AHSA Newsletter in the Hope I Can Find Refer¬ Grammar and Have a Good Familiarity with Australian Avia¬ Ences to Shoppee
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
A.H.S.A. NEWSLETTER Published by the Aviation Historical Society of Australia Inc. A0033653P, ARBN 092-671-773 Volume 28 Number 1, March 2012 Print Post approved 318780/00033 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.ahsa.org.au Editor: NEIL FOLLETT Editorial. 1996, flying VH-GVA from England to Australia. Our sin¬ On page seven we have a request from the new editor of cere condolences go to John s family and friends. Aviation Heritage, Tony Clark for contributions to the jour¬ nal. Many of our members have been researching numer¬ VH-GVA c/n 1014, was built ous aspects of Australian aviation history for many years. in Australia and began life It is a little disappointing at times that the product of this as A17-579 with the RAAF. research does not reach a wider audience through Aviation Heritage. Tony is assembling a team of proof readers to not After its RAAF days it came only proof read contributions but to rework them if neces¬ onto the civil register as VH- sary. This means that even if you are not a confident writ¬ GME with McKenzie Flying ¦ er , please submit your research and we can shape it into School. a publishable article. In January 1961 it was re-' John Fisher AOM. It is with the deepest regret we record registered as VH-GVA with the death of AHSA member John Fisher. John died on 27 the Goulburn Valley Aero January 2012, when his Tiger Moth, VH-GVA, crashed on Club. take off from Maryborough Airport, in Victoria. John was a retired partner in the accounting firm of Price- John s Tiger Moth, VH-GVA, shown here being refueled by Waterhouse . He was awarded an Order of Australia medal John at Point Cook during the RAAF Pilgrimage Flight. in 1996, was part of the 2020 Summit in Canberra in 2008 Photo from The Collection and was vice-president of the Maryborough Aero Club. He was also establishing a de Havilland aircraft museum on Captain Paul Wilson, the subject of Greg Banfield’s article Maryborough Airfield. in the last issue of Aviation Heritage very recently died. His family had requested a copy of the issue and it is pleasing Melbourne members will recall that John gave a talk at our to note that Paul read the article before his passing. September meeting last year about the flight he made in 1 Melbourne Meetings. tainous country somewhere in NSW where the anti-collision beacons were lighting up the passing trees. November 2011. This meeting was our annual John Duigan Memorial Lecture. Guest speaker was Air Commodore (ret) The other one was on an exercise where they were well out Mark Lax whose subject was The F-111 in RAAF Service. to sea approaching a target at 75 feet. Mark was well qualified to talk on the subject , being an ex Part of the audience and Max during the talk. crew member on F-111 squadrons. He spoke of the history of the F-111 and the RAAF s decision to order it before it had made its first flight in the USA. The differences between the various models were explained and the role they played with the RAAF. Among the audience were two retired senior RAAF officers, Greg Gramtham and Ted Bushell, both connected with the F -111 during their RAAF service. Max has recently written a book titled, From Controversy to Cutting Edge-a history of the F-111 in Australian service. He kindly donated a signed copy to the AHSA to be used as a door prize on the night. It was won and happily received by AHSA member Cam Care. Max also provided other prizes of another recently published book, To the Stars , which is a pictorial record of recent RAAF operations and activities, a signed print of a F-111 by AHSA member Juanita Franzi and a medal commemorating the RAAF s 90th birthday. Max pre¬ sented the medal to the youngest person in the audience. Luckily we had someone under thirty as controversy would Cam receiving his much appreciated prize from author Max. have reigned to pick the youngest out of the rest of us. One of the questions asked of Max was about some of the Contributions to this issue from: Bob Fripp, Gary Sunderland, hairiest moments in the F-111. He related two. Leigh Ryan, Roger McDonald, Tony Clark, Philip Selth, Tony Clark, John Hopton & Keith White. A night time terrain following exercise at low altitude in moun- 2 SHORT BIOGRAPHY AHSA Melbourne BBQ. Another successful and pleasant AIR COMMODORE MARK LAX (Retd) annual BBQ was held on 18 December 2011 at Moorabbin Air Commodore Mark airport. Lax joined the Royal Aus¬ tralian Air Force Acade¬ my in January 1974 and graduated dux of his class. After navigator training, he had opera¬ tional, flight test and in¬ structional tours before llB completing a number of staff positions. During his career, he was Base Commander of RAAF Base, East Sale in Victo¬ ria and later in 1997, RAAF Base Richmond in NSW. Four happy members. L to R. John McCulloch, Dion Ma- kowski, Keith Meggs and Bob Fripp. In the following years, Air Commodore Lax held appointments at Glen- brook as Director in charge of plans and future development. He went on to hold a number of posts in Canberra develop¬ ing higher level policy and defence strategy. These included Director General Policy and Plans, Director General Military Strategy, and in 2006 - Director General Strategic Policy in Strategy Division - responsible for strategic assessments, the strategic plans function and a wide range of high level strategy and long term planning documents. It was in this post that he developed Force 2020, the blueprint for the AD- F s future. Air Commodore Lax retired from the RAAF in January 2007 and for two years was managing editor of the ADF Journal. In 2008, he was appointed to the Defence Honours and Awards Tribunal where he acts as RAAF specialist advisor Long-time editor of Aviation Heritage and Life Member Bill for reviews into veteran medal claims. Air Commodore Lax Baker and Judith. also facilitates planning and exercise activities for Customs and Border Protection Command. In 2011, he completed his Coming Events. PhD and was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the General Division for his work on military history and sup¬ Avalon Airshow. The dates have been announced for the port for various veterans organisations. next Avalon Airshow. In 2013. Tuesday 26 February until Sunday 3 March 2013. Air Commodore Lax is a graduate of the RAAF Academy, RAAF School of Air Navigation, Royal Air Force Cranwell, RAAF Staff College, USAF Air War College and Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He enjoys crick¬ et, reading, writing and publishing on military aviation. He is also Vice-President of Canberra Legacy. January 2012. The first meeting for 2012 was a member s night . The well-attended meeting saw a very interest film provided by Roger McDonald. It was a public relations film produced in the 1950’s on the subject of Australia’s civil avia¬ tion. The now rare film showed action images of the Short San¬ dringham, Lockheed Constellation, Douglas DC-3 and DC-4, Convair 240, Lockheed Hudson and De Havilland Dragon. We even had a quick glimpse of a Liberator flying past. Temora Aviation Museum s Sabre A94-983 landing after its display at last years Avalon Airshow. A welcome visitor to the meeting was West Australian mem¬ ber, Charles Page who is on a research expedition gathering Tyabb Airshow. 4 March 2012 at Tyabb Airfield on Mel¬ material for his next book the Story of Victoria Cross recipi¬ bourne’s Mornington Peninsula. ent, William Newton. 3 NAMED AIRCRAFT Air Transport. It was struck off the register on 4 December 1956, being sold in America and becoming N55L Douglas DC-3, VH-BNH Warragamba . c/n 26675/15230, ex l-TROS, 43-49414. VH-BHN came onto the Australian Butler named their aircraft after rivers and areas in which they register on 25 November 1948 and was operated by Butler operated. Warragamba is a river in NSW. 4 Book Reviews. Ian K. Baker s Aviation History Colouring Book No. 74. The Spitfire Pocket Manuel - compiled by Martin Robson Part 7 of the study of RAAF colour schemes.. This issues from National Archives (Air Ministry) files. This edition by covers the colour schemes and markings of the Directorate Herron Book Distributors. Queensland. ISBN 9781 8406 of Transport (DAT) which was created to co-ordinate the 55728. combined air transport resources of the RAAF and the USAAF. This little gem has the look and feel of the many official and secret, at the time, wartime publications although the mod¬ Available from : Ian K. Baker, 31A Mercer St. Queenscliff, ern paper and printing is a good deal better. Vic. 3225. Fax: (03)5258 3166 Email: [email protected] The contents cover the background to the Spitfire story from the initial Air Ministry Specification F7/30 to Spitfire XVI fight¬ er bomber tactics of the 2nd T.A.F. William E. Hart. In the last newsletter we printed the photo below, showing a memorial to Hart in the Parramatta Park. It is just the opposite of the usual large and glossy coffee AHSA (NSW) member Keith White who has been research¬ table books on the Spitfire and it has much to interest any ing the life of Hart for many years has identified four errors in historian, not just the Spitfire enthusiasts. The detail is fasci¬ the inscription.