Newsletter 430 – July 2020 Brendon Hassell’s refurbished AVRO AVIAN 616 V5 Southern Cross Minor VH-UQG (President Bega District Model Club). Read all about its interesting history on Pg 7. Newsletter 430 – July 2020 Contents Contents ....................................................................................................................................................... 2 RAAF Black Cats ............................................................................................................................................ 2 Diary Notes ................................................................................................................................................... 3 Contacts ........................................................................................................................................................ 3 ANSW / MAAA Casino Airport Richmond Valley Fly In ................................................................................ 4 Aeromodellers NSW 2020 Calendar ............................................................................................................. 5 Club News & General Interest ...................................................................................................................... 6 Safety Matters ........................................................................................................................................... 6 AVRO AVIAN 616 V5 Southern Cross Minor VH-UQG .............................................................................. 7 Event Updates .............................................................................................................................................. 9 MDMAS Veterans’ Gathering – Postponed to 14-15 Nov ........................................................................ 9 RAAF Black Cats Robert Clemworth and John Suter Linton - published 2019 by Allen and Unwin Daryl Woolfe adds his recommendation to that by Phil Hannaford, as published in the May 2002 newsletter. I had been looking for a good book on the subject of PBY5 Catalinas and my search took me to the book that had only recently been published. Looking around my hometown was bringing no joy, so I started looking at alternatives to buying local. With a stroke of genius, I checked at the local book warehouse and managed to find the sole copy of the book that they had received to sell. It was an eye opener to discover that most of the official reports about the RAAF operations with the 'cats' was still classified until just the last few years, and, even then, not all details were that easy to find. Some of the missions were long arduous affairs, often flown at near zero feet (well a hundred feet or less), at night, and sometimes, into the teeth of a tropical storm or forming cyclone. The modifications that were done to our 'cats' made for interesting reading as all the armour plating was removed as well as the self-sealing fuel tanks and the complex landing gear system. This led to the RAAF 'cats' being defined as PBY5A [M]. The M was a pure Australian modification indicating that the landing gear and the other items had been removed and that the aircraft was intended for mining operations and ultra-long flights. Having a lighter aircraft and larger capacity fuel tanks without the self-sealing, enabled the 'cats' to take on the mines and the extra fuel. The modifications were carried out near Swan Hill in Victoria as Consolidated flatly refused to leave the equipment out during the build. A one size fits all mentality. Of course, only bare lip service was paid to the efforts of the RAAF [by the US] during this time even though the missions were highly successful and resulted in the loss of significant tonnage by the Japanese fleet of ships both merchant and war. It is ironic that the US Navy and the RAAF worked so well together on the whole project, only for the operation as a whole to be forgotten about. My copy cost me thirty one dollars and was well worth every cent as far as I am concerned. This is a good read for anyone who is interested in the war time efforts of unsung Australian heroes - especially on how to keep beer cold with dripping fuel. Why my interest in the Catalinas?, My number two project on the table right now is a 2.8 metre Catalina and she just has to be a RAAF unit with the code RK*A. [A24-88]. Painting her will be a breeze, all black. Page | 2 Newsletter 430 – July 2020 Diary Notes Next Aeromodellers NSW Bi-Monthly Management Committee Meeting. Friday 14th August 2020, 8:00pm Internet via ZOOM – instructions will be advised to Club Execs via bulletin. Following Aeromodellers NSW Bi-Monthly Management Committee Meeting. Friday 16th October 2020, 8:00pm Venue TBA Newsletter #431 (August 2020) deadline for submissions: Friday 21st August 2020. Contacts President Tim Nolan [email protected] 0412 173 440 Vice Pres David Kennedy [email protected] Secretary Clive Weatherhead [email protected] 0404 826 880 c/o Battery Business Unit 14, 3 Vuko Place Warriewood NSW 2102 Treasurer/ State Field Steve Norrie [email protected] 0418 874 740 Officer Registrar David Lewis [email protected] 02 4736 2611 PO Box 7291, 0439 264 220 SOUTH PENRITH 2750 Newsletter Editor Rob Masters [email protected] 0418 160 295 Safety Officer Daryl Woolfe [email protected] CFI Brendan Tucker [email protected] 02 6931 1025 Deputy CFI North Martin Cochrane [email protected] 02 6658 2364 Deputy CFI South Vacant [email protected] Join us on Facebook Please forward any changes of mail or email address together with your AUS Number directly to the Registrar Page | 3 Newsletter 430 – July 2020 ANSW / MAAA Casino Airport Richmond Valley Fly In Page | 4 Newsletter 430 – July 2020 Aeromodellers NSW 2020 Calendar (Compiled 30 July 2020) Unless otherwise advised Aeromodellers NSW Meetings are held the 2nd Friday of every other Month. August 2020 2 Wings over the Regatta C entre Penrith Tim Nolan 0412 173 440 9 Gosford City Float Planes Kariong Nic Lucas 0424 350366 14 Aeromodellers NSW General Mtg TBA Tim Nolan 0412 173 440 15-16 TARMAC Scale Rally Tamworth Richard Exler 0438 314882 23 Gosford City Float Planes Kariong Nic Lucas 0424 350366 23 Wings over the Regatta C entre Penrith Tim Nolan 0412 173 440 27-30 ANSW / MAAA Casino Airport Fly In Casino Tim Nolan 0412 173 440 September 2020 6 Gosford City Float Planes Kariong Nic Lucas 0424 350366 6 Wings over the Regatta C entre Penrith Tim Nolan 0412 173 440 12-13 NSWPF Precision Aerobatics (GDA) TBA Alastair Bennetts 0439 480 793 20 Pylon Racing at Richmond (date TBC) Richmond Jeremy Randle 0418 390 446 20 Gosford City Float Planes Kariong Nic Lucas 0424 350366 October 2020 3-4 WMAC Annual Scale Rally & Swap/Sell meet Wagga Wagga Tony McAtamney 0417294748 4 Gosford City Float Planes Kariong Nic Lucas 0424 350366 9 Aeromodellers NSW General Mtg TBA Tim Nolan 0412 173 440 11 Wings over the Regatta C entre Penrith Tim Nolan 0412 173 440 17-18 NSWPF Precision Aerobatics (CKSMAC) Richmond/Pitt Town Alastair Bennetts 0439 480 793 25 Gosford City Float Planes Kariong Nic Lucas 0424 350366 November 2020 8 Gosford City Float Planes Kariong Nic Lucas 0424 350366 11-15 Invitational Scale Classic Downunder 2020 Cootamundra Cheryl Rolfe [email protected] 14-15 MDMAS Veterans Gathering Muswellbrook Cory Eustace 0429 090 686 14-15 NSWPF State Champs (SMFC) Shoalhaven Alastair Bennetts 0439 480 793 22 Gosford City Float Planes Kariong Nic Lucas 0424 350366 29 Wings over the Regatta C entre Penrith Tim Nolan 0412 173 440 December 2020 TBC Pylon Racing at Marulan Marulan (TBC) Jeremy Randle 0418 390 446 11 Aeromodellers NSW General Mtg TBA Tim Nolan 0412 173 440 27 Wings over the Regatta C entre Penrith Tim Nolan 0412 173 440 Page | 5 Newsletter 430 – July 2020 Club News & General Interest Safety Matters Daryl Woolfe - ANSW Safety Officer G'day gang, A few years ago a good mate of mine did a control Just a few thoughts and observations from the last check. Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle - all good. However, twelve months or so. something had the little alarm bell in my head going ding, ding and I spoke to him about that fact that I Time to touch base with you all and discuss the subject thought that his ailerons were reversed. As it turned of range and control checks. I have been taking notice out, they were. I had not seen the ailerons actually of whether pilots are doing even basic checks and the going the wrong way as such, but I had a feeling that overall results are of some concern. they were not right. He was very grateful. It is worrying to see that only a very small percentage of One myth that is doing the rounds is that when the TX pilots are even thinking about doing safety checks of is turned off, the model is safe. Not with EP it is not. I any description let alone a visual check of the model have witnessed several EP models suddenly burst into before flying. life with one absolutely destroying the interior of the car it was 'resting' in. Yes, the model had been left Recently I visited a field where some twenty pilots were unattended with the TX off but the model was still present and not once did I witness a range or control armed and ready to go. I have also seen a 'safe' EP check being performed. One of the reasons I believe model suddenly leap out of the back of a Ute and run that range and control checks