hll' i: r— VOLUME 23 NUMBER 1 I /n I IfERITAaE THE JOURNAL OF THE AVIATION HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA Rf gistered by Australia Post PubUcotion No. VB€l 1514 ■I II; * On this page we invite readers to ask questions for vital answers you may have been seeking for years to complete research on a particular subject. The answers may have eluded you but another reader INFORMATION may have it at home collecting dust. If you don’t ask, he doesn’t know you require it. Each issue we intend publishing the replies so ECHO that all readers benefit along with the one who first asked the question. ANSWERS TO EARLIER QUESTIONS NEW QUESTIONS Question 29 I require the loan of material that would accurately Question 27 define the paint colours used in the earlier F27 Question 23 AIRSTRIP TRAMWAYS IN PNG schemes of East-West Airlines. Photos and negs. FOREIGN 737's IN AUSTRALIA would also help. Material on loan for possible use Tramways were often used during the construction in future issues of the journal. J. Vella. The first Boeing 737 to operate in Australia was of, and later for, the carriage of goods to and from the Boeing demonstrator (see Vol. 22 No. 4). The airstrips in PNG. first B737 to visit Brisbane was Air Nauru’s C2-RN3 on 6th May 1976.1 seem to recall that this was a Any information, photos, maps etc. showing the DOCUMENTARY technical call for fuel so the aeroplane may have location of such tramways would be appreciated, visited Sydney or Melbourne prior to this date (the particularly at Allied bases and Japanese airstrips The Dutch National Television NOS is currently aircraft was delivered in June 1975). NZNAC’s during World War II. preparing a documentary to commemorate the ZK-NAP came through Brisbane on a charter on Michael R. Pearson, 50th anniversary of the 1934 London to Melbourne 3rd June 1976. The first regular scheduled B737 PNG. Air Race in October next year. ex Brisbane was inaugurated by Air New Zealand’s ZK-NAR on 26th August 1980, operating under Question 28 They wish to contact anyone who witnessed the charter to Air Pacific. This arrangement continued POST WAR AIR CRAFT DISPOSAL race, particularly the final segments Darwin - with various aircraft until Air Pacific’s own Cloncurry, Charleville - Melbourne. DQ-FDM entered service in November 1981. By I am gathering information on RAAF aircraft Any old photographs or movie film that are this time, of course, Ansett’s Boeing 737’s were types, numbers and disposal locations and the uses available would be of particular interest. commonplace. that components were put to during post war years. A.R. Wilkinson, Ron Cuskelly, I will pay for the reproduction of any photos, slides Se ere tary-General, Clayfield, Qld. or written material that may be made available. The Royal Federation of L. Homer, Aero Clubs of Australia. Question 26 Wagga Wagga. FATE OFMESSERSCHMITT109E The accompanying photographs show the Messer- schmitt in question in poor condition in an aircraft ■ graveyard at Werribee, Victoria. The photographs ■ were taken by David Carter. Neil Follett. * ■ The originator of the Messerschmitt question. Bob ■ Fripp, remembers seeing the aircraft when it was 1: exhibited around Australia during the War. He also recalls that the aircraft had a yellow‘tatzelwurm’ ■ emblem, and believes the aircraft’s unit was 3./JG.3. The RAAF were issuing post-cards featuring the aircraft, and if any member still has one of these post-cards, we would be most interested in hearing from him. •- ■ ■ * ■ CATALINAS ACROSS THE ■ PACIFIC It was stated in the article “Catalina Returns” (Volume 21 No 3 page 43) thatN68756 was the first Catalina to make the trans-Pacific crossing since World War II. The enclosed extract from the “Canberra Times” of 13th July, 1977 shows that N68740 made the crossing twice during the 70’s. “N68740 is a PBY-5A, originally purchased in Darwin by one of the joint owners Mr Lee Otterom, a retired rancher, in the early 70’s and flown back to the U.S. where it was ref^urbished. It returned to Australia on a holiday trip in 1977 having left Oakland, California and travelled via Hawaii, the Tongan, Cook, Samoan, Fijian and other Pacific Islands, Norfolk Island, New Zealand, then to Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra.” L.J. Nothrop, ACT. N68740 pictured at Eagle Farm, Brisbane, in 1977. 2 Aviation Heritage Vol 23 No, 1 THE JOURNAL OF THE AVIATION HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA /aviation heritage VOLUME 23, NUMBER 1 AHSA AND EDITORIAL ADDRESS P.O. Box 117, Ashburton, Vic., 3147 contents GENESIS OF THE WIRRAWAY A lot of confusion surrounds the background to the CAC Wirraway, and where it fell in North American lineage. In this article, Joe Vella traces the answers. EDITORIAL COMMITTEE David Anderson HERCULES Bob Fripp Our centre page colour scheme drawing by Joe Vella this issue is the RAAF C-130H Tony Self Hercules. A brief description by David Anderson, and photographs, accompany the BobVeitch drawing. Joe Vella A FLIGHT ACROSS YESTERDAY w FEDERAL TREASURER John Hopton brings us the story of the first flight across New Guinea in January 1928. Bert Cookson OLYMPICS IN AUSTRALIA - 1956 A photographic record of some of the unusual aircraft that visited Australia during the 1956 Olympic Games. Membership is for twelve months, and includes both ‘Aviation Heritage’ and ‘AHSA News’. TRANS OCEANIC AIRWAYS PTY. LTD. Annual membership fees of $18.00 (Australian Currency) will be due for renewal at end of The story of a company which operated flying boats in the Australiamand South-West each ‘Aviation Heritage’ volume (four issues Pacific area post-war until 1953. i. per volume). HISTORY OF BOOMERANG A46-30 INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS - All Dick Hourigan describes the interesting history of CA-12 Boomerang A46-30, recently manuscripts for publication in the Journal restored and passed to the Australian War Memorial. should be typed or clearly handwritten on one side of each sheet only, and must be double spaced. Photographs should where possible have a subject width of at least 5” (12.7 c.m.) or 8” (20 c.m.). This is not essential, but is editorial it preferable, and photos of all shapes and sizes will be accepted. Where possible we prefer negatives, even if This issue marks the beginning of a new volume: Volume 23. The j prints are also sent. This greatly simplifies the Editor’s job. All negatives will be returned Editorial Committee spends considerable time and effort in putting and prints will be returned if so marked. If you ‘Aviation Heritage’ together, and it is hoped that our members find the do not want prints cut, mark “Do not crop”. If result satisfactory. A number of steps have been taken over the past two you are thinking of preparing an article, please contact the Editor at the above address for years to improve our journal, both in regularity and style. The most drastic further advice, and so we can plan ahead. All and noticeable step was the name change from ‘Journal’ to ‘Aviation work on this Journal is voluntary and no pay­ Heritage’. Another probably less noticed change was the increase in size ment can be made for published material. from 20 pages to 24 pages. We are now fortunate enough to be able to print Published by: Aviation Historical Society of Joe Vella’s aircraft colour scheme drawings in most issues, and‘Information Australia, P.O. Box 117, Ashburton, Vic., Echo’ is developing into a very useful and interesting ‘noticeboard’. The 3147, Australia. ill ■ Editorial Committee would appreciate your comments with respect to the ■i devebpment of‘Aviation Heritage’, and looks forward to your correspondence. * 1983 Aviation Historical Society of Australia i1 cover ISSN 0045-1185 * The first CAC CA-1 Wirraway, A20-3, about to touch down after Printed by: Maxwell Printing Services, 669 an early test flight. Spencer Street, West Melbourne. Telephone Photo: via J. Hopton 329 8448 or 329 8337. Aviation Heritage VoL 23 No. 1 3 m THE GENESIS OF THE WIRRAWAY by Joe Vella The origins of this article date back to 1975. did in fact acquire the assets of Berliner- The Air Corps purchased 42 examples for While doing some research on another matter, Joyce Aircraft Corporation in 1930, and in $560,000. Strengthened by this order which I came across the North American Aircraft 1933 it was merged into the General Aviation was coupled with new work on observation designations NA-32, NA-33, NA-16-1A and Manufacturing Corporation which had been aircraft in the Curtiss division, NAA decided NA-16-2K in connection with the Wirraway. acquired some years earlier following Anthony to move its production facilities to Inglewood, Curiosity led me to establish what relationship Fokker’s return to Holland. The man who was California, where better flying weather pre­ existed between these terms and the Wirraway, to become the central figure in the future of vailed. The new plant was occupied in and where the Wirraway was placed in the line NAA’s aircraft design and management was January 1936. of North American training aircraft which James Howard (Dutch) Kindelberger. Kindel- culminated in the well known Harvard and berger had started with Glen L. Martin, and VARIATIONS ON A THEME Texan series. This led to a further question. then transferred to Douglas Aircraft Company, Why was this American aircraft chosen for becoming their chief engineer and had been More than 350 BT-9’s were constructed by manufacture in Australia for RAAF service responsible for directing the design of many North American but the grand total was when hitherto the RAAF had relied mainly on of their successful aircraft including the greater due to licence production agreements.