QUARTERLY MAGAZINE OF THE AUSTRALIAN HISTORICAL … · Phoenix, Spring Edition 2006 • Historical...

Phoenix, September Edition 2006 • Historical Aircraft Restoration Society Inc (HARS) • Page x

S p r i n g 2 0 0 6

QUARTERLY MAGAZINE OF THE

AUSTRALIAN HISTORICAL FLYING MUSEUMHISTORICAL AIRCRAFT RESTORATION SOCIETY, INC.

HARS

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...

HARS Contact DetailsPhoenixJulie Hourigan - EditorEmail: [email protected] or [email protected]

HARS web site www.hars.org.auNow with more information than ever

Associated web sitewww.notebookpub.com.au

All correspondence (including claims and invoices): HARS Inc.PO Box 1071Albion Park Rail NSW 2527

Illawarra Regional Airport Phone: 02 4257 4333Fax: 02 4257 4388

President Bob De La Hunty, OAM Phone: 02 9894 5818 Home: 02 9894 5775Mobile: 0408 235 682Fax: 02 9894 6630 Email: [email protected]

Executive Vice President - MarketingJohn BrookerPhone: 02 9939 7513 Fax: 02 9905 9496Email: [email protected]

Secretary Robert GreinertPhone: 02 9451 2619 Mobile: 0414 512 619 Fax: 02 9451 4369Email: [email protected]

Treasurer Maureen MasseyMobile: 0400 818 557

Director Administration Services Rees Hughes Mobile: 0409 104 910

General Manager MaintenanceMalcolm Hallowes Phone: 02 9868 4463Mobile: 0410 498 081Email: [email protected].

Manager Engine Workshop and Port Kembla FacilityKevin TaylorPhone: 9520 6946 Mobile: 0422 902 545Email: [email protected]

Editor's MessageI first heard of an aircraft called “Connie” as I sat and watched a television documentary on Discovery Channel some years ago. The documentary told of the work of a group of Australian aviation enthusiasts who were set on restoring a Super Constellation that was discarded in the Arizona desert.

I remember thinking about the dedication and commitment of these enthusiasts and what they achieved.

Around November last year, when my husband Mike and I were travelling from Sydney to Nowra for the Nowra Airshow, Mike suggested that we call in at Albion Park to see if we could see Connie. We were welcomed and given the grand tour of HARS by Jim Hayes. Being an aviation tragic, Mike asked a lot of questions and was gob smacked by what was happening at Albion Park (I just listened because my knowledge of aircraft was somewhat limited). One question led to another and the next thing you know Mike was filling in an application for membership.

Earlier this year, after a number of trips to Albion Park, Mike suggested that I might like to become a member also. I did, and began to meet some of the people that I had so admired when I watched the documentary on Connie, along with a whole lot of other people with a shared interest and stories to tell.

I can now tell you a lot about the different aircraft that HARS operates, as well as paint concrete, fit windows, hang gyprock, degrease and wash aircraft and become the new editor of Phoenix.

As a recent blow in, my knowledge of HARS is still in its infancy. I will be relying on the knowledge and generosity of members to provide me with information, articles and photographs, covering all aspects of HARS activities to publish in Phoenix.

Mike and I have found our relatively short association with HARS most rewarding and we look forward to doing whatever we can for the Society in the years to come.

Julie Hourigan

HARS SponorsHARS gratefully acknowledges our sponsors, past and present, and welcomes new names to this honour roll: Adecs (Aust); ADC Krone; Aero Club of Arizona;Aero Weigh; Air BP; Aircraft and Aerospace Magazine; AirServices Australia; Mr. Bill Andronicos; Ansett Australia; Anzol Paints; AOPA; Mrs. S. Arms; Australian Aviation Magazine; Australian Native Landscapes; Australian Steel Mill Services; Australian Timken; Aviation Trim & Upholstery; Barloworld Coatings; Barker Lawyers; Bartrans; Bellinger Instruments; The Family of the late Mr. Ron Bennett; Ian Berryman; BlueScope Steel; BlueScope Water; Boom Logistics; Boral Portable Buildings; Mr G Boyd; Bristol Paints; Mrs. J. L. Brooker; Chemetall; Chevron Companies (Calif); Cleary Bros; John and Jenny Cleary; Coates Prestige Hire; Collins Avionics Sales & Service; Colourtrue Labels; Country Fire Services; Geoff Cuthbert; Daltrans; Capt. R Darwell; Mr. T. Dean; Mr. R. De La Hunty; Mr. N. Dennett; Dual Electrical Services (Melbourne); Ecolab; Eric Fordham Engineering; Fish Internet; Flightpath Magazine; Frejak Constructions; Mr. R . George; GNB Battery Technologies; Mr. W. Goodhew; Goodyear Air Treads; Gossamer Threads; Graham John Signs; Mr R. Greinert; Mrs M Greinet; Gordon McDonald (Elect W’salers); Hatch Associates; Hazelton Airlines; Cpt. R. Heiniger; Hexcel Interiors; Hurdis Plumbing; Icon Internet; IMB Foundation; Independent Locksmiths; Industrial Maintenance Systems; Jecani Pty. Ltd.; Jeremy Flynn Memorial Trust; Mr. B. Kelly; Mr. S. Kennard; Kiama Municipal Council; Lockheed Aeromod Center Inc (Tucson); Mr. G. Loudon; Mr. D. Lowy; Lysharts; Mr. J. McAlpine; Mainpac; Mascot Steel; Mrs. M. Massey; Metro Products & Company; The late Capt. B. Millis; Minden Air Corp (Tucson); Geoff Morris; NCR Australia; Nostalgair Models; Notebook Publications; Oilcheck; Olex Cables; Oxley Graphics; Pam Karcaji Signs; Mr. G. Paramour; Peter Ryan Earthmoving; R. J. Petitt; Pima Air & Space Museum (Tucson); Protector Safety; Qantas Airways; Qantas Flight Hostess Club; Qantas 20 Club; QBE Aviation; Reflex; Reliable Pest Control; Rivers Locking Systems; Riverstone Printing; D.C. Roberts Aircraft Co; Robyn-Lea Services; Rockwell Systems Australia; Sharp Direct; Shell Australia; Shellharbour City Council; Miss T. Smiley; Mr. D. Smith; Snap Printing Auburn; Mr. G. Squire; Mr. A. Stinson; R. R. Szabo; Mr. A. Tait; Tattersalls; Taubmans Paints; Telstra; TPE Integrated Services; Transfield Constructions; Transfield Services; Triangle Refrigeration; Trimble Navigation; Trojan Workforce;Trump Property Maintenance; Valspar Corp (formerly Anzol Paints); Weekly Trading Post; Mr. K. Weldon; Weston Printing; White Knight Paints; John Whitmarsh; Ms. Gina Wilson; Wiltshire Engineering; Wollongong City Council.

Phoenix, Spring Edition 2006 • Historical Aircraft Restoration Society Inc (HARS) •


End of an EraGary Squire – outgoing Phoenix Editor

My role as Phoenix editor started with the July 1992 edition – over fourteen years ago. HARS was based in Mascot on the edge of Sydney Airport in a Qantas building now long demolished and with a small collection of aircraft based at Bankstown and Nowra. Our largest exhibits were the two Neptunes 273 and 566. In the United States sat a forlorn Super Constellation waiting for us to rescue her from pigeon droppings and red tape. Illawarra Regional Airport was only occasionally in our thoughts as an interesting destination close to Sydney with a terminal area that was once served by regional airlines in the days of DC3s.

Haven’t things changed? Not only does HARS boast six of the largest historical aircraft operating in Australia (indeed, the southern hemisphere) but has an undercover home for all of them. Illawarra is now our home base and the headquarters of our operational museum.

Membership has trebled since those early days when I first joined. Sadly, some well-loved members have been taken from us. But the Society has grown in strength and has long since passed the point where it is dependent on any one person.

A strong management committee backed by an able and devoted membership guides and nurtures HARS. From an unknown group of barely twenty people in the late 1970s we are now known in State and Federal Governments, business circles and around the world. Our influence on the preservation and display of Australia’s rich aviation heritage extends well beyond our own fleet and locale.

Throughout my fourteen years Phoenix has carried the responsibility to report and advertise our activities to a number of very influential people and organisations, as well as informing and, hopefully, entertaining our members. My first edition was similar to those preceding it, a simple, photocopied black and white A4 newsletter with few photos. We quickly moved to introduce colour and in this format we continued until late 2002. Our October-December issue of that year was the first of our close association with Westonprint, who

elevated us to new heights of quality as a professionally printed magazine.

Unfortunately, personal and work issues demanding more and more of my time led to a lapse in my capacity to produce Phoenix over the last year. The development of our hangar and the complete shift of location to Illawarra meant that I could no longer be as close to HARS activities as was needed to accurately report on events and progress.

Enter Julie Hourigan. Hailing from Canberra, she and her husband have been devoted and regular crossers-of-the-Great-Divide to join the band of volunteers at HARS at Illawarra. With experience and expertise in publishing, Julie has agreed to take on the challenge of continuing the publication of Phoenix. I look forward to seeing what she will do with the magazine; I am sure she will bring fresh ideas and new vision to Phoenix and I am excited by the prospect of receiving the next edition.

Thank you to all who have supported Phoenix over the past years and my very best wishes and unreserved support for its future under Julie’s guidance.

HARS on parade with both wing and prayerThe inaugural church parade of the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) was held in July at the Shellharbour Village Uniting Church.

Conducted by newly appointed chaplain Pastor Grahame Abrahams, the service attracted plenty of interest from members and friends of HARS.

Grahame, an enthusiastic pilot and member of HARS, focused his address on history, something for future generations to build on, with a particular emphasis on the restoration of historical aircraft.

Illustrated by slides of some examples of restored aircraft, Grahame's words touched upon the importance of maintaining visions for tomorrow and making dreams of what could be into possibilities. Grahame went on to say "vision is where everything worthwhile starts, as human beings without vision HARS members who attended the church parade in July

we wither and die. That is why many in HARS are older people who still have a life and purpose, they get involved because they haven't lost the ability to dream dreams and to have visions of what might be. It is that ability to see the impossible that has achieved

projects like Connie and the Cat, also the vision of 4 hangars here at Albion Park to house the aircraft and work from."He went on to say that it was also a time to remember those members who have passed away. This will be a regular event each July.

HARS as you know is a voluntary organization but what has been achieved is more like a public company with full time staff, resources and funding from business activities and shareholders.

As a voluntary organization you all have achieved an incredible level of development of our operations from aircraft and aircraft maintenance to building and airport terminal management.

The next steps in our progress are very exciting and as usual with many challenges.

We come from a background of challenges where many said what we have achieved could not be done, whether it be recovery of the Super Constellation or building a major hangar facility.

There is no one major financial source and all of our sponsors have been very helpful in putting all the bricks together to ensure that we are in the sound position we have grown to enjoy.

This President’s Report will miss a lot of things as there are probably too many to detail, so in dot point I have set out a number of items that I would like you to know.

• After 15 years as our editor and publisher of the Phoenix magazine, Gary Squire, due to family and business pressures, has taken leave from that position and handed it over to Julie Hourigan who will very soon produce her first Phoenix. We deeply thank Gary for his development and commitment to this communication magazine which has been highly acclaimed and welcome Julie to the challenges that producing a newsletter/magazine present.

• We have seen some changes in personnel in recent times when John Cleary decided he needed to return to retirement after almost five years of driving the Museum company forward, culminating in Hangar 1 with the launching pad primed for the museum building to go ahead. We thank John and Jenny for their great commitment and contribution to our progress, including the negotiations for us to manage the


Terminal Building with Qantas as a subtenant and the Aviator Lounge as well as housing our shop and some of our administration functions. We all wish John and Jenny all the best in building their Van 10 aircraft and look forward to seeing them as ordinary HARS members going forward.

• We would also like to welcome Professor Michael Hough, AM who has accepted the position as Chairman of the Museum company. He has picked up the ball from John Cleary and is running hard to take our development to the next level. Michael is working closely with the Committee to achieve this. Robert Greinert, our HARS Secretary, has picked up the actual construction project management and has recently signed the contract for our builder, Ian Berryman to have the Museum building structure rising from November onwards, with Hangars 2 & 3 also having been signed to follow on. We will be looking to our sponsors for major support in fitting out these buildings

including Cement Australia and Bluescope/Lysaght and many others.

• The Terminal Building operation has been extremely successful with the Aviator Lounge, run by Mark and Kerry Bright, being recognized as a major tourist and eating place in the Illawarra. They have established a great reputation for food and service and support of HARS. The Qantaslink service has now been running for over a year, with 14 services to and from Melbourne each week and in their first year carried more than 17,000 passengers. We are proud to be supporting their operations and helping them grow the potential that exists to service both the tourism and business community in the Illawarra.

• Over the last 12 months Michael Hough undertook the training of tour guides. Although we are still effectively a construction site, the intense work put in by Barry Whiteley, Adele Kelly, John Martin and Judy Woodward, with help from many others has seen many bus tours and in excess of 5,000 visitors which for effectively a two day a week opportunity is remarkable. Our thanks go to all of those involved. Further tour guide training is planned and as the Museum building develops it will lead to a seven day a week need to man the tour operations. On that basis the potential is enormous to finally

President's Report

Continued next page

View from inside the Aviator Lounge located in the Terminal Building


support our operations through visits. We have done no marketing other than letters to some clubs and on site presentations to Probus, Rotary and other clubs around the state which have lead to the bus tours and individual visitors.

• Aircraft maintenance operations lead by General Manager Maintenance, Malcolm Hallowes and supported by Director of Quality Control, Frank Bowden, Ross Warden, Warren Goodhew and other licensed engineers, even through this construction phase, have been able to keep the vast majority of our aircraft in the air to attend events throughout Australia representing HARS's contribution to our aviation heritage.

• The Vampire project is proceeding without Gina’s involvement. After 10 years on the project she decided, due to health and family reasons, that she would like a break and to do her own thing. We are very grateful for her long contribution to Australia’s aviation heritage and wish her well in her new direction. The Vampire restoration team will be announced shortly and will take over from the very significant stage that Gina has established for the project.

• HARS continues to support other aviation museums, squadron associations and school activities and in the next issue of Phoenix some details about our community support including Anzac Day and War Memorial functions will be a feature.

Forallwhohavebeeninregular attendancesupporting MikeDeLaHuntyandothersin theconstructionofthefacilitiesso farthankyou.Allmembersare invitedtocomeandenjoythe facilities,includingdiningatthe AviatorLounge,andhelpingwhere youcanindevelopingHARStoa trulymustseedestinationforboth nationalandinternationalvisitors.

President's Report continued

As the newly appointed construction/project manager for the Museum Building and Hangars 2 and 3, I have been reticent to talk too much about the project and just try and get on with the job. My greatest fear being that major pronouncements can go wrong on a time wise scale and one ends up with a severe amount of egg on one's face.

Recently, the Committee authorised me to enter into manufacture and erection contracts for the Main Museum Building and Hangars 2 and 3 for a total value of $1.7 million. The main Museum Building is scheduled to commence erection in November with cladding in December.

We are still chasing up some design aspects of the building including a revision of the facade and internal layout. Time has induced some operational experience into Albion Park and we can now plan a more practical layout based on our operating experiences.

Hangars 2 and 3 will commence around March 2007, the exact date still subject to negotiation with the builder and his own operational constraints in regards manufacturing capacity.

One of our major concerns is the supply of electricity. Currently we are

living on a temporary supply hookup which is just barely adequate and will prove totally inadequate when the planned air conditioning, computers and all the other powered gadgets we have, start to appear in Hangar 1.

I recently attended a briefing from Ron Bull on the planned computer operations and was prompted to go out the next day and order a substation from Integral Energy. Fortunately we are imbued with some substantial talent in HARS and John Davis has risen to the challenge and is spearheading our operational requirements in this area.

There are many of you out there who are all contributing to this program and I am reticent to single out any particular individual. However, I extend a special thanks to Mike De La Hunty for his never ending enthusiasm and ability to take on jobs without hesitation.

Currently, most of our requirements are being met in the areas of materials and contractors but we are looking for a passenger lift to install in the museum building. All and any suggestions welcome.

Further updates will be provided on the website as they occur.

Museum Hangar Development at Albion Park

Robert Greinet


Certificate of ApprovalFrank Bowden

Often in our discussions we make mention of our Certificate of Approval.What is a Certificate of Approval and why do we have one? Here is a simplified explanation with references to the various requirements.

The holder of the certificate of registration or the operator of an Australian aircraft must not permit any maintenance to be carried out on the aircraft by a person unless that person holds certain qualifications. (CAR 42 ZC)

Minor maintenance can be carried out by a LAME (Licenced Aircraft Maintenance Engineer) or a pilot endorsed on the type. This work is limited to that specified in Schedule 8 of the CARs (Civil Aviation Regulations) and covers things like replacement of spark plugs, replacement of wheels and seats and generally cosmetic work on the aircraft. However, it must be understood that to do any work the person must have approved data (manuals) available and special or calibrated tooling specified in the maintenance manuals. Certification must also be made in the logbook on completion of the work. (CAR 42 ZE)

Work that cannot be carried out by these people is listed in Schedule 7 of the CARs and this includes the issue of a Maintenance Release, the complete aircraft jacking, structural repairs etc. A Certificate of Approval issued by CASA is required to do this increased level of maintenance. (CAR 30)

To gain and maintain a Certificate of Approval, an organisation has to demonstrate initial and ongoing compliance with the respective airworthiness regulations. These include, but are not limited to:• ownership or lease of facilities that are adequate for the intended work.• approved data to cover the maintenance (CAR 2).• tooling and equipment which is within a controlled calibration period.• storage and control of parts.• sufficient qualified personnel to inspect appropriate stages of maintenance and to make the necessary certifications for the completion of these stages.

To ensure ongoing compliance, CASA recommends that the International Standard ISO 9000 be observed as guidance in maintaining these activities. HAP, the HARS maintenance group, is the holder of our Certificate of Approval and maintains a Procedures Manual for this purpose.

A copy of the HAP Certificate of Approval is included in this manual.

To confirm compliance with regulatory requirements and internal procedures, occasional auditing or internal evaluation is carried out. This gives confidence to management and CASA that the organisation is operating as desired.

Minor non-compliances can usually be rectified without too much trouble but significant non-compliance could result in the loss or limiting of the approval.

Item from the Qantas Retired Staff Club News Sep 2006In contrast to the previous outing, the weather for our visit to the HARS facility at Albion Park Airport south of Wollongong on 18th July 2006 was cold and wet with a good solid southerly wind blowing.

This did not dampen the enthusiasm of the 71 members who attended. Groups of 10 people were assembled and each, lead by a HARS guide, had a good tour of the facilities and aircraft. All returned to the restaurant for a very enjoyable lunch and we all agreed that this was one of our best events yet.

Accessing the HARS web pageMike De La HuntyFor some time this Society has been operating a first class web page that is sadly underutilised by our membership. The web provides instantaneous no cost communication, as long as members look at it on a regular basis.

We have some 400 members with about 45 logging on regularly. Previously, to notifiy members we would have to dispatch 150 odd emails to individual email addresses. This is a time consuming process and with so much happening, with the construction of our new facilities, we do not have the people to do this on a regular basis. It is a much simpler and straightforward process if members take 60 seconds and log on a couple of times a week.

If you have never logged on or have experienced difficulties in doing so, the process is as follows:• access your web browser or Internet Explorer• type in the search area at the top of the page www.hars.org.au and up will come the home page with listings for all sorts of things, including public info and a heading called MEMBERS LOG IN• click this and move onto the members only area. There you will see USERNAME and PASSWORD. Your username is your name in lower case and as one word, e.g. fredsmith. If unsuccessful try fredricksmith. The initial password can be accessed by calling the Administration Office any Friday or Saturday on 02 4257 4333, or Rees on 0409 104 910 or Mike on 0418 473 175• then you will access the page that asks for your new individual password and other information.

Once this is completed you will have complete access to your HARS email account, membership forums, updates, and upcoming events so you can plan your participation with HARS and be advised of special activities where we may require your assistance.

If you still have problems after following the directions above call the webmaster, Mark Bright, on 0418 449 432 and he will walk you through the process.

Up coming eventsSaturday 21 October and Sunday 22 October 2006Richmond Airshow

Friday 3 November Saturday 4 November andSunday 5 November 2006Members' visit to Temora

Thursday 9 November 2006 Laurence Hargrave Schools' Day

Saturday 9 December 2006 HARS Christmas Party at the Aviation Lounge. Cost is $40 per person and numbers are limited, so get in early.


2006 USA Aviation TourJim HayesIn July this year five HARS members including myself joined an aviation tour of the USA. There were 27 people on the tour which was organised by a Sydney company called Torii Tours.

Our tour started at Sydney International Terminal where we met our guide Brian Stevens. There were people from Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, New Guinea and Sydney, while others joined the tour at Tucson.

At Tucson, we were treated to a tour of the “graveyard” or AMARC where the aircraft are long term stored. On the day we were there I am told that there were 7400 aircraft on site in various states of disrepair. Then it was on to the Pima Air and Space Museum. Being July it was seriously hot but that was ignored as there was so much to see. After that we went out to the missile silo to see the last remaining silo that was in use during the cold war. It has been disabled so that it can no longer be used and the Russian satellites check that it remains in that condition.

The next day was a transport day as we flew to Phoenix and boarded another aircraft to Washington DC. All the domestic United Airlines aircraft that we flew on had the air traffic control fed through the headsets on channel 9 which made for some interesting listening! We had a day to go through the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and a day free to explore Washington.

We departed Washington on an afternoon flight which gave us time to go through the new Museum at the Dulles airport. This contains famous aircraft like “Enola Gay” and the first B707. The museum is only three years old and well worth a visit.

We then flew to Chicago, then Appleton, then by coach to Oshkosh where we stayed at the Wisconsin University. As we were going to be there for a week it was time to catch up on the washing duties.

At the Oshkosh Air Show there were about ten thousand aircraft and something like 650,000 people on the

ground. I was walking about 20 kms a day and still did not see it all. The flying each day was different, with one day a flypast of about 50 Mustangs. There were visits from the Canadian Lancaster, and lots of war birds. A P38 flew daily and there were flying displays of a Mitchell, a Liberator and a B17. The B17 was carrying fare paying passengers and both Frank Purvis and I managed to get a flight on it. There was just about continuous entertainment as well as many seminars.

After 15 days of Oshkosh we flew back to Chicago then on to Dayton for another airshow and a day visiting the site of the Wright Bros first flight. We

then went to the Wright Patterson Airforce Museum, a huge complex with many very rare aircraft and difficult to see all in one day. I noticed that a space was reserved for a Beaufighter with the signs already in place.

After Dayton we went back to Chicago again and then to Portland Oregon where we visited the Spruce Goose at the Evergreen Aviation Museum at McMinville. This is a private museum and well worth a visit.

From there it was a coach ride to Seattle, Washington where we visited the Boeing factory. There we saw the

Avro Lancaster

Heavy metal at Tucson

B17Missile Silo

RAAF B737 in Seattle

Continued page 8


2006 USA Aviation Tour continued from page 7

767 production line and the preparations for production of the 787 Dreamliner which should begin in the new year. After that we went to the Seattle Museum of Flight which contains the very first B737 and B747 and the last Concorde to fly. While we were sitting outside the café having a coffee and looking past a B47 to the airstrip a brand new B737 flew in all painted up in Virgin Blue colours as it was being picked up for delivery. There was also a visit by the RAAF B737 awaiting delivery. Then the Blue Angels landed in preparation for an airshow the next day. When the coach picked us up we went to the seaplane base and all of us got a 45 minute ride in either an Otter or a Beaver over Seattle. A very pleasant way to finish the tour.

The only thing that spoilt the trip was the level of security at all airports. It was getting tiresome after 21 days and on the last night when we were at San Francisco, it took me nearly 30 minutes to get through after getting thoroughly checked for the presence of metal and drugs. Not a pleasant experience!

Overall, it was a most enjoyable tour with everything organised to the finest detail and no, we did not get sick of looking at aircraft.

The Curtiss/Langley ConspiracyBrian Van de Water

The scientific achievement of the Wright brothers is almost beyond belief. These two men, with only high school education and using their own limited funds from their bicycle business, over the three years 1900-1903 accomplished the following:piloted hundreds of glider flights; constructed and operated a wind tunnel to investigate the most efficient wing and aerofoil shapes; proved that the mathematical lift tables compiled by previous pioneers were incorrect;designed and built their own engine; mathematically designed a propeller which recent computer studies show to be amazingly efficient; designed a structure which was light, but with sufficient strength for maneuvering flight; developed and refined a three-axis control system; and determined from flight trials that, in a banked turn, coordinated rudder must be applied to counter the increased drag of the rising wing.

That last item is a particularly advanced concept which shows that, by the end of 1903, the Wright brothers had almost complete mastery of the mechanics of flight – and this was confirmed with their first powered flights on 17 December 1903. By 1905, the brothers were flying for half an hour in completely controlled three-axis flight, but their flights were not publicised – and they did not fly again for three years until their first

public flights in France in 1908, which led to world-wide acclaim and financial success.

In 1903, the only other serious contender for being the first to fly a powered aircraft was Samiel Pierpoint Langley, an eminent US scientist and Director of the prestigious Smithsonian Institution. With a grant of $50,000 from the US Government (equal to about $1 million today) and a large staff, he built his Langley ‘Aerodrome’ but, despite his eminence and credentials, his approach to flight was barely scientific. He flew models of his aircraft, but there were no manned glider flights nor wind tunnel tests and his propeller was a crude paddle blade affair. It was a tandem wing design which, if it had flown, would have had only limited two-axis control so that the aircraft could have done little but fly in a straight line with the ‘pilot’ as a passenger. Before a large audience, the ‘Aerodrome’ was launched over the Potomac River in October 1903 but the aircraft plunged into the water. In a second attempt in December 1903, the structure failed during the launch and, ridiculed by the nation’s newspapers, Langley abandoned his quest for flight. Despite this, the Smithsonian could not accept that two uneducated bicycle makers had succeeded where one of the nation’s greatest scientists had failed. Satisfied that Langley had ‘invented the flying machine’, their refusal to recognize the Wrights’ achievement led to a bitter controversy which lasted for forty years.

In addition to the Smithsonian, from 1908 the Wright brothers were faced with another fierce opponent, Glenn Curtiss who, backed by a group which included Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, flew an aircraft based almost completely on the Wright design with the one major difference, that roll control was via ailerons instead of wing-warping. The Wrights had patented their three-axis control system following their first flights and maintained that the Curtiss ailerons violated their patent. Curtiss was soon producing and selling his aircraft and, failing to convince Curtiss to pay royalties, the Wrights initiated a legal dispute which would extend for several years. A number of court cases ensued which, by 1914, had all

Glenn Curtiss flying (or riding) the reconstructed Langley ‘Aerodrome’ in 1914. Note the 1914 vintage V8 80 hp Curtiss OX engine near the front of the machine. Painting by Brian Van de Water

Continued page 10


Southern Cross Replica AircraftJohn Brooker

The origin of the Southern Cross Replica Aircraft is a fascinating story of one man's desire to historically preserve Australia’s most famous aircraft, the Fokker FV11B-3M Tri-motor, Southern Cross. Whilst the original Southern Cross aircraft resides in a building at Brisbane Airport, its last flight being over fifty years ago, Mr. John Pope, a Chief Flying Instructor, saw the need to present to people all around Australia just what a remarkable aircraft it was and the deeds attributed in it by Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith.

It all began in 1977 when John decided to allocate six months of his time to developing the project. As we all know in the aircraft restoration field six months can easily extend into two years as was the case with John who is still seeking sponsorship. It was not until September 1979 that John’s dogged efforts in seeking support with the help of federal politicians received its reward when the Federal Government agreed to support the project to construct the Replica.

John then established the Famous Australian Aircraft Company (FAA) on 3 December 1979 to build the aircraft. The premise for the work was a “de-commissioned” Army store at Parafield Airport (Hangar 54).

Whilst there were many controversies, cost escalation concerns and successes in the building program, including a 44 month delay in construction, the aircraft was officially completed on 3 September 1987, seven years five months after commencement. Actual construction time was three years nine months. The main sponsors for the project were the Federal Government, ANZ Bank Ltd, Fokker Aeronautics (Holland), Ansett and Esso.

The initial owner of the Aircraft was the Federal Government and they operated it through the Southern Cross Museum Trust (SCMT), which was formed on 17 January 1980. The Trust was wound up around 1996/97. At this time the SCMT advised the Federal Government that it was financially unable to renew its lease on the aircraft. In the ensuing 27 months a series of events took place and many suggestions were discussed on what to do with the aircraft. A considerable effort was made, particularly by three South Australians, Mr. Bill Antel, CEO Antelco Pty Ltd, Mr. John Ross, then President of the Local Government Association of SA and Mr. Pope to secure the aircraft, culminating in the Howard Government offering to gift the aircraft to the South Australian Government. Finally, in November 1998 ownership of the aircraft was transferred in a Deed-of-Gift to the South Australian Government. At the end of March 1999 the aircraft was leased to the newly formed Southern Cross Replica Association Inc. It had been incorporated as an Association in South Australia only days before.

As a result of a landing accident at Parafield Airport in May 2002 the South Australian Government issued an advertisement in the press in November 2002 for organisations wishing to respond to an ‘Expression of Interest’ in repairing and operating the aircraft under a Deed of Gift. HARS immediately registered their interest and three years later, in December 2005, letters of agreement were exchanged between the SA Government and HARS.

We are grateful to Mr. Pope, a current HARS member, for providing this historical background to the Society.

Wing being fitted to fuselarge for the first time (1981)

Wing being turned showing rock 'n' roll rig in use (1981)

Wing with rock 'n' roll being used as a support stand. Lady in foreground gives an indication of the size of the wing

Continued page 10

Southern Cross Replica Aircraft continued from page 9

UpdateThe replica Aircraft has been disassembled ready for transportation from Parafield Airport in South Australia. It is intended that the fuselage will be transported to the Airport in Murray Bridge SA where it will undergo repairs to the damage caused in the accident in May 2002. In addition, we believe that the main undercarriage may need to undergo a level of redesign to ensure stability and reduce the high level of tyre wear previously experienced.

The aircraft’s three Jacobs engines are to be sent to Peter Brook in Brisbane where they will be completely bulk stripped and inspected for damage. Peter was involved in the final stages of bringing the Replica Aircraft to flying condition and his familiarity with the type makes this an easy decision.

It is almost certain that at least two new propeller sets need to be acquired with the third to be completely overhauled. This is as a result of two of the engines being stopped when the propellers hit the ground.

The wing is perhaps the major concern in the restoration process as it is a massive all wood structure. The wingspan is 21.6metres with the cord measuring 3.7 metres and is nearly 1 metre thick. As a result of the accident nearly 1.8 metres was torn off the starboard end of the wing.

It is intended that the wing will be transported by road to our new HARS Restoration Centre at the Illawarra Regional Airport, Albion Park NSW. A team will be assembled to undertake the repair. For this to happen it was necessary to construct a specially designed jig to hold the damaged wing in place for transportation.

We are most fortunate that the Replica’s designer, Mr. Bill Whitney, has offered his consulting services in the repair of the wing.

The Curtiss/Langley Conspiracy continued from page 8

concluded in favour of the Wright patent (Wilbur Wright died in 1912 but Orville continued the struggle).

By 1914, Curtiss, desperate to overturn the judgements, conceived and executed a plot to convince the courts that the Wrights were not the first to fly and that their patents were consequently invalid. His plan was to reconstruct the Langley ‘Aerodrome’ from the wreckage which was still held by the Smithsonian and to fly the aircraft to prove that Langley and not the Wrights was the inventor of the aeroplane. Supported by funds from the Smithsonian, reconstruction was completed in August 1914 and the machine, fitted with floats, was flown by Curtiss on Lake Keuka in New York State. Tests continued for months during which some flights extended for a few hundred metres.

The Smithsonian was ecstatic and published the following statement which, in view of later disclosures, was an extraordinarily fraudulent act by a supposedly reputable scientific organisation: “Without modification and with it’s original structure and power ... the Aerodrome was capable of flying with pilot and several hundred pounds of useful load ... and is the first aeroplane in history of which this can truthfully be said.”

Fortunately for history, unfortunately for Curtiss and the Smithsonian, this distortion of the truth was uncovered because Orville Wright had placed a spy in the Curtiss camp! A Wright associate, Griffith Brewer, posing as a reporter, had closely followed the reconstruction of the ‘Aerodrome’ and had taken many photos which showed that, in fact, the Curtiss Aerodrome was so extensively modified that it bore only superficial resemblance to the original. The wings had different chord, camber and aspect ratio, the structure was redesigned – a much more powerful and current engine was used, an efficient propeller was employed and the ‘pilot’ was relocated to a completely different position and provided with an active two-axis control system.

The only thing to be said in favour of Curtiss is that the Wrights were demanding a totally unreasonable twenty percent royalty on his aircraft

which, by 1914, Curtiss was producing in substantial quantities – and Curtiss did attempt to visit the Wrights to reach a compromise but the Wrights refused. The two sides never met. The details of the ‘Aerodrome’ deception did not become public for a number of years and the battle lingered for another thirty years and was only resolved as a result of a desperate move by Orville Wright. The names of the two bitter enemies, Curtiss and Wright, would later be linked in a common enterprise which would survive until the 1950s and the 1903 Wright Flyer would spend five years underground in England.

These later events comprise a story of their own which I hope to relate in another issue of Phoenix.

Shop and tour reportGuided tours of the HARS complex are becoming increasingly popular, and since the beginning of the year approx 2000 people have visited our Albion Park complex.

Organised bus tours provide the largest groups, including Probus and Lions Clubs, whilst visits by car clubs are becoming more and more popular.

With the option of having morning tea, lunch, or perhaps just a quick tour of the HARS facility, bookings are on the increase as people and clubs look for different venues and alternatives to keep their members interested. It is not unusual to hear people say that they have visited the site before and decided to come again to see if any of the exhibits have changed.

More schools are coming on line and the feedback is very positive, including the educational and entertainment aspect.

The shop is well maintained by Judy and Adele, many thanks to them for their efforts and dedication.

Barry


NUMBERS ARE LIMITEDHARS Christmas Party at the Aviation Lounge

Saturday 9 December 2006 Cost is $40 per person


HARS away visitsListed below are the main away visits undertaken by HARS over the last 12 months.

Connie Kalgoorlie, Broken Hill, Adelaide, Leonora, Temora, Brisbane and Sydney.

C47'sArkaroola Wilderness Resort in the Flinders Ranges (SA), Broken Hill, Nowra, Temora, and Canberra for the Australian War Memorial Celebrations.

Drover and Tiger Moth Watt's Bridge (Qld)

Catalina Swan Hill (Lake Boga, Vic), Temora, Bankstown, Nowra, and Canberra for the Australian War Memorial Celebrations.

Watt's BridgeSandy HowardThe weekend of 26/27August saw HARS’ de Havilland fleet far to the North attending the Queensland Vintage Aeroplane Group’s annual Festival of Flight fly-in at Watt’s Bridge aerodrome, east of Toogoolawah in the upper Brisbane River valley.

The main celebration was the 75th anniversary of production of the DH-82 Tiger Moth and as we’d attended the 70th Birthday with QVAG in 2001, a return visit was in order. However, nothing is easy with an aircraft which has 2 hours range plus reserves at 70 knots. Refuelling locations becomes a major logistical exercise and as in comedy, timing is everything! We’ve decided that for any long-distance flights with the Tiger, a two pilot crew is the preferred option as the days are long, but the added bonus of an on-board prop-swinger and handler reduces fatigue considerably. Thus, Thursday 25th saw Brian Acker as pilot and Russell Field as copilot depart Albion Park for Port Macquarie in order to get a head start.

On Friday 26th, the Drover team of John Brownjohn, Tony Duggan, Sandy & Marj Howard and Frank Purvis departed to catch the Tiger by Watt’s Bridge. Lunch at Coffs Harbour for both crews was a separate affair as the Tiger boys certainly got the jump. It was sad to see the reduction in aviation activity requiring us to make specific arrangements with fuel and food suppliers instead of just being able to

roll up and use a carnet. Both crews found the heavy smoke a considerable challenge between Coffs and Casino, but dusk had both aircraft tied down and the bus awaiting the trip into Toogoolawah.

We’ve lucked upon an innovative arrangement with the Toogoolawah Motel! They have a cottage next door and again gave us free [well, not quite?] reign, with transport for a pittance. Peter, the manager, has upgraded his Toyota Coaster to a major size Denning coach [Timmsy would love it!], so the HARS team travelled in style all weekend.

This was one of the biggest weekends, with an overall attendance of 209 aircraft. The Tiger was able to take part in a “birthday flypast” and the Saturday night hangar dinner was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

The evening was slightly curtailed by the need to get the Tiger away by 0700 on Sunday to make Albion Park in the day. The high-pressure system giving us a nudge on Friday was favourably placed to provide a 10 knot tailwind all the way down the coast on Sunday. Watt’s Bridge was overcast and some cloud over the McPherson Range [nemesis of the 1930’s Stinson Tri-motor] caused some heartache, but it was clear the rest of the way. While the Drover makes it with one stop at Coffs, the Tiger [now with Frank Purvis as copilot] had to drop in to Lismore, Coffs, Taree and Warnervale to arrive just behind the Drover.

A trip enjoyed by all but a bit lengthy for a regular sojourn!

John Brownjohn checking the oil

Brian Acker ready for take-off

Russell Field cleaning the windscreen Sandy Howard lets go of the prop just as the engine fired


HARS Cat attends "Splash In" at Lake BogaMaureen Massey

VH-PBZ “Felix” was invited to attend a “Splash In’” at Lake Boga on 3, 4 and 5 March this year.The “Splash In” was part of the Air and Aquatic Festival held at Lake Boga on the Saturday, and on Sunday an Inland Surf Carnival was held as part of a Commonwealth Games supported event for the Swan Hill Rural City Council municipality.

Thousands of people came from all over the state to take part in the activities and view the many amphibious aircraft that landed on the lake. The highlight of the show was our Catalina, of course.

We arrived at Swan Hill on the Friday, and were greeted with pretty hot weather and millions of flies, which seems to be the norm in these parts.

After securing the aircraft, we were ferried to our motel in town to put our party dresses on for the formal dinner which was due to start at 6.00pm. The local Community Hall was transformed into a ballroom, and around 140 invited guests enjoyed a live band, dancing and great food, but most importantly, air conditioning! The evening was a great success, and HARS were

acknowledged for providing the only flying Catalina to visit Lake Boga in 60 years.

The weather on the Saturday was picture perfect, and the Cat looked magnificent as Warren and Gordon did their routine over the lake, thrilling the thousands of spectators lining the foreshore. If HARS had a dollar for every photo taken on that day, we would have Hangars 2 and 3 up already!

The HARS shop was set up on the edge of the Lake, and Pearsy, Geoff Cuthbert and Grahame Abrahams were kept busy most of the day. Many thanks to them.

Sunday was a repeat of Saturday, and the feedback from the media and crowd on the Cat’s performance was described as “spine-chilling”. After a very successful weekend, Felix headed home on Monday.

It is a wonderful feeling to be part of a team which brings so much pleasure to people when they are able to visit the Catalina and recall the many memories and events which have shaped their lives, and all come flooding back when they step back in time on our Catalina. The stories and recollections are endless and the smiles and sometimes tears, are a reflection of joy and great pride, and such a valuable part of our Australian aviation history.

Rathmines flyoverDon Binskin

On Thursday 24 November 2005, HARS took part in a flyover for the Heritage Dedication Ceremony held atRathmines, the WWII RAAF Seaplane Base at Lake Macquarie, north of Sydney. Having had my first ride in a Cat at Rathmines in April 1951, I probably looked like someone who had won the lottery when asked to be part of the crew for the flyover.

Ten minutes after leaving Albion Park, flying north along the coast at 500 feet, we passed the new Sea Cliff Bridge built on the Lawrence Hargrave Drive to replace the missing road section. As we continued north into Victor One, the low level coastal aircraft lane passing Sydney, the view from the engineer's position in the wing support was unreal and the sound and sight of the 1830 radials at cruise power just eight feet away gave me a very confident feeling about the aeroplane. It also makes you understand why most of the aircrew came home as deaf as beetles because ear protection is a must.

We arrived at the agreed holding point off Swansea at the entrance to Lake Macquarie a few minutes early only to be advised that the flyover was to be delayed 35 minutes due to guests being late due to traffic. It must have appeared to the crew of the numerous coal ships anchored off Newcastle, as we orbited the area to the south, as if we were trying to work out where the hell Rathmines was.

While we orbited the area, it brought back memories of the Swansea Channel

Photo courtesy Newcastle Herald (copyrighted)

Continued next page

www.hars.org.au


Rathmines flyover continuedin the late 80's, when, as a Army Reserve coswain at the wheel of an LCM 8 Landing Craft, I came down that channel on an incoming tide for 5 days in a row.

The LCM weighed sixty tonnes, carrying half that weight again in the cargo well with equipment and supplies from our base at Woolwich Dock in Sydney. If you’ve seen the rate of the incoming tide down that channel, put yourself at the wheel of this sixty three foot long, fourteen foot wide steel landing craft heading for a twenty five foot opening, pushed by a five knot current. The problem was, by the time we unloaded and arrived back at Woolwich to reload we were just that much later each day. This matched the tide and each day as the bridge opened I had visions of seeing myself in the Army News as the one who made the Swansea Opening Bridge a fixed opening. It didn’t happen, but by the third day as I came in from the ocean the right side of my face and mouth started jumping with a nervous twitch.

On being called in to start the display, we saw a large crowd gathered on the point near the memorial propeller, at the front of the old Officers’ Mess. This building is now the Rathmines Memorial Bowling Club building and contains much memorabilia and photos of the base as it was in the war years. It is worth a visit and the view of the lake will show you that a fully loaded Catalina taking off would certainly have needed both Pratt and Whitney 1830s doing their best.

I phoned the Bowling Club the next day to ask how it looked from the ground. My contact said that to see a Catalina again at low level over Rathmines after all those years was an incredible sight and will be long remembered.

When you see those turns at low level, looking good from the ground and feeling terrific inside the Catalina, spare a thought for Warren and Gordo, because with that long wing, short body and no power steering, what you see is straight muscle power.

After our last pass we continued back out to sea over Swansea and down the coast, past Lion Island at the entrance to Broken Bay and passing through Victor One again to return to Albion Park. When flying over this country, I hope all Australians appreciate, as I do, what we have here.

Getting ready for RichmondThe last few months have seen steady progress in getting the Catalina and Neptune ready for the Richmond Airshow. The Catalina's tail has been painted in preparation for reassembly. Other activites include work on the oil coolers and float motor, sheetmetal and rudder fabric work as well as fuel tank inspections.

Neptune 273 has had engine work completed and has had a cosmetic make over with lots of polishing and paint touch up. It has also undergone retraction tests as well as an annual inspection.

Thank you to members for the many many hours that they have spent getting these two aircraft ready.


TAKE TWOMike De La Hunty, 57:We grew up in Caringbah and Victoria. When we were kids, we were both interested in aircraft, putting pegs out the window of our grandfather’s car with a prop spinning on the front of it, Biggles books and all that sort of thing.I didn’t go on with aviation to the same extent that Bob did. I didn’t get involved with aircraft again until I joined the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society in 1988, when the first Neptune came along.

Bob runs the place and I pick up the rubbish, so we have both ends covered. We work pretty well together because we have a good understanding of what’s required. I was in sales and marketing in the building industry but retired about four years ago and now spend a lot of time doing this.

We have had similar sort of background. Our father was very dominating but he taught us about life and he taught us about business.

At the of 16 - Bob was 17 - we bought a boat between us and used to waterski. Then he was transferred to Adelaide with his job and I went to Vietnam with the army. That interfered with that.

We didn’t spend a great deal of time together from that time until he bought the Neptune. When he told me, I said: “You bought a what?” Now we have three of them, plus the Super Constellation, plus the Catalina, Tiger Moths and more besides.

Bob is a very charismatic person and very much a natural leader, people hang off his every word. He’s got the ability to motivate people whether it’s motivating someone to sweep the floor or motivating some business to give us thousands of dollars or supplies.

I tend to jump up and down and make a lot of noise whereas he goes about things very calmly. We have the same attitude to responsibility, motivation, dedication and doing the right thing, being honest. We were taught to have the courage of our convictions.

I have the dirtiest overalls in the outfit and the dirtiest flying suit. I like the hands-on kind of stuff. Bob likes that too but he’s compelled to look after the admin side. No-one can do it as well as he can.

Bob De La Hunty, 58:

Our dad was the manager for a footwear distribution business and a regimental sergeant-major during the war. My brother was in the same battalion in Vietnam. The two of them used to share war stories and I used to listen with great interest.

The way we conduct our lives is influenced by his disciplines, teachings and wise words. He gave us the encouragement to believe in ourselves and have a respect for other people.

Like most kids, we would occasionally have a bit of a running battle, but most of it was very much supporting each other. I think I was occasionally a bit big brotherish but it hasn’t affected our long-term relationship.

Even now, he very much commands what he’s doing here. I try and command what I am doing and we negotiate to make sure we don’t run into each other’s areas. The only thing we debate about is I am always turning the lights on and he keeps turning them off.

Sibling rivalry can still come out along the way somewhere, but I have enormous respect for Michael and what he has done and his family life.

The fact that he went to Vietnam and I didn’t, made me enormously mindful of the dangers. He wasn’t in the Battle of Long Tan, but he was in some pretty rough stuff. A lot of his mates were killed or wounded, but he survived.

I have the greatest admiration for his contribution to Australian standards. I honour him on Anzac Day and I’m immensely proud of his involvement - I get emotional about it.

I admire his strength of character and his sense of purpose. If he wants to get something done he will bloody well get it done and nothing will stop him.

That’s the case with me, too, in doing what we have done with the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society. People have said we wouldn’t get the Constellation, or we wouldn’t buy Neptunes or build a hangar.

Anything we have got in life has been through hard work and inspiring people and businesses about what we’re trying to do.

There are more similarities than differences. We don’t clash in any long-term way. Someone said to Michael once: “It must be difficult living in the shadow of your brother”. That fired him up.

I don’t want people to think he’s living in the shadow of me, I want them to know that we’re doing this together.

The only thing we debate about isI am always turning the lights onand he keeps turning them off.‘

’

William Verity

This article was reproduced with the kind permission of the Illawarra Mercury Newspaper, THE WEEKENER of Saturday 16 September 2006.

Brothers BOB (right) and MIKE DE LA HUNTY have worked together for almost 20 years to conserve Australia’s aviation heritage with the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society.


Chipmunk NewsMark FitzgeraldThe HARS Chipmunk restoration project (VH-MCC) is making steady progress. The airframe is with renowned Chipmunk restorer Tim Becroft at Tocumwal whilst the engine is with Terry Ryan at Luskintyre. HARS members Grant Coles, Troy Bates and Mark Fitzgerald have been making regular pilgrimages to Tim’s toy shop for the past 15 months to play apprentices. About once a month we don our worst clothes and proceed to cover them in dust, grease, paint stripper and occasionally blood as a stubborn nut finally lets go! The airframe is completely stripped and has now commenced the rebuild process. The control surfaces have been recovered and the starboard wing, which was being repaired, is now ready for recovering. The port wing is expected to follow suit shortly.

HARS member Philip Gannon did a wonderful job restoring the instruments and these are currently being installed in the new instrument panels that were ably crafted by Mark’s father-in-law.

Terry Ryan has stripped the engine and we are waiting on some testing to determine what needs to be replaced.

After much digging around and talking to Chipmunk nuts worldwide we have determined that MCC is the third oldest Chipmunk still in existence in the world and when restored will be the second oldest one flying. It was the 22nd aircraft off the Canadian production line and arrived in Australia in December 1947. The only older aircraft in existence are No. 6 (which is currently a pile of parts in Canada) and No. 11, which is a beautifully restored example that participated in the Chipmunk 60th anniversary celebrations in Canada this year.

MCC was the first Chipmunk in Australia and was also the first Chipmunk to enter service with an aero club in Australia, being Newcastle Aero Club. Before being discovered in the back of a shed by Grant Coles the aircraft had three owners, DeHavilland (as the demo model in 1947), Newcastle Aero Club and David Cosh (a farmer from northern NSW). Over its life it had a number of identities (BFT, RNG, BBF and MCC), so some of you may have

bumped into it over the years in one of these guises. It has never been a military trainer, although it did do “national service” with ARDU and CFS for a number of months in 1948 when the RAAF was evaluating it as a replacement for the Tiger Moth. It even has its own service card!

Having trolled through the message board in the members’ area of the HARS website I can correct a few misconceptions. Being a DHC-1A, DH Support in the UK does not support the aircraft. A Canadian company called Viking holds the type certificate and does a very bad job of supporting this model Chipmunk. You can also put away TNS138 as this does not apply to Canadian built aircraft. In fact there is almost nothing on a Canadian Chipmunk that is the same as a British one. It is made from different materials, the wing attachment points are different and the all up weight is very different, with the Canadian models being much lighter. Being a “1A” ours is also very different to later Canadian versions. It has a greenhouse canopy rather than a bubble one and the elevators and rudder are of a narrower chord. Although the canopy looks like an English one it is of different dimensions (as is the windscreen and the rollover bar).

All of these differences mean that it is almost impossible to source parts for the aircraft and so far we have only tracked down two people (one in the US and one in Canada) who have been able to source parts for it. Given that the aircraft is now in the “putting back together” stage this is the major impediment to progress.

We were amazed to find out that one of the DeHavilland Canada Chipmunk test pilots is still alive and an active pilot. His name is George Neal, he is in his 80’s and he still flies a Chipmunk. He flew MCC when it came off the production line and we are eagerly awaiting a copy of his log book entry. He is also prevailed upon regularly, along with the owners of No. 11, to answer our myriad of questions about how bits go back together.

With any luck we will have the old girl back in the air in 2007 in time for her 60th birthday. We’ll keep you posted on progress and look forward to sharing some birthday cake with you all next year.

The engine stripped down at Terry Ryan's hangar at Luskintyre

Grant Coles in the rear fuselage (his is a job for the skinniest member of the team)

Tim Becroft and Keith Ainsworth doing some riveting work on the wing at Tocumwal

Grant, Troy and Fitzgerald children stripping the fabric off the port wing

Side view of the cockpit

57 Shoalhaven Street(PO Box 152) Kiama NSW 2533Telephone: (02) 4232 1999Facsimile: (02) 4232 3185Email: [email protected] Pty Ltd


Cocky addressing the Air League on flying matters. Mike might have managed to get the ocassional word in as well.

Smile, action...

Bernie preparing the Neptune's surface

Mike sanding the Neptune

Grahame degreasing the Neptune

Plucca washing Connie

Bill, John, Bob and Mal replacing a tyre tube

Pep taking a coffee break

QUARTERLY MAGAZINE OF THE AUSTRALIAN HISTORICAL … · Phoenix, Spring Edition 2006 • Historical...

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