airline parties it was decided that one whole and one UYV) and A31-2 (VH-ADN), which had been serving with crashed DH 86 were available and as there could be No.34 Squadron were allotted to No.35 Squadron at interest shown in them by a number of airline operators, Maylands WA. quick tenders should be invited from all operating companies throughout the Commonwealth. A31-1 flew to the West and went almost immediately into the MMA workshops for a 240 hourly overhaul, MacRobertson Miller Aviation Co. were the successful rejoining the Squadron on 4 August 1943. The DH 86 flew tenderers for the machines. The two aircraft were A31-6 extensively around the north west of the State, visiting (VH-USF) and A31-4 (VH-USW) and the status cards for Kalgoorlie, Potshot, Nookenbah. Port Hedland, Corunna each aircraft list them as “in crashed condition” While that Downs and Munja with supplies and personnel. A31-2 flew was correct for USF, when the MMA Chief Engineer went across the continent at a later date, probably arriving at to Amberley in 1945 to inspect the aircraft, he noted that Maylands in June and served on Squadron duties until USW only needed a pre-flight inspection and could then September when it took its turn in the MMA workshops, be flown to WA by Jimmy Woods. also for a 240 hour overhaul. This aircraft had a moment of excitement on 16 August as it was at Broome on the A31-4 was re-registered to VH-USW in May 1945 and way south when the town was raided by a small Japanese gave satisfactory service with MMA for the remainder of force but sustained no damage. In January 1943, both the year. Colquhoun recalls that it was a totally different aircraft returned to the No.2 Air Ambulance Unit at aircraft to fly than either of the two pre-war machines or its Kingaroy to be converted into air ambulance aircraft and hangar mate VH-USF. Horrie Miller was intrigued by this their brief sojourn on the west coast was over. behaviour and, being a skilled engineer and rigger, spent some time examining the aircraft to try and find some When VH-USW flew off to the UK in 1946 the story of explanation of its docility but to no avail. At the end of the DH 86 as a commercial aircraft in Australia came to an 1945 MMA acquired the DC-3 VH-AEU on lease from end. There is no doubt that the type had serious defects Trans Australia Airlines and the company set about when first designed and the matter was exacerbated by locating more aircraft of the same type. The need for their the blinkered attitude of the British aviation establishment. last remaining DH 86 was over and it was sold to There is also no doubt that if the Australian authorities and Universal Flying Services Ltd at Fairoaks in the UK. The the Imperial Airways/QEA combine had given de Havilland ferry flight to its new home took a considerable time to more time to develop it the story might have been at least arrange and it was not until November 1946 that two ex not so disastrous. The DH 86 in its final form as the DH RAF aircrew from British Aviation Services, pilot Tim 86B was certainly a more stable and commercially viable Bowen and navigator Jim Orchard, arrived to fly the 12 machine and it is difficult to understand why the year old machine back to its country of origin. With “Jim Australian operators did not follow the British practice of and Tim’s Bamboo Bomber “ crudely painted on the retro-fitting the two stabilising fins to the tails of the local aircraft’s nose they set off on the long haul and Aircraft aircraft. In fact, the Panel of Enquiry into the crash of VH- magazine, never a lover of the type, commented later that USF at Geraldton made such a recommendation but by “few of the DH 86’s enemies ever expected it to get that then the horse had bolted and the stable door was firmly far”. They were absolutely right. At Allahabad, India the shut. 4- pair abandoned it as unfiyable due to excessive flutter in the tail and there it remained while the new owners and

References. 1. Heffernan, T. and Lumsden, A. Probe Probare Aeroplane Monthly April 1984 p180 2. Job, M. Unlucky Type or Flawed Design? Air Crash 1 . Aerospace Publications 3. Control Problems on the West Coast Air Crash 2. Aerospace Publications 4. Allen, E. DH 86 ‘Express’ Airliners in Australian Service Volume 1 Aerospace Publications Also use has been made of the following. Jackson, A.J. De Havilland Aircraft Since 1919 Putnam 1987. Cookson, B. The Historic Civil Aircraft Register of Australia. AustAirData 1996. Colquhoun, F B AM Cockpit and Spanner Maylands Historical Society 2001. RAAF Forms E/E88 Record Cards-Airframes, Aero Engines and Mechanical Transport. The West Australian Newspaper various dates A50 Operational Record Books Nos. 34 and 35 Squadrons. Special thanks to John Hopton for guiding the occasionally errant pen back into the world of true history. ______

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The "Diamond Bird” incident. by Douglas T. Pardee In the late twenties one of the major players in Australian aviation was Jimmy Larkin's LASCo, formally known as the Larkin-Sopwith Aviation Co. The Australian Air Mail Services, which became Australian Aerial Services were subsidiary companies formed by LASCo. (See Aviation Heritage 31/3 & 32/3) Jimmy Larkin had ordered three DH 50's when it became apparent that the Handasydes which he had contracted for would not be delivered on time to commence his Air Mail service. Whilst all three DH's were in service by the beginning of 1925, delivery of the first Handasyde substitute - the ANEC III - was nevertheless awaited with impatience, as, being a larger aircraft, it could accommodate more passengers - and thus in theory would be more profitable. The first of the three ANEC's eventually arrived in Melbourne on July 24th., 1926, and erection began soon after the crates containing the machine had been transported to the Lasco hangar at Essendon Aerodrome and unpacked. Some seven weeks later the fully-assembled aircraft was inspected by the CAB, and after a short proving flight carried out by the AAS Chief Pilot Frank Briggs on September 20th., received the Australian Certificate of Airworthiness No. 110. The original British Registration was retained, but in AAS service the machine was identified by the name 'Diamond Bird'. Affleck had undergone training with the RAAF at Point Cook as a form of civil cadetship and had been directed by them into Larkins' service.

On September 21st. Arthur Affleck, the young AAS set out on the Specifications, and appeared to perform pilot, took the machine into the air. In his book^ he without any apparent vices, but, as I was to fly It to Hay describes the events that followed then and subsequently, and back on the regular service the following day, I When our engineering staff had satisfied themselves that decided to take it up again after lunch in order to become the aircraft had been assembled without any pieces being more familiar with it. On this later flight I took more notice left over^, and the engine had been test run, took it up on of my surroundings and became convinced that the speed a 30-minute test flight, empty. It cruised at 105 mph, as of 105 mph registered on the airspeed indicator in level flight was somewhat on the high side. Accordingly, after ------landing, I requested the Chief Engineer to remove that 1 The Wandering Years’. It should be noted that Affleck Instrument and install a freshly-calibrated one. When I refers to the ANEC he flew as an 'eight-seateF aircraft; arrived at the aerodrome the following morning at 7am he whether AAS had added two seats - which would account confirmed that this had been done, and that he had four of for the 'over weight' noted by the Department - or whether the ground staff ready to go with me to handle the aircraft he was referring to the machines as modified in 1927 is at each of the stopping places. We had found, the unknown. previous day, that it could not possibly be taxied or ^ As, presumably, the machine had been fully assembled manoeuvred on the ground without considerable the previous day for the official test, Affleck's remark assistance . seems somewhat curious. I took off on schedule and very quickly discovered that ^ Due to the fixed tail-skid and small rudder. the airspeed indicator removed from the aircraft had

149 AHSA Aviation Heritage obviously been rigged; the freshly-calibrated one indicated Affleck's report stated, inter alia: “- the machine seems an airspeed of (only) 55 mph^. to be decidedly underpowered for Australia, especially in On arrival at Hay, after a slow and annoying flight, both the hot weather. At all landing grounds I had difficulty tyres blew out as I was taxying in towards the hangar. taking off with a load on board. At Hay and Echuca the Fortunately, they were a standard size, and were readily machine just wallowed into the air without lifting its tail replaced. On examination, the damaged ones proved to more than a few inches from the ground. Once in the air it be so perished that it was remarkable that they had stood was so tail-heavy that I had to exert my whole weight up to even one landing. They were the originals which had forward on the control column to stop the nose from rising, been fitted when the aircraft was a monoplane, and no and I had to land with the tail-actuating gear practically thought had been given to their condition (subsequently), right forward instead of back. or to the possible consequences of a blow-out during The reported speed of 115 mph is grossly landing. exaggerated, the normal cruising speed being 65-70 mph, A full load of passengers had been booked from and fully extended, about 75 mph. the machine is awkward Echuca to Melbourne on the return flight, and I was (thus) to handle in the air, especially on left-hand turns and in obliged to dump my handlers there and arrange for the bumps, and it seems impossible for the pilot to handle it Company agent to send them home by rail^ on the ground, even in the slightest breeze. This is due, in my opinion, to the fixed tail-skid and comparatively smair area of rudder as compared with the large keel surface of the machine. The cabin is also very stuffy, and if the windows are opened, the oil from the engine blows in on the passengers. The pilot's cockpit is the most uncomfortable I have ever flown from, with breezes entering from all directions. m When I arrived at Hay yesterday the petrol supply was practically exhausted, so if a head wind were to be encountered the machine, in my opinion, would have to take a further supply on board at either Echuca or Deniliquin. This would cause further inconvenience in the matter of re-starting the engine if it had to be stopped for the machine to be refuelled; at Hay yesterday it took six of us more than half an hour to start up. With its present performance I do not think the As soon as I became airborne at Echuca I found the machine is fit to be flown on a mail route. Signed; aircraft was so tail-heavy with a full load that even with full- A. Affleck^ forward trim wound on I was obliged to hold the control column hard forward to prevent us stalling. When my As a result of Affleck's report to Brinsmead the latter, muscles became too tired to hold out any longer I took through his Deputy, E.J. Jones, withdrew the C of A issued one foot off the rudder bar and used that to push the to Australian Aerial Services (as has been noted), and control column forward. To this day I have very little issued a new one which, in effect, reduced the payload of recollection of the last half hour Into Melbourne. Our family ANEC-type machines by 600 lbs. doctor, who also happened to be a Civil Aviation Branch Medical Examiner, suspended my Pilot's Licence for one The new certificate (AS.7929) was delivered by hand month on the score of nervous exhaustion when I to Jimmy Larkin at 5.30 pm that day (September 22nd.), consulted him that evening. and when digested by him resulted not only in some surprise, but also a great deal of resentment against the I made out a full report on the ANEC's performance the Department for their lack of consultation before what he following morning and was promptly informed by the considered was a very drastic action. He thereupon Managing Director that it was a tissue of lies, whereupon I decided to ignore the restriction, and early the next told him what he could do with his aeroplane and his job, morning “- after taking steps to satisfy myself the machine confirmed (my resignation from) the latter in writing, and was airworthy decided, (in order) to keep faith with the handed a copy of my report to Col. Brinsmead, the passengers booked, to dispatch the machine on Controller of Civil Aviation. My report (apparently) was schedule^. Identical with one he had just received from England; ^without more ado he addressed a special delivery letter to This breach of regulations came to the attention of the Australian Aerial Services cancelling the ANEC's Department almost immediately, and was commented on Certificate of Airworthiness - by Jones in a Minute Paper dated September 25th. to the Secretary. The relevant part of the document reads: “- The Certificate of Airworthiness issued by the Air ^ This instrument could have indicated an incorrect reading Ministry, Great Britain, which permitted a fully-loaded also, as elsewhere it is mentioned that the machine weight for the machine of 6400 lbs. was validated^ by this cruised at 65-70 mph. Department on 20th. September for that weight after a ^ This procedure was not uncommon at the time, but it fight test carried out by the Company's Chief Pilot, with the must have involved AAS in a great deal of extra - and ill- machine loaded up to approximately 5800 lbs; as a result affordable -expense. of Mr. Affleck's report, however, it was considered, ^ The present whereabouts of this particular report is pending further investigation, to be in the best interests of unknown. ^ Larkin himself was one of the passengers.

150 AHSA Aviation Heritage public safety to reduce the total allowable load for the machine to a figure which would enable it to be flown with a reasonable margin of safety and, at the same time, reduce the mental and physical strain of the pilot. The Certificate of AlnA/orthiness issued was accordingly withdrawn and a new Certificate Issued I (AS.7929, dated 22nd. inst. and delivered by hand) ^ permitting a total load of 5807 Ibs^. Messrs. Larkin Aircraft Supply Co. should be requested to forward an explanation of their action in exceeding the load specified in the new Certificate, and they should be advised that action will be taken to suspend the Certificate if the machine is again flown with a total loaded weight of more than 5807 I lbs®. i It is possible that this load may be exceeded with safety, but that can be determined only after a take the machine to Hay”. Affleck's action in reporting to comprehensive test of the machine's performance has the Department before he reported to his employer may been carried out by an experienced pilot, which test could have been wrong, but In fairness to Larkin's ex-employee, be made only with the consent of the Company (Then some of the statements in Jimmy's 1964 letter do not follow a few recommendations regarding comprehensive conform with the facts and are obviously based on his reports by pilots who had flown the aircraft prior to the prejudice.) issuance of the new Certificate^^, whether these Certain minor Improvements to the machine, after a recommendations were ever followed up, however, has series of trials, were anticipated, and in the near future we not been determined). Intend making these modifications, but In the meantime On October 1st. Larkin replied to the Department. We we consider there is no reason for alarm. received a letter AS.7929 undated from the Secretary, Air The amended Certificate of Airworthiness No.112 is Council, on 22nd. inst. at 5.15 pm notifying us that enclosed herein, and we trust that the Superintendent of Certificate of Airworthiness No.110 - which had been Aircraft will withdraw this pending his further investigation. issued only 48 hours previously, after three We will be pleased to provide facilities to assist him in this representatives of the Civil Aviation Department had regard, and if he will arrange an appointment with the inspected the (ANEC) machine - was withdrawn and writer the position will be more fully discussed. Would you replaced by an amended Certificate No. 112 reducing the please return the British Certificate of Airworthiness No. paying load from 1200 lbs. to 600 lbs. This letter states 964 which we recently forwarded for your perusal. that this action was taken after a verbal intimation from Mr. (Signed) H.J. Larkin, Managing Director. After much Affleck (who was employed as a junior pilot at that time) correspondence with the Civil Aviation Department, Larkin that the machine behaved most adversely under full-load arranged to have the machine test flown by a Company conditions. pilot (at a cost to them of eight Pounds per hour). Before We are surprised that such drastic action was taken the test could be carried out, however, the aircraft was without adequate steps being taken for a technical expert extensively damaged in a collision on March 16, 1927, to confirm the accuracy of the report and to discuss the (q.v.), but repairs were made quickly, and seven days later position with the writer with a view to reducing to a Frank Neale carried out the tests which were required. minimum any possible inconvenience to this Company or After some modifications to improve stability Frank Briggs the travelling public; our suspicions that Mr. Affleck's did some further testing, and this being satisfactory, the reports were either unfounded or grossly exaggerated aircraft's C of A was reinstated on May 5th., 1927. (The have been confirmed by subsequent fights. words 'Junior Pilot' and 'were anticipated In the near future' were underlined, and hand-written marginal comments - Action has been taken which will prevent Mr. Affleck presumably made by some officer within the Department - making any unauthorised statements regarding the read 'considered sufficiently good to carry out the first airworthiness of the Company's aircraft in future, and we service trip with the new machine' and '!' respectively. feel sure that you will take action to ensure that on future occasions representatives of the Civil Aviation Department All subsequent flights in the three ANEC aircraft were will co-operate with a responsible officer of this Company made within the permitted weight limits until the machines before taking any action which might dislocate the mall were modified and re-engined in 1929. ^ service unnecessarily. (The 'action' cited undoubtedly involved the termination of Affleck's employment. The 8 latter, according to Larkin, was summarily dismissed - and The method of validation is not stated, 9 did not resign, as he stated In his book. Since, however, it is presumed that on the proving flight piloted by Neale all those involved In the incident have now passed on, the the machine was loaded to an all-up weight of truth of the matter will, perhaps, never be determined. It is approximately 6400 lbs. or the equivalent, taking the worth noting that Affleck's action caused Jimmy Larkin to temperature into account) - as noted on the British bear him a lifelong grudge. In a letter written In 1964 he Certificate; if this was the case, Larkin was not, in fact, in stated. “I have not forgotten Affleck. I never liked him. He breach of the regulations. The word 'new' should read was a low-grade pilot wished on us by the Civil Aviation 'old' Department as a further sign of their dislike for our For some unexplained reason the new Certificate bears campaign for honest administration. He was afraid (to fly a date one year after the old one was cancelled. aircraft In Australia, and at very-short notice refused to the ANEC) because it was then the largest passenger

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SKIES OVER URANQUINTY by John Laming My first sight of the RAAF base at Uranquinty was on slope that ran down to the boundary road. We found out 30^^ March 1952 from a crowded bus that had transported later that the pilot was a Warrant Officer Robertson a new members of No 8 Post war Pilots Course from Wagga. flying instructor recently graduated from CFS at East Sale. Some had come from Brisbane to Wagga by train, while Christ! Everyone thought - if a QFI cannot land a others had flown in on an Ansett DCS from Sydney. Wirraway, what hope have we? Forty of us, including several Royal Australian Navy The first flight that I did at No 1 BFTS was on April trainee pilots, had completed initial training at Point Cook 1952 in Tiger Moth A17-521 with Flight Sergeant Vernon and Archerfield, having been flight graded from trainee Jackson. My log book shows that we did stalls, steep turns aircrew to trainee pilots after 10 hours of Tiger Moth flying. and circuits and landings. We had climbed to 4500 ft and Those that got low marks during flight assessments were saw three eagles. I was fortunate to have Vern Jackson as posted to the School of Air Navigation (SAN) at East Sale my instructor for the next 120 hours of flying on the Tigers to be trained as navigators. Others had been earmarked and Wirraways. I was not so lucky at Point Cook where for signaller training at the School of Radio at Ballarat. my allotted Instructor for most of my training was a Previous civilian aero club training allowed a head start on screamer Jackson had set a high standard as a QFI and I those who had not flown before and I counted myself credit him with my eventual successful graduation as a fortunate to have gone solo in Tiger Moths before joining RAAF pilot. the RAAF. The bus bounced over the railway crossing at Uranquinty village then slowly wended its way parallel to the aerodrome boundary towards the base. Someone asked the bus driver to halt while all eyes watched a formation of Wirraways arrive into the circuit and land over our heads on the grass field. These were the first of many Tiger Moths and Wirraways flown In from East Sale and Point Cook by staff instructors to be ready for our flying training. Ours was to be the first post war pilot’s course to go through Uranquinty since Air Board had made the decision to expand RAAF Pilot training in 1951. After the war all flying training had been carried out at Point Cook. Now, Archerfield was the new base for rookies and initial flying training followed by basic flying training at Uranquinty and finally advanced flying Including weapons training at Point Cook. The first Wirraway passed a few feet over our heads and was lost from sight after touch down. We turned to watch another Wirraway come in low with full flap down, canopy open and the pilofs goggled head leaning out for a better view of the aircraft in front. Maybe he was distracted but he seemed even to our inexperienced eyes to be Looking like the cat with the cream, Trainee Pilot Laming draws his flying kit from ”L ” group holding off too high above the (clothing store) Uranquinty. Photo; Author grass. We were about to be eye witness to the infamous For me it was heads down and study hard at Wirraway wing drop at the stall. Seconds later the left wing Uranquinty. Others enjoyed beers and despite dropped sharply hitting the ground in a cloud of dust, then monumental hangovers, always survived. Within one week we lost sight of the aircraft over the crest of the slight the first of several trainee pilots was scrubbed. He was a

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popular chap called Norm Kilduff and we were sorry to see In May I flew my first dual cross-country in a Tiger him depart. I think he was posted to SAN at East Sale. Moth. The route was Quinty- Junee-Road Junction- My diary of those times reveals that I was constantly in Quinty. My instructor was Pilot Officer George Turnnidge fear of not making the grade in ground subjects. I seemed - a flambouyant cheerful type who sported a huge to have no problems with flying training - again due to the moustache and wore brightly coloured woollen mittens. It patience and instructional skill of Vern Jackson. Vern had was a freezing cold morning, frost still covering the field. flown Dakotas before being drafted to CFS for a flying Although I felt sorry for the two trainee pilots allotted to the instructors course. His first instructor posting was job of holding down the tail of the Tiger and therefore Uranquinty. In later years he became a Group Captain and blasted by the slipstream while I tested the engine at full today lives out his retirement on a property near throttle, I was not a happy trainee either. The navigation Richmond, NSW. exercise required the trainee pilot to keep an immaculate navigation log on a small pad strapped to his knee, while A favourite instructor at ‘Quinty was Flight Lieutenant on the other knee was a bulky metal Dalton navigational Sidney Gooding DFC. He had won the DFC while flying computer. Lancasters during the war. During one of the famous one thousand aircraft bombing raids over Germany, his aircraft Climbing into the rear cockpit of the Tiger was a was hit by another Lancaster, losing part of the wing and difficult task wearing as we did a bulky parachute, wartime knocking out one engine. Despite this Sid struggled on to helmet and Gosport Tube, maps of the route, pencils, and the target and dropped his bombs. At Uranquinty, Sid was protractor. There were no map holders in the Tiger - much sought after as an instructor because of his genial everything was tucked into various deep pockets of one’s and kindly disposition. Within a few months of my flying suit. The bitter cold required the wearing of a graduation from Point Cook I met up with Sid once again “Woolly Bull” padded flying suit with outer overalls. It does when I was his co-pilot on Lincoln bombers at No 10 not take much imagination to guess that maps were Squadron at Townsville. occasionally whipped overboard by the 75 knot slipstream in flight. We were also issued with leather flying gauntlets One of Sid’s pupils at Uranquinty was Trainee Pilot with silk under-gloves. The problem was that one had to Lloyd Knight. Lloyd had turned up to join the RAAF with a take off the gloves in order to test the tiny switches that “Bodgie” hairstyle. This didn’t last long, but forever after controlled the magnetos and also to write with a pencil on Lloyd was known as Bodgie Knight. We envied Lloyd our logs. because Sid had taught him to fly canted loops in the Wirraway. This was a normal loop manoeuvre flown at 45 This was in stark contrast when 30 years later, I would degrees to the vertical. Lloyd eventually became a fighter be sitting in air conditioned comfort at 35,000 ft over the pilot on Meteors in Korea. He is 70 years of age now Pacific in the cockpit of a Boeing 737 en route to Hong (2002) and works as a flight operations inspector with Kong! Meanwhile I was freezing to death in Tiger Moth CASA In Melbourne. A17-638 because I had forgotten my gloves. The moustachiod P/0 Turnnidge had little sympathy for me - Each QFI at Uranquinty had secondary duties as well in any case there is nothing he could do from the front as flying instruction. Sid Gooding was given the job of cockpit. We landed an hour or so later with my hands blue lecturing on Airmanship. Before each lecture he would and numb from the cold. My log book shows that Turnidge display a blueprint on the blackboard of his latest turned up the heat - so to speak -by carrying out a few Invention. One of these inventions was a set of steam touch and go landings for his own practice. Actually driven roller skates with a tiny furnace In each heel. Now George was a very fine fellow and we had many a beer we never actually saw the finished product, but he together in later years when we both served in the same certainly used these stories to get the troops interested before a boring lecture on propeller theory! One year transport squadron. later after he was posted to be a Lincoln QFI at Townsville, 28^^ May 1952 marked my first dual flight in a Wirraway he had his crew In hysterics with a blue print on a Bowden - this was A20-213 and my old friend Flight Sergeant cable operated shaver driven from the No 3 inboard Jackson was the instructor. The Wirraway was a quantum propeller of a Lincoln. That was in 1953. Forty years on, I jump from the Tiger Moth but most of us went solo on the took Sid for a joy flight in a little Cherokee Warrior from a Wirra after eight hours of dual. It was a fine training property near his home at Nagambie in Victoria. He was aircraft and to this day I firmly believe that if you could fly a then 84 and nearly blind. Despite that I let him take off and Wirraway safely then you could fly any aircraft. This belief land the Warrior which he did quite successfully - flying on was highlighted by the no sweat experience of newly Instinct alone. A treasure of a man. graduated pilots going from Wirraways straight to Spitfires In 1952, besides those flown in from down south, there and Mustangs. were a few old wartime Wirraways quietly sitting in the June 1952 saw floods sweeping through Wagga and grass near the aerodrome entrance. Their fabric was Uranquinty became the temporary home for 400 people ripped here and there and their flying controls were at the and their children. Our course was involved in helping with mercy of the four winds. movement of furniture and people’s personal effects into It was sad to see them gently rotting In the hot summer the unit cinema. An afternoon free of duty was our reward sun. At that stage we were still on Tiger Moths and and a game of football organised. eagerly looking forward to eventually flying Wirraways. I saw myself as a flying fanatic not a football fanatic, so I wandered up to the hangars to find a Wirra to sit in and On days off those of us game to risk spider bites would daydream. The flight commander Flight Lieutenant “Tiger” climb into the cockpits and let our imagination run riot. Payne was about to test fly a Wirraway that had just had Some of the instruments were still in place and so we an engine change. Tiger had flown Mosquitoes during the could practice cockpit drills. By now we had learned the war and was one of the nicest blokes you could ever meet. Wirraway song by heart and when no one was around I He was a kindly man, recognisable for his white polo neck would hum the tune of “Wirraways don’t worry me” as I sat sweater and a ready smile. I asked him if I could come in the poor old wrecks who had seen better times. along for a ride in the back seat. No problem, he said and

155 AHSA Aviation Heritage he put me in the pilot’s seat and announced that we would shattered if the CO decided not to believe my story. In the turn the test flight into my 25 hour test. It was a crystal event Tiger Payne slipped in a good word about my clear day and between us we turned the Wirra upside keenness at turning up to fly on my afternoon off a few down and inside out with aerobatics, spins, practice forced days earlier, and to my relief all was forgiven. If dear old landings and lots of circuits and landings. I was delighted Tiger Payne is alive to this day, then all I can say is, to have my progress report marked as “Above Average”. “Thanks mate - I owe you!” A few days later I was up in front of Tiger Payne in the After a short dual check with Vern Jackson to test my flight commanders office and in serious trouble. It all map reading again, I was soon sent off on another solo started when I was on a solo cross-country flight to Young cross-country in the Wirra - this time in A20-657 to - Milvale and back home to Quinty. The weather had Weethalle - Yalgogrin - Barmedan and back home to closed in and I was forced to detour around several Quinty. The navigation officer grabbed my maps and log thunderstorms on the way to Milvale. A note in my diary for as soon as I had switched the engine off, supposedly to that day said that winds were gusting up to 60 knots. That check that I hadn't fiddled ETA’s and whatnot. How the surely must have been youthful exaggeration at the time. hell one was supposed to keep a neat and accurate All my careful map preparations were now shot to pieces navigational log while flying with one hand and writing with because various road and railway crossings were the other, always mystified me. obscured by low cloud and rain. It was a mid-winter late Thereafter followed fairly concentrated flying with afternoon with the evening was fast approaching and I was different instructors such as Flight Sergeant Neil lost. A railway siding slid past in the gloom and I decided Woodruffe, Pilot Officer Len Watkins, George Turnnidge to circle low hoping to read the name of the station. and Sid Gooding. By then we had been introduced to the Dropping the flaps and increasing the propeller pitch Link Instrument Flying Trainer - or the horror box as it was control for a quick get away, I flew past the platform at 25 more commonly called. We flew Patterns A and B which feet and read the name Harden. A hasty check of the map were timed exercises of around 15 minutes each with the put Uranquinty about 20 minutes flying time to the south­ results being plotted on a table mounted chart by a moving west. Resetting the directional gyro with the magnetic device known as The Crab. While we sweated on limited compass, I dog-legged past heavy rain showers on the panel (simulated failure of the artificial horizon) in the Link, way back and spotting the first of a line of flares laid out the instructor would put his feet up and read the latest for my arrival, landed just on dark. It turned out that Playboy or its 1952 equivalent, occasionally making a someone had rung the base to report a very low flying sarcastic remark into the Link intercomm system. The Link RAAF aircraft beating up the railway station at Harden and had a sliding opaque canopy so that the pupil could not when I switched off the engine a grim faced Commanding see outside. The instructor could not see inside except Officer was waiting for me. through a tiny peep-hole in the side. It became a matter of Fortunately my explanation that I had got lost due bad pride to be able to give the finger at the invisible instructor weather was accepted but it was harder to convince the whenever he made ill-judged derogatory remarks about powers-to-be that 1 was not beating up Harden, but only the instrument flight skills of the hapless student locked trying to get a pin-point to fix my position. The penalty for inside the horror box. To my knowledge no student was unauthorised low flying was dismissal from the Service caught doing this, but it did act as a usefui safety valve to and I knew that my dreams of being a RAAF pilot would be pent up anger.

Trainee Pilot Laming flys the photo plane and Trainees McIntosh and Holding formate on him. Photo;Authour

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No1 BFTS RAAF Base Uranquinty. Start date 5^^ January Instrument flying in the real aircraft was simulated by 1956. Since 1952 I had flown over 1600 flying hours and means of two stage amber screens, which were clipped to had got married to a pretty brunette called Loretto. the side windows and front windscreen of the Wirraway. The student then wore a set of blue tinted goggles so that Arriving at Wagga from East Sale in a battered Ford he could see the flight instruments. When the outside view Prefect, we found accommodation boarding with a cranky was seen through the amber screen - blue goggles old spinster who was minder to a local priest. That turned combination, the world outside looked totally black. This out to be a total disaster and while I flew, Loretto, by now gave perfect night simulation and by the time a pilot had pregnant, urgently scanned the local rag for graduated he had accrued over 23 hours in the Link accommodation. We were saved when an instructor was Trainer and 20 hours under the hood in the air. One posted from Quinty, so we took over his rented two became very proficient at instrument flying and it became bedroom house in Wagga which we then shared with no big deal to fly on instruments on Mustangs or Lincolns another pilot and his wife. Several airmen and officers straight off Pilots Course. lived In Wagga and we ran a daily car pool to Uranquinty 15 miles away. One of those officers was Flight Lieutenant 15 July was a busy day. I had finished night flying late Bruce Cameron the No 1 BFTS Education Officer. Bruce the previous night and then attended lectures all morning. was a delightful chap with an equally delightful wife. When After lunch we marched to the flight huts where I flew 20 his wife was pregnant with their first child, Bruce suffered minutes with George Turnnidge on a couple of check from sympathetic morning sickness. I had never heard of circuits in A20-39. Then into another Wirraway for solo this phenomenon before, but now we saw it daily with our aerobatics and forced landings. In the evening it was a own eyes. Half way from Wagga to Quinty, Bruce would dual night flying trip across to Wagga for more circuits. stop the car and while three of us watched in awe, he That done I switched to yet another Wirraway for an hour would go for the big chunder at the side of the road. This of solo circuits followed by more dual circuits with Vern happened every day, yet his wife never suffered from the and return to Uranquinty by bus. By the time I hauled into same problem. bed I was stuffed. After breakfast the next day It was into the horror box for more limited panel instrument flying Reporting for duty at Quinty on the first day of my practice. If the weather was too bad to fly we were shoe posting I was a Flight Sergeant Pilot. It turned out that horned back into the Link. during the few days between completing the CFS course and arrival at ‘Quinty, Department of Air authorised the CO 22'"'^ July had me on a dual cross-country trip from of 1 BFTS to offer me a short service commission. I was Quinty to Rushworth and Tocumwal where we stopped for not aware of this at the time. After meeting the CO (I think lunch at the Airmen’s Mess. Tocumwal was then a young it was Wing Commander Keith Bolltho DFC) we had a cup pilot’s paradise. Everywhere there were lines of Mustangs of coffee and a chat during which he sprung the good and Liberators all flown into Tocumwal for long term news and asked If I would accept the SSC with the rank of storage after the war and tragically destined for scrap Pilot Officer. My bloody oath, I would - but didn’t couch metal. For that flight the instructor was Warrant Officer the acceptance In those words! And so I walked out of Kevin “Cocko” Kennedy. Cocko was so named because his office as Pilot Officer John Laming. It was a proud he would everyone “Cocko”. He was easily irritated and moment in my life. any minor event would set him off screaming down the intercom. When we had taxied out at Uranquinty along Then followed some of the happiest of the 18 years with six other Wirraways all going In the same direction, that I was to serve in the RAAF. one pilot had a stuck microphone which resulted in no one January lV^ 1956 was the opening flight in Wirraway being able to transmit because of the frequency being A20-213 with Flight Lieutenant “Laddie” Hindley DFC. blocked. At the same time all the other pilots could hear Laddie was one of the flight commanders and we flew he Intercomm talk between the instructor and student on around the training area, did a few aerobatics and some the offending aircraft. touch and go landings. It was custom that a new QFI would be given an experienced trainee pilot for his first Cocko went completely off his head and although it real live student. Next day therefore, I was given Trainee was a total waste of time, he roared abuse at the other Pilot Zane Sampson who, along with others of No 23 Wirraway all the way to Tocumwal. The frequency being Pilot’s Course, was about to graduate from BFTS and go totally blocked meant all his abusive language could only to Point Cook for the final advanced stage of his training. be heard by me on the intercomm. I found it difficult to Sampson knew the ropes better than I did, and my concentrate on low level navigation with non-stop “blooding” so to speak, left me unscathed. Zane was a bellowing coming from the back seat. Fortunately a radio technician at Tocumwal was able to fix the problem and very good pilot - In fact many years later he became one of Cathay Pacific Airways senior captains in Hong Kong. the rest of the flight from Tocumwal to Quinty via Lake Canargo went off relatively quietly. Then it was on for young and old and being allotted 24^^ July 1952 saw my final handling test in the four trainees I found myself flying up to five times a day. Wirraway with the CFI of No 1 BFTS, Squadron Leader Eventually the old Tiger Moths were phased out and we Talburg. He was a pleasant mild mannered officer and the then flew Winjeels and Wirraways. One of my early test went off with no drama. Next stop was No 1 AFTS at students was Trainee Pilot Mike Matters of No 24 Course. Point Cook. I was fortunate that many of my students turned out to be Back to Uranquinty January 1956. natural pilots and that made instructing them a sheer pleasure. Mike went on to fly Mustangs after graduation Three and a half years later I drove up the familiar road from Point Cook, and following tours on Sabres and Cl30 to Uranquinty a different man. Having by now flown Hercules he reached the rank of Group Captain. He was a Mustangs, Vampires and Lincolns, the RAAF decided that first class pilot and throughout the years we still keep in by now I had enough experience to be a Qualified Flying touch. Instructor, or QFI. After five months at Central flying School at East Sale I graduated as a Category “C” QFI on When I arrived the he CFI was Squadron Leader Tiger Moths, Wirraways and Winjeels and was posted to Bridges -a RAF exchange posting officer. He was a

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popular CFI and was sorely missed by everyone on the - especially in any cross-wind, drew the ghouls out of their base when he left. After returning home to England, he work places at the hangars to watch in glee, hoping for sent each instructor a delightful card showing his wife, two some excitement. children and himself waving goodbye before sailing home Many times on final approach one would see the on the Liner “Oronsay”. It was a nice touch indeed. instructors goggled head leaning far out into the My log book shows many students from No 23 Course slipstream, trying to correct for drift at touch-down. Airmen right through to No 30 Course. Some were RAAF Trainee and airwomen would lay bets on good and bad landings - Pilots and others were Probationary Naval Airmen who but always ready to disappear in a flash behind a hangar were trained by RAAF Instructors and who, on graduation, door when inevitably a squeal of brakes and tortured would fly Sea Furies, Gannets, Sycamore’s, Firefly’s and rubber would herald the beginning of a potential ground- Venoms with the RAN. loop. I don’t recall any accidents but the landings were Names in my log book included Samson, Matters, often quite scary. Certainly the crash fire tender crews Sorby, Bailey, Jones, Shearer, Shuck, McNaughton, were kept on their toes. Bakker, Devenish, Wrankmore, Day, Holland, Bergin, If the crosswind was too dangerous to use the tarmac Vickers, Reynolds, Splendlove, Dyson-Holland, Flynn, (which had a slight curve In it), it meant that the taxyway Symonds, Ouvrier, Compton, Jory, Wilson, Campbell, between the two main fields would be nearly into wind for O’Neill, Falls, Bannerman, Healy, Gibson, Bodimar, landings and take offs. This taxyway was very narrow by Williamzyck, Shepherd, Mercer, Walsh, Morris, Colbey, any standards -especially for the Wirraway. For take off it O’Sullivan, Scanlon, Theak, Healy, Sundstrup, Blair, was vital to get the tall up as soon as possible in order for Whitehead, Clough, Palmer, Bartlett, Franklin, Ankers, the instructor to see where he was going. Forcing the tail Wastell, Dunn, Louer, North, Bennie, Gordon, Pouning, up early created its own hazard in that the gyroscopic Molloy, Palmer, Harman, Bibby, Porter, effect caused by the propeller was guaranteed to start a They were all pleasant chaps and although some were nasty swing. With barely a few feet to spare either side of scrubbed later in the course either at Uranquinty or at the Wirraway undercarriage, a swing could take one wheel Point Cook, I can still recall many of their faces. Over the on to the flooded grass in a second. next forty years some reached senior rank in the RAAF What made the game more challenging was that the and RAN. Others became airline captains. Sadly, a few taxyway had a 20 degree bend halfway along. Having got lost their lives either in accidents or in action in Vietnam. the tail up early in the take off run. it then became quite a Occasionally instructors flew together on the odd ferry sporting exercise to anticipate the upcoming bend and flight or mutual practice. If a test flight was required then rudder carefully around the corner. Having got the following aircraft servicing, it was customary to invite beast airborne, the next problem was the landing. The ground staff from the hangars and Orderly Room for a technique was to carry out a short landing approach just ride. Flight Lieutenants Tony Fookes and Laddie HIndley above stall speed and after touch down, apply maximum were two flight commanders. Both were quiet achievers braking in an attempt to pull up before the bend. with pleasant easy going personalities. Laddie had won Instructors became very skillful at this type of operation. It the DFC flying while KIttyhawks against the Japs in New was certainly an eye opener for the Navy students and Guinea, while Tony got his DFC in later years, flying more than adequately prepared them for the hazards of Caribou transports with No 35 Squadron In Vietnam. aircraft carrier deck landings. Wisely, it was decided that tarmac and taxyway landings were limited to day Various Instructors that I flew with included Flying operations only. Officer Cec Sly DFM, FIt.Lt Bob Kydd (Nav officer), F/L McGowan (Engineer Officer), F.Sgt Bill Monaghan, F/0 Perhaps the most humorous episode of all was the Ed Plenty, F/L Bruce Cameron (Ed.O), LACW Warrener gambling games that took place after dark at the flight who was a beautiful WRAAF orderly room clerk, - (Ye huts outside the hangars. Word would get around that a Gods - she would be 70 now!), - CpI Bob Bertram game was on and shadowy figures would arrive at the (became a Group Captain in years to come), F/0 Don allotted hour. It was harmless stuff involving small Tibbey (Nav), F/L Warren “Bunny” Agnew (Nav), Wing amounts of money, but by Air Force rules it was illegal. At Commander Keith Bolitho DFC, F.Sgt Ted Dillon, the time, the base administrative officer was Squadron Lieutenant David Orr RAN, LACW Oakley, F/0 Affleck! Leader O’Connor whose nickname was “Caesar”. Now P/0 Fisher, F/0 Geoff Cramp, P/0 Keith Munday, F/L Caesar had a lot on his plate but nevertheless he was Connoly DFC, DFM, F/0 Maurice Kempfe, F/0 Bryan never a shirker of his base responsibilities. And he knew Abrahams, Petty Officer Sanderson RAN, LAC Mitchell. that gambling was illegal on a RAAF base. News on the grapevine indicated that a game had been organised up at With the help of diaries that I kept, my memory is the flight huts and Caesar decided to catch the crystal clear of the various dramas and humorous events ringleaders. Placing the Orderly Sergeant and Orderly of those days. Not necessarily in chronological order are Officer behind a hangar, Caesar concealed himself inside some of these events. For example: a nearby red coloured fire extinguisher box and waited Heavy rains had made the grass areas Impossible to until the gamblers were inside the flight hut. operate from without serious risk of aircraft bogging. In After peering through a window of the flight hut, order to keep the courses to schedule it was decided to Caesar made his move. Flinging open the door, he take off and land using the main tarmac area and the stormed into the hut with arms stretched wide shouting narrow winding taxyway that separated both landing fields. “Everyone stay where you are”. Now Caesar was a short During this period which lasted for a week or so, it was and somewhat portly man and the sight of this figure arms considered unsafe for students to fly solo from the tarmac akimbo standing silhouetted in the moonlight, prompted and so only dual flying was allowed with the instructor some wag to exclaim loudly “Christ! Superman!” Airmen usually doing the landing and take off. The view from the bolted like rabbits in all directions with one almost back seat of the Wirraway is marginally better than bloody knocking over Caesar in a rush to get out of the flight hut. awful. The propensity of the Wirraway to swing on landing Staggering to his feet Caesar rushed outside and realising

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that he could never catch the man, called out “Keep on accused of sour grapes at being ejected from the Dining in running - and you are gone a million”. Needless to say, night when drunk out of his mind. the airmen kept on running - but not before Caesar got a Certainly the Winjeel could wind up in a stable spin - good look at him. but providing normal recovery action was applied, it The following morning the airman was arraigned in recovered after one or two turns. Students introduced to front of Wing Commander Bolitho on charges of spinning for the first time could become quite disobeying a lawful command. When asked his reasons, apprehensive and there was no doubt that exaggerated the airman told the Wingco that rather than disobeying a stories related in the trainee pilots mess put the frights into lawful command, he had actually obeyed a lawful the less daring. One of my students (who eventually was command, in that Caesar had ordered him to “keep on scrubbed as a pilot and became a fine navigator) was running” - and not only that, he could provide witnesses. dead scared of Winjeel spins. This student was a Bolitho was a gentleman with a good sense of humour physically tough chap who could and did hold his own in who appreciated a good line when he heard one. He any fist fight. In the air, he was quite confident until it was dismissed the charges with a smile, later warning the time to run the spinning sequence. airman that he would break his neck if caught gambling For orientation purposes, the spin would be started again. along the geographical line of a straight road and the Tragedy struck in October 1956 when F/0 McCarthy student would be required to count the number of turns by and a pilot from a Dakota unit at Canberra, were killed noting the road axis. As the spin progressed, my student’s when their Winjeel failed to recover from a spin. For some voice would increase in pitch and urgency, while he would time visits had been arranged to Canberra to enable often attempt recovery well before the allotted number of Winjeel instructors be given general flying practice in rotations. He would give a great sigh of relief when we Dakotas, while in return, Dakota pilots were given dual finally turned for home. In those days very little extra instruction on Winjeels. The practice had also applied to training was afforded to trainees that fell behind in RAN pilots who visited Uranquinty with Sea Furies and competency. You are either hacked it - or you were Fireflies. Several QFI’s at ‘Quinty were sent solo on these scrubbed without ceremony. I am sure that in many cases fighters courtesy of the kindly Navy pilots. Now obviously a change to another instructor who had a more kindly there was a world of difference between flying a Sea Fury approach to things, would have enabled a slow student to and a Winjeel. Yet despite the experience level of the finally succeed. It remains a fact that some students were RAN pilots, RAAF HQ decreed that they could only fly dual scrubbed because they were victims of poor instruction. - not solo! Because of this rather stupid attitude by RAAF That alone cost the RAAF (read tax payers) big money. Brass, the liaison visits by the RAN to Quinty were But the problem was rarely addressed. While CFS could discontinued. turn out new instructors with undoubted excellent flying The Court of Inquiry into the spinning accident at skills, there was little emphasis on human factors Canberra failed to determine why the recovery was approach to flying instruction. ineffective. The Winjeel was a safe aircraft to spin but Meanwhile I harboured concerns that my student was nevertheless there was a suspicion that perhaps some not practicing spinning solo as briefed. To check on this, were rogue spinners - In other words they might not react another instructor followed the student into the training to normal spin recovery techniques. The only way to sort area to watch from afar. The student cavorted around the that out was to spin each Winjeel - both at CFS and at sky on simple aerobatics, a forced landing or two, lots of Uranquinty. The test schedule called for a qualified test steep turns and some very nice circuits. But no spins. pilot from ARDU at Laverton to test each Winjeel by Faced with this evidence, the CFI scrubbed the student. In deliberately spinning each aircraft to eight turns in each later years this nervous student rose to the rank of Wing direction. Accordingly ARDU despatched a Flight Commander and flew as a navigator on Canberra Lieutenant Sutherland, an RAF test pilot on exchange, to bombers over Vietnam. That took guts, as far as I am Uranquinty. concerned. During the several days that Sutherland needed to One of my star students was Trainee Pilot Athol Jory of cover all the Winjeels at Quinty (probably about 20), he No 25 Pilots Course. Jory topped all theory subjects and stayed at the Officers Mess. At a DinIng-ln-Night was a natural pilot. He was a tall fair haired young chap coincidental with his arrival at the base, Sutherland and quiet and reserved. He came very close to being became obnoxiously drunk and was thrown out of the scrubbed during his first 20 hours of flying on Winjeels. dining room on the orders of the PMC. His problem was chronic airsickness. While early I flew with Sutherland in Winjeel A85-435 and 436 on airsickness was common among students during 31 October 1956. We climbed to 8000 feet above the aerobatics and spinning (even I resorted to travel sickness airfield then proceeded to spin eight times left - climbing pills when faced with instructing four times a day on back again before repeating the exercise to the right. aeros), poor Jory would hurl his heart out during circuits Recovery action was normal in all cases. All Winjeels on a calm day. Despite this, he would quickly recover his were thus tested with no abnormal handling characteristics composure and continue as if nothing had happened. noted. The crash at Canberra remained a mystery, After Jory had been airsick while flying with another although there was speculation that the pilots may have instructor, the flight commander Flight Lieutenant Valton forgotten that Canberra was 1800 feet above sea level Turner DFC & Bar ordered me into his office and and when spinning above full cloud cover on the day, may demanded to know for how long had Jory’s affliction been not have allowed for mountains In the cloud. going on? I said since he started flying. Val Turner was a The ARDU test pilot’s final report on his spinning trials tough Instructor from the old school. He had flown Spitfires at Wagga contained strong inference that some in the war and Meteors in Korea. He was blunt and could instructors were apprehensive of spinning the Winjeel. be devastatingly sarcastic. Casting scowling eyes over This caused hard feelings against the test pilot who was Jory’s progress report sheet - quaintly known in RAAF parlance as “Hate Sheets” - he told me to underline in red

159 AHSA Aviation Heritage ink every time Jory was airsick There was danger here for in the Navy). I had missed out on getting a Sea Fury trip my student because I knew that Turner took no prisoners. during the Navy pilots visits to Uranquinty several months earlier, and I thought I might make up for lost time. While Jory was a bloody good young pilot and it would be a serving on Lincolns with No 10 Squadron a couple of shame to see him scrubbed for mere airsickness which I years earlier, I had managed to cadge two trips in Sea knew could be overcome with pills. After all, 1 had used Furies at Nowra. The Fury was a wonderful aircraft to fly them many times. The rest was easy. I simply stopped and at one stage it had been the fastest propeller driven reporting his airsickness. Jory never looked back. By the fighter in the world. time he reached No 1 AFTS at Point Cook he had overcome the problem. After he won his Wings, he flew The Wingco gave the nod for me to take three days off Mustangs at Mallalla with NO 24 (City of Adelaide) and on November 9^^ 1956, Dave Orr and I flew to Nowra. Squadron. During the Vietnam war he won the DFC while On arrival there Dave kindly put in a good word on my flying helicopters. After leaving the RAAF he became an behalf, and the usual ever accommodating Navy lent me Examiner of Airmen with the Department of Civil Aviation Sea Fury RAN 922 for 45 exhilarating minutes hooning in New Guinea. Good operator was young Athol Jory! over Jervis Bay. My log book records refamiliarisation, aerobatics and stall recovery practice. With the planned After nearly two years of instruction I had made many phasing out of Sea Furies for the new De Havilland friends at Uranquinty, but I was getting bored and longed Venoms, it was with heavy heart that I knew that never to fly jets. I had applied to fly Canberras - but so had just again would I fly this beautiful aircraft. On that last flight, about every pilot there. With over 1500 hours as a Lincoln my barrel rolls were good, the slow rolls shocking, and I pilot, I had no great love for those incredibly noisy beasts damned near spun off a climbing roll. But the landing was with their four whacking great Rolls Royce Merlins and safe - and that was the main thing. open exhausts ten feet from the cockpit. Nevertheless I told my boss Wing Commander Bolitho that I wouldn’t I had made many good friends at Uranquinty both with mind doing a couple of touch and goes In a Lincoln, when instructors, airmen, and students. The senior air traffic we saw one In the circuit area at East Sale one morning. controller was Flight Lieutenant Harry Connolly DFC, The Wingco and I had flown a Winjeel down from DFM. Harry was rather cruelly nicknamed “Pearshape”. It Uranquinty to East Sale in order to renew our Instructor was obvious why. He had been a navigator on Lancasters ratings. We had been overtaken by a Lincoln from CFS, during the savage night battles over Europe and deserved also doing circuits. much more recognition from the Uranquinty pilots than he I should have kept my big mouth shut. Three weeks got. later and back at Uranquinty, Bolitho called me to his A keen gardener, Harry spent hours carefully office and showed me a posting signal directing that Flying cultivating vegetables and flowers in a garden plot that he Officer Laming is hereby posted to No 10 Squadron at kept In front of the control tower. I was blissfully unaware Townsville to be the unit QFI and Instrument rating of this when one day I taxied a Tiger Moth right through his Examiner. Member to first proceed to CFS to undergo a pride and joy - the tail-skid of the Tiger making a very Multi-Engine Aircraft Instructors Course. effective Impression as a plough. Harry was apoplectic with rage but because the Tiger Moth had no radio I had “Christ Almighty, Sir - I wanted to fly Canberras - not no idea of my heinous crime until I returned to land an bloody Lincolns again!” - was my plaintive cry to Bolitho. hour later. Harry stormed over to my aircraft accusing me Bolitho replied that only three weeks ago I had told him of deliberately wrecking his garden plot. I had no idea that I wouldn’t mind flying Lincolns again. what the hell he was on about until one of the airmen “But I only wanted to do a couple of circuits - not whispered into my ear about Harry’s garden. There was three bloody years”. stuff-all I could do except mumble sorry to Harry who, Bolitho showed little sympathy to my cause. He mollified by my abject apology, waddled back to his control explained that there had been a major accident a few days tower muttering under his breath about that horrible Pilot earlier when a Lincoln had crashed following a practice Officer Laming. I was told that for months after I left asymmetric landing had gone wrong. At the time the unit Uranquinty, Pearshape was still complaining about the used an experienced former wartime Lancaster pilot to devastation that my little Tiger Moth did to his veggie check out new pilots. He had never done any formal patch. In the years to come, Harry became a Wing instructing and it was felt that he lacked instructional skills. Commander and CO of the Air Traffic Control School at In any case he was not keen on checking brand new pilots East Sale. on Lincolns. Hence, he wanted out. F/Sgt Ted Dillon was an instructor at Uranquinty. A A quick hunt through the RAAF HQ records located an quiet likeable chap, he was a trifle scary in the air. Before experienced Lincoln pilot who was also a qualified flying arriving at CFS to undergo his instructors course, Ted had Instructor. He was a bit young at age 25 but there was no been a fighter pilot on Meteors. He obviously missed flying one else handy and he had just completed two years of high performance fighters and like many of us, took full basic and ab-initio instructing on Wirraways. Fly a advantage of low flying instructional sequences to beat the WIrraway- and you could fly anything was the popular blazes out of any foxes seen in the low flying area. belief. Give him a quick refresher on the Lincolns at CFS Normally, low flying was done at 200 feet above ground and send him on his way to Townsville. That bunny was level and this Included low level navigation exercises. The me. country surrounding Uranquinty was flat as a tack and just as boring. A few months before all this happened. Lieutenant David Orr who was the resident RAN QFI at Uranquinty, The training syllabus allowed for a dual demonstration scheduled himself to take a Winjeel to the RAN station at of what was termed “operational low flying”. This was Nowra. I asked if I could accompany him. This was not for really low level stuff at 50 feet and called for very careful the love of flying a Winjeel, nor the pleasure of getting flying. Ted revelled in this type of flying but he very nearly pissed at the Ward Room (as the officers Mess is known killed himself and his student when he flew into a lone tree without seeing it. The view from the back seat of the

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Wirraway was extremely limiting and while his student in surprisingly little damage both to the aircraft and the back the front seat saw the tree dead ahead, he assumed that garden. I am sure that Harry Pearshape Connolly would Ted could see it too. Too late, he called out to warn Ted have shot trainee pilot Colbey out of hand if the Winjeel but the wing tip smashed through the bough. Control of had crashed into his veggie garden - but fortune had the Wirraway was not severely affected and they landed indeed smiled on Colbey. safely. The CO roared up Ted but no other disciplinary On arrival at the crash we noticed that the canopy of action was taken for his foolishness. the Winjeel was still in place. The bale out procedure from Some months later. No 1 AFTS at Point Cook needed the Winjeel requires that the pilot first jettison the canopy more instructors and Ted Dillon was transferred there. His by pulling on a jettison handle situated behind the left reckless flying eventually cost him his life. While carrying' seat. Otherwise you can’t get out. Somehow Colbey had out dive-bombing practice at the Werribee bombing range, successfully abandoned his aircraft without getting rid of Ted pulled off a wing of his Wirraway with a rolling”G” pull­ the canopy. out. His personal technique of diving steeply with the After being cleared by the unit Medical Officer, we engine throttled right back, certainly gave greater accuracy asked Colbey how the hell he had got out with the canopy when he dropped his bombs. But Instead of pulling up with still on. He explained that he was unable to reach the wings level before turning into the circuit pattern, Ted jettison handle because he was still strapped in and being pulled and rolled sharply at the same time. Everyone had short he could not reach it. He then undid his harness been briefed that this manoeuvre was highly dangerous extricated himself by kicking out the left hand sliding and could easily over-stress the wings. Ted ignored the window. He went out that way, parachute and all. This was warning and paid the ultimate price. unbelievable. Certainly he was a short fellow, but we Another incident that could have had tragic believed it was impossible to get out that way. Later he consequences, happened at Uranquinty around December was strapped in with his parachute in a Winjeel on the 1956. A defect had existed in some Winjeels where the tarmac, and asked to demonstrate how he had got out. carburettor would flood while the aircraft was Inverted In Despite much huffing and puffing there was no way he slow rolls. The engine would stop momentarily and could replicate his escape. To me It remains a miracle and residual fuel leaking from the carburettor would sometimes a mystery. ignite. Providing the fuel was turned off immediately, the Now, I am recounting this story from over 45 years ago fire would go out and he aircraft could be forced landed. and it is quite possible that I have missed a vital part of For this reason aerobatics would be confined to over the how Colbey got out. But I clearly remember the shaking of airfield in case the engine stopped. heads and wonderment at Uranquinty, at how the hell he A van equipped with a radio and the vital coffee urn did It. The last I heard of Colbey was that he was a first was used as a marshalling point on each field where officer with Trans Australia Airlines and was fond of instructors and students would gather awaiting their turn to wearing the badge of the Caterpillar Club which is given fly. F/0 Tom Larkey had briefed his student Trainee Pilot only to those who have saved their lives by parachute. He Colbey to carry out solo aerobatics over the field. While certainly deserved that rare badge. relaxing in the sun next to the van, we heard a faint cry of There are surely many more tales to tell of Uranquinty, “Mayday - I’m on fire - abandoning aircraft!”. Looking up, but recalling them vaguely runs the risk of embellishment. we saw a Winjeel around 4000 feet gliding steadily with a I have tried to avoid that In my recollections, which are plume of thin smoke trailing behind it. backed up by my flying log book and diary entries. Larkey recognised the voice of his student and My last flight at Uranquinty was with Trainee Pilot Don reaching for the hand held microphone In the van, ordered Porter on 25^^ July 1957 and was the last of four Winjeel Colbey to turn off the fuel cock. There was no reply but flights that I had flown that day. The aircraft was A85-405. what we saw was a small object detach Itself from the They were happy days for me at Uranauinty with my son Winjeel and fall with increasing speed towards the ground. Kent Laming being born at Wagga on September 1956. Colbey had baled out! From Uranquinty I returned for a second tour of duty at Fortunately his parachute opened shortly before he hit No 10 Squadron at Townsville as the squadron QFI on the ground and he survived with a sore ankle and a few Long Nose Lincolns. Then followed postings to bruises. Meanwhile In the Winjeel, the fire had Headquarters Support Command and No 34 (VIP) extinguished itself and what followed would have made a squadron at Canberra. I left the RAAF in October 1969 good Keystone Cops movie. When smoke had entered the after 18 years of a thoroughly enjoyable Service career. cockpit, Colbey did the right thing and turned off the fuel. After seven years with the Department of Civil Aviation But he didn’t wait for the result. He jumped, leaving his flying the venerable DCS and Fokker Friendships, I was aircraft perfectly trimmed for a glide. With the engine lucky enough to score a job as a Boeing 737 captain with stopped, the Winjeel flew in circles over the airfield getting Ir Nauru. For that I must thank my lifelong friend Captain lower and lower. People rushed for cover around the Maurie Baston AFC who at the time was deputy chief pilot. airfield, although those of us at the ATC van could only Maurie had been CFI of CFS at East Sale in the Sixties wait and see If the aircraft picked our little van as its final when I used to fly a Convair 440 to East Sale to renew my crash site. The wind gradually drifted the Winjeel toward instructor category. the village of Uranquinty away from our exposed position in the van, and then it quite gracefully arced into the After having flown with several overseas airlines, I ground at a gentle angle. It was dead centre Quinty reached the compulsory retiring age of 60 and returned to village. There was a minor explosion and a pall of smoke. Australia, there to take up instructing civilian students on Cessnas and teaching Asian pilots how to fly the Boeing While the station ambulance raced over a field to find 737 flight simulator. Looking back over the years, I realise Colbey and his parachute, the fire tenders screamed down that the seeds of my enjoyment of instructing were sown the hill and over the railway line to the village. There they at Uranquinty.^* found the Winjeel up on its nose In someone’s back garden. The fire had quickly gone out and there was

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The Australian Gold Flight The history of most of the world's richest alluvial gold ounces reaching me tied up in a pair of dirty white socks and fields has followed the same pattern of boom and eventual inscribed "B.P. from Snowy". It reached Burns Phillip safely. petering out and abandonment to fossickers. All this wealth was carried by plane without knowledge of The fabulously-rich Morobe gold fields on the mainland of the pilot and without benefit of protection of receipts or freight New Guinea from which many millions of ounces were won in notes. On one occasion a tin was containing 300 ounces the 15 years before World War II was no exception in its found in a seldom opened small locker on the side of the progress from the day of the individual miner with his team of aircraft after travelling to and fro for over a month. The owner native labourers working with a sluice box and shovels on to had never queried its safe delivery, the era of big business winning gold by hydraulic sluicing, lode My usual practice was to collect the assorted packages of mining with its attendant stamp batteries and cyanide gold from the plane and toss them in a wooden box under my treatment and to floating dredges operating to a depth of over bed to await the arrival of a launch from Salamaua when they 31 meters. would be loaded on a barrow and wheeled by a native down to The Pacific war brought total stoppage of all forms of the beach and handed over to the native crew for delivery to mining activity and much destruction of equipment and plant: the store and later, to the bank at Salamaua. There were work was resumed after the war but never to the same degree times when I slept above an accumulation several thousand of productivity and, in fact, with the inevitable tailing-off ounces with no qualms as to its safety, indicative of a worked out gold field. At the end of 1928, Hector Wales - one of the very The gold rush of the late 1920's following the discovery of successful miners - together with two of his conies was flown the rich Edie Creek alluvial field brought all kinds of hopefuls down to Lae by World War I pilot Jerry Pentland, who to the fields and when I reached there in 1928 a number of operated a one-man service with a DH 60X Moth aircraft G- individuals were already famous as owners of high-producing ALIGN. This would have necessitated four trips to convey claims with winnings of over 100 ounces a day. Until the them and the gold. They were en-route for a Christmas in advent of air transport in 1927, the sole method of bringing in Sydney taking with them a quarter of a ton of gold packed in a supplies of native rations such as rice and tinned meat and of number of pinewood boxes. By the time Jerry had landed the provisions and mining gear for the Europeans was on the back gold at Lae, wind and rain had stopped the launch traffic to of native carriers and it was essential for a miner to Salamaua and the boxes lay out on the airstrip for three days periodically send part of his labour line out to Salamaua on the while Hector and party staged a wild grog-spree, coast to pick up and tote back the required goods. This Only two thefts come to mind. They were of company gold entailed at least a two week trip over difficult mountain country at Bulolo when in one instance, several bars of smelted gold and at times under attack from hostile tribes. were taken from the treatment room one night and the other On these trips the accumulated gold dust would be theft was from a dredge. The sluices in which the gold was entrusted to the miners boss boy for delivery to an agent or caught and held lay behind locked gates and every week the store manager at Salamaua who would credit the owners these were opened and a team of trusted employees entered account with an interim payment pending receipt of the final to remove the accumulated ore. assay and treatment returns from the Australian Mint. Figures indicated that pilfering was taking place and a In contrast to gold mining in Australia in the 19^^ Century detective was flown up from Brisbane incognito and employed with its history of armed hold-ups and robbery of coaches and as a dredge-hand. He soon discovered that two members of drays taking the gold to banks and to the coast, the killing of the clean-up crew, a father and son combination, were police escorts, claim-jumping, race riots involving the hordes slipping handfuls of dust into their coat pockets. Their’trial at of Chinese miners and murders by the dozen, there was no Salamaua by Judge Wanless earned them long goal disorder on the Morobe field and vast quantities of gold were sentences, carried to the coast by the most haphazard means with never a recorded loss by robbery or theft. Everyone trusted the next man down the delivery line. This happy state of affairs was due to the large content of Australians among the goldfields population and, further more most of them were ex- servicemen with a highly developed sense of mateship and fair play. It was not at all uncommon for a man to step off a steamer at Salamaua, broke and jobless owing to the depression in Australia, and, within hours be befriended by a successful miner and given a claim to work on shares. This was not always altruistic as a mining claim once pegged and recorded, had to be manned and worked after a stated time or otherwise be forfeited. But some penniless newcomers achieved prosperity in this manner. In the late 1920's I was cargo manager at Lae, on the Kila Kila Aerodrome, Port Moresby in 1939 and a Carpenters DH 86. coast, for the Taylor and Ross air service and almost every Gold was shipped by sea from Salamaua to Sydney every flight to the mining centre at Wau brought large and small few weeks by the ordinary process of registered Mail, parcels of gold dust from trusting miners for onward delivery in However, these movements were halted in 1940 owing to the cockleshell launches to Burns Phillip or Carpenters stores presence of, and uncertainty as to the whereabouts of enemy across the Huon Gulf at Salamaua. raiders in Australian waters. For the same reason, Australia's It would reach me packed in 11b tea tins, tobacco and bullion stocks were secretly moved from Melbourne to an cigarette tins and in jam jars with the lids secured with a strip emergency 'Fort Knox' located in the interior of the goal in the of sticking plaster. Some more careful types would make up NSW inland town of Broken Hill. small canvas packages, and all of them addressed and The stoppage of shipments from New Guinea soon Identified in indelible pencil. I remember several hundred imposed hardships on miners awaiting final payment from the Mint and also left dormant a national asset in the way of many

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hundred weights of untreated gold dust and it was therefor shotgun they were driven under army escort into the city decided to fly a consignment to Australia per medium of W.R.. where the gold was placed in a vault overnight. After a stay at Carpenter Ltd. Holders of the air mail contract. the Queen's Hotel and an early breakfast the process was reversed when we and the cargo were taken back to the plane The aircraft in use were de Havilland 86 biplanes. A and packed aboard for a 7 am take-off. Hour after hour the special trip was organised for the operation and one of the scenery rolled pass at 6,000 ft and 120 knots under a fleet duly arrived at Salamaua with passengers and mail and cloudless sky. Following a short stop at Rockhampton we in charge of pilot "Joss" Crisp and second pilot-cum-radio reached Brisbane for a one hour lunch and fuel break. operator Ron Doyle. The plane was prepared for its return flight by bolting a The weather report gave warning of flood rains and strong large cabin trunk to the floor above the centre of gravity and head winds on the NSW coast and with a gallon vacuum jar of this was packed with a score of small mail bags each holding tea and a cardboard box of sandwiches added to the cabin about 50 kg of gold done up in canvas packages. The trunk amenities, the final stage of the odyssey was entered into. was then double padlocked and the aircraft left overnight A rampart of cloud towered up ahead over the under guard by three armed native police. Macpherson Range on the NSW border and with the pilot riding the beam from Kempsy DF station the [plane headed up Four passengers only could be carried and these into the murk. Ray Parer, who in 20 years pf pioneer flying had comprised miner Bob Franklin, veteran pilot Ray Parer, an never flown an aircraft fitted with electrical power and elderly woman who had become ill while with relatives at Wau navigation equipment and flew by the seat of his pants and and myself. ground visibility, grew very disturbed and remarked to me that At first-light next morning passengers an crew together we were over the high country where a former New Guinea with the local European police officer were taken out to the pilot - Rex Boyden - had hit a mountain in Stinson tri-motor drome by truck. An untidy heap under the plane revealed itself with fatal results to himself and all but two of his passengers. as being the sentries fast asleep. Leaping from the still- I reminded him that with the cabin altimeter showing moving vehicle the police officer was among the like a tiger, 16,000 ft there was a lot of air space between the floor and the and with fist, tongue and boots dished out summary peaks and the beam had us on course. He was still muttering retribution for their dereliction of duty. With this small item his distrust of instruments and new-fangled navigation aids settled the motors were started and we emplaned, our lady when our attention was drawn to the lady across the aisle who passenger confiding to me that this was her first long flight. was blue in the face, gasping for breath and fumbling with a She was terrified of flying and exhibited a flask of brandy for spilt bottle of capsules. use. I imagined, in case of air-sickness or snake-bite. Realising that we had a heart emergency on our hands, Fifty minutes later we landed at Kila Kila airstrip at Port Ray sprang to tell the pilot who immediately put the nose Moresby and were rushed into the township for breakfast; downhill, while I and the other passenger crammed a few pills then followed a three-hour crossing of the Coral Sea, landfall and a brandy chaser in her mouth. at Lizard Island and a touchdown at Cooktown where an With the altimeter still unwinding rapidly, it was a official wearing an HM Customs cap cleared us into Australia. comforting sight when a hole in the clouds revealed farms and The same jack-of-all-trades then took the solitary mailbag to coastal scenery about 8,000 ft below denoting that we had the post office and, in his postal capacity, sorted the letters. crossed the range and could bring the patient down to survival Reputedly once a week he donned a cap labelled Station level. Although she has somewhat recovered, it was certain Master and flagged out the rail motor to Laura on the Palmer that the rest of the flight need to beat a low altitude so, on River goldfield. reaching Kempsey, we made a hedge-hopping run over Here again we were driven into township for lunch, flooded farmlands to the coast and, bucking a wild southerly passing en-route along a street of mainly empty houses under an extremely low cloud base, flew from headland to tenanted by ruminating goats. Returning to a refueled machine headland and followed the beaches during the rain squalls into a run of 45 minutes brought us in for a mail stop at Cairns increasingly bumpy conditions the further south we traveled. where a perfect landing ended in a loud report and a swerve Somewhere off the mid-coast the co-pilot came aft to into the rough with a blown tyre. The local agent telephoned serve refreshments and, setting out six cups on the floor, had Townsville where a spare wheel were kept for such an just filled them up with tea when the plane dropped like a emergency and arranged for it to be flown up by light palne. In brick. He and the food hit the ceiling leaving it dripping with tea the meantime the "86" was jacked up and the offending wheel and sopping fragments of tomato sandwich. It was a wonder removed. that the sudden jolt at the bottom of the downdraft did not Late in the afternoon the Moth arrived with the spare roped send the concentrated weight of the gold through the floor. to the side of the fuselage. It was soon fitted with assurances Tea-less the flight pushed on under cloud so low that the of emergency lighting for our landing at Townsville, we were in wingtips almost combed the hair of a solitary watcher on the the air again by dusk. "Joss" poured on the coal and at low gallery of Nobby's Lighthouse at Newcastle. altitude fast progress was being made when a dense pall of Turbulence and bumps became so bad along the beaches smoke and miles of flames ahead denoted that sugar cane and bluffs in the Hawkesbury area that the final 80 km were farmers were burning off dead leaves and "trash" along our flown some distance off the coastline and almost at sea level route. followed by an entry through Sydney Heads at dusk and at To avoid being suffocated and to see the way a detour roof-top skip over the Eastern Suburbs to a landing at Mascot was made out to sea was made until Townsville lights showed and a meeting with more armed troops, police and Treasury up with the airfield picked out by a double row of flares officials and an ambulance. composed of dozens of buckets of burning petrol. Following a To present day travelers, who streak in air-pressurised very rough landing, the plane was immediately surrounded by cabin comfort between Papua New Guinea and Australia, six a platoon of infantry with fixed bayonets; police swarming miles above the weather, the foregoing may seem to be the everywhere and a team of bank officers rushed on board height of trauma and discomfort. However, to us those pioneer flashing identity papers and requesting the keys to the flying days, it was a fact of life. We were more impressed with treasure. the vast difference between the panic-stricken security A fleet of taxis drew alongside and a bag of gold was measures in Australia and the casual manner prevailing in locked in the boot of each and with bank staff and police riding New Guinea. ^

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2 Squadron Canberras safe in their revetments at Phan Rang North and a South. To us the good guys were in the south UcDaiLof and the bad guys in the north. The United States which Am Cheap Char-lie^ had been helping France finance the war (and by the end He no buy me Saigon Tea^ were paying 100%) moved immediately (covertly and in contravention of the Geneva Accords) to protect their Saigon Tea cost many many Asian foreign policy to contain communist Influences. Uc Dai Loi From 1961, the military advisers, war materiel and Am Cheap Char-lie. financial aid provided by the US to the Diem government in the civil war were boosted by increasing numbers of US So went the lament of the Saigon bar girls used to troops. By 1964, after the Tonkin Gulf Incident, the US free-spending US troops on leave in the South moved into a full-scale undeclared war against North Vietnamese capital; Australians, whatever their sobriety, Vietnam. tended to be careful with their money. Certainly they were paid less, but more typically Australian, they were more The provision of military aid by Australia was decided intent on pouring the liquor down their own throats than upon for political reasons...... to ensure the long term they were at paying for others to drink; the girls sat with defence interests of Australia^. Since we needed the US you either way: just closer If you bought them a drink. for our own defence, we needed to “show willing”. Further fraternisation was subject to negotiation. Australia became embroiled in the war in 1962 when Of course, the personnel of 2 Squadron would have the first military instructors were sent, followed by a flight had little time to savour the delights of the red light district of Caribou transports In 1964. A battalion of troops was of Saigon, even on leave, from their base at Phan Rang committed in 1965 with supporting light aircraft and in some 165 miles north-east; leave, all seven days of it in a 1965 a squadron of helicopters was deployed. The final year, if it ever came, was more likely to be taken at the commitment was a squadron of Canberra bombers in beachside town of Vung Tau, in semi-military 1967, provided by 2 Squadron. accommodation at the Peter Badcoe Club] Vung Tau bars The origins of No.2 (B) Squadron RAAF can be traced were significantly less sophisticated than those in Saigon, back to Egypt in September 1916. Australia had provided despite their similar aims, and the beach also beckoned. a small force of Australian Flying Corps personnel to the So why were Australians flying what were basically RFC in Iraq (Mesopotamia) in May 1915. This British aircraft on bombing operations in Vietnam in what subsequently became No 67 (Aus) Squadron RFC (later 1 was primarily a US war? Squadron AFC) and No 68 (Aus) Squadron RFC was formed to become 2 Squadron AFC In September 1916. Simple question, complicated answer. During World War II the squadron had a distinguished After the defeat of Japan, France, whose sovereignty career equipped with Lockheed Hudsons and North had extended over Vietnam as part of her Indo-Chinese American B-25s. Colonies since 1900, re-asserted that sovereignty with the After the war, as the RAAF was drastically reduced in tacit approval of the Allies but was drawn into a seven and strength, 21 Squadron, equipped with B-24 Liberators, a half year war of independence with the elected Viet Minh was re-numbered as 2 Squadron and began to re-equip government, led by the charismatic Marxist, Ho Chi Minh. with the Australian-built Avro Lincoln. These remained in The Geneva Conference of 1954 proposed military and service until the squadron became the first RAAF unit to political solutions to the war. It created two Vietnams - a receive Canberra jet bombers in 1953. In 1958 the squadron was based at Butterworth RAAF Base (on the 1 Malayan mainland near Penang) where it remained until Vietnamese for Australia/n 1967 as part of the Commonwealth Strategic Reserve ^ Someone difficult to part with his money ^ Paid for as neat whiskey but usually cold tea ^ P - Piastre, or Dong, the basic measurement of the local ^ Australia’s Military Commitment to Vietnam, Canberra currency 1975, reported in Australia's War in Vietnam

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Force. The F-111C had been ordered by the RAAF In was subsequently darkened for operations The 82 October 1963 for 1968 delivery, and it was expected that Bomber Wing flash on the tail was red and the Australian on delivery, 2 Squadron would discard its Canberras and flag was painted on both sides of the nose. operate the F-111; however, because of airworthiness After some familiarisation flying, the first missions were concerns, the first F-llls were not delivered until June flown on 23 April. These were daylight Combat Skyspot 1973.The Australian Government announced on 22 (CSS) missions - radar directed, high level bombing December 1966: ....the RAAF is to deploy to South missions where the ground controller called for bomb Vietnam a squadron of eight Canberra bomber aircraft. release - which required aircraft to be fitted with These aircraft will be positioned to operate in support of transponders. our ground forces. They may be employed as part of the allied combat air contribution in support of other allied Flying Officer Frank Burtt (navigator) said: Once ground forces and against enemy movements and airborne the aircraft would transit under radar control to concentrations.^ Operational control was with the US 7^^ the target area where the air traffic control radar would Air Force and 2 Squadron became a squadron of the hand you off to the skyspot radar controllers. You would USAF’s 35^^ Tactical Fighter Wing at Phan Rang, RVN^ give them the details of your bomb load and bomb commanded by Colonel James Wilson. ballistics and they would compute the release point. The skyspot radar would then guide you to a point in the sky An Australian construction squadron built all required giving a five second countdown to bomb release. The facilities because US construction crews had a one year navigator would count the bombs as they fell away from backlog, and on 19 April 1967, eight Canberra Mk.20s led the aircraft and look for the impact on the ground to get an by the Commanding Officer, Wing Commander Rolf idea of hangups, unexploded bombs and so on. The Aronsen, flew from Butterworth to Phan Rang, just south aircraft would then return to base. of Nha Trang and Cam Ranh Bay, where they were welcomed by Lt General William Momyer, 7*^ Air Force After the Canberras’ attack, the US would zero in with Commander and the Commander Australian Forces artillery, machine gun and rocket the area with helicopter Vietnam, Major General D Vincent. gunships and sweep through with troops; by the time the target was examined any credit for success was In addition to the F-100s of the 614'^ 615"" and 325"’ impossible to assign. The normal routine of eight night Tactical Fighter Squadrons of the SS’” TFW, the sorties, spread out through the night, was begun on 23 Canberras joined Cessna 0-1 s and 0-2s of the Forward April with the standard bomb load of six 5001b bombs, Air Control Indoctrination School, Kaman FIFI-43 Fluskie upgraded in May to six 1,000lb bombs. crash rescue helicopters of a detachment of the 3'^'^ ARRG®, UFI-1B Dustoff Iroquois helicopters, Martin B- A series of electrical problems with the Avro Triple 57Bs of the S^'^and 13th Tactical Bomb Squadrons and C- bomb carriers caused a number of different loads to be 123 Bookie Birds^ of the 71®^ Special Operations Squadron trialled until the units were removed, limiting the load to and 315^^ Special Operations Wing and the truly awesome eight 500lb, or four 1,0001b bombs in the bay, but shortly AC-119K Stingers of C Flight 18^^ Special Operations wing-tip racks allowed a further two 5001b bombs to be Squadron and AC-119G Shadows of B Flight l/^ SOS carried externally. both at the time supporting Cambodian operations. After a trial proved their suitability in the role, a pair of 2 Squadron Canberras was sent daily (subject to weather) on low-level visual bombing missions targeted by an FAC Cessna 0-1 Bird Dog, often in support of the Australian Army Task Force in Phuoc Tuy Province. In October the Squadron dropped its 10,000^*^ bomb.

The advent of the Tet^^ offensive at the end of January 1968 heralded a major change in tactics from guerrilla war to massed assault by the North Vietnamese, and 2 Squadron was thrown into the defence of Khe Sanh Fir^ Support Base during which the 7^^ Air Force flew an average of 300 sorties daily, expending 35,000 tons of bombs, backed up with an additional 2,602 B-52 sorties and a further 75,000 tons of bombs over 77 days. 235 immediately after shutting down from a sortie, Phan Rang. Continuously re-supplied by tactical airlift, Khe Sanh, unlike Dien Bien Phu, did not fall. The squadron adopted the callsign Magpie, the name of a particularly aggressive black and white Australian bird With assistance from an RAAF FAC pilot. Wing which was on the unit’s crest, and was the only level Commander David Evans, Squadron CO at the time, bombing unit in Vietnam able to employ a bombardier and reported a successful mission on September 17: Flight a bomb sight. Originally painted silver with a white upper Lieutenant Cramer and I were able to silence heavy deck, the squadron’s aircraft were camouflaged prior to ground fire and obtain a BDA^^ of six enemy killed plus leaving Butterworth with an overall dark grey and a dark bunkers and foxholes destroyed [with six 750 pound olive green disruptive pattern on the upper surfaces; this bombs]. The FAC^^ radioed that we were being subjected to heavy ground fire on the way to a nearby target. He

^ Australian Prime Minister, Mr Harold Holt, in a press Target Charlie statement reported in Mission Vietnam Vietnamese Buddhist lunar new year ’’ Republic of Vietnam Bomb Damage Assessment 8 Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group Forward Air Controller, low and slow flying pilot who ^ The C-123 callsign was Bookie visually marked targets with smoke rockets

165 AHSA Aviation Heritage bombs]. The radioed that we were being subjected Tho when they met resistance. A Canberra was diverted to heavy ground fire on the way to a nearby target. He to drop bombs to cut off the line of withdrawal of the called for approval to change targets to the ground fire enemy, and although the ARVN^^ were at the minimum location. This was approved and the six killed he safe distance and heavy cloud forced the aircraft low, the estimated was later confirmed. bombs fell right on the target. On a post-strike sweep, the ARVN found the bodies of 19 North Vietnamese regulars. Phan Rang air base was generally secure, but night alerts due to (sometimes personnel who worked on the base during the day) attempting to slip through the wire and land mine defences to place satchel charges on dispersed aircraft were not uncommon, and mortar and rocket attacks launched from concealed positions outside the secured perimeter were generally aimed at the flight line. These were usually at night, but the author was on the airfield perimeter road on the afternoon of June 6 1970 when an 82mm mortar round from the direction of “Old Smokey” (a small peak in the hills around Phan Rang) blew a crater in the road where the vehicle had been 60 seconds before. A pair of F-IOOs of the 35^^ TFW which were positioned at the end of the runway at immediate readiness with their pilots in the cockpit were scrambled while an HH-43 Pedro helo attempted to locate the source 241 being marshalled, Phan Rang. of the attack. Next month 54 sorties were lost after tailplane cracks ROK^® Army personnel were charged with the external were discovered In an aircraft in Australia. Most of the 2 defence of the base, while the USAF provided the internal Squadron aircraft were grounded (on the lV*^ only two defence. The RAAF added their own security with a flight aircraft could be fielded) and tailplanes had to be flown in of ADGs^® who patrolled mainly by night. by RAAF C-130A Hercules from Australia. The three-day truce from the 8^^ to the 10^^ because of the death of Ho By August 1968, due to the depletion of stocks of Chi Minh helped minimise the problem. In October the 8^^ Australian World War II bombs, the Canberra’s bomb load Bomb Squadron returned to the US, leaving 2 Squadron had changed to four internal 7501b US Ml 17 general as the only unit operating the Canberra/B-57 type in purpose (low drag) bombs and two 5001b bombs on the Vietnam. During the year, over 70% of the squadron’s wing-tips. Later the 750s were also carried on the wing missions were conducted in the Mekong Delta region of IV tips. Also by this time, the majority of missions flown were Corps. the low-level visual variety which were more satisfying for the crews and allowed credit to be assigned specifically to Some day missions required bombs to be dropped the squadron. The minimum bombing height was reduced singly on pinpoint targets. Pilot Officer Blythe recalled one from 3,000ft to around 1,000ft to minimise line errors, such mission: ....we had aborted our phmary target and though this required a sharp “pull-up” to 3,000ft after bomb were hawking our bombs around the country. We were release to avoid damage from their own bombs. called to a patch of Jungle by an OV-10 Bronco FAC The Squadron’s first combat casualty occurred on 25 working in conjunction with a helicopter hunter/killer team November 1968 when A84-232 was hit by ground fire near of OH-6 and Cobra gunship. We hit the FAC’s smoke as the target and Pilot Officer John Reis (navigator) was requested and the little OH-6 hovered down into the hole wounded. On 25 April 1969, the squadron’s 40,000^^ we had blasted. An entire Viet Cong base camp was bomb was dropped, inscribed ANZAC Day Special. The visible. The FAC continued to call for single bombs as he 50,000^^ bomb was dropped on 28 November, by which systematically levelled the camp. It was very gratifying to time all missions flown were day visual sorties, liaising work with the team and to have achieved the extreme with the FACs. The efficiency of the unit can be gauged accuracy required. by the fact that an overall serviceability rating of 96% was April 1970 heralded a change for 2 Squadron: the achieved during its period of service in SVN, and by the target became the road through the A Shau Valley, the statement of the commander of the 35^^ TFW, Colonel principal supply route from the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Frank L Gailer: ...their battle (sic) damage assessment is Eastern Laos to VC camps in northern I Corps, the area the best of any operational unit in Southeast Asia”.^^ surrounding the huge United Sates Base at Da Nang.^^ The precision of Canberra crews can be gauged from An early sortie near Tiger Mountain caused an impassable a mission of 30 August 1969. RVN troops had been cut In the road and 17 enemy trucks were destroyed by choppered along a canal bank 55 miles south-west of Can AC-119s that night. In June the mission rate was raised to nine sorties a day and the 60,000^^ bomb was dropped on Forward Air Controller, low and slow flying pilot who 29 June. On 11 July A84-241 suffered relatively minor damage when it landed with the nosewheel retracted, visually marked targets with smoke rockets though the CO, Wing Commander Jack Boast had to Target Charlie physically prevent the USAF from bulldozing the damaged Viet Cong, guerillas in “black pyjamas” The writer was in the Australian Army Signals Corps and halfway through his tour when posted to Phan Rang to liaise with the 2 Squadron signals section for a period. Army of the Republic of Vietnam, pronounced as Republic of Korea “arvun” and used generally to describe a Vietnamese Airfield Defence Guards, the RAAF “army” of about regular soldier platoon size. Target Charlie Highest Traditions Highest Traditions

166 AHSA Aviation Heritage

Canberra off the edge of the runway.Next month the Next month it was announced that as part of a general same crew involved in this incident were involved in a mid­ reduction of Australian forces, 2 Squadron was to be air collision with another Canberra over the base but both withdrawn^®, and the last mission (in the A Shau Valley) aircraft landed safely. and the 76,389^*^ bomb, was flown by Flying Officers Dave During 1970 the “Vietnamisation” of the war meant that Smith and Pete Murphy in Magpie 61, A84-244. We’re 2 Squadron began to operate with VNAF^^ FACs; going home to the world. That was the last Magpie. language problems inevitably ensued, and a programme Goodbye Vietnam^^ said Smith. The wing tip bomb racks of exchanges began, allowing Australians to fly FAC were removed and the fuel tanks were re-fitted. On 4 sorties and Cessna A-37 attack missions, while VNAF June 1971 the squadron departed Phan Rang, arriving at pilots flew In RAAF Canberras. A frightening Incident 82 Bomber Wing home base of Amberley, Queensland, occurred to Flying Officers Copley and Murphy when, on the following day after refuelling and overnighting at their low-level bombing run to a target in a rubber Darwin. plantation in III Corps, the ground below erupted in 2 Squadron was awarded the Duke of Gloucester’s explosions with trees flung into the air around the aircraft. Cup as the RAAF’s most outstanding unit for 1970-71, An Arc Light B-52 mission had mistakenly been cleared received the RVN Unit Citation, the Gallantry Cross with onto the same target. Palm, as part of the 35^^ TFW, and finally the USAF The squadron’s first aircraft loss, and combat death, awarded its Outstanding Unit Award for exceptionally came on the night of 3 November 1970 when Canberra meritorious service in support of military operations A84-231 disappeared In the Da Nang area from 22,000ft. against opposing armed forces in South-east Asia from 19 Magpie 91 acknowledged the target Information given by April 1967 to 31 May 1971.^^ Aircraft and crew utilisation the USAF Skyspot controller as it turned off the target, but had been high, one navigator accumulating 310 missions no further radio contact was made and to this day nothing In 13 months and while aircraft missions seem not to have has been found of the aircraft or its crew, Flying Officer been totalled, A84-246 was photographed with 513 Mike Herbert and Pilot Officer Bob Carver, both 24 years mission symbols. of age. The US radar facility at Udorn, Thailand, which The “about to be replaced” Canberras soldiered on in had been tracking the Canberra, reported that It had Australia in the photographic reconnaissance role and abruptly disappeared off the screen just moments after the target towing until fatigue and corrosion problems in the last radio transmission. Although no SAMs were known to wing spars and centre sections caused their retirement in be in the area, it seems that a catastrophic mid-air mid-1982. 2 Squadron Itself was deactivated almost explosion utterly destroyed the aircraft; the crew Is Immediately in July 1982. The last words on the Canberra remembered in plaques at the Australian War Memorial are provided by Squadron Leader Brian O’Shea: In and the Vietnam Memorial, both in Canberra. Vietnam the graceful old lady proved she had teeth. In 1971, the ground war began to become more intense, and often 2 Squadron’s sortie rate was Increased Canberras Operated by 2 Squadron in Vietnam from the normal eight per day to an average of nine to ten and as many as eleven, this with a maximum of eight A84-228 A84-229 Canberras not undergoing normal line servicing. With A84-230 A84-231 A84-232 targeting being close to the Laotian and north Vietnamese A84-233 A84-234 A84-235 borders, the Canberras were becoming subject to radar- A84-236 A84-237 A84-238 directed AAA and SAMs. Because of the age of the A84-239 A84-240 A84-241 aircraft (since the late sixties the aircraft “was about to be A84-242 A84-243 A84-244 replaced” - by the F-111- and so received the minimum of A84-245 A84-246 A84-247 upgraded equipment for the following ten years) no ECM A84-248 equipment was carried and operations so far north were becoming increasingly hazardous. Bibliography This point was brought home on 14 March 1971 when ff^Qhest Traditions: The History of No 2 Squadron, RAAF, John dlmaged^ Sea?KhTs?nrand''the S SS°GeSodge^7cai?be^f?97i'''' navi^aS'FliahH ®'' u The RAAF in Vietnam: AustraiL Air Involvement In the Vietnam navigator Flight Liei^enant Allen Pinches, ejected into the war 1962-1975, Chris Coulthard-Clark, Canberra 1995 jungle below just after a second SAM was seen to sail Mission Vietnam, 7*^ Air Force unofficial publication San past them and explode, causing further damage. They Francisco CA nd (ca 1969) watched the aircraft diving in a slow arc into the undercast, 2 Squadron Vietnam 1969, Fit Lt R W Howe (Editor), Phan Rang the right wing on fire and shedding pieces. Despite 1970 appalling weather and their injuries, they were rescued by ^-^7 Canberra at War 1964-1972, Robert C Mikesh, London 1980 a Huey “DustofT the next day, 22 miles from the Laotian Target Charlie: The Exciting Story of Austratia's Air War in border. Hospitalised at Quang Tri, they were later '/(efnam, Steve Eather, Canberra 1993 transferred to Da Nang, then Vung Tau and finally were ^ Austraiia, University Study Group on Vietnam, Sydney flown back to Australia. They remain the only known Australia’s War in Vietnam, Frank Frost, Sydney 1987 9- members of the RAAF to be shot down by this type of anti­ aircraft missile. Because of this loss, the 7‘^ Air Force directed that aircraft not fitted with SAM detection equipment were not to be permitted to operate within The SS"* TFW was about to be withdrawn, leaving the range of known SAM sites. squadron no parent unit Mission Vietnam Highest Traditions Highest Traditions Mission Vietnam Vietnamese Air Force

167 478 Jvm ijfih, igzo.

Aviation in Australia, The First Real Flight in the Antipodes,

The Melbourne Argus says: ground, and again it would come down in long swoops to Harry Houdini has fully established his claim to be a height of 20ft. or 30ft. considered the first successful aviator in Australia. To his At the conclusion of the flight the little crowd records of the past few days he added yesterday morning, gathered round the aviator, and cheered him heartily. March 21st, a flight of about six miles, covered in 7 min. 37 When congratulations and hand-shakes were over, the sec., on his Voisin biplane at Digger's Rest. engines were set going again, and Houdini remounted the The first attempt was made without delay. Before pilot's seat. "Just for a little practice in rising and Houdini had rolled a hundred yards the plane took to the descending," he said. air, and the watches were set going. They had barely registered one minute when the plane came to earth about The plane went up very quickly, and reaching a three-parts of the way round the flying ground. Houdini height of well over 100ft., covered the circle without a fault rolled back to the starting point, where some adjustments or tremor in Im. 33s. Houdini brought her to the ground occupied ten or twelve minutes. Then, almost on the in perfect style, never slewing or canting an inch, and it stroke of seven o'clock, a start was made for the record was impossible to tell when flying ended and rolling flight. began. "Fini pour 'jourdhui, Brassac," he said, and the plane was wheeled back to its quarters. "She's up! No, down! Up —yes, she's off!" The plane rose rapidly to a height of some 40ft., and buckled down An amusing incident of the morning was provided by to work. At the south-west corner she evidently met with a "willie wagtail." Which, a few moments after the long tricky winds, for she seemed to be fighting for position. flight, sat on the top of the plane, and chirped impudently. Houdini brought her round cleverly, and she completed "He's telling me 1 can't fly worth a cuss," said Houdini. the first circle in perfect style. In a letter to The Aero Mr. Houdini says: "So the Half-way round in the second circle Houdini set off E.N.V. engine has been the first one to raise a biplane from on a cross-country flight, leaving the safe landing ground, the earth. The climate caused me to give the motor a great and sailing intrepidly over trees, rocks, walls, and fences. deal more air and only half amount of petrol. My motor is He made a sweeping detour over the housing tents and pulling better than ever. 1 shall try to fly for half an hour the waterhole lying east of the flying ground proper. On first time 1 get a calm day. The morning I made the record returning to a zone of comparative safety he commenced for Australia 1 had to fly in a strong wind, and as a another circle above the landing ground. The plane 'fledgling' the task was 'delivered' perfect. 1 am due at wavered, and tilted slightly upwards. Sydney to give a public exhibition now that 1 have 'found' my wings, and will let you know how 1 fared. In fourteen "Ah! cabre, cabre!" cried Brassac, the French flights 1 have not had an accident." mechanican. The word signifies the action of a rearing horse, and it indicates that the plane, like the horse, will almost inevitably come to grief. Men who have seen many aeroplane flights shook their heads while the struggles were going on. "He had better come down. Its not good up there." Said a late arrival from Paris. "No, it is not good." Meanwhile the minutes were ticking on, and when Houdini over the tree six minutes had been registered. Brassac, who had been informed of Houdini's desire to fly for six or seven minutes, began to wave his red flag vigorously. Houdini did not appear to notice it until he Mr Houdini and the Voisin at Rosehill. veered round towards the starting point. Then he began to During Mr. Houdini's first flight in Sydney on May 1 descend, and, sliding down in a series of slants, he came to St, of three miles in three and a half mins., at the Rosehill earth almost at the point where he commenced to roll. He Racecourse. Mr. Houdini has been presented by the Aerial landed lightly, and ran along the ground for 100 yards or League of Australia with a shield in commemoration of so before the plane came to a standstill. the event. Brassac, Mr. Houdini's mechanic, was originally with Rougier when he owned the machine, and went over The whole flight had been marked by great variations to Mr. Houdini along with machine. of altitude, due no doubt, to the influence of wind currents. Now the machine would be 100ft. above the As the first flight in Australasia these should be noted AHSA Aviation Heritage

Aviation in the early days around ROCKHAMPTON by Tony Marsh In the early part of 1930 Captain Harold Fraser and The reg. of the second Avro Ten was VH-UPI. Only a Jack Donovan arrived at Rockhampton with an old de short while after the Q.A.N started the Northern run, they Havilland DH60 Cirrus Moth Mk. II aeroplane, (VH-UFU). lost the Star of Cairns in a crash at Maryborough. The pilot They were barnstorming and first set up on Bullock Flat, Dud Davidson was killed and an engineer Bill Hedland this spot being the only area close to the town large was badly Injured . enough, to land a plane on. They wished to start-up a Shortly after the aerodrome was opened a group of flying school and for a short while used this place. Later local business men headed by Captain Harold Fraser they got control of the old Connor Park racecourse in decided to start a flying business apart from the flying West Rockhampton. This had not been used for racing for club. This they named Rockhampton Aerial Service, and a good many years. They cleared the trees from around bought a new three seater Genairco machine. The the track with the help of an old steam traction engine sup­ company making these aeroplanes being named the plied by the Rockhampton City Council and with the help General Aircraft Coy hence the planes being made were of relief workers together with volunteers who were called Genairco's .This plane was similar in design to the interested in flying. Gipsy Moth but had wooden Avian type fuselage widened The airstrip was soon constructed (not all weather). In to take two passengers in the front cockpit. These the third week end In March 1930, the Connor Park machines were only made for a few years then went off aerodrome was officially opened by the Mayor of the town, the market. R.A.S. used this new machine mainly for R.S.Cousins (snr). There were four light planes on the charter work . field for the opening. These being. Jack Treaceys Moth On the 29 August 1930 an aerial pageant was held at VH-UIR flown by Pilot Jim Branch, Fraser and Donovans Connor Park. This ran over Saturday and Sunday. The Moth VH-UFU flown by Harold Fraser, the Graham Paage planes and the pilots who took part in this are as follows; 3 Gipsy Moth VH-UJN flown by Jules Moxon and a new Westland Wapitis (GP aircraft of the R.A.A.F) and their Gipsy Moth owned by Alf Johnson of Yeppoon and flown crews. Rockhampton Aerial Services Genairco VH-UNC, by Dud Davidson. A few weeks later this machine crashed flown by Harold Fraser, Fraser and Donavon's Moth in Nth. Queensland, badly injuring the pilot. The machine VH-UFU. This was to have been flown by the four pilots was totally destroyed. On both days of the week-end a who had learnt to fly on this machine however this didn't, parachute jump was made by Captain Ehro (A Finnish Air Force Jumper). These jumps at Connor Park were from eventuate, a Q.A.N Gipsy VH-UPF flown by Jack Treacey, the Graham Paage Moth flown by Jules Moxon. Q.A.N. Gipsy VH-UIR flown by Ken Frewin, Puss Moth VH-UON flown by Major de Havilland Westland Widgeon VH-UKP flown and III owned by Darcy Donkin, the Graham Paage Gipsy VH- lill UJN flown and now owned I by Skip Moody, the Shell Company’s DH 60M Gipsy (Golden Shelf) VH-UNQ flown by Harold Owen, the Vacuum Oil Coys. Gipsy VH-UVO flown by Fred Haigh. At this pageant an ^ air race was held on the m a Sunday afternoon , this w.as i won by Major de Havilland I In his new Puss Moth I VH-UON, not by Skip Moody I as Is stated in the I Rockhampton book. Moody won the race the following Q.A.N'sAvro Five VH-UNK, City of Cairns. year In his Puss Moth On the Saturday afternoon of the opening, the VH-UPO. Moody flew the Queensland Air Navigation's (Q.A.N.) new Avro Five a five Moth VH-UJN in the first race. seater monoplane arrived from Brisbane, piloted by Ken - In the early part of 1931 Rockhampton Aerial Services Frewin. Next morning Q.A.N's Avro Ten arrived from bought from Q.A.N.T.A.S. a four passenger de Havilland Brisbane with Jack Treacey at the controls. (In Lorna DH 50 cabin-type biplane VH-UFW, fitted with a 230 hp McDonalds book, Rockhampton she says the Avro Ten Armstrong Siddeley radiator cooled engine. With this, and came down from Townsville that day, but this is not the little Gemairco, they started a service from correct). This machine, named The Star of Townsvill, was Rockhampton to Mt Coolon , via Clermont. They carted on its way up to the North and stopped over the Sunday at mails, passengers, gold bullion, merchandise and money Rockhampton and went on next day. The Avro Five, VH- for the payment of wages to the Mt Coolon mine. Business DA/K The Star of Ca/ms. Q.A.N also bought another Avro improved so much they purchased another D.H.50, Ten a short while after the drome was opened. VH-UNJ VH-UER from Q.A.N.T.A.S. This machine had been the The Sfar of Townsv/7/e on its way back from its first run up plane first used for the flying doctor service in North North, flew from Townsville to Rockhampton in 3V2 hours. Western Queensland.

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Thls service started operating towards the end of 1931 Brown, Ben Goodson and after R.Q.A.C took, over, it was when the mine changed hands and the town started to Steve Howard, Ces Swaffield, Don McMaster. Tony Marsh, boom. Rockhampton Aerial Services also gave and Reg Bagwell. Rockhampton a fast delivery service from Brisbane with A.E Johnson after losing his new Gipsy in 1930 bought the newspapers. They landed the papers in Rockhampton a second hand Moth. Registration of this plane was in six to seven hours after coming off the press. The old VH-UHB. Johnson only had this plane a short while when method by train had taken close to thirty-four hours. On he crashed it at Rolleston, killing himself and his two one of these paper runs the D.H.50 UER loaded with the passengers, Alex Smith and Dora Oram. The wrecked early news had an engine failure near Caloundra and machine was later purchased by Gerald Byrne (Snr) ditched into the sea. The plane and load were lost and the generaly known as G.B. of Rockhampton and he rebuilt it pilot (Alex Spence) had to swim ashore; there were no making it into quite a good plane. G.B. was well on in his passengers on board. Quite early In the life of R.A. years at this time and the C.A.B. had turned him down as Services, one night after doing a night flight over to getting his flying licence . While doing a circuit from Rockhampton in the Genairco, Harold Fraser hit a windmill Connor Park 'drome one day the engine cut out and G.B. when coming in to land. The plane was damaged but no put the plane down on the roadway, making a perfect one was injured. Some time later when leaving landing. This plane was later taken over by G.B.s son Rockhampton to do a trip out to Mt Coolon Harold Fraser Gerald (Junr) who flew it right up to the beginning of had just passed the Crescent lagoon when the engine in W.W.2, I'm told. the Genairco cut out and he had to crash land . The plane was damaged and the passenger (an engineer for the Mt. Vic Roffey was one of the first pupils of the Coolon mine ) got a broken ankle. The D.H.50, -UER one Rockhampton Aero Club to own his own plane. He bought day when landing on the Clermont race course hit a pot a new Gipsy in 1931, VH-UPG. He only had it a short hole or some obstruction, bursting a wheel and causing while, then shipped it to New Caledonia. This venture the plane to tilt down on its nose . This broke both ends off turned out unsatisfactory and he flew it back from there to the propeller and fractured the main longeron and some Rockhampton solo. Some time later he sold the machine minor damage. An English cabinet maker living in to a farmer at Mackay who sold it to J.J.Connor ( a tailor). Clermont had been an aircraft rigger in England and Darcy Donkin was an early aviator in Central repaired the machine with the exception of the prop. The Queensland. He had been a W.W. I pilot and in the early plane carried a spare wheel but the propeller had to be twenties he bought a B.E.2.e biplane and took it to his brought in from Rockhampton by car. The R.A.S. engineer property Meteor Downs. He had this for some years then arrived finally with this and the materials to repair the in the latter part of the twenties. He bought a Westland plane, only to find this had been attended to by Joe Widgeon monoplane, VH-UKP. This machine was later Ashton (the cabinet maker). The prop was fitted and the sold to Tony Marsh. Archie WIdt from Wowan had a sim- plane took off for home base. By the middle of 1935 R.A.S had sold the old Genairco and had purchased a Gipsy Moth, metal fuselage type for the light charter work. This was a very nice little aircraft, painted silver with red trim. In July 1936 Harold Fraser was returning to Rockhampton in the Western Star DH50 -UFW after having taken four passengers to Clermont. When east of Capella the engine tore out of its mountings In the plane and it crashed Into a patch of scrub on WIndah station. Harold Fraser walked away from the wreck and walked the number of miles into town. This was the loss of the second of the large machines they had. This forced R.A.S to purchase a de Havilland Dragon Rapide biplane. A much more modern aircraft for the job. Towards the end of 1936 R.A.S. sold out to Airlines of Australia who carried the service on till the end of 1938, VH-UPG being refueled. then they in turn sold it to Skip Moody. iliar machine. To my knowledge these were the only Airlines of Australia ran this service with a twin engined planes of this make in Central Queensland in the early Monospar four seater monoplane. When they sold out to thirties. Skip he took over the Monospar and used this in Kemp Bates a cattle speyer, had a Miles M2F Hawk conjunction with his Leopard Moth VH-USK. However by Major two seater monoplane VH-AAH, and was operating this time mining business had run out at Mt Coolon and out from Rockhampton in the late Thirties. This machine the mine closed down, so Skip gave the run up It was was piloted by William Hill and he crashed this plane on a never started again. The old Moth VH-UFU was patched station property on the McKenzie River. No one was up from time to time while being used for instruction and Injured. In the early 'Thirties Owen Weaver from Tennant did the job without any serious mishaps . One day when Creek when taking off from the beach at Yeppoon crashed landing with Ben Goodson at the controls the under­ his D.H. 50 and his three passengers were killed . They carriage was damaged but was soon repaired . This plane were Jim Hayes (a publican from Mt Morgan, his son, later became the property of the Rockhampton Aero Club Nevin and daughter Valda). The first flight to be made at and was used till the latter part of 1930 . The C.A.B. then night from Clermont to Rockhampton was in 1938. This supplied the Club with a similar machine VH-UPK (but in was made in a DH 60G Gipsy Moth VH-UIQ, the pilot much better condition) This plane was used for training Instructor was Don McMaster and the trainee pupil was until the Royal Qld. Aero Club took over and supplied one Keith Hatfield. The plane belonged to the Royal of their Gipsy's. Some of the R.A.C. Instructors in the early Queensland Aero Club. ^ part of the Clubs existence were Harold Fraser, Cliff

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THE CAC WALLABY, THE AIRLINER THAT NEVER WAS. Trawling through the December 1953 issue of ‘Aircraft” magazine I came across the following article. However in later issue dated May 1958, some five years later a similar item was also printed. It unfortunately ended up, like many other CAC projects, further action. Aircraft December 1953 “The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation, which has always concentrated on the production of fighter and trainer aircraft, has now drafted a design for an economical 12-15 passenger commercial airliner. Three variants of the aircraft are suggested - a six passenger executive type; a 400 - 720 mile range passenger or freight version (12-15 passenger arrangement); and a 17-passenger, short range (320 miles) version. Named the Wallaby, the design also provides for ready conversion to the freighter role.

There are no plans at present for even prototype Australian and other feederliner operators; the field in construction, the initial purpose being to offer it to airlines which the Dove is now the main competitor. The aircraft as a test of reaction or as a basis for discussion of their combines utility and comfort in an unusual degree. The big aircraft requirements In this category. rear door, 5 ft. by 4 ft wide, hinges downward on the left hand side of the fuselage with steps incorporated for The aircraft is designed round the CAC Cicada engine (the proposed engine for the CA 22 Winjeel trainer as a passenger entrance and exit. It also can be held at right angles to act as a freight loading platform. low cost, simple and rugged aircraft, tailor made for Australian feederliner conditions. No price figure has been The cabin itself measures 19 ft. 6 In. by 6 ft 3 In wide. put on the aircraft, but it Is suggested that on a and has 6 ft. headroom. In the 12-15 passenger version, reasonable-sized order basis for about £30,000_Australian. the individual seats are disposed three abreast (two and one with a gangway between) and 36 inch pitch. As one feature of special interest, the Wallaby Incorporates the 'Palas' centrifugal compressor 350 lb. Baggage and freight space is provided, with one com- thrust boost unit, built into the rear fuselage, to lift the take partment forward and the other at the rear of. the cabin, off performance to international standard. The forward one provides 28 cu. ft. and the rear 60 cu. ft.; and each has access from either the interior or the exterior CAC claims “the unique Cicada engine brings to the of the aircraft. In the 17-passenger version the rear smaller commercial aircraft advantages hitherto available baggage compartment space is utilised to provide room only by the use of higher powered engines.” Each of the for two more passenger seats. two 450 HP engines incorporates supercharger, injection carburetor, with adequate cylinder head cooling, and There is a full range of flight and engine instruments. drives a de Havilland designed three-bladed feathering and comprehensive VHP radio equipment. Control sur- and reversible propeller. These features permit an aircraft faces can be locked direct from a lever on the centre conforming to ICAO multi-engined performance control pedestal, and-as a safety measure-this lever also requirements with an all up weight of 11,600 lb., and a locks the throttle lever closed. Instruments needing payload of about 3,000 lb. external power are electrically operated- The Wallaby has a performance exceeding that of the The aircraft, a low wing monoplane, has a length of 44 DC-3. With a sea level maximum of 190 MPH, it is f t. 6 in.; a height of 18 f t. 6 in., and a span of 64 ft. The expected to cruise, with 62 percent power, at 160 MPH at wing has an area of 435 sq. ft., with an aspect ratio of 9.5; 8,500 ft. It has a landing speed, with full flaps at sea level, the tailplane an area of 100 sq. ft., and the fin an area of 50 sq.ft. 4- land, of 65 MPH. Its normal rate of climb is 1,200 ft/min. With one engine out under cruise power, it will still climb at 110 ft/min. It will take off with the required 50 feet clearance in 600 yards; and with one engine inoperative it ^ ri) fl) Q)^ will take to clear 50 feet, in 90 It will land, over 50 feet, in 450 yards. These are impressive figures in an aircraft that appears to have much otherwise to commend it to 0£ { \[ ). f }j

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