A.H.S.A. NEWSLETTER

Published by the Aviation Historical Society of Australia Inc. A0033653P, ARBN 092-671-773 Volume 26 Number 3, September 2010 Print Post approved 318780/00033 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.ahsa.org.au Editor: NEIL FOLLETT

Bob Wills Memorial Plaque. At a recent committee July 2010. This was our first theme night where we meeting it was decided to award a plaque to the memory concentrated on the Vickers Viscount and the Lockheed of the late Bob Wills. It will be awarded annually to the Electra types. best written and researched article by an AHSA member and published in Aviation Heritage for that year. John Bibo introduced the first speaker Bob Bitcon who described the Viscount and Electra Aircraft operated by We have asked experienced aviation journalist, Mac Job Ansett Airlines. John then gave the reasons as to why to adjudicate and the inaugural award will be made for they preferred the DC-6B over the Viscount namely eco¬ 2009. The recipient will be announced in the December nomics of operation and the fact that the DC-6B had a Newsletter redundant structure. However they had overlooked the appeal of the turbo-props. Aviation Heritage to go digital. The AHSA has undertaken to make available all previ¬ Ken Bond, ex Supervisor of Overhaul, Ansett, gave an ously published Aviation Heritage journals and newslet¬ interesting description of the work involved in changing ters in a digital form. In the first instance we will be scan¬ the lower spar booms in the Viscount and the uplifting of ning issues going back to 1959 to ensure that these is¬ the thrust line of the Electra engines. sues are preserved for the future use of members and researchers. Ultimately, we hope that we will be able Peter Ralph ex Advertising Manager TAA described his provide the copy in a form that is fully searchable on the difficult task in promoting the Viscount following the train¬ text, a feature that will make the digital copy of most use ing accident to the first aircraft at Mangalore. in research. Mac Job gave the findings of the loss of the Viscount in a This is a substantial undertaking and if any members violent storm over Botany Bay. have any experience in creating this sort of archive or are willing to assist in converting earlier journals to digital Alan Patching described the cause of the early fatigue form, please contact the archive sub-committee conve¬ failure of the Viscount main spar at Port Headland - an nor, Tony Clark on (03) 9817 5773 or incorrectly fitted bush in a bolt hole. He then described [email protected] how the overheated spar boom had been found at the crash site at Winton. meetings. May 2010. Our speaker this meeting was AHSA Presi¬ Leigh Ryan - Interiors Engineer displayed dent Keith Meggs. Keith spoke about the early history of drawings of external markings for Viscounts and to the CAC and his employment there as a young lad straight delight of members said that documentation was avail¬ from school. able for all aircraft operated by TAA

Great interest was generated and by the questions posed from the floor, it was a most interesting and infor¬ mative evening.

Special Offer.

Aviation Heritage. Volume 26 Nos 1-4. A limited num¬ ber of the complete set of Volume 26 is available at $15- 00 including postage within Australia.

No.1. Is entirely devoted to John Duigan. No.2. Main article is on Harry Hawker. No.3. Owen Cathcart-Jones, N.T. Aerial Medical Service. No. 4 Almost entirely devoted to Guinea Airways.

Keith pointing to one of CAC s products - the Wackett Send your order, with payment to AHSA, P.O. Box 461, Trainer. Lilydale, Vic. 3140.

1 The Duigan centenary by John McCulloch The AHSA shared a tent with the Australian Gliding Mu¬ seum and the AARG from Moorabbin free of charge cour¬ On Friday 16 July, a commemoration ceremony to mark tesy of both the Centenary Committee and the Gliding the centenary of the first flight of an Australian designed Museum. Despite the relatively small number of visitors, and built aircraft was held at the site of the Duigan monu¬ the AHSA stall did a roaring trade with takings of over ment on the Lancefield - Mia Mia Road. $900 on the Saturday. The Centenary of Flight issue of Aviation Heritage proved particularly popular with nearly The Governor of Prof David de Kretser AC, who is 30 copies being sold. also a patron of the Duigan Centenary, addressed a small but enthusiastic crowd of locals and aviation enthusiasts. The AARG also profited from the sale of a CD-ROM of His speech covered a broad outline of aviation history with over 200 photos from the Duigan archive. In a separate particular reference to Australia s contributions in both stall first time author David Crotty’s Duigan biography A technical innovations and practical demonstrations of the Flying Life was also a hit. He had sold out of his antici¬ feasibility of aviation as a viable means of travel. pated weekend’s supply by Friday evening and required extra copies from Melbourne to satisfy Saturday patrons. He was followed by an entertaining ramble through Dui¬ gan family history by John Duigan, son of Reg Duigan and Thanks to The Gliding Museum, Tony Clark, Ken Riches, nephew of the man he referred to as Jack . He described Dion Makowski, Anne West, and Keith Meggs for their their attempts to master the art of flying by using a teth¬ assistance over the two days ered glider and ultimately the fitting of a Tilley engine in Australia’s first indigenous powered aircraft. Member s Research Requests.

From Neil Follett. For my continuing series on Oswald Watt Medal recipients I am desperately seeking any pho¬ tos to do with Harold Brownlow (Mickey) Martin. He joined the RAF when WW2 broke out, flew on the Dam Busters raids and retired from the RAF as an Air Marshal in 1974. Any info to: [email protected]

Hillson Praga. I am also seeking any photos of Hillson Praga’s VH-UVP, VH-UXR,and VH-UXQ. I have some but they are not of good quality. - Neil Follett. flf;I -: • X Plane propeller found. An item found in a 1948 newspa¬ per reports a four-blade plane propeller was found washed up on the beach at Dromana (Victoria). It bore the marking IRG T295052/23609. The IRG may meant to be DRG. If any of our more mature members (which is almost all of The Duigan replica aircraft. us) recognizes the code could they let the editor know..

A plaque to mark the centenary was unveiled before most The 7 E.F.T.S. Project. Tasmania’s only RAAF flying of the crowd left for Mia Mia Oval where a replica Duigan base was established at the site of the current site of biplane constructed by Terry Egan was on display. It had Launceston Airport on 29th August 1940, and No. 7 Ele¬ been hoped to fly the aircraft a short distance to recreate mentary Flying Training School commenced training in John Duigan’s 7 metre hop of a century ago, but the en¬ September of that year. By the time training ended in late gine could not be started. A few lucky citizens also made 1944, over 1800 pilot trainees had passed through the their way to the Mia Mia Hall for a lunch provided by the base as part of the Empire Air Training Scheme before the Centenary Committee. Friday’s events culminated in a base was disbanded on 31st August 1945. Black-tie dinner at a property close to Spring Plains. The objective of the project is to establish a dedicated In view of the Defries/Houdini controversy over what con¬ memorial, history depositary and display at the Evandale stitutes flight , it may be surprising to some that the cen¬ Community Centre. tenary celebrations were not delayed until later in the year. However previous milestone ceremonies have recognised Your help is required to identify any ground or air staff who the July date and there seems no valid reason not to con¬ may have been involved with No. 7. EFTS at Western tinue with this practice. There will be a second event later Junction. We are trying to contact any personnel or rela¬ in the year to coincide with Duigan’s flight at Bendigo. tives who may have information, photographs or memora¬ bilia associated with RAAF service between 1940 and Although there was no rain on Friday or the following day, 1946.. conditions at the oval were very wet underfoot, and I’d guess that a penetrometer reading would have exceeded Any information to AHSA member, Neil Louis, tel. (03) 10 by a large margin. In the circumstances, it was unlikely 6398-2968 or through the Evandale Historical Society,18 that the Duigan replica would have flown even if the en¬ High Street, Evandale, Tasmania. 7212. An email contact gine had started. Merely wheeling it around by hand left is: [email protected] deep furrows in the turf.

2 Named Aircraft. RAAF identity, A52-319 is displayed in its post war RAAF colour scheme of overall silver. de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito, VH-WAD The Quokka This ex RAAF, A52-319 was purchased by Jimmy Woods in September 1953 to enter the London to Christchurch ill Air Race in 1954.

He ferried it from Amberley, Queensland to Perth on 10 E ¦ gS September 1953. The expected sponsorship from W.A. /¦ *- m Newspapers did not eventuate and the Mosquito never • f/ flew again.

VH-WAD was stored in hangars at Perth Airport until ¦ r 1963 when it was parked in an open enclosure with the ex French Navy Lancaster.

VH-WAD photographed in 1968.

Jimmy Woods operated an air service from Perth to

'l S Rottnest Island , which is I/ / twelve miles off the coast. ¦ Ti fe Rottnest Island was named by early Dutch explorers v* \va T T who thought the Quokka s were large rats, and named the island with the Dutch »*v«word Rotte nest meaning

rat s nest.

The Quokka. VH-WAD was named The Quakka by Jimmy Woods. The VH-WAD in the open compound at Perth Airport. Quokka is a small macropod about the size of a domestic cat. Like other marsupials in the macropod family (such Being exposed to the elements its wooden airframe soon as the kangaroo and wallabies), the Quokka is herbivo¬ deteriorated and was moved from the compound. It was rous and mainly nocturnal. sold to a buyer in the USA but was damaged during dis¬ mantling and storage in Perth before being loaded onto a ship bound for California.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Contributions to this issue from: Geoff Goodall, Alan Patching, Ian Gunston, Kevin O Reilly, Neil Louis, John VH-WAD was off-loaded in Melbourne when monies McCulloch and Mac Job. owed for its transport were not paid. It was later auc¬ tioned in Melbourne and the successful bidder was the Australian War Memorial in Canberra and after a long restoration VH-WAD was put on display as A52-319, its 3 Second Annual John Duigan Memorial Lecture. Words by Alan Patching and photos by Ian Gunston. ‘Mac’ then told of how the disappearance of the Southern Cloud VH-UME on 21st March 1931 when on a flight from The AHSA Inc. meeting held at the RAAF Association on Sydney to Melbourne without any trace had fascinated 23rd June provided a very interesting evening for the 38 him. When it was found 27 years later by a worker from members and 37 guests who came for the launch of the the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electricy Authority he de¬ book Into Oblivion by Macarthur Job OAM, and the 2010 cided to write a book. Duigan Memorial Lecture by David Grotty entitled A Fly¬ ing Life - the story of John Duigan and his aeroplane. In the book he covers the finding and subsequent events including the lack of any crash investigation which would Roger Meyer OAM, President of the Civil Aviation Histori¬ be normal these days. The authorities were only inter¬ cal Society introduced Mac’ with an account of his long ested in establishing the correct identity, and that all had experience as a pilot followed by editorship of the Civil perished. ‘Mac’ also raises the questions of bullion on the Aviation Safety Digest which led him into becoming a well plane and the possibility of any survivors. There is a large known author of several books on aviation crash investi¬ selection of both black and white and colour photos to gations. support the text.

The book costs $29.95 plus postage from Sierra Publish¬ ing, PC Box 8137, Ferntree Gully Vic. 3156.

President Keith introduced David Crotty, Curator for His¬ tory and Technology Department of Museum Victoria who has spent the past two years researching and writing a book soon to be published detailing the flying life of John Duigan

Roger holding a copy of Mac s book as he introduced him.

David Crotty

Davids’ work has revealed that Duigan became interested quite early in his life in aviation. However he found that he had to go to England to gain the necessary education in order to be able to design his own aircraft. Upon his re¬ turn to Australia with the help of his brother Reg he de¬ signed, built and flew his own aeroplane. This was a huge undertaking since he had no one to easily consult for advice on any aspect of the project including choice of structural timbers. He drew heavily on his involvement in Mac. motorcycles for the design of the landing gear and en- 4 gine. The latter being made in Melbourne. Even though Yarrawonga for many years. the aircraft became airborne in July 1910, Duigan con¬ sidered his controlled flying was not done until 8 August His aeroplane still exists and is stored by the Victoria 1910 Museum, while a replica is being built by Terry Egan in Geelong and will be dis¬ played at the Centenary of Flight Celebrations in July at Mia Mia, with attempts to fly in August at Bendigo.

President Keith made a presentation to David of a copy of the latest Journal, with articles on the Centenary of Flight in Australia, together with one year of membership of the AHSA Inc.

Following he meeting there was much discussion amongst the attendees since there were descendants from a passenger in the Southern Cloud, and members of the Duigan family.

Mac Job was kept busy auto¬ graphing copies of his book and there were other books written by members of the Society also on sale.

David discussing one of the many images shown of John Duigan and his aircraft.

John Duigan flew in WW1 and was shot down. Although Below: AHSA members and visitors enjoying the pres- wounded he successfully landed and was hospitalized. entations. John Duigan and his wife operated a motor garage in

5 BOOK REVIEWS Allen was passing the local garage whose owner was the Air Force recruiting officer, who suggested he join the Wings of Ice by Jeff Maynard. This books tells the RAAF. Upon being called up, he duly reported to No. 4 story of the exploratory Arctic and Antarctic flights of ITS at Victor Flarbour in July 1941. three explorers. They are, as described by the publicity for the book, George Wilkins, a forgotten Australian, Following initial training No. 1. EFTS at Parafield be¬ Richard Byrd, an American icon and Roald Amundsen, a came home. Flis first flying lesson was also his first ever Norwegian hero. flight in an aeroplane.

Not only is this a book on aviation it has a much wider appeal as it relates the behind the scenes trials and tribulations of the three men. It s wider appeal is indi¬ 99 cated by the number of non-aviation media which has Nab reviewed it.

lg »i»

Memories of a young Spitfire Pilot

JEFF MAYNARD A tabcmating narrative of the true story an intrigue of th e rly flights over the Poles. A musc-read. CLIVE CUSSLER Selected as a future fighter pilot Allen was posted to the UK after training and spent most of his active duty in the Middle East. Recommended as an very enjoyable and informative read. Published by Random House and available at On 4 May 1944 while on patrol over Yugoslavia a 20mm all good bookshops. Cost: $34.95. anti-aircraft shell hit his port wing rendering his Spitfire uncontrollable. After bailing out he was immediately NAB Memories of a young Spitfire pilot. captured by German soldiers and made a POW, moving- NAB was a nickname given to a young Allen Stening, from Yugoslavia to Latvia and then Germany camps. who grew up in country South Australia. This 160 page Nearing the end of the European war while being moved well illustrated book is based on the diaries that he kept again the opportunity for four to escape presented itself after joining the RAAF and spent his Air force career and after many days on the run, the met up with a Brit¬ mainly flying Spitfires in Europe, until shot down and ish patrol. Finally returning to Australia with 547 hours in spending time in many POW camps before escaping and his log book.. making it back to England. A bonus to this book is a chapter written by Ruth, Allen s Allen decided to join up in 1940 and a subsequent medi¬ wife, on her side of coping during the war years. cal revealed that he had hammer toes and was rejected Available from: Ruth Sterling, 19 North Terrace, Cow¬ for Army service. Later, back in his home town of Cowell, ell, S.A. 5602. Cost: $22-00 plus postage. 6 Dr David Warren, OA, 1925-2010 - father of the Flight the answer. Drawing on his scientific training as well as Recorder his life-long fascination with electronics, he developed the David Warren who died in Melbourne on Tuesday 20 July, ‘ARL Flight Memory Recorder’, able to store four hours of crew conversation and eight instrument readings. was born at a remote mission station on Groote Eylandt in the Australia s Gulf of Carpentaria, the first European child His prototype in 1958 met with scant enthusiasm. The to come into the world there. His parents were missionar¬ Australian Department of Civil Aviation commented: ‘Dr ies with the Anglican Church Missionary Society. Warren’s instrument has little immediate use in civil air¬ craft’. The RAAF said: ‘such a device is not required -- it As a border at Sydney’s Trinity Grammar School in the would yield more expletives than explanations’. The Aus¬ tralian Federation of Air Pilots was even more blunt: ‘It late 1930s and early 40s, he, was regarded as something of a luminary among his fellows. His father had been lost would be like having a spy flying alongside - no aircraft would take off with Big Brother listening.’ se eral years before when a Holyman’s Airways DH-86 with 12 on board mysteriously disappeared in Bass Strait during a flight from Tasmania to Melbourne in 1934 . The A breakthrough came later in the year when the Secretary of the British Air Registration Board, Sir Robert Handing- only trace ever found of it was a corroded cabin chair, ham saw the prototype during a visit to Australia. He ar¬ washed up on a ranged for Warren to demonstrate it in the United King¬ beach sometime dom. The demonstrations were well received by the Brit¬ later. To be trav¬ elling by air in ish aviation industry, and the firm of S. Darvall & Sons developed a production version of the recorder as a result. those years was The Darvall ‘Red Egg’ crash recorders were fitted to BEA, remarkable enough; to have Alitalia and Air New Zealand, subsequently giving many become the vic¬ years of reliable service. tim of one of Cockpit voice recorders were made mandatory for Austra¬ |fit Australia’s early airline disasters lian airline aircraft in 1963. This followed the Inquiry into was sufficient the crash of a Trans Australia Airlines Fokker Friendship indeed to ensure at Mackay, Queensland, in 1960 at which the presiding judge, hearing of Warren’s prototype, directed that all a place in local airline aircraft be fitted with the device ‘at no distant date’. folk lore. But the young Regrettably, a U.S. manufacturer was asked to develop David was also a the equipment. Both cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders later became mandatory for all major civil 5 wireless’ expert. Wireless sets’ aircraft throughout the world, but Australia was the first to stipulate this requirement. could be pur¬ chased over the counter in those early days of broadcast¬ ing, but there were many households I Australia that had Towards the end of the 1990s, Warren’s major, but little- known contribution to the development of crash resistant not yet acquired one. But there were also enthusiasts evident geniuses - who were able to actually build them. cockpit voice and flight data recorders was at last coming to public awareness. During the latter half of 1999, Time ‘Bunny’ Warren, as he was universally known, was one magazine, with the 40th anniversary of its first Australian- such person. But having only meagre schoolboy re¬ sources, he built ‘crystal sets’ simple, unpowered radio produced issue approaching, decided to mark the occa¬ sion by profiling the achievements of the 20 most influen¬ receivers that were capable of picking up the transmis¬ sions of nearby stations with a pair of headphones. These tial people of the South Pacific over the last 100 years. he would sell to fellow pupils able to afford them, for the David Warren was among those chosen, describing him as Australia’s most neglected inventor. princely sum of five shillings, thereby considerably en¬ hancing his pocket money. (Far too impecunious himself to afford such indulgence, the writer has clear memories The following year the Royal Society of Arts selected him of David Warren clamping a pair of headphones on his for their millennial Harnett Medal, awarded biannually to young head so he could hear music being transmitted by a an Australian who has made an outstanding contribution Sydney station). to arts, manufacturing or commerce. A few months later in January, Warren was awarded the Australian Centenary of Federation Medal, and later the same year he and the After leaving school, David Warren chose a career in sci¬ ence, gaining a degree at the Sydney University. While at small team that had assisted him in the development of the University he met Ruth Meadows, who became his the prototype received the Lawrence Har¬ wife. A doctorate from the Imperial College in London grave Award from the Royal Aeronautical Society. Finally followed later. After a time teaching, he joined the staff of in the New Year Honours for January 2002, David Warren the Aeronautical Research Laboratories in Melbourne, as made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO). specialising in aviation fuels. In this capacity in 1954, he His many personal interests included membership of the was a member of a committee examining possible causes Morris Minor Car Club of Victoria, of which he was a foun¬ of the mysterious high altitude explosions on De Havilland der in 1977, and later patron. He is survived by his wife, DH-106 Comet aircraft, the world’s first jet liner. In each Ruth, his sister Grace, four children and eight grandchil¬ case, little evidence remained, and Warren believed that if it had been possible to record what had gone on in the dren and one great grandchild. aircraft beforehand, the recording would help to provide Macathur Job OAM,

7 Can you identify any of the three men in this photo of a DH.6 ? It was supplied by the Horsham Historical Society, via Kevin O Reilly. Please send your information to the editor.

The Odd Shot

How to move a Wackett Trainer without dismantling. After suffering an engine failure in August 1968 while taking off from Moorabbin Airport VH-ALV forced landed in the nearby Braeside sewerage farm. After repairs, the aircraft tipped onto its nose while attempting a takeoff on wet ground. The owner then gladly donated it to the Moorabbin Air Museum on a as is where is basis. Wide load permit? What are those? Anyway , we had a sign on the truck.