Guinea Airways Pilot His Flying Career As Told to CHAS SCHAEDEL
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The Journal of the Aviation Historical S nri ptv I m m ■ ...... ■ It ■ ■ m ■ ■ m ■ ■m m ■ ■ ■m m H m ■ ■H m m m m ■ m ■ m m 1 ■■ ■ m ■ m m m I m ■ m ■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.