Outlook / AHSA News Vol. 37 No. 3 June 2021 Outlook A.H.S.A. AHSA News Vol. 37 No. 3 June 2021 This edi�on of Outlook comes to readers in the middle of winter - and this photograph of Anse�-ANA’s Douglas DC-6B VH-INU (c/n 44694-558) from the Peter Kelly collec�on was taken on an overcast and wet day, typical of what might be expected in a Melbourne winter. But in fact the photograph was taken at Essendon on December 15th 1966. Newsletter of the Website: Aviation Historical www.ahsa.org.au Society of Australia, Inc. A0033653P Facebook Group: ARBN 092-671-773 www.facebook.com/groups/AHSAustPage 1 Outlook / AHSA News Vol. 37 No. 3 June 2021 Avia�on Historical Society of Australia Inc. What’s Inside? President’s Comment 2 Our 2020/21 Commi�ee: AHSA news 3 President: Dave Prossor Civil Avia�on Centenary Update 6 [email protected] Civil Avia�on Snippets 6 RAAF Centenary Update 10 Vice-President: Derek Buckmaster [email protected] Military Avia�on Snippets 12 Australian Industry News Snippets 15 Secretary: Mark Pilkington Coming Avia�on Events 16 [email protected] Museum News 16 Treasurer: Robert Van Woerkom New books on Australian Avia�on History 18 [email protected] Research Corner 20 Membership David Knight Secretary: [email protected] President’s Comment Commi�ee Members: For a start I would like to think that AHSA readers enjoyed the GPCAPT David Fredericks last issue of the newsle�er. A different style and content being Dion Makowski driven by the current commi�ee. Some posi�ve comments were Phil Vabre received at recent mee�ngs, thanks to members who provided feedback. Outlook Contacts: Now is a good �me to say to members please contribute. Postal address: PO Box 461 Something that you hear or even a newspaper cu�ng could be usable. Think of the newsle�er as a co-op shop with all members Lilydale, Victoria, 3140 contribu�ng. In this issue we are grateful for contribu�ons from Email: [email protected] Joe Vella, GPCAPT David Fredericks, Roger McDonald and the edi�ng of Derek Buckmaster. AHSA Mee�ngs: th Our quarterly journal, Avia�on Heritage, has been digi�sed and Melbourne mee�ngs are held on the 4 the first 10 years of issues have been made available for readers Wednesday of each month, at the Air Force of our website in the first instalment of the “Avia�on Heritage Associa�on offices in Camberwell Road, Hawthorn. Web Archive”. That will be good for researchers and for members Mee�ngs are also streamed on Zoom. and others wan�ng to see the past years of the journal. This is the first step in upgrading our website and making previous issues of the journal available to members. More news on this Membership of the AHSA for the 2021 calendar front in coming issues. year costs $50 in Australia, $55 for Asia-Pacific and Airshows and Fly-ins. A�er the big shut down in 2020 the end of $73 for the rest of the world. A membership the year 2021 seems to have had a revival of airshows and fly in applica�on form can be downloaded from our gatherings. website: The recent Historic Motor and Aircra� Fly-in at Wangara�a was a great day and close to Melbourne members to visit and see a www.ahsa.org.au good number of interes�ng air and ground borne an�que vehicles. The views expressed in this publica�on are those Even Oshkosh is to be up and running this year! Good but risky. of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Avia�on Historical Society of The COVID-19 pandemic has not been kind to the avia�on industry. Airlines have reduced their schedules, passengers not Australia Inc. knowing from one week to the next if they can make a flight or will they be able to get to or from their des�na�ons for fear of © AHSA Inc., 2021 state government lockdowns and border closures. Aircra� put out to grass and pilots and staff put off. That is not good for Australia and the avia�on industry at large. The general avia�on industry has also been affected. Distance separa�on has taken its toll on flight training even to just make a Coming AHSA Mee�ngs: Wednesday July 28th at 7:30pm Wednesday August 25th at 7:30pm Wednesday September 29th at 7:30pm A.H.S.A. Join in person at the Air Force Associa�on, 24 Camberwell Road, Hawthorn - or join via Zoom Page 2 Outlook / AHSA News Vol. 37 No. 3 June 2021 local hire flight. A number of flight schools that have had GPS) had changed aerial naviga�on, making it much simpler. overseas students have just about trained the last of their Roger touched on past naviga�on systems and what they did. students and sent the trained ones home. Then with border Roger started out in the RAAF as a navigator and later restric�ons all the schools with overseas students have shrunk transferred to become a fast jet pilot. Roger gave an excellent down to almost care & maintenance. Not good for the flight number of screen slides to illustrate his talk. Fascina�ng! schools and the staff, a large number of instructors have been put off. Where will it all end? You have a greater chance of winning the lo�ery than guessing the answer to that ques�on. China Southern West Australian Flying College has collapsed. SOAR Avia�on in Victoria has folded and assets been sold off. In both cases a number of aircra� have been sold off cheap. In both cases the instructors have been dumped on the unemployed heap. Some have picked other flying jobs or seeking same but some have le� the industry for good. As at 27 June there were some 132 airliners stored at the Alice Springs storage facility. A lot will go back into service but a number with be scrapped and turned into aluminium ingots. Useable parts will turn up on the second hand avia�on market. Preloved as some might say. We are looking at a vastly different avia�on industry in Australia now compared to the beginning of 2020. What was a healthy industry has stumbled to its knees and is having a hard �me ge�ng up. Given all these changes to the industry, I would like to think that members of the AHSA are taking note and recording them for future reference. Above: April speaker Squadron Leader Roger McKay (le�) with AHSA Inc David Prossor President Dave Prossor. (Photo: Derek Buckmaster) President, AHSA Inc. Following the talk by Roger, Noel Jackling gave an update on the DC-2 rebuild at Albury and what the inten�ons of the Albury Council and a memorial facility are to be. The rebuild of the DC- AHSA NEWS 2 at Albury s�ll has a way to go before it is complete. President David noted that the AHSA had had a change of April AHSA Melbourne Meeting editorship of the newsle�er, Outlook, commen�ng that the The April 28 members mee�ng was interes�ng in more ways commi�ee desired to guide the newsle�er in a direc�on than one. It was both a face-to-face gathering plus, a first, an different to that of current editor Keith Gaff. As a result the online “broadcast” via Zoom for members away from the AFA AHSA commi�ee had created enough material, considered mee�ng site. interes�ng to members, to deliver different newsle�er content. We hope you like it. President David commented on the drama�c changes to the avia�on scene as he introduced the mee�ng, viewed by President David put on display a number of old naviga�on interstate AHSA members as well. There were some 35 devices ranging from a WW1 compass to an array of pilot members a�ending the mee�ng in person. naviga�on computers including the famed E6B and other types and even electronic pilot naviga�on devices. How aerial naviga�on has changed! May AHSA Melbourne Meeting On short no�ce the May 26 mee�ng became an online mee�ng via Zoom due to the par�al lockdown of the state. A good number of members both local and interstate “tuned in” so to speak. The topic for the May mee�ng was “The Perlan Project – How to beat the U2 without an engine”, a pre-recorded presenta�on by Australian expatriate Morgan Sandercock, who lives in Denver, USA. Above: AHSA April mee�ng a�endees at the Air Force Associa�on in Hawthorn. Speaker Roger McKay was caught adjus�ng his lapel microphone. (Photo: Derek Buckmaster) Speaker for the night was Squadron Leader Roger McKay. Roger serves in the RAAF reserve as well as being a world-flying execu�ve jet pilot. He also owns a Winjeel, one that he first flew many years ago in the RAAF. Roger’s topic for the night was the To date the record-breaking high-al�tude Perlan glider has history and development of aerial naviga�on. He talked about reached an al�tude of 79,000 �. Morgan talked about flying and how naviga�on had rapidly developed during WWII and in more engineering details in layman terms. The next challenge for the recent years how global naviga�on satellite systems (such as Perlan crew is to reach 90,000 �.