Phoenix, September Edition 2006 • Historical Aircraft Restoration Society Inc (HARS) • Page x QUARTERLY MAGAZINE OF THE AUSTRALIAN HISTORICAL FLYING MUSEUM HARS HISTORICAL AIRCRAFT RESTORATION SOCIETY, INC. Spring 2006 In this edition: • End of an era • Church parade • President's report • Hangar developments • Certificate of Approval • Logging onto the web • 2006 USA tour • The Curtiss/Langley conspiracy • Southern Cross replica aircraft • HARS away visits • Rathmines flyover • Take two • Chipmunk news • Smile, action... Phoenix, Spring Edition 2006 • Historical Aircraft Restoration Society Inc (HARS) • Page 2 HARS Contact Details HARS Sponors Editor's Message Phoenix HARS gratefully acknowledges our sponsors, past I first heard of an aircraft called Julie Hourigan - Editor and present, and welcomes new names to this “Connie” as I sat and watched a Email: [email protected] or honour roll: television documentary on Discovery [email protected] Adecs (Aust); ADC Krone; Aero Club of Arizona; Channel some years ago. The Aero Weigh; Air BP; Aircraft and Aerospace documentary told of the work of a HARS web site Magazine; AirServices Australia; group of Australian aviation www.hars.org.au Mr. Bill Andronicos; Ansett Australia; Anzol Paints; enthusiasts who were set on restoring Now with more information than ever AOPA; Mrs. S. Arms; Australian Aviation Magazine; a Super Constellation that was Australian Native Landscapes; Australian Steel discarded in the Arizona desert. Associated web site Mill Services; Australian Timken; Aviation Trim & www.notebookpub.com.au Upholstery; Barloworld Coatings; Barker Lawyers; I remember thinking about the Bartrans; Bellinger Instruments; The Family of the dedication and commitment of these All correspondence late Mr. Ron Bennett; Ian Berryman; BlueScope enthusiasts and what they achieved. (including claims and invoices): Steel; BlueScope Water; Boom Logistics; HARS Inc. Around November last year, when my Boral Portable Buildings; Mr G Boyd; Bristol PO Box 1071 husband Mike and I were travelling Paints; Mrs. J. L. Brooker; Chemetall; Chevron Albion Park Rail NSW 2527 from Sydney to Nowra for the Nowra Companies (Calif); Cleary Bros; John and Jenny Airshow, Mike suggested that we call Illawarra Regional Airport Cleary; Coates Prestige Hire; Collins Avionics in at Albion Park to see if we could Phone: 02 4257 4333 Sales & Service; Colourtrue Labels; Country Fire see Connie. We were welcomed and Fax: 02 4257 4388 Services; Geoff Cuthbert; Daltrans; given the grand tour of HARS by Jim Capt. R Darwell; Mr. T. Dean; Mr. R. De La Hunty; President Hayes. Being an aviation tragic, Mike Mr. N. Dennett; Dual Electrical Services asked a lot of questions and was gob Bob De La Hunty, OAM (Melbourne); Ecolab; Eric Fordham Engineering; Phone: 02 9894 5818 smacked by what was happening at Fish Internet; Flightpath Magazine; Frejak Albion Park (I just listened because Home: 02 9894 5775 Constructions; Mr. R . George; GNB Battery Mobile: 0408 235 682 my knowledge of aircraft was Technologies; Mr. W. Goodhew; Goodyear Air somewhat limited). One question Fax: 02 9894 6630 Treads; Gossamer Threads; Graham John Signs; Email: [email protected] led to another and the next thing you Mr R. Greinert; Mrs M Greinet; Gordon McDonald know Mike was filling in an application Executive Vice President - Marketing (Elect W’salers); Hatch Associates; Hazelton for membership. John Brooker Airlines; Cpt. R. Heiniger; Hexcel Interiors; Earlier this year, after a number of trips Phone: 02 9939 7513 Hurdis Plumbing; Icon Internet; IMB Foundation; to Albion Park, Mike suggested that I Fax: 02 9905 9496 Independent Locksmiths; Industrial Maintenance might like to become a member also. Email: [email protected] Systems; Jecani Pty. Ltd.; Jeremy Flynn Memorial Trust; Mr. B. Kelly; Mr. S. Kennard; Kiama I did, and began to meet some of the Secretary Municipal Council; Lockheed Aeromod Center Inc people that I had so admired when I Robert Greinert (Tucson); Mr. G. Loudon; Mr. D. Lowy; Lysharts; watched the documentary on Connie, Phone: 02 9451 2619 Mr. J. McAlpine; Mainpac; Mascot Steel; along with a whole lot of other people Mobile: 0414 512 619 Mrs. M. Massey; Metro Products & Company; with a shared interest and stories to Fax: 02 9451 4369 The late Capt. B. Millis; Minden Air Corp (Tucson); tell. Email: [email protected] Geoff Morris; NCR Australia; Nostalgair Models; I can now tell you a lot about the Notebook Publications; Oilcheck; Olex Cables; different aircraft that HARS operates, Treasurer Oxley Graphics; Pam Karcaji Signs; as well as paint concrete, fit windows, Maureen Massey Mr. G. Paramour; Peter Ryan Earthmoving; hang gyprock, degrease and wash Mobile: 0400 818 557 R. J. Petitt; Pima Air & Space Museum (Tucson); aircraft and become the new editor of Protector Safety; Qantas Airways; Qantas Flight Phoenix. Director Administration Services Hostess Club; Qantas 20 Club; QBE Aviation; Rees Hughes Reflex; Reliable Pest Control; Rivers Locking As a recent blow in, my knowledge Mobile: 0409 104 910 Systems; Riverstone Printing; D.C. Roberts of HARS is still in its infancy. I will be relying on the knowledge and General Manager Maintenance Aircraft Co; Robyn-Lea Services; Rockwell Systems Australia; Sharp Direct; Shell Australia; generosity of members to provide Malcolm Hallowes me with information, articles and Phone: 02 9868 4463 Shellharbour City Council; Miss T. Smiley; Mr. D. Smith; Snap Printing Auburn; Mr. G. Squire; photographs, covering all aspects of Mobile: 0410 498 081 HARS activities to publish in Phoenix. Email: [email protected]. Mr. A. Stinson; R. R. Szabo; Mr. A. Tait; Tattersalls; Taubmans Paints; Telstra; TPE Integrated Services; Mike and I have found our relatively Manager Engine Workshop and Port Transfield Constructions; Transfield Services; short association with HARS most Kembla Facility Triangle Refrigeration; Trimble Navigation; Trojan rewarding and we look forward to Kevin Taylor Workforce;Trump Property Maintenance; Valspar doing whatever we can for the Society Phone: 9520 6946 Corp (formerly Anzol Paints); Weekly Trading in the years to come. Mobile: 0422 902 545 Post; Mr. K. Weldon; Weston Printing; White Email: [email protected] Knight Paints; John Whitmarsh; Ms. Gina Wilson; Julie Hourigan Wiltshire Engineering; Wollongong City Council. Phoenix, Spring Edition 2006 • Historical Aircraft Restoration Society Inc (HARS) • Page 3 Membership has trebled since those elevated us to new heights of quality End of an Era early days when I first joined. Sadly, as a professionally printed magazine. Gary Squire – some well-loved members have been taken from us. But the Society has Unfortunately, personal and work outgoing Phoenix Editor grown in strength and has long since issues demanding more and more of my time led to a lapse in my capacity My role as Phoenix editor started with passed the point where it is dependent on any one person. to produce Phoenix over the last the July 1992 edition – over fourteen year. The development of our hangar years ago. HARS was based in A strong management committee and the complete shift of location to Mascot on the edge of Sydney backed by an able and devoted Illawarra meant that I could no longer Airport in a Qantas building now membership guides and nurtures be as close to HARS activities as long demolished and with a small HARS. From an unknown group of was needed to accurately report on collection of aircraft based at barely twenty people in the late 1970s events and progress. Bankstown and Nowra. Our largest we are now known in State and Federal exhibits were the two Neptunes Governments, business circles and Enter Julie Hourigan. Hailing from 273 and 566. In the United States around the world. Our influence on the Canberra, she and her husband have sat a forlorn Super Constellation preservation and display of Australia’s been devoted and regular crossers- waiting for us to rescue her from rich aviation heritage extends well of-the-Great-Divide to join the band pigeon droppings and red tape. beyond our own fleet and locale. of volunteers at HARS at Illawarra. Illawarra Regional Airport was only With experience and expertise in occasionally in our thoughts as Throughout my fourteen years Phoenix publishing, Julie has agreed to take an interesting destination close to has carried the responsibility to on the challenge of continuing the Sydney with a terminal area that was report and advertise our activities to a publication of Phoenix. I look forward once served by regional airlines in the number of very influential people and to seeing what she will do with the days of DC3s. organisations, as well as informing and, magazine; I am sure she will bring hopefully, entertaining our members. fresh ideas and new vision to Phoenix Haven’t things changed? Not only My first edition was similar to those and I am excited by the prospect of does HARS boast six of the largest preceding it, a simple, photocopied receiving the next edition. historical aircraft operating in black and white A4 newsletter with few Australia (indeed, the southern photos. We quickly moved to introduce Thank you to all who have supported hemisphere) but has an undercover colour and in this format we continued Phoenix over the past years and my home for all of them. Illawarra is now until late 2002. Our October-December very best wishes and unreserved our home base and the headquarters issue of that year was the first of our support for its future under Julie’s of our operational museum. close association with Westonprint, who guidance. we wither and die. That is why many in projects like Connie and the Cat, also HARS on parade with HARS are older people who still have the vision of 4 hangars here at Albion a life and purpose, they get involved Park to house the aircraft and work from." both wing and prayer because they haven't lost the ability He went on to say that it was also a The inaugural church parade of the to dream dreams and to have visions time to remember those members Historical Aircraft Restoration Society of what might be.