Aeroplane Monthly 2016-11 (522)

WIN! YOUR NAME ON A RED ARROWS JET

CLOSING DATE FRIDAY 2 DECEMBER 2016

More than a Century of History in the Air ®

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Messerschmitt Museum

FIRST REPORT

ANOTHER MOSQUITO AIRBORNE

EXCLUSIVE REPORT

Inside a unique collection

Plus…

• CONVAIR ‘POGO’ PILOT • DONALD TRUMP’S FAILED AIRLINE • ED MALONEY TRIBUTE

DATABASE POLIKARPOV Po-2

IN THE NEWS

COMBAT VETERAN ‘SPIT’ FLIES AGAIN

NOVEMBER 2016 £4.40 11 9 770143 724101

INTERVIEW

RESTORING HAWKER CLASSICS Aeropla a ne meets Guy Blacck

Contents

November 2016

Vol 44, no 11 • Issue no 523

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92

NEWS AND COMMENT 4

FROM THE EDITOR

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NEWS • FHC Mosquito maiden flight • Norwegian Starfighter airborne • Scottish DH Dragon flies again • Early Spitfire IX takes to the air … and the month’s other top aircraft preservation news

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HANGAR TALK Steve Slater’s monthly comment column on the historic aircraft world

REGULARS 21

SKYWRITERS

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Q&A Your questions asked and answered

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AIRCREW Piloting Convair’s tricky XFY-1 tail-sitting vertical take-off fighter, the infamous ‘Pogo’

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EVENTS Reports from Hahnweide, Duxford and Zeltweg

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BOOKS

106 NEXT MONTH

FEATURES 16

ED MALONEY Frank B. Mormillo pays a special tribute to this great pioneer of the warbird preservation movement

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B-23 DRAGON The last flying example of the Douglas bomber-turned-executive transport

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ANSON ACCIDENT Remembering one of World War Two’s many long-forgotten training tragedies

FLYING BULLS SYCAMORE The return to flight of a very historic British helicopter

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DATABASE: POLIKARPOV U-2/Po-2 Polikarpov expert Mikhail Maslov provides an in-depth study of the training biplane that went to war

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IN-DEPTH PAGES

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FLUGMUSEUM MESSERSCHMITT The unique Bavarian ‘flying museum’ devoted to Willy Messerschmitt’s heritage

100 TRUMP SHUTTLE When Donald Trump tried to take on the major US airlines

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MONACO SEAPLANE CONTEST Rare images of this 1912 event in the principality

WIN!

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YAK-3 Will Greenwood on owning, flying and operating the potent Soviet fighter

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AEROPLANE MEETS… GUY BLACK Recoveries of rare aircraft from around the world have filled the aviation career of this engineering perfectionist

See page 14 for a great subscription offer

AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

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YOUR NAME ON A RED ARROWS JET See page 105

COVER IMAGE: Me 262A/B-1c D-IMTT of the Flugmuseum Messerschmitt. MARKUS ZINNER/BMLVS

ESTABLISHED 1911

Aeroplane traces its lineage back to the weekly The Aeroplane, founded by C. G. Grey in 1911 and published until 1968. It was re-launched as a monthly in 1973 by Richard T. Riding, editor for 25 years until 1998.

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From the

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E D I TO R

wonder when the term ‘warbird’ was first heard in the UK to describe a preserved, airworthy historic aircraft? Certainly, it has its roots in the United States, where the 1940s and ’50s witnessed the first flowerings of the warbird movement as we now know it. Many individuals were involved, purchasing — for sums that seem tiny today — surplus ex-military aeroplanes, engines, spare parts and everything else necessary for their operation, and getting P-40s, P-51s, Corsairs and many other famous types back into the air. One of the key figures in all this was, of course, Edward T. Maloney. The founder of what is now the Planes of Fame Air Museum can rightfully be described as a pioneer. He was, in many ways, the American equivalent of Richard Shuttleworth — a far-sighted visionary who recognised early on the importance of keeping historic aircraft flying, and took steps to ensure just that. The scope of Planes of Fame’s own fleet, based at Chino, tells its own story. So too do airframes once in the hands of Ed and Planes of Fame but which were traded to other owners. Many of them would not otherwise have survived for future generations of enthusiasts to see. The recent passing of Ed Maloney marked, to use a well-worn cliché, the end of an era in aircraft preservation.

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He was one of the few remaining links to those post-war days — days so vital to the development of the burgeoning warbird scene we enjoy around the world. All the while he remained hugely interested and engaged, a key figure at Planes of Fame, and an inspiration to many. To mark Ed’s loss, we enlisted his old friend Frank B. Mormillo to write a tribute for this issue of Aeroplane — when the copy and photos arrived, we simply had to make more space. I hope you’ll agree that Frank has done Ed and his legacy proud. Elsewhere, there is more evidence that the movement spearheaded by the likes of Ed Maloney is in fine health. We report this month on a remarkable series of maiden post-restoration flights: another Mosquito, Europe’s only airworthy F-104 Starfighter, and a very interesting combat veteran Spitfire IX. But the efforts of those engaged in preserving civil historic aircraft must also be applauded, and in that context the beautiful de Havilland Dragon newly completed by Mike Souch and his team at MK Aviation/Aero Antiques, and just delivered to its owner in Scotland, stands out. What a marvellous example of the restorer’s art. Ben Dunnell

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CONTRIBUTORS THIS MONTH

@HistoryInTheAir

Mikhail M A S LOV

F ra n k B . M O R M I L LO

Ro b e r t M . ST I T T

Dr Andreas ZEITLER

Mikhail was born in Mary — then part of the USSR, now in Turkmenistan — in 1954. He graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute with a degree in mechanical engineering, and worked as a structural design engineer for Tupolev from 1982-86 before transferring to TsAGI’s engineering information department. From the late 1990s he became actively involved in the restoration of historic aircraft, including airworthy examples of the Po-2, I-15bis, I-153, I-16, DIT and MiG-3. Mikhail is also a leading author and authority on Soviet aviation history.

Frank B. Mormillo (he uses the middle initial because there are three other Frank Mormillos in his family) can’t remember a time when he was not fascinated by aircraft. He still recalls the memory of fighters roaring overhead during post-WW2 Veterans Day parades, and while in high school he became involved with the Planes of Fame Air Museum. Mormillo began his career as a photojournalist during his college days, and has specialised in photographing aircraft, motor racing and military subjects ever since.

Following technical training with Hawker Siddeley, Robert worked for five years in the South-west Pacific, developing a keen interest in aviation archaeology. Having moved to Canada, he joined the aerial firefighting industry, where he documented the ‘retired’ types employed. Other in-depth works followed, including a book on the B-17 with RAF Coastal Command. He is now writing the history of Canadian aerial survey pioneer Spartan Air Services. Robert is an active pilot and is restoring one of the Fleet Canucks on which he learned to fly.

Says Andreas, “I have had the honour and pleasure to accompany the amazing collection of Messerschmitt aircraft at Manching for several years now. With strong support from the team, many photo opportunities have arisen during that time. Gaining an insight into the Flugmuseum Messerschmitt’s operations made me realise just how demanding a job it is to keep these precious pieces of aviation history airworthy. My article in Aeroplane this month is dedicated to their daily work on those amazing aircraft.”

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AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

News

NEWS EDITOR: TONY HARMSWORTH E-MAIL TO: [email protected] TELEPHONE: +44 (0)7791 808044 WRITE TO: Aeroplane, Key Publishing Ltd, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincolnshire PE9 1XQ, UK

FHC Mosquito airborne

Dave Phillips brings Mosquito TIII TV959/ZK-FHC in to land after its maiden flight at Ardmore on 26 September. TONY SMITH

The Flying Heritage Collection’s de Havilland Mosquito TIII TV959/ZK-FHC made its first post-restoration flight on 26 September at Ardmore, New Zealand, five years after the aircraft had arrived in the Avspecs hangar for a rebuild to fly. The former RAF trainer is

temporarily painted in the markings of a No 75 Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force Mosquito FBVI, NZ2337/YC-F, which was destroyed in a hangar fire at Ohakea in June 1950. The aircraft will be repainted in an as yet undisclosed RAF scheme after it has been transported to the

The No 75 Squadron, RNZAF markings are temporary, and will be replaced after the Mosquito arrives in Seattle. GAVIN CONROY

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FHC’s base at Paine Field, Seattle. On 29 September, Avspecs boss Warren Denholm said: “We have only flown once so far, as the Auckland weather has not been co-operating, and I won’t be at all surprised if this past month is the wettest September on record. The current plan is to complete phase one of the test flying here at Ardmore over the coming days, and then she will be dismantled and packed for shipment to Seattle.” The crew for the first flight comprised former RNZAF Douglas A-4 Skyhawk pilot Dave Phillips in the left-hand seat, and world-renowned display pilot Keith Skilling in the right. They will alternate positions as the test flights progress. The same crew was on board the first Avspecs Mosquito restoration, FB26 KA114/N114KA, for its maiden flight on 29 September 2012.

That aeroplane is now operated by the Military Aviation Museum at Virginia Beach, Virginia. The two 1,460hp RollsRoyce Merlin engines installed in TV959 were rebuilt by Vintage V12s at Tehachapi, California, the propellers by Westpac Props in Colorado Springs, and the radiators and oil coolers by Replicore in Whangarei, New Zealand. Warren Denholm continues: “We are very proud that it has been less than four years since we flew the first example, and we should easily surpass that feat with the next one, which is due to fly in 2018. Also, we have yet another example under way in the woodwork shop now. This fourth aircraft is available for purchase. Wouldn’t it be great if one of your UK readers were to buy it!”

AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

CF-104D Starfighter serial 637 blasts out of Bodø on 28 September. SINDRE A. H. NEDREVÅG

Norwegian Starfighter flies Canadair-built CF-104D Starfighter serial 637/LN-STF, owned by the Friends of the Starfighter organisation, made its maiden post-restoration flight at Bodø, Norway, during the early evening of 28 September. Royal Norwegian Air Force test pilot Eskil Amdal, who also flies the ‘Shark’ P-51D Mustang and Spitfires for the Boultbee Flight Academy, was at the controls. Accompanied by a two-seat Royal Norwegian Air Force

F-16 Fighting Falcon as chase aircraft, the Starfighter’s first flight was a successful affair of circa 12 minutes’ duration, including numerous missed approaches. A full flight test programme will now be conducted. Delivered during May 1962 with serial 104637, the twoseat CF-104 served with the Royal Canadian Air Force/ Canadian Armed Forces until May 1973, when it passed to the Royal Norwegian Air Force.

Its subsequent service was with 334 Skvadron at Bodø. Retired on 1 April 1983, the Starfighter was stored at Sola, Stavanger, before being taken back to Bodø for use as an aircraft towing procedures trainer. In the 1990s, 637 was put on display at Bodø in the Norsk Luftfartsmuseum (Norwegian Aviation Museum). It was then that interest arose in getting it flying again, due to the airframe’s especially good

Eskil Amdal makes a flypast in the Starfighter with wheels up. TROND HØYVIK/LUFTFORSVARET

condition. Still owned by the Norwegian military, the aircraft was removed from the museum and given to Bodøbased F-16 unit 331 Skvadron to look after. The Friends of the Starfighter group, involving many former Norwegian F-104 personnel, was established in January 2003 and embarked on 637’s restoration, aided by spare parts provided by the Italian Air Force after its retirement of the Starfighter. A first engine run took place during September 2007, and initial taxi trials the following year. Ownership was officially transferred to Friends of the Starfighter in November 2010, allowing the civil registration LN-STF to be allotted during 2011. The CF-104D thus becomes the only airworthy Starfighter in Europe. Its flight at Bodø was the first time an example of the type had been airborne in European skies since the Italian Air Force flight test centre, the Reparto Sperimentale Volo, retired its final F-104S ASA-M on 27 July 2005. Ben Dunnell

Voodoo victorious at Reno

Flying P-51D Mustang N551VC Voodoo, Steve Hinton Jr won the Unlimited Gold race for the seventh time at Reno, Nevada on 18 September. Hinton averaged 460.306mph during the championship race, beating

AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

rookie racer James Consalvi from Midland, Texas, flying Yak-11 N5934 Czech Mate, who averaged 450.582mph. The highly-modified Yak had previously been raced at Reno by Sherman Smoot. In third place was Brian Sanders in his

Pratt & Whitney R-4360powered Sea Fury T20 NX20SF Dreadnought.

RIGHT: Steve Hinton Jr flying P-51D Voodoo to Unlimited-class victory at Reno. FRANK B. MORMILLO

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News

Scottish Dragon makes maiden flight

The Scottish Motor Traction colour scheme glinting in the sunlight, DH84 Dragon G-ACET arrives at Manchester City Airport — better known as Barton — on 18 September, en route to its new home in Scotland. NICK DURIEZ

Following a long-term rebuild by Mike Souch and a team at MK Aviation/Aero Antiques, de Havilland DH84 Dragon G-ACET made its first flight in 75 years at Malshanger near Basingstoke on 26 August with Dan Griffith at the controls. On 18 September the machine was flown to Cumbernauld Airport, 18 miles north of Glasgow, where it will be based with owner George Cormack. The Dragon is resplendent in the colours in which it was delivered to its original operator, Scottish Motor

Traction, at Edinburgh’s Turnhouse airport in June 1933. Mike began work on the Dragon, c/n 6021, 15 years ago. The two 130hp Gipsy Major engines were rebuilt by Vintech at Little Gransden, and the propellers came from the Croydon Aircraft Company in Mandeville, New Zealand. This DH84 spent the first three-and-a-half years of its life north of the border, going to Midland and Scottish Air Ferries in February 1934, and in September of that year to Highland Airways at Inverness, where it was named Kirkwall.

During October 1937 it was registered to Eric Noddings of Commercial Air Hire at Croydon, the co-managing director of this charter and air taxi company being The Hon Mrs Victor Bruce, the recordbreaking pilot and racing driver. Its final civil operator was another Noddings/Victor Bruce company, Air Dispatch, latterly based at Cardiff. Impressed into RAF service as AW171 in July 1940, the Dragon went to the Station Flight at Ringway, Manchester, home of No 6 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit, but after being returned to de

Havilland for inspection in September 1941 it was struck off charge the following month and donated to No 328 Squadron, Air Training Corps, at Kingston-uponThames, and allotted the maintenance serial 2779M. It was restored to the register by the late Duxford-based Dragon Rapide operator Mike Russell for his Russavia Collection in January 1989. This story of this historic machine has now gone full-circle, the recent return to Scotland being the first time it had been north of the border for nearly 80 years.

‘R-Robert’ moved at Brooklands

Wellington Ia N2980 in the temporary ‘Wellington Pavilion’ at Brooklands. KATHARINE ALLEN

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The world’s only surviving combat-veteran Vickers Wellington, N2980 ‘R-Robert’, was moved from its home of the past 31 years to a temporary building at the Brooklands Museum on 15 September as the £8.1-million Heritage Lottery Fund-supported Brooklands Aircraft Factory and Race Track Revival Project forged ahead. The 1940-built Bellman hangar that housed N2980 has now been dismantled and is being restored off-site. When it returns in January 2017, the hangar will be relocated to a new position on the museum site, and the Wellington will move back in to form part of the story of aircraft production at Brooklands,

covering an 80-year period which began in 1908. The development will see the original Brooklands motor circuit finishing straight — upon which the hangar was built — being rejoined with the banked section of the track and creating a continuous loop with the bottom of the famous Test Hill. For the first time since the track closed to the public in 1939, visitors to the site will see the same views from north to south as would have appeared in period. The newly restored finishing straight is due to open on 17 June 2017, exactly 110 years to the day after the Brooklands race track first opened as a venue.

AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

Early Spitfire IX returns to the air ABOVE: The same aeroplane at the Christie’s auction on 31 October 1986.

Spitfire IX BR601, thought to be the sixth MkIX built, over Kent in early September. COLLINGS FOUNDATION The world’s oldest surviving Spitfire IX, BR601/G-CIYF, flew for the first time in 64 years on 31 August following two years of restoration work with The

Spitfire Company at Biggin Hill. The fighter — which is owned by the Stow, Massachusetts-based Collings Foundation — was one of the first few MkIXs to enter service with the unit that

introduced this variant, being delivered to No 64 Squadron at Hornchurch on 11 July 1942. The squadron flew the first operational sortie with the MkIX on 28 July 1942. BR601

was damaged on 21 October that year when the undercarriage collapsed after a tyre burst on landing at Bolt Head, Devon. Following repair it went on to fly with several now legendary units, including Nos 129 (Mysore), 316 (City of Warsaw) and 165 (Ceylon) Squadrons. Post-war the Spitfire joined the South African Air Force, being relegated to ground instructional duties when damage was sustained during an undershoot at Ysterplaat, Cape Town on 6 May 1952. It ended up going on display in a scrapyard at Salt River. The aircraft finally arrived back in the UK during 1986, being acquired by collector Doug Arnold at a Christie’s auction in London that October. It passed through the hands of several owners before going in early 2008 to Ardmore, New Zealand, where BR601’s restoration to fly got under way with Avspecs. This highly prized MkIX moved back to the UK during May 2014 for completion at Biggin Hill.

Rimowa Junkers F 13 replica airborne On 15 September, Junkers F 13 replica HB-RIM made its first official flight in front of an invited audience at Dübendorf, Switzerland. Flying the F 13 were test pilot Oliver Bachmann and Dieter Morszeck, the aviationminded CEO of German suitcase manufacturer Rimowa, who has sponsored the project. The new F 13 was built at Oberndorf by Kaelin Aero Technologies of Filderstadt in south-west Germany. The team was led by Dominik Kaelin, construction taking a AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

total of 10,000 hours. The aircraft was freighted across the Atlantic in July 2015, being displayed statically at the EAA’s AirVenture show at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Powered by a 450hp Pratt & Whitney R-985 engine, HB-RIM will now undergo a certification programme. Future operations will be undertaken by Dübendorfbased Ju-Air, which famously operates a trio of ex-Swiss Air Force Junkers Ju 52/3ms on pleasure flights. More in next month’s issue. Jan Forsgren

The Junkers F 13 replica making its public debut at Dübendorf, Switzerland on 15 September. STEFAN SCHMOLL

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News

Fox wins Freddie March trophy The 10th Freddie March Spirit of Aviation Concours d’Elegance was held at Goodwood during the Revival meeting on 9-11 September, the judges singling out New Zealander Bruce Broady’s de Havilland DH83 Fox Moth, G-CIPJ/ZK-AGM, for the top award. The aircraft was restored by Martin Honeychurch at the Newbury

Aeroplane Company, making its first flight in August 2015. Second place went to Ryan SCW (Sports Coupe) VH-SCW, shipped over from Buninyong, Victoria by its Australian owners Stephen and Veronica Carter. The aircraft was making the first ever appearance in Britain of this rare, all-metal, 145hp Warner Super Scarab-powered

cabin monoplane. The prototype first flew during 1937, only 12 production examples being built. Third place went to a British contemporary of the Ryan, Miles Whitney Straight G-AERV, now owned by Peter Bishop. The event attracted 29 historic aircraft to the immaculate Goodwood turf. Co-organiser Jeremy Warren says, “We thought

it was a very successful Freddie March this year, with a truly international and broad mix of period aircraft. We were happy with the ratio of civil to military aircraft, and try to keep the balance at about 20 per cent military/80 per cent civil, although that will vary depending on the theme chosen for the event.”

BELOW: The top three in the Freddie March Trophy: Bruce Broady’s Fox Moth flanked by the Australian Ryan SCW (left) and Peter Bishop’s Miles Whitney Straight.

Major progress on RAFM Hampden Twenty-five years after Handley Page Hampden TBI P1344 was recovered from a crash site on the Kola Peninsula in northern Russia, the unmistakable, slim-line forward fuselage of this previously extinct type is now coming together rapidly at the RAF Museum Cosford. Restoration of the badly damaged bomber — dubbed the ‘flying suitcase’ by Hampden crews — had been a slow labour of love for the team at Cosford until the spring of 2015, when full-time aircraft technician Dave Carr took on the project.

Since then, Dave has focused his efforts on the forward fuselage and cockpit section of the machine, which is now nearly 75 per cent complete and should be finished by the spring of 2017. The new section has been assembled using original Handley Page pre-production drawings from the late 1930s. Where possible, measurements have been taken from the partial wreckage remaining from the original aircraft. Work on the nose began by creating formers and building the entire framework from scratch.

Dave Carr with some original skin from Hampden P1344 and the 75 per cent-completed nose section in the background. RAF MUSEUM

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Some components, including instrument panels, seat mountings and windscreen frames, have also been produced and installed. Castings and a few components from P1344 have been restored and fitted to the newly-built forward fuselage. Work is now under way on skinning the section. Efforts are meanwhile continuing to repair damage on the rear fuselage caused during the Hampden’s crash-landing on the night of 4-5 September 1942, while on a ferry flight from Sumburgh to a new base in the Kola Peninsula. Visitors to Cosford will be able to view P1344 during the Michael Beetham Conservation Centre open week from 14-19 November. The centre will open between 10.15 and 13.00hrs each

day, and admission is £5.00 per person (children under 16 are free but must be accompanied by an adult). Due to arrive at Cosford from the Battle of Britain Hall at Hendon before the end of the year are Junkers Ju 88R-1 Werknummer 360043 and Boulton Paul Defiant I N1671. The Battle of Britain Hall was set to close for good on 3 October. Other aircraft formerly on show there will be moving into the main building, which will see some reshuffling of exhibits to other parts of the Hendon site: aircraft scheduled to move include Spitfire F24 PK724, Airco DH9A F1010 and Spitfire Vb BL614. Current plans will see Supermarine Seagull V A2-4/ VH-ALB going into storage.

Seagull V A2-4 being dismantled in the Battle of Britain Hall on 4 September. It looks destined to go into storage. GARY R. BROWN

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Boultbee gets combat vet Spitfire Spitfire IX MJ271 was registered as G-IRTY by the Goodwoodbased Boultbee Flight Academy on 26 September, a decade after it arrived at Duxford from the Netherlands for Historic Flying Ltd. The aircraft had previously been on show at the National Luchtvaart Museum Aviodome at Schiphol, Amsterdam, but following the relocation of that collection to Lelystad during 2003 MJ271 was declared surplus and eventually acquired by Historic Flying in an exchange deal that saw Fairey Firefly I PP469/SE-CAU moving from Duxford to Holland. The Spitfire has an extensive combat history. Following delivery to No 411 Aircraft Repair Flight on 17 November 1943, MJ271 was operated from Heston and Coolham Advanced Landing Ground in Sussex in support of the 2nd Tactical Air Force. During February 1944 it went to Detling, Kent with No 118 Squadron, with whom it flew 16 combat sorties. On 26 March, the fighter moved to No 132 Squadron, also at Detling, its next five missions being flown as close escort to B-26 Marauders,

Still wearing the Dutch markings applied during restoration in the early 1980s, Spitfire IX MJ271 is seen in the north side of Hangar 2 at Duxford. DAVID WHITWORTH

B-25 Mitchells and A-20 Bostons. On 29 April, with Flt Sgt J. E. Ford at the helm, MJ271 shot down a Junkers W 34 transport at Bad Münstereifel south of Cologne, the kill being shared with two other No 132 Squadron pilots. A Norwegian pilot neglected to lower the wheels during a night landing on 9 May, and once repaired the aircraft was

Norwegian Blériot replica takes to air

Øyvind Munch Ellingsen serenely flying his Blériot XI-2 replica on a three-minute flight at Jarlsberg on 19 September. WARBIRDS OF NORWAY

On 19 September, a reproduction Blériot XI-2 made a three-minute maiden flight from Jarlsberg airfield south of Oslo, Norway, with its owner Øyvind Munch Ellingsen at the controls. The machine was built by Koloman Mayrhofer and his staff at CraftLab near Vienna, Austria, between 2006 and 2009, but it took another four years to source a 110hp Le Rhône engine and complete the project. The aircraft represents AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

the Blériot that Tryggve Gran flew across the North Sea, from Cruden Bay in Scotland to Jæren near Stavanger, Norway, on 30 July 1914. Gran accomplished the 320-mile journey in four hours 10 minutes. Tryggve Gran’s youngest child, Hermann Gran, has shown great interest in this project and was the guest of honour at the first flight of the reproduction. The Blériot is operated by Warbirds of Norway.

allocated to No 401 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force, on 23 November 1944. Based at Volkel, the Netherlands, it flew 10 more sorties before being damaged in combat on 14 December. During 1946 MJ271 was sold to the Royal Netherlands Air Force, and operated from Twenthe and Soesterberg until retirement in September 1953.

After use as a decoy at Volkel it went to the War Museum at Delfzijl, and in January 1976 was transferred to the Aviodome. It was then restored to represent one of the Spitfires operated by No 322 Squadron in Indonesia and painted as MH424/H-53, the markings it still wears to this day.

New Duxford hangar for ARC On 16 September, John Romain and the Aircraft Restoration Company held an event at IWM Duxford to celebrate the opening of the new Stephenson Hangar. The building, in the corner of the airfield between the M11 and the A505, has become necessary as the result of ARC’s buoyant business providing aviation services and, in particular, by the need to accommodate an aircraft the size of a Lancaster. ARC has secured a contract to provide major servicing for the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s example, with Lancaster I PA474 scheduled to arrive from Coningsby for maintenance in early October.

ARC and its associated company Historic Flying have a long list of warbird rebuilds, restorations and major overhauls to their credit. One of HFL’s recent projects was Spitfire Ia N3200, now the property of the IWM, which was also on show. N3200 was the aircraft of Geoffrey Dalton Stephenson, then a squadron leader and ‘boss’ of No 19 Squadron at Duxford when he was shot down over the beaches of Dunkirk on 26 May 1940. It is in honour of Air Cdre Stephenson, as he later became, that the new ARC hangar has been named, providing a highly appropriate link between Duxford’s past and its present. Denis J. Calvert

BELOW: Pictured on 21 September, the new ARC hangar is big enough to house the BBMF Lancaster. Outside here is BBMF Chipmunk WK518, which had just undergone a minor overhaul and repaint in silver and dayglo.

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News

Original F2B for new Bristol museum at Filton

The restored fuselage frame of the Bristol F2B recently acquired by Aerospace Bristol. AEROSPACE BRISTOL

The centenary of the first flight of the prototype Bristol F2A Fighter was celebrated on 9 September with the announcement of plans to bring a genuine F2B version of the ‘Brisfit’ back from the USA for display at Aerospace Bristol, which is due to open at the former Bristol factory airfield at Filton during the summer of 2017. The ‘Brisfit’ is currently under restoration in Andy Crumpholt’s workshop near Boston, Massachusetts. It is based on one of six F2B fuselage frames that were used as roof trusses for a barn in the village of Weston-on the Green, Oxfordshire, and which were recovered during 1965 by the Northern Aircraft Preservation Society. It was then sold to Ed Brennan in Ontario, Canada. The fuselage was originally built by Marshall and Sons of Gainsborough in 1918. Andy Crumpholt is also building a new set of wings for the aircraft.

FHC gets an F-105 The Flying Heritage Collection unveiled newly-restored Vietnam War combat veteran Republic F-105G Thunderchief 63-8336 Patience at Paine Field, Seattle, on 10 September. Along with the FHC’s Bell UH-1B Iroquois helicopter and Paccar M55 self-propelled howitzer, this impressive new exhibit will form a cornerstone of the institution’s growing Vietnam-era artefact collection. This ‘Thud’ was built in 1964 as an F-105F. In March 1968 it went to Korat, Thailand with the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing, flying numerous combat sorties until being badly damaged by enemy fire during

a dive-bombing mission that October. During 1971, ’8336 was heavily modified as an F-105G ‘Wild Weasel’, and after returning to Korat in mid-1972 was used to suppress, attack and destroy enemy surface-toair missile batteries during the ‘Linebacker’ I and II bombing campaigns. It is thought that ’8336 was the last ‘Wild Weasel’ to leave North Vietnamese airspace on the final night of bombing. Upon returning to the USA it served with various USAF and Air National Guard units through to the early 1980s. It is on loan to the FHC from the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

Former ‘Wild Weasel’ F-105G 63-8336 Patience at Paine Field, Seattle on 10 September. FHC

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The XB-47A’s fuselage on arrival at Edwards AFB from Illinois. WORLDWIDE AIRCRAFT RECOVERY

XB-47A arrives at Edwards museum After spending six decades on display at Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois, the second prototype Boeing XB-47A Stratojet, serial 46-066, arrived at the US Air Force Flight Test Museum (AFFTM) at Edwards Air Force Base, California aboard several flatbed trucks on the morning of 19 September, the move being made courtesy of Bellevue, Nebraska-based Worldwide Aircraft Recovery. Delivered to the USAF in December

1948, 46-066 was operated as an experimental test airframe from Edwards until 1954, logging a total of 337 flying hours before being delivered to Illinois, where it was on show at the Octave Chanute Air Museum until its closure on 30 December 2015. The move was made possible thanks to a generous grant from Boeing. George Welsh, the AFFTM director, says: “The assembly and external restoration of the XB-47A should take about a year.”

AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

Hangar Talk STEVE SLATER

Ex-Luftwaffe Harvard flies in UK At Cotswold Airport, Gloucestershire, ex-Luftwaffe Canadian Car and Foundry-built Harvard IV 52-8610/G-CHYN made its first post-restoration flight in the hands of former RAF Jaguar pilot Brian Cornes on 7 September. The machine is owned by Bob Warner, Mike Edwards and Alex Woodeson. It has been painted with the codes BF+070 that it wore while flying as a trainer with the Luftwaffe between 1952-64. It was subsequently operated by the Portuguese Air Force, being retired in March 1978. The Harvard was imported to Britain during 2004.

Harvard IV 52-8610/G-CHYN on its second post-restoration flight from Cotswold Airport on 15 September. IAN FRIMSTON

‘Dak’ barged to Lelystad

On 27 September, former DDA Classic Airlines Douglas DC-3 PH-DDZ was moved from KLM’s Hangar 10 at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to the nearby Ringvaart Canal and placed on a barge for transportation to Lelystad Airport, where it will go on display at the Aviodrome. The machine has been sold to the Aviodrome following KLM’s recent decision to withdraw its support for the DDA, which included the use of Hangar 10 for maintenance, offices and storage. DDA Classic Airlines will continue flying its flagship DC-3, PH-PBA, which has also now been relocated to Lelystad.

DC-3 PH-DDZ being loaded onto a barge on the Ringvaart Canal during the evening of 27 September. MICHAEL PROPHET

AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

I’m not normally one for making pilgrimages to war graves, but in a month or so I may make an exception. The trip isn’t to anywhere glamorous. It will be to a small, quiet cemetery at Scopwick in Lincolnshire. There are buried a number of Canadian airmen who died during the Second World War while serving at nearby RAF Digby. Each man’s sacrifice is marked by one of the uniform white Portland Stone grave markers erected by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, but one is a little different. It contains the words, “Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth” and “Put out my hand. And touched the face of God.” They are, of course, two lines from the poem ‘High Flight’, penned by a 19-yearold RCAF pilot, John Gillespie Magee Jr. This year marks both 75 years since Magee wrote them and sadly, since his passing and subsequent interment at Scopwick. His words, however live on, regarded by many as the greatest example of the poetry of flight. Magee was born in Shanghai in 1922, the son of an American missionary father and an English mother who was also a missionary in China. He was both a talented and adventurous soul. During his education at Rugby School he distinguished himself by both having a bound volume of poetry published and for being birched for climbing the school’s clock tower. 1939 saw Magee in the USA, where he was set to begin his studies at Yale University, but with the outbreak of war he promptly deferred his place because according to his diaries, he “had to get into it”, meaning the war. He took a train to Montréal to join the Royal Canadian Air Force. Magee’s flying training took him to RCAF Station Uplands in Ottawa, where — after wrestling with the Harvard — he gained his wings in June 1941, just a week after his 19th birthday. He then sailed for England to fulfil his dream of flying a Spitfire. The poem was inspired by his seventh flight on type, with No 53 Operational Training Unit in a no doubt battle-scarred Spitfire I from

O Our monthly comment ccolumn on the historic a aircraft scene

RAF Llandow in Wales. In August 1941 he was tasked with a high-altitude patrol flight lasting almost two hours. It is said that, some time during that flight, the phrase “to put out my hand and touch the face of God” set his mind racing. After he had landed and debriefed, he started writing. On a flimsy piece of official notepaper, on the back of a letter to his parents, he began with the immortal words: “Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth. And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings”. Then,

sortie from RAF Cranwell. Magee’s aircraft struck the illfated twin-engined trainer. Both he and the Oxford pilot, Leading Aircraftman Ernest Aubrey Griffin, fell to their deaths. The poem came to the attention of Archibald McLeish, Librarian of Congress, who included it in an exhibition at the library in February 1942. The original manuscript written in the mess at Llandow survives and, having been donated by Magee’s parents “to the

‘At Rugby School, Magee both had a bound volume of poetry published and was birched for climbing the school clock tower’ written at a single sitting in a neat copperplate pen-and-ink script, there came to life the legendary ‘High Flight’. Magee joined No 412 Squadron at Digby on 23 September 1941 and was working up to full operational status when, on 11 December, he was part of a formation of three Spitfires diving at high speed through a break in the clouds. Tragically, just below the cloudbase was an Airspeed Oxford on a solo navigation

people of America”, remains at the Library of Congress in Washington. Meanwhile, if you are interested in more aviationinspired verse, the Vintage Aircraft Club and West London Aero Club are planning another aviation poetry evening in the former Air Transport Auxiliary mess building at White Waltham in Berkshire. The date for your diaries is Thursday 3 November. See you there!

ABOVE: John Gillespie Magee Jr being awarded his pilot’s wings upon graduation from No 2 Service Flying Training School at Uplands, Ontario, in June 1941. RCAF

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E D MALO N EY

ED MALONEY 1928-2016

Paying tribute to one of the greatest — and most pioneering — figures in the world’s warbird preservation movement WORDS: FRANK B. MORMILLO

O

ne of the outstanding pioneers in today’s worldwide effort to preserve the aircraft, artefacts and history of aviation, Edward T. Maloney, passed away on 19 August 2016 at the age of 88. Born in Pomona, California on 21 May 1928, like so many young boys of that era Ed started building model aircraft at an early age and joined the Civil Air Patrol while in high school during World War Two. Though he started flight training with the CAP in the hope of eventually joining the war effort, hostilities ended before Ed could complete the process, and he never did get a pilot’s licence. Later he said that there were always enough pilots, so he’d take care of the aeroplanes instead. Consequently, Ed ended up preserving everything related to aviation history that he could get his hands on. At high school Ed also met the other passion in his life, Louise Bromley, and married her in 1949. He graduated from college in 1952, worked in his dad’s auto body shop and, together with Louise, raised four children — daughters Ann and Karen, and sons Jim and John. Eventually they had eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Of everything that Ed found in life, certainly the best was Louise. Though she could never be as passionate about aviation as Ed — nor, for that matter, is it likely that anyone else could share that much devotion for Ed’s lifelong quest — Louise never faltered in her support for his work. Ed’s kids helped his efforts, too. Though eldest son Jim was killed in an air crash in 1983, and Ann died in 1999, John is a highly skilled warbird pilot, aircraft technician and vice-president of the Planes of Fame Air Museum that houses the aviation artefacts saved for posterity by his dad. Karen is the museum’s development director, and her husband Steve Hinton — world-renowned warbird pilot, unlimited air racer and warbird restoration expert — its president. Steve and Karen’s son, Steven Hinton, has followed in his dad’s footsteps and enjoyed even more success than his

AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

father as an unlimited air racer. When he’s not working on or flying air racers, Steven helps maintain and flies many of the warbirds rescued from oblivion and restored by his father and grandfather. Sadly, Louise Maloney passed away in 2003. With the war over, Ed was distressed to see how many warbirds were being cast aside like worthless junk and chopped into bits for the value of scrap metal. He often went down to the nearby Cal Aero Field — now known as Chino Airport — to photograph the aircraft before they met their doom, and even managed to save a few items (including maintenance manuals) that the workers allowed him to gather up. Back in those days — in fact, even into the 1960s — it was possible to walk or drive onto Chino Airport without prior clearances. Since there was no functioning control tower, you could walk out to and cross the runways at will. Some idea of what it was like at that time can be gathered by reviewing one of the final scenes in the movie ‘The Best Days of Our Lives’

when the lead character, a World War Two Army Air Forces combat veteran, climbs into a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress to recall his wartime service. That scene was filmed at Cal Aero at Chino. Ed soon realised that it was possible to acquire some of those aircraft with relatively little financial outlay (at least, back then), though a lot of hard work was usually involved in disassembling the airframes, gathering up the loose pieces and transporting them somewhere away from the scrappers’ cutting torches. In Ed’s case, it was usually a matter of ‘learning by doing’ and using extreme improvisation. He would often travel across the state, and even across the country, towing a trailer modified to suit the physical requirements of the particular machine he was trying to save. Ed spent countless hours, often by himself, dismantling the aircraft and manhandling them onto his trailer for the return trip. Louise’s support and patience became readily apparent when Ed came home to Claremont, California

OPPOSITE: Edward T. Maloney in the Planes of Fame Air Museum during 2007. FRANK B. MORMILLO

BELOW: The Air Museum had two Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero-sens on display at its Claremont, California location. The one in the foreground flies with Planes of Fame to this day, while the Zero leaning up against the building in the background is under restoration with the Flying Heritage Collection of Seattle. PLANES OF FAME ARCHIVE

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E D MALO N EY BELOW: Disassembled P-40N Warhawk, P-51A Mustang and P-47G Thunderbolt fighters in the back yard of the Maloney family home in Claremont, California. All three of these warbirds are currently flying.

PLANES OF FAME ARCHIVE

BOTTOM: Ed alongside an F8F-2 Bearcat at The Air Museum in Ontario, California in 1963. FRANK B. MORMILLO

with his treasures. The back yard of the Maloneys’ typical middle-class house did not feature a manicured lawn; instead, the yard was filled with disassembled warbirds, and rather than housing the family car the garage was stacked from wall to wall and floor to ceiling with books, model aircraft and assorted aviation memorabilia. Naturally, that sort of situation could not go on forever. Since Ed wanted to share these pieces of aviation history with the world, the next logical step was to create an air museum. With limited financial resources, Ed was eventually able to secure the use of an old industrial lot on historic Highway 66 (then the major road from the east coast of the US to California, long before freeways made long-distance travel by car easier) in Claremont, just a few blocks from the Maloney home. That initial museum site was essentially a rock-strewn dirt lot with a concrete slab that had

corrugated metal sides half-way up to a metal roof, with netting filling in the space between the metal sides and the roof. The displays included about 10 warbirds, 300 model aircraft and assorted memorabilia, with the more fragile aircraft and items being kept under cover, and the rest on view outside. The entrance to the facility was through the nose section of a Boeing B-29 Superfortress, and the admissions fee collector — it cost a dollar to see the collection in those days — was usually Ed himself sitting in the pilot’s seat. As crude as the museum was, it did attract a bit of attention. People began to volunteer their efforts and support to the operation. Since there was no other permanent aviation museum in the American West at that time, Ed simply called his operation The Air Museum (TAM). By 1962, TAM had progressed to the point where the collection could be moved to a much better site on the

nearby Ontario International Airport, complete with a large double hangar and a very big, fenced-in asphalt ramp. The museum rapidly expanded in size and reputation, and TAM was even able to stage a few airshows at the airport. Since Ed had always intended to restore as many of the aircraft as possible to flying condition, that was a big plus for TAM. When the museum was located at Claremont, the airworthy machines had to operate from either nearby Cable Airport, or from Chino Airport, several miles south of Ontario International. Unfortunately, after a few years, development plans for the airport left no room, and TAM’s team had to seek a new location. In order to capitalise on Orange County’s tourism boom, Ed was convinced to set up a new museum at Buena Park in conjunction with an automobile collection. Known as Planes of Fame and Cars of the Stars, the facility was basically two museums sharing a common entrance, with visitors having the option for single tickets to either collection, or a combination ticket for both. Since its location was not close to an airport, the flyable TAM warbirds wound up being based at Chino, and the aircraft that could not fit into the building at Buena Park were stored in a fenced lot in Ontario or disposed of. It was evident by 1973 that the Buena Park facility was not working out. TAM relocated once again, with the display aircraft joining the flyable ones at Chino. Of course, every move set back progress a bit, and some assets had to be sold or traded to keep the overall operation viable.

ABOVE: Ed and his grandson Steven Hinton admiring a scale model of an SBD-5 Dauntless in the Chino museum during 1995. ‘Steve-O’ has grown up to become an accomplished aircraft technician, warbird pilot and seven-time winner of the Reno Unlimited National Championship Air Races. FRANK B. MORMILLO

TAM started out at its new Chino home with a small WW2 Cal Aero engine shop serving as a combined display building and restoration workshop. The museum’s office and gift shop were in an old caravan, and most of the aircraft were displayed outside. However, with a lot of determination and effort — sometimes financed by the reluctant sale or trade of a precious warbird — Ed and his team of volunteers and supporters eventually turned it into a world-class facility. Since then, the old engine shop has expanded to become the home of the Fighter Rebuilders restoration business, and a modern gift shop and a library complement six purpose-built display hangars and a restoration hangar. The museum was initially known at Chino as The Air Museum ‘Planes of Fame’, but the formal title eventually became the Planes of Fame Air Museum. During the 1980s, Ed and his board of advisors were also convinced to found a separate, dedicated air racing museum near Reno, Nevada, home of the National Championship Air Races. Located in Sparks, the National Air Race Museum featured a good selection of racing aircraft and memorabilia, but the location was not really ideal, and the venture eventually faded away. On the other hand, in 1995 Planes of Fame opened an auxiliary museum at Valle Airport near Williams, Arizona, known as the Planes of Fame Air Museum Grand Canyon. It is home to about 30 aircraft and associated artefacts, all displayed in a very nice building, and the high desert location is ideal for the outdoor storage of airframes that can’t be housed at Chino. Apparently much to his surprise, Ed was able to begin his warbird collection as a very young man with a rare Japanese Mitsubishi J8M Shūsui rocket-powered interceptor. From that point on, there was no stopping him. While Ed seemed to have a particular fascination with WW2

AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

Japanese combat aircraft, he really treasured all types from every era. His favourite was reportedly the Boeing P-12 biplane fighter of the 1930s, one of which is currently in the Planes of Fame collection, now painted up as an essentially identical US Navy F4B-3.

the same machine in wartime. Together, they were able to see that very Corsair flying again over Chino. Ed was born on the first anniversary of Charles Lindbergh’s first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean, and he died on 19 August 2016, a date recognised

ABOVE: Standing proudly in Planes of Fame’s Edward T. Maloney Display Hangar in 2007, next to a Hanriot HD1 that French WW1 ace Charles Nungesser brought to the US for movie work. FRANK B. MORMILLO

‘Ed’s lifetime efforts saved in excess of 200 aircraft, some being sole survivors’ Ed was initially inspired by Army Air Forces Gen ‘Hap’ Arnold, who said that one of every type of aircraft should be saved and displayed for posterity. While Ed could not save one of everything, it was not for lack of trying. Between the Chino and Valle facilities, the Planes of Fame collection now includes more than 150 aircraft, about 50 of which are flyable. However, Ed’s lifetime efforts actually saved in excess of 200 aircraft, some of which were the very last surviving examples of their particular breeds. Many found new homes with other enthusiasts and collections around the world. Respected internationally, Ed was inducted into the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Hall of Fame in 2001, and he was presented with the Society of Air Racing Historians’ Cliff Henderson Award in 2006. But, aside from simply preserving aviation artefacts and relating their histories, Ed’s efforts highlighted the people associated with them. Throughout his life, he walked with many of aviation’s legends, and often made it possible for them to relate their experiences first-hand to Planes of Fame visitors. Just a few days before he entered hospital for the last time, Ed was at the museum in Chino, meeting with a Marine Corps veteran who actually piloted the museum’s Vought F4U-1 Corsair in combat during WW2, as well as the son and daughter of another deceased Marine Corps pilot who flew

as National Aviation Day in the United States — truly an appropriate coincidence for this remarkably determined and talented museum curator, historian and all-round great guy.

A FINAL SALUTE

Ed Maloney’s remains were interred in the Pomona Valley Memorial Park Mausoleum in Pomona, California on the morning of 31 August 2016, and a celebration of life was conducted in his memory at the Planes of Fame Air Museum at Chino on the evening of 3 September 2016. The event concluded with an overhead ‘missing man’ formation, in which John Maloney flew the museum’s Boeing P-26A up and away from the Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero-sen with Steve Hinton at the controls, the Republic P-47G Thunderbolt piloted by Steven Hinton, the Vought F4U-1 Corsair flown by John Hinton (Steve’s brother), and North American P-51D Mustang Spam Can in the hands of Rob Patterson.

ABOVE: The P-26 pulls up to salute the ‘missing man’. FRANK B. MORMILLO

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Skywriters

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Seeing red

Your superb article on Spencer Flack’s ‘Elstree Air Force’ in July’s Aeroplane brought back fond memories of Spitfire XIV G-FIRE’s visit to my local airfield, Ards Airport in Newtownards, County Down, some time in the 1980s. I was a frequent visitor to the airfield, especially on the Friday before the Saturday airshow. It was always a day of anticipation, not knowing what might zoom in to position for the next day’s flying feast. I was ecstatic when I heard that my favourite mark of Spitfire would be landing very shortly. Being a stickler for detail and authenticity, I was unsure how I would respond to seeing this iconic beast in red! However, when she appeared and flew very, very low and very, very fast over the field, I was converted. To the best of my knowledge this was the first Spitfire to touch down at Ards since the Second World War. A few hours after G-FIRE had landed, my good friend Allan Deacon, chief test pilot for Shorts, was given the privilege of flying this beautiful warbird. He sat in the cockpit for approximately an hour reading the notes; then, after further checks, he started the mighty engine, and off he roared with the tail lifting quite early. We were later to learn that while doing so he clipped approx 3in off the prop. Allan took G-FIRE up over the North Channel, off Ratlin Island, to get acquainted with the machine. Ironically, Allan was killed over the same stretch of water when he ejected from a Shorts Tucano, ZH203, on 22 February 1990. He sustained only minor injuries but drowned in the rough seas

ABOVE: G-FFIRE at Newtownard ds, County Down, wiith h th he famous Scrabo Tower in the background.

without getting into his dinghy. Unfortunately he had not been wearing an immersion suit. Allan and I had worked on the advertising material for a number of the airshows — he supplied the advertising and I designed the posters, programme and adverts. We were later told that he beat up the field at the Shorts factory at Sydenham — which is now George Best Belfast City Airport — in the Spitfire, thrilling the crowds of staff and workers. He returned and, after taxiing to a halt, climbed out with a wide grin. That was when we all realised that the prop was now a little bit shorter. The next day, G-FIRE and her pilot (unfortunately I do not remember his name) gave a spectacular display. For me she was the highlight of a very good show. Harry Bell, Gualdo Cattaneo, Italy

Biggin attraction

I thoroughly enjoyed the ‘Elstree Air Force’ article about Spencer Flack in your July issue. I didn’t know when I took the accompanying photo of G-FIRE at the Biggin Hill Air Fair on 16 May 1981 that it was its first air display and in the hands of Ray Hanna. Aeroplane once published the image during one of your photo contests with an honourable mention. Bob Jesko, Chicago, USA

Do the rustle

Your article on the 1946 SBAC show at Radlett (Aeroplane August 2016) brought back a few memories. I was there, and had a thoroughly enjoyable day. The old wartime air raid shelters, with their curved roofs covered with turf, were still there around the periphery, and offered a good vantage point from which to watch the flying. Near us was a man who laid his mac on the grass to sit and eat his sandwiches. At some point in the display Geoffrey de Havilland took off in the DH108, and everyone stood to get the best view. At the end of his stint he completed a very fast, low and tight circuit inside the boundary of the airfield. Those were the days of the ‘silver paper’ phenomenon, where a low pass from a fast aeroplane would, a few seconds after its passage, result in a rustling noise. The correspondence filled the letters pages of the aviation magazines at the time: I always put it down to the noise generated by the wingtip vortex as it reached the ground. The 108 screamed over us in a vertical bank, at somewhere close to 100ft, and it was followed AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

in a second or two by the rustling sound, as loud as I ever heard it. The owner of the mac had moved forward a bit, and it took off, rotating at about 3rpm and reaching some 15ft. Its owner was concentrating on the flying, and was very surprised when his coat appeared over his head. His jumping efforts to retrieve it were to no avail at first, but eventually he was able to grab a dangling sleeve and pull it down, to a round of applause from the onlookers. Such sights — and sounds — are sadly lacking in today’s sanitised displays, but from the safety aspect that’s no bad thing. Don Minterne

The missing MONAB

I recently obtained the February edition of your magazine and read with interest the Fleet Air Arm items, particularly about the MONABs established in Australia with the arrival of the British Pacific Fleet in the latter stages of World War Two. Perusing the list of MONABs shown, I realised one was missing — HMS Nabstock in

Maryborough, Queensland. Our family home was adjacent to Maryborough airport, where an RAAF station was established in the early war years for training wireless air gunners and later as a radar training facility. In 1945 the town saw an influx of naval personnel, who we learned were from the Royal Navy. We found out that the RAAF establishment had now become HMS Nabstock, commissioned on 1 June 1945, under the command of a Capt McClintock RN. Aircraft started arriving, mainly Corsairs. VJ Day saw great celebrations with the city full of naval ratings. One gave my older brother a peaked cap, which he passed to me; I subsequently wore it for many years after I joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1951. HMS Nabstock decommissioned on 15 November 1945, and with that our city returned to normal. Bruce Campbell, Carseldine, Australia The editor reserves the right to edit all letters. Please include your full name and address in correspondence.

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Q&A

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Richard Paul writes to say that A the serial number is EE134. This was a No 49 Squadron machine until

May 1943, when it went to No 619 Squadron until September 1943. Then the aircraft moved to No 5 Lancaster Finishing School at Syerston until November 1944. It was struck off charge on 31 March 1945.

THIS MONTH’S QUESTIONS Bassingbourn B-17

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Kenley dump ‘Spit’

In the October issue, a Q question was asked about a

Spitfire on the dump at Kenley in 1963. Peter Arnold recalls that, in October 1958, MkXVI TB885 was present together with the fuselage of Mk22 PK665, but he is doubtful that the latter — photographed there circa 1957 by Marten Brunning, who also wrote in — survived there for another five years until our correspondent saw it. TB885, meanwhile, was cut up and buried at Kenley and recovered in 1982. It is currently under restoration to flight at the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar for a client.

A

Anson W1731

Matt, at the age of 89, has Q Bill begun assembly of a 1/48-scale kit of an Anson I and recalls many happy hours with W1731 at Kenley, giving rides to Air Cadets. He wonders what happened to it? Disposed of in late 1949, it became G-ALXH and was rebuilt in 1955 to Anson XIX standard using the fuselage of PH808. It crashed near Guiseley, Yorkshire, on 9 April 1963 following engine failure. Has anyone a photo of it as W1731 or G-ALXH?

A

Chipmunk WP790

was a question in the Q There October issue about a

Chipmunk wing found in an antiques shop in Plymouth. Philip Birtles (e-mail [email protected]) writes that he has often wondered what had happened to the wings of this Chipmunk, which is at the de Havilland Aircraft Museum at Salisbury Hall. It served with a

A

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number of units: at Hornchurch in June 1952, the Leeds UAS and the RAF College Cranwell, before going to No 1 FTS at South Cerney in July 1965. This unit moved to Church Fenton in January 1967, becoming the Primary Flying School. The final move came in October 1969 to the Birmingham UAS where it stayed until, with total flying hours of 5,115, it was delivered to No 5 MU at Kemble that September for disposal. WP790 became G-BBNC for a delivery flight to Rush Green, where it was dismantled for spares. The stripped-down fuselage shell from the engine firewall to the rear fuselage — including the fin — was donated to the Salisbury Hall museum, where it was received in December 1974. The wings from WB670 were provided by an Air Training Corps unit in Welwyn Garden City; other parts came from the RAF Gliding and Soaring Association. The Chipmunk became the first aircraft restored by the museum volunteers and went on display in 1978. Philip asks if anyone can help the museum create the Birmingham UAS badge on the fin and the rampant lion on the fuselage shield. He would also like to know the cost of the wing in the antiques shop.

Veteran Lancaster

Thomas asked in the last Q Andy issue about the identity of a Lancaster, carrying many mission marks, being used for fire extinguisher tests.

TOP: Spitfire TB885 on the Kenley dump… PETER R. ARNOLD

ABOVE: …and, likewise, PK665. MARTEN BRUNNING

volunteer for the National Trust at Wimpole Hall, adjacent to Bassingbourn airfield, has recently found a photograph of a 91st Bomb Group B-17 being christened as Lady Helen of Wimpole. The aircraft was named — with a bottle of champagne on the propeller — by Lt Helen Pierson, a nurse at Wimpole Hospital who later married Maj John D. Davis, CO of one of the bomb squadrons at Bassingbourn. Does anyone know the history of this aircraft, its fate, and what became of Helen and John?

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS Our regular item in which we set the record straight on errors in recent issues. Do send notice of mistakes you may spot to the editorial addresses.

• Ralph Pegram says that, in his ‘Database’ article on Felixstowe flying boats, Pete London attributes a critical comment regarding John Porte’s hull designs to Capt David Nicholson (sic) of boat-builders Camper and Nicholson. In so doing he inadvertently conflated two eminent marine architects, namely Charles Nicholson, of Camper and Nicholson and the Gosport Aircraft Company, and Capt David Nicolson (without an ‘h’), an RNAS officer assigned to oversee production and inspection of flying boats. The quote is from a paper by the latter presented to the Institute of Engineers and Shipbuilders in July 1919. • Richard Ainsworth follows up our BEA Highlands and Islands feature in the August issue by saying how, when Heron 1B G-AOFY crashed on Islay, it was not replaced. Instead, G-ANXA was renamed from John Hunter to Sister Jean Kennedy in memory of the nurse who died in the crash.

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24/08/2016 10:13

B-23 D RAG ON

As rare as

Dragon’s

teeth

S

ome of the greatest aviation treasures are found in the most unlikely places. Such is the case at Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake, Washington. Looking across the airfield through the shimmering heat haze, a distinctive shape is to be seen in front of the Columbia Pacific Aviation hangar: the world’s only airworthy Douglas B-23 Dragon. This is an aircraft with an interesting lineage. In 1934 Douglas began developing the B-18 Bolo bomber, basically a military adaptation of the DC-2. The first B-18 flew in 1935, but as World War Two approached its obsolescence was all too apparent, and

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Douglas offered a major redesign of the B-18 airframe. The initial proposal was designated as the XB-22, but it fell short of requirements, the project being abandoned before anything could be built. Douglas then proposed an upgraded model, which incorporated the stronger wings of the DC-3 together with a completely new, more streamlined fuselage and a substantially larger fin and rudder. A pair of Wright R-2600 radials offered a considerable improvement in performance. The US Army Air Corps was sufficiently impressed that, in 1938, it ordered that the final 38 examples of the B-18A on order should be converted to B-23s.

The B-23 differed considerably from its predecessor. Jeff Akridge, president of Columbia Pacific Aviation, tells Aeroplane: “The fuselage of the B-23 was much less deep than that of the B-18A, and the vertical tail and rudder were much larger in area. This first aircraft had an unglazed nose, whereas later production aircraft were built with a glazed nose housing the bombardier’s position plus a flexible 0.30in machine gun carried on a ball-and-socket mount. It was assumed that the higher top speed of the B-23 would make frontal attacks less likely, so a front turret was thought not to be necessary. Perhaps the most noticeable feature was the glazed tail gunner’s position. The crew

AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

Never used operationally as a bomber, but given new purpose as an executive aircraft, the Douglas B-23 Dragon is something of an enigma. Now, one example is flying again WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY: JAY SELMAN

was six: pilot, bombardier, navigator, radio operator, camera operator and tail gunner”. Akridge points out that the aft fuselage is so narrow that the tailwheel was offset to the right to allow the tail gunner enough room to access his station. He continues, “Although the B-23 was 66mph faster than its B-18A predecessor and had a much better range, it was still clearly inferior to the Boeing B-17E, arguably the first truly combat-capable version of the Fortress. The B-23 was slower than the North American B-25 Mitchell and Martin B-26 Marauder and was less heavily armed. Consequently, the B-23 was never used in its intended bombardment role and

AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

never saw any combat overseas — with the possible exception of this one. “The grand old bird sitting just outside Columbia Pacific Aviation, Douglas serial number 2749, was delivered to the Army Air Corps in 1939 as 39-0063. She was the secondto-last B-23 built. Even though the B-23 Dragon never became the bomber the Army Air Corps was looking for in 1939, it has proven without question that it is still one sweet ride. There are 10 known survivors, of which at least seven are in museums. She’s the only flying B-23 in the world at this time. There’s maybe one other one that might eventually be flyable. The rest of them are rotted or gone.”

Akridge says that c/n 2749 appears to have been the only Dragon permanently stationed outside the US during World War Two. “We know that she spent most of the war stationed in the Caribbean. While we don’t know for sure if she ever saw enemy action, I can tell you that after a particularly bumpy flight last year we discovered a .50-calibre shell lying in the tail. I don’t know where it was, but it shook all around and finally vibrated loose. I thought it was kind of neat that something stayed in that airplane for the last 70 years. It finally rattled its way out. It had never been discovered up to this point. We cleaned the shell up and discovered it was produced in 1943 at the Utah armoury.”

ABOVE: B-23 — or, perhaps more correctly, UC-67 — Dragon N777LW airborne off the coast of Washington State in July this year.

ð

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B-23 D RAG ON

ABOVE: Jeff Akridge, president of Columbia Pacific Aviation. ABOVE RIGHT: B-23 owner Vic Jansen and his wife. BELOW: On the ramp at Grant County International Airport.

While in military service, 39-0063 was converted into a UC-67 transport in Lima, Peru. The bomb bay was sealed, the three .30-calibre side guns removed and the area sealed. The same went for the .50-calibre tail gun. According to Akridge, some 11 B-23s were sold to private owners after the war. In 1947, this one went to the Standard Oil Company for use as an executive transport. Of the B-23s that ended up in civilian hands, the majority were so utilised. Its first civil registration was NR47994. The Dragon

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was sold to Esso Shipping in 1954, and re-registered as N47994. It underwent demilitarisation the following year, the most significant aspect of which involved converting the flight deck to take dual controls. The nine-seat passenger cabin was outfitted in more luxurious fashion. “This [aircraft] has logged some 10,000 hours. While approximately 8,000 of these hours were while flown by the Army Air Corps, the B-23/ UC-67’s greater place in history was written after the war, while operating

as executive transports. Most of the big oil companies owned one of these — […] a lot of heavy-hitters were flying corporate airplanes for the first time ever. You can imagine the big-shots, with glasses of Scotch and cigars, flying around making business deals in the cabin of the UC-67.” Dragon c/n 2749 was sold to the LeTourneau-Westinghouse Company during 1959 and acquired its current registration, N777LW. This turned out to be its last stint as an executive transport. The aeroplane changed

AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

hands several times among private owners between 1964 and 1977, when it was bought by Robert P. Schlaefli, a career pilot who made a name in the firefighting business. He pioneered the process of scooping water with PBY Catalinas and his SLAFCO tankers were well known by smoke-jumpers, air attack bosses and lead-plane pilots, especially in Alaska. Schlaefli purchased N777LW for use as a smoke-jumper aircraft. He used it in Alaska… for one month. It’s a good bet that the narrow fuselage might not have been ideal for smoke-jumpers and all their gear. For whatever reason, Schlaefli ferried the UC-67 to Bremerton, Washington, and later moved it to Moses Lake for storage. Schlaefli passed away in 2003, and several of his aircraft, including N777LW, were put up for auction. The Dragon was purchased by local businessman and aviation enthusiast Vic Jansen, who was friends with Jeff Akridge. Jansen tells Aeroplane, “I started flying 49 years ago while still in high school. I never became a commercial pilot, but I’ve been fortunate to fly for fun… Probably my favourite [aircraft] is my daily steed, a 1948 Stinson 108-3.” Jansen notes proudly, “One of my earlier instructors was Charlie McAlister who, along with his brothers, started McAlister School of Flight in Yakima,

Washington, in 1923. His pilot’s licence was signed by Orville Wright. Charlie taught me to fly taildraggers in a 65hp Champ that he started by hand. Our radio was the old coffee-grinder type, so we were often cleared to take off and land using the lights.” Akridge, whose parents lived in Moses Lake, has been in the aviation industry

that I wanted to return to Moses Lake, where I still had a lot of ties. There was a lot of interesting aviation activity at Grant County International, with even more potential. Moses Lake is sort of out in the middle of nowhere, so I obtained a Part 135 certificate and ran a charter operation, using King Airs and some single-engine aircraft.”

‘You can imagine the big-shots making business deals in the cabin of the Dragon’ his entire adult life. “After college, I got my commercial ratings at Flight Safety in Vero Beach. I also learned to turn a wrench, which led to a summer job hauling fish in Alaska on a C-97 owned by Terry Elder. My feeling is that once you’ve worked on ‘big round engines’, you’ve begun a life-long love affair with them”. When he wasn’t pushing heavy metal around in Alaska, Akridge continued building on his maintenance skills with Boeing in the Seattle area. But, in the back of his mind, he was determined to start his own aircraft maintenance company. He got that chance in 1993. Akridge found a vacant facility at Grant County and established Columbia Pacific Aviation. “I’d always had it in my mind

When he opened up a maintenance facility, his first customer was none other than Terry Elder with his C-97. “Terry had been flying the bird back to his home in Corpus Christi, Texas in the winter, so we were able to cut about half the distance off his seasonal migration. The Part 135 operation gave way to aircraft management for Part 91 operators. We also offer flight instructing and aircraft rental, as well as maintenance. There is another fixed-base operator on the field that offers fuelling services, but we are the only full-service FBO at [Grant County].” When Jansen purchased N777LW in 2003, it was with the understanding that Columbia Pacific would be working with him to restore it to flying

LEFT: Executive opulence, early post-war style. BELOW: The Dragon’s cockpit shows few signs of modernity.

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B-23 D RAG ON

ABOVE: Future plans for the B-23 may include an Oshkosh visit and more local airshow appearances.

condition. Akridge notes, “Fortunately, the airplane was in near-pristine condition when Vic picked her up, considering it had been some 27 years since she’d last flown. Fortunately, along with the airplane Schlaefli had amassed a lot of spare parts, which Vic purchased at the auction. “Also, some components are compatible with the DC-3, which means that so far we have not run into any major problems in sourcing replacement parts for the UC-67. She has a basic DC-3 wing, but it is a double spar which is considerably stronger, and the attach points are doublebolted. Those are the original Wright R-2600 engines hanging on her wings. Amazingly, the logbook shows that they were last overhauled in 1955. She is certified to 27,000lb, 2,000 more than a standard DC-3, but with 1,600hp per side she is significantly overpowered. She’ll cruise right along at 200mph.” All the fabric surfaces needed to be recovered, and hydraulic lines, fuel cells, pumps, actuators and valves were either replaced or overhauled. The aircraft came with a full set of maintenance manuals, both military and civilian, as well as a complete logbook. The interior is the same as was installed in 1956, and the seats feel luxurious compared to

Getting N777LW back into flying condition was one thing, but how to obtain a type rating in a unique aircraft? Akridge smiled, “Now that turned into an interesting story! We know a gentleman, Brent Conner, who flies air tankers for Erickson. He has a closet full of type ratings, including B-17, DC-3, and a bunch of other airplanes that have big round engines. [We] asked him if he would be interested in helping us. Of course, he jumped at the opportunity. “We went to the FAA and were able to get a letter of approval for him to fly it along with ourselves to the point where we all felt comfortable and [could] eventually get a type rating, although the FAA folks themselves still weren’t sure quite how they were going to do that. They didn’t have anyone who was qualified. “We were headed down the road where they were going to let us qualify ourselves and then take a type ride with [an] NDPER [national designated pilot examiner]. The guys who instructed and checked us out in the B-23 — aviators like Ronnie Gardner, Brent Conner and Stew Dawson — are real pros. All are great guys, and wonderful teachers who live to fly. “Then, out of the blue, the FAA found someone, about 75 years old,

‘The vent duct tubes were clogged with volcanic ash from Mount St Helens’ the thin, un-cushioned affairs typically installed on today’s airliners. Akridge says, “While the aircraft didn’t need anything terribly major, there were a million smaller items that required our attention, and the restoration was not at the top of our priority list. Altogether it took some 12 years to restore her to flying condition. I like to think that, among many other things, she provides a flying showcase of Columbia Pacific Aviation’s capabilities”. Finally, in the summer of 2015, the Dragon was ready for its first flight in nearly 40 years.

28 www.aeroplanemonthly.com

who was actually type-rated in the B-23 and still on the books as a CFI [certified flight instructor]. He came on up and gave Brent a recommendation ride to take his type ride with Dawson. Brent was able to train and sign Vic and myself; then we took type rides with [an] NDPER. It was a challenge, to say the least, but we finally got it done. I guess that makes me one of four known current pilots in the US typed on the B-23.” The first flight, which occurred on 14 June 2015, was an 80-minute hop to check out all of the aircraft systems.

Brent was the pilot in command, with Jeff sitting in the right-hand seat. Akridge says, “The B-23 is [an aircraft] that wants to fly. She came right off the ground in under 2,000ft. We did a systems check and everything ran perfectly. It was a squawk-free flight.” While the B-23 proved to be docile in terms of handling, it did produce one big surprise on its first flight. Akridge reflects, “Remember, she’d been sitting outside since 1977. In 1980, Mount St Helens blew its top and Moses Lake was covered in ash. So we’d spent a dozen years getting N777LW ready to go, and had her all cleaned up for her first flight. We were rolling down the runway and lifted off smoothly. As soon as I pulled the landing gear up, the cockpit filled with what we thought was smoke. It was truly a ‘holy crap’ moment. It didn’t smell like smoke, so we thought it might be hydraulic mist from a leak somewhere. Then the smoke started raining down on us and, as it turned out, it was volcanic ash. The vent duct tubes in the nose that we never got around to cleaning out had been clogged with ash, and this was the first time in nearly 40 years that she had 90kt air coming through the vent! All’s well that ends well, but it was quite an adventure.” What does Jansen have in mind now that the B-23 is fully airworthy and he has his type rating? He grins wryly, “I really don’t know yet. When I bought her, I wanted to be able to own and restore a piece of history. For the next dozen years, our focus has been on restoring her to flying status. Only now that she’s flying again can I really think about what I want to do next. “At this time, I have no plans for the Dragon other than to fly and enjoy her. We’ll probably take her to some local airshows for the time being, and I won’t rule out Oshkosh in the future. I do want people to come and look at her, maybe gawk over her a bit, and appreciate the fact that she’s a rare bird indeed. But, mostly, I hope to continue to fly her for years to come.”

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15/09/2016 14:27

29/09/2016 14:01

A NS O N ACCI DE ENT

A FE EW of the

M ANY

Large num mbers of prospectivee aircrew were lost in training during World War Two, their passing often little remembered in comparison with their operational brethren. In Canada, though, the tragedy that befell the occupants of an RAF Avro Anson has recently been given due commemoration WORDS: ROBERT M. STITT

A

round 150 Allied airmen were killed on and around Vancouver Island on Canada’s Pacific coast during the Second World War. Many of them were lost during the course of training flights, some never to be found. Yet their sacrifice was as great as

30 www.aeroplanemonthly.com

those who gave their lives while flying on operations. On 30 October 1942, five Avro Anson I navigation trainers from No 32 Operational Training Unit left RCAF Station Patricia Bay on southern Vancouver Island on a routine threehour, 300nm navigation exercise. The

turning waypoints included Port San Juan (now known as Port Renfrew), a point 115 miles out in the Pacific Ocean, and Pachena Point, with a final leg back to Patricia Bay. Anson L7056 took off at 09.09hrs. A minute later flying control received a ‘go’ in Morse code from 25-year-old Canadian

AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

Anson I L7056 No 32 OTU, RAF, RCAF Station Patricia Bay JUANITA FRANZI/AERO ILLUSTRATIONS

trainee wireless operator Sgt William ‘Bill’ Baird confirming that they were airborne and proceeding with the exercise. The other three crew mem mbers were Briitiish h aiirmen from th he Royall Air Force Volunteer Reserve.. Pilot Sgt Robert Ernest ‘Bob’ Luckkock, 21, had been on staff with No 322 OTU for a month and had flown the same exercise eight times. He was regarded as “a very steady and reliable pilot”. Plt Off Charles ‘George’ Fox, aged 31 and married with two young sons, and Plt Off Antony William ‘Tony’ Lawrence, 21, were the two trainee observers.

Lawrence occupied the co-pilot’s seat next to Luckock while Foox sat behind Luckock at the navigatorr’s table. Weather conditions prroved much worse than forecast, and at about 11.330hrs fl flyiing controll recallled d th he Ansons, calculating that the weather was good enough for all aircraft to regain Pat Bay. Four did so, but nothing more had been heard from L7056 since the exercise started. No 32 OTU’s chief instructor, Wg Cdr Edgar Wurtele, initiated an extensive search one hour after L7056 was expected to return. Sighting reports began to trickle in. A civilian

reported a ‘yellow-and-black aircraft’ that approached Portt San Juan from the east, circled and turned back inland at approximately 10.000, while a naval report indicated that an aeroplane had been spotted d fl flyiing eaast off th he intend ded d flight path at 10.20. In the meantime an n oil patch had been sighted around two-thirds of the way along the first legg of the route, focusing an intensive search over the waters along the Pacific coast with oil samples taken by an RCAF high-speed rescue launch. Aircraft from Pat Bay flew more than 40 hours searching the coastal waters and densely forested

LEFT: Careful scrutiny of the underside of the port wing reveals this to be Anson I L7056, photographed at Patricia Bay on 15 January 1942. The propeller blade in the foreground, incidentally, is that of a Curtiss P-40. VIA BC AVIATION MUSEUM

ð AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

www.aeroplanemonthly.com 31

A NSON ACCIDENT

ABOVE: Trainee navigator Plt Off Antony William Lawrence, age 21.

VIA PAUL LAWRENCE

SECOND LEFT: Trainee navigator Plt Off Charles George Fox, age 31.

VIA PETER AND CHRIS FOX

THIRD LEFT: No 32 OTU staff pilot Sgt Robert Ernest Luckock, age 21.

VIA DAVID LUCKOCK

FAR RIGHT: Wireless operator Sgt William Baird, RCAF, age 25.

coastal margins, but no trace of Anson L7056 or its crew was found. The subsequent court of inquiry noted: “Several attempts were made to contact Anson 7056 [sic] by means of the usual W/T procedures but without success. Another aircraft taking off about 20 minutes after 7056 on the same exercise ran into bad weather about 1050 hours but did not enter the bad weather area but flew up and down the front for about one hour and fifty minutes, when [the] recall message was received from base. “During the briefing the crews were warned about a front which was off the coast but at the time was thought to be far enough off that it would not affect the weather over the region

during the period. However, it turned out that the front was considerably closer to the coast than expected and instead of the expected clearing during the afternoon, the weather turned considerably worse.”

❖

Regarding the search, Wurtele stated: “At approximately 1310 hours 30/10/42, I organized a search with five Ansons, one of which was unable to take off. The remaining four returned to base, one never reaching the coast due to carburettor icing. Two continued for [two-and-a-half ] hours and the fourth completed the 3 hour search. Searches were sent up until the

3rd of November, covering as many of his possible routes out to sea.” The cause of the loss was listed as “Unknown”, while the inquiry conclusion stated: “It is considered that [the] aircraft [was] lost at sea or damaged and the occupants may reasonably be presumed to have perished”. The report cover was more emphatic, stating: “Accident to above at sea on 30-10-42”. The four airmen were documented as ‘presumed dead’ and later commemorated on the Ottawa Memorial. Seventy-one years later, on 24 October 2013, three Cowichan Valley forestry engineers from the wood products company Teal Jones Group — Dennis Cronin, Walter Van Hell

VIA SANDRA OVERTON

RIGHT: RCAF Station Patricia Bay was one of six wartime land and sea air stations on Vancouver Island. Its function was coastal defence and aircrew training, with up to 3,500 students being trained at a time and 10,000 new airmen eventually passing through the station. It is now the site of Victoria International Airport.

VIA BC AVIATION MUSEUM

32 www.aeroplanemonthly.com

AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

and Tom Weston — were surveying potential timber cut blocks north-west of Port Renfrew. Cronin clambered down a steep, rocky slope to examine a first-growth timber stand, and from previous visits to wartime crash sites knew immediately what he had found: the trail of aluminium, fabric and wooden fragments represented the final moments of a downed aircraft. The company referred the discovery to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who in turn informed the Department of National Defence (DND). Responsibility for confirming the identity of the aircraft and initiating recovery of any remains then fell to Laurel Clegg, casualty identification co-ordinator with the Directorate of History and Heritage based in Ottawa. Clegg arranged an initial site visit in November 2013, attended by representatives from the British Columbia Coroners Service, the DND and a member of the Explosive Ordnance Department from RCN Naden near Victoria.

Conditions at the site proved to be poor, with low visibility in snow flurries, so no recovery work was possible. With the exception of the cockpit section, which was pinned under two fallen trees, little of the Anson’s structure and none of the

overwhelmed to learn that Bill had been found. With three of the lost airmen originating from Britain, Clegg established contact with her UK counterpart, Sue Raftree of the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre at

‘The inquiry said that the aircraft was lost at sea or damaged and that the occupants were presumed to have perished’ original fabric or any markings were readily visible. However, the dataplate from the port Cheetah engine was retrieved, the serial number confirming that Anson L7056 had been found. The process of locating relatives of the airmen now began. The family of Sgt Bill Baird was quickly located in Alberta, where his brother was living in a seniors’ residence. Believing him lost at sea, he was understandably

RAF Innsworth, Gloucestershire. Letters were sent to last known addresses and articles about the discovery placed in local media. It took just days to find the brother of pilot Sgt Bob Luckock, as he and his wife were living in the house next to the family’s wartime home. It was early May 2014 before conditions improved sufficiently for the recovery team to revisit the site. Fifteen personnel from the DND and the Coroners Service set up a temporary

THE LOST ANSON

L7056 was one of 1,528 Anson Is despatched to Canada under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. The Anson — shown in the artwork below during its earlier period of service with No 6 Flying Training School at RAF Little Rissington — was shipped across the Atlantic to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and by rail car across Canada to Edmonton, Alberta, where it was officially taken on strength by the RCAF on 25 June 1941. L7056 was then overhauled by Aircraft Repair Ltd, the work including replacement of the extensive cabin glazing with plywood and four round windows per side to eliminate draughts and leaks in the Canadian climate. At some point its original sloping windscreen was replaced with the later, more upright design, but with the overhead windows retained — this is believed to have been undertaken at Edmonton using parts from a salvaged aircraft. The Anson was completely re-covered and painted in training yellow with its original RAF serial L7056 applied on the rear fuselage and under the wings. L7056 was among around 450 former RAF Anson Is that retained their original Air Ministry serials. Another such machine carried the RCAF serial 7056. The aircraft was taken on strength by Western Air Command and allocated to No 32 Operational Training Unit at Patricia Bay, British Columbia, on 5 November 1941. This was an RAF unit charged with preparing crews for torpedo bomber operations.

Upon the entry of Japan into the war in December 1941, a number of RCAF aircraft on the Pacific coast were over-painted with camouflage for maritime patrol operations, Anson L7056 among them. On-site examinations of fabric scraps and metal parts in the spring and summer of 2014 indicated a crudely painted dark green and dark grey upper camouflage with the red, white and blue upper wingtip roundels replaced by so-called Type B blue and red roundels applied further inboard. Once the risk of an attack on the Pacific coast had subsided, glossy yellow search panels were applied mid-wing, on the rear fuselage upper decking and the top surfaces of the horizontal stabiliser. No 32 OTU Ansons are known to have carried the unit code ‘RD’ in mid-January 1941, replaced by ‘OP’ later that year, plus individual aircraft numbers. The only known image of L7056 suggests that it was assigned the individual aircraft code number ‘2’ or ‘3’. The code ‘OP-2’ in light grey was selected for the project artwork. With so much of its fabric gone and after seven decades of weathering in a forest environment, depicting the Anson’s exact appearance at the time of its loss is — at best — informed guesswork. That said, the artwork at the start of this feature is believed to closely represent how Anson L7056 looked when it disappeared on 30 October 1942.

Anson I L7056 No 6 Flying Training School, RAF Little Rissington JUANITA FRANZI/AERO ILLUSTRATIONS

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A NSON ACCIDENT RIGHT: Members of the Department of National Defence and the British Columbia Coroners Service comb the site for remains and personal artefacts. DND

FAR TOP RIGHT: L7056’s port Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah IX engine. The folded-back position of the propeller blades suggests that the engine was not generating power when the Anson struck the treetops. LORRAINE CRONIN

FAR RIGHT: The lower surface of the port aileron, showing the yellow finish applied at Edmonton.

LORRAINE CRONIN

BELOW RIGHT: The interment ceremony at Royal Oak Burial Park, north of Victoria and close to Patricia Bay. The remains of the four airmen were buried together in one coffin. ROBERT M. STITT

day camp and meticulously combed through seven decades’ worth of fallen trees, branches and needles, focusing on the inverted cockpit section. Special care was taken regarding explosives after the tail fins from a number of practice bombs were found, while readings indicated that the instrument panel was radioactive from paint applied to the instruments. The forward cockpit section was later removed for disposal.

Canadian Forces Base Trenton. Most importantly, the remains of the four airmen were found together in the cockpit section. Meanwhile, the effort to locate the other two UK families had continued. On 28 May the nephew of Plt Off Tony Lawrence began scanning a UK Ministry of Defence-sponsored story in his local paper, the Croydon Guardian. Momentarily stunned by what he was seeing, his wife finished reading the

‘Many items of clothing were uncovered including boots and flying helmets’ BELOW: A boarding re-enactment filmed inside the BC Aviation Museum using its Anson II, FP846. This is how L7056 appeared when delivered to Patricia Bay rather than at the time of the loss. ALLAN SCOTT

Remarkably, many items of clothing were uncovered including boots, jacket fragments and flying helmets. Of great value in the identification process, there were also engraved watches, bracelets and a cigarette lighter. These items were removed from the site for future reunification with the airmens’ families, while significant pieces of wreckage were crated and shipped to

piece describing the Anson’s discovery. Finally, in late July, one of the two sons of Plt Off George Fox received a call from a colleague urging him to read an article in the Manchester Evening News. He then ’phoned his brother to let him know that their father had at last been found. A little over a year after the Anson was located, the Fox and Baird

families and representatives of the Luckocks gathered near Victoria on 10 November 2014 for the interment of four airmen who, for seven decades, were believed to have been lost at sea. According to tradition, having flown and died together, they were buried in a single coffin at Royal Oak Burial Park close to Patricia Bay. Film-maker Nick Versteeg contacted the author in early 2014 with a proposal to co-produce a documentary about the loss and discovery of Anson L7056. There was no hesitation. Thanks to the goodwill of Laurel Clegg from Canada’s DND and Sue Raftree from the British MoD, Versteeg and I were given access to the recovery and connected with the four families. We had the profound pleasure of meeting them all and attending the interment ceremony near Patricia Bay. The documentary premiered in Victoria the following evening. This article is dedicated by the author to Dennis Cronin, who passed away on 12 April 2016.

FURTHER INFORMATION

‘Seventy-One Years — the Loss and Discovery of Avro Anson L7056’ is available as a download from vimeo.com/ ondemand/71years or in DVD format from dvmedia.ca/dvds

34 www.aeroplanemonthly.com

AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

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16/08/2016 11:28

F L UGM USE U M ME SS ER SCH MI TT

PRESERVING the

MES SSER RSCH HMI At the Airbus Defence and Space facility at Manching, southern Bavaria, the Flugmuseum Messerschmitt houses an outstanding collection of aircraft relating to Willy Messerschmitt’s achievements as an aeronautical engineer WORDS: DR ANDREAS ZEITLER

S

ABOVE: The superb lines of the new-build Me 262A/B-1c, captured air-toair en route to the AirPower show in Austria. MARKUS ZINNER/BMLVS

ide-by-side, classic fighter designs such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Me 262 co-exist at Manching with Tornados and Eurofighters. There could be no better visual representation of the technological heritage of the company that has, in the meantime, become part of the Airbus Group. The intention of the Flugmuseum Messerschmitt is to remember one of Germany’s most outstanding aviation engineers, Willy Messerschmitt. Its location at Airbus Defence and Space’s Manching factory airfield — just a stone’s throw from the final assembly line for the Luftwaffe’s Eurofighter EF2000s — is no coincidence. The modern combat jets are built by the military branch of the Airbus Group, which continues the heritage of the post-war aircraft manufacturing and design company Messerschmitt-BölkowBlohm (MBB). The Flugmuseum, however, is not only an Airbus activity. It is a collaborative venture between Germany’s biggest aircraft manufacturer and the Messerschmitt Stiftung (Messerschmitt Foundation). The roots of the foundation, which became Germany’s largest private monument conservation trust, were planted in 1969 by Willy Messerschmitt himself. A decade later, his personal shares in MBB went towards it. The organisation’s intention is to preserve Messerschmitt’s own ‘technical works’, but it also helps care for and maintain German art and cultural monuments,

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both in Germany and abroad. It also supports young aeronautical engineering students. From the outset, the Stiftung has made possible the restoration of many superb monuments. The most famous is probably Schloss Meseburg, a very fine Baroque castle in the state of Brandenburg, north of Berlin. Leased to the German government for the symbolic sum of €1 after renovation was completed, it has served since 2007 as the Federal Chancellor’s country retreat. Another well-known beneficiary is the Belvedere auf dem Kll Klausberg, a delightful building near the Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam, but there are also dozens of locations in the Tyrol, and even further away — for instance, in Sofia or St Petersburg — which have profited from the foundation’s grants. That role might surprise, as Willy Messerschmitt’s name is, naturally, more closely linked to legendary aircraft designs and his role as an aviation pioneer. However, apart from his technical background, an interest in fine arts played a major part in his life. Looking closely at his aircraft designs, one might even have the impression that this interest contributed directly to the classic lines and artistic forms of many of his creations. In a time long before computational fluid dynamics and computer-based optimisation algorithms became part of an aeronautical engineer’s daily life, a thorough understanding of basic aerodynamic and construction principles did the job.

AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

MITT TT T

memory

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F L UGMUSEUM MESSER SCH MITT

ABOVE: Maintenance going on in the museum, focusing here on the Daimler-Benz DB605 engines of the Bf 109s. DR ANDREAS ZEITLER

During 1998 a particular focus was placed on the aviation heritage of Willy Messerschmitt. To celebrate his lifetime of achievements, the Flugmuseum Messerschmitt was inaugurated on what would have been his 100th birthday, 26 June 1998. One goal was to preserve some of his most important designs in airworthy condition. As a partner for this venture was selected Dasa, MBB’s successor company, and part of the Daimler-Benz — later DaimlerChrysler — group.

1998 foundation of DaimlerChrysler through the divestment of its MBB shares. Having the know-how of the engineers and technicians on hand, as well as the ability to use the airfield’s infrastructure, made the huge test and trials site in Bavaria the perfect base for this co-operative venture. Dasa was merged into EADS during 2000. Since 2014, meanwhile, EADS has been known as the Airbus Group. It should be noted that the Flugmuseum forms only one part of the firm’s efforts to highlight and

‘The museum’s aircraft are not used commercially, but to serve Airbus and the Messerschmitt Foundation’s interests’ Given the museum’s aeronautical theme, the tie-up with Dasa was ideal. In the 1990s, not only was the company the direct heir to Messerschmitt’s history, but more significantly it could provide technical assistance and support to the historic aircraft that were to be based at Manching. It also contributed to the

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perpetuate the history of its ancestor companies. This involves a wide range of corporate heritage activities, backing being provided to several other aircraft and projects with Airbus connections. With a few exceptions the aircraft in the Flugmuseum belong to the Messerschmitt Stiftung, as does the

museum’s hangar. Airbus at Manching is responsible for restoring and maintaining them, as well as taking care of flight operations. One aircraft, the last surviving Helwan HA-300 delta fighter developed for — but never operated by — the Egyptian Air Force, another Messerschmitt design, is a static exhibit only, having moved in from the Deutsches Museum’s Flugwerft Schleissheim at Oberschleissheim. The common goal of the Messerschmitt Stiftung and Airbus is to operate the airworthy heritage aircraft as safely and for as long as possible, but still to present them in front of the widest audience. This and the way in which the fleet is not operated commercially, but instead used to serve the company’s and the foundation’s interests, explains most of its airshow appearances. The aircraft are displayed at big shows around Europe to entertain large crowds and to support company business. But, every once in a while, the Bf 108, Bf 109 or Me 262 have been seen dazzling a small event at a rural airfield in Bavaria, most often linked to Willy Messerschmitt’s former places of activity.

AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

Though the museum itself remains in the same Manching hangar nearly 20 years after its establishment, the collection has grown. Entering the building, an impressive sight greets the eyes. Three Messerschmitt Bf 109s of different variants, a Bf 108 Taifun, the M17 reproduction, the Me 163 glider replica, a new-build Me 262 and a Spanish-built Hispano Aviación HA-200 Saeta completely fill the place. Calling it an exhibition hall would be far from accurate, as can be seen from the drip trays placed underneath the aircraft and the technicians working around them. The Flugmuseum Messerschmitt is extremely proud that it can present most of its exhibits in flight, but keeping the collection in airworthy

condition is, it could go without saying, a huge undertaking. The fleet is large, and the aircraft highly diverse, from a wooden light aeroplane to early jets. Combine this with the historic nature of the airframes, the fact that they are not built to common standards, and spare parts that aren’t exactly abundant, and you get the idea. This level of diversity and the fairly small size of the team of specialists make caring for the fleet a difficult task. As such, it is rare for all of the aeroplanes to be in airworthy condition, and some have not flown for quite a few years. Increasing the efficiency and safety of the aircraft is always a significant topic, all the while considering the need to remain true to the originals while employing more

modern standards when practical. This is the driver behind activities in numerous areas, such as the cockpit layouts of the three different versions of the Bf 109. Due to the nature of the museum’s aircraft, pilots are specially selected based on their experience. Some have thousands of flight hours in the logbook and a graduation certificate from a world-renowned test pilot school on the office wall, but a test pilot qualification is not an essential requirement, although the Flugmuseum is naturally happy that many Manching-based Airbus test pilots — right up to chief test pilot level — fly its aeroplanes. For the propeller-driven machines, extensive taildragger experience is a must, as is the ability to stay

ABOVE: One of the fleet’s founding aircraft, Bf 109G-6 D-FMBB, goes through its paces at the ILA Berlin Air Show. It has not flown since 2007. DR ANDREAS ZEITLER

ABOVE LEFT: The original Bristol Cherub engine on the M17 replica. DR ANDREAS ZEITLER

BELOW: The Me 262 on the ramp outside the Willy Messerschmitt Halle at Manching. DR ANDREAS ZEITLER

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F L UGM USE U M ME SS ER SCH MI TT

ABOVE: Bf 109G-10 D-FDME made few flights as ‘Yellow 3’ during 2011 before suffering engine trouble. Thankfully, Klaus Plasa was able to make a successful deadstick landing.

proficient using other, similar types. The collection’s policy of keeping its fleet airworthy inevitably means a compromise between preservation and flying hours. On the one hand, operating these aircraft requires proficiency that can only be obtained by flying them for a reasonable

DR ANDREAS ZEITLER

RIGHT: The view from the back seat of the HA-200.

DR ANDREAS ZEITLER

BELOW: Messerschmitt designed the HA-200 Saeta for Hispano Aviación. Here, Wolfgang Schirdewahn is flying D-IWMS, with Prof Gero Madelung in the back seat.

DR ANDREAS ZEITLER

number of hours per pilot each year. On the other, available flight hours on the airframes are limited. The self-imposed maximum of roughly 20 to 30 hours per year restricts public appearances by the aircraft to a minimum, especially when it comes to airshows that

require long ferry flights. While it would be nice for the team to be able to display at more locations further afield, the transfer flights add to general wear and tear but offer little value in pilot proficiency. The importance placed on preserving the aircraft is further apparent from the nature of their flying demonstrations. The routines are fairly gentle, remaining well within each airframe’s g limits and keeping engine power settings down to a reasonable figure of about 70 per cent during display flying. This careful approach can be observed every time an aircraft is moved out of the hangar at Manching and readied to fly. After meticulous ground checks the previous day, each flight is planned to the very last detail. The pilots don’t just jump in and fly: they usually prefer to sit in the cockpit and get acquainted and re-familiarised with the layout for a while, before the actual start-up procedure begins.

❖

ABOVE: Caption

CREDIT

40 www.aeroplanemonthly.com

It cannot be denied that the museum has had some setbacks of late, especially regarding flight operations with its Bf 109s. Though it has long held the ambition to be able to fly a formation of two of the Daimler-Benz DB605-powered Bf 109s — all converted from Hispano-built, Rolls-Royce Merlinengined HA-1112-M1L Buchóns — very seldom have two been airworthy at the same time. The most popular of the trio is Bf 109G-4 D-FWME, coded ‘Red 7’. It has been seen frequently at airshows

AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

around Europe, and made the trip across the Channel in 2015 to visit the Biggin Hill Festival of Flight, Flying Legends at Duxford and the Royal International Air Tattoo at Fairford (see Aeroplane October 2015). Unfortunately, though, it is also the aircraft most often hit by bad luck. The airframe has had quite a record of mishaps in the past few years, fortunately only resulting in distorted skins, broken components or, in the worst case, a shock-loaded DB605. The most recent was a take-off incident on 28 August this year. Sometimes, the Bf 109’s tricky handling characteristics cannot be compensated for by even the best, most experienced test pilots. ‘Red 7’ does not belong to the Messerschmitt Stiftung, but was bought by the then EADS company in 2006 from its former private owners. The aircraft suffered a landing accident in 2005, and the owners were unable to rebuild it with their own resources and donations. The ‘Gustav’ was considered to be an especially splendid specimen, in particular its DB605 engine. In order to keep the Bf 109G-4 in Germany, it was taken to Manching on condition that it be made airworthy again. This happened at the end of 2007, around the time when Bf 109G-6 D-FMBB — nicknamed ‘die Beule’ (the bump) due to the rather ungainly fairings for the machine gun in front of the cockpit

LEFT: Airbus Helicopters chief test pilot Volker Bau talks to the groundcrew after one of his first flights in the Bf 109G-4. DR ANDREAS ZEITLER

— went into a period of major engine maintenance after its participation in the filming of the movie ‘Valkyrie’ near Berlin, starring Tom Cruise.

this ‘Gustav’ as well, when its landing gear collapsed on touchdown after a flight demonstration during ILA 2008 at Berlin Schönefeld. A

‘Keeping the fleet airworthy inevitably means a compromise between preservation and flying hours’ The third example in the fleet, Bf 109G-10 D-FDME, was airworthy at that time. It is considered to be the easiest of the 109s to fly due to its higher tailwheel, and was the one selected for pilot training. However, a year later ill luck struck

full refurbishment was performed thereafter, including a repaint that transformed the former ‘Black 2’ into ‘Yellow 3’. The G-10 was airborne again in 2011, but unfortunately an engine failure in mid-year forced pilot Klaus Plasa to make a deadstick

BELOW: The delightful M17 in flight over Bavaria’s countryside. DR ANDREAS ZEITLER

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F L UGM USE U M ME SS ER SCH MI TT

ABOVE: Marc Frattini gets airborne in the HA-200 during ILA 2014 at Berlin Brandenburg Airport. BEN DUNNELL

landing at Manching, and it has not flown since. With the small team of specialists focusing on ‘Red 7’, progress on the other two Bf 109s has understandably slowed in recent years. Even keeping one aircraft airworthy is so timeconsuming that few resources are left to work on the other machines.

However, advances are being made, though they may not always be visible to the outside observer visiting the Manching hangar. Cabling inside the airframes is being completely renewed and brought up to modern standards, while the wings have been totally reworked using jigs from an external company.

The roots of Germany’s best-known fighter can, of course, be found in the Bf 108. Powered by an original Argus As 10C, the Messerschmitt Stiftung’s Taifun is an original Bf 108B-1 whose history can be traced back to 1938 (see Aeroplane May 2016). It was bought from a private Swiss owner in the 1990s. The fuselage

LEFT: The striking shape of the Me 163 glider replica in free flight is currently denied following structural inspections. DR ANDREAS ZEITLER BELOW: Wolfgang Schirdewahn is among the Flugmuseum’s pilots. He is an Empire Test Pilots’ School graduate who flies for Airbus Defence and Space. MESSE BERLIN

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AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

is now undergoing an extensive restoration, and in the cockpit it is being given modern navigation and communication equipment, while preserving the original appearance. Stepping even further back in time to 1924-25, the M17 was Messerschmitt’s first powered aircraft design. According to his ethos it was light, safe and economical. Its low empty weight of 198kg is especially remarkable when considering the possible equal mass of the pilot and the passenger who can fly in it. The type’s most famous feat occurred in 1926: the first crossing of the central Alps by a light aeroplane. That flight from Bamberg to Rome (undertaken in several stages) took 14 hours and attained a maximum altitude of 4,500m (14,765ft). Just one original M17 remains, a static exhibit with the Deutsches Museum in Munich. The aircraft at Manching is the sole airworthy replica, newly built by Bitz Flugzeugbau in 2004. However, its engine is an original Bristol Cherub.

❖

Another replica is the eyecatching Me 163 Komet. This differs from the other aircraft in the collection, given that the concept for this rocket-propelled interceptor was not originally designed by Willy Messerschmitt but, rather, aerodynamicist Alexander Lippisch. The stunning red Komet hanging from the roof is an unpowered glider. It demonstrated its impressive flying characteristics at several airshows, being released from a Dornier Do 27 tug aircraft. However, it is not at present considered airworthy

Flugmuseum Messerschmitt fleet Aircraft

Registration

Owner

Bf 108B-1

D-ESBH

Messerschmitt Stiftung

Bf 109G-4

D-FWME

Airbus Defence and Space

Converted from HA-1112-M1L Buchón C.4K-75

Bf 109G-6

D-FMBB

Messerschmitt Stiftung

Converted from HA-1112-M1L Buchón C.4K-87

Bf 109G-10

D-FDME

Airbus Defence and Space/ Converted from HA-1112-M1L Messerschmitt Stiftung Buchón C.4K-141/D-FEHD

HA-200 Saeta

D-IWMS

Messerschmitt Stiftung

M17 replica

D-ERTA

Messerschmitt Stiftung

Me 163B glider D-1636 reproduction

Airbus Defence and Space

Me 262A/B-1c reproduction

Messerschmitt Stiftung

D-IMTT

Notes

ABOVE: Bf 108B-1 D-ESBH sports a generic wartime Luftwaffe scheme. DR ANDREAS ZEITLER

BELOW: The General Electric CJ610 engines of the reproduction Me 262 have provided good, reliable performance. DR ANDREAS ZEITLER

ð

F L UGMUSEUM MESSER SCH MITT

ABOVE: The ILA Berlin Air Show is always a major showcase for the Flugmuseum’s fleet, as here in 2010 when both the Bf 109G-4 and Me 262 appeared. BEN DUNNELL

as a result of the findings from an inspection of its wooden structure. Perhaps the Messerschmitt Stiftung’s greatest feat in the aviation world was its involvement in the

new-build Me 262 project. Given that the jet fighter was considered by Messerschmitt himself to be his most important design, no wonder the foundation supported so strongly

VISITING THE MUSEUM

The Flugmuseum Messerschmitt is located inside the secure area on the Airbus Defence and Space site at Manching near Munich. Access is thus limited, and visits are only possible on one Friday afternoon per month. They require prior reservation, which is preferably done via www.flugmuseum-messerschmitt.de.

the effort by first Classic Fighter Industries in collaboration with Herb Tischler’s Texas Airplane Factory, and then Bob Hammer and his Legend Flyers team at Paine Field in Everett, Washington, to reproduce the world’s first operational jet. The small production run was permitted to use Werknummern (construction numbers) following on directly from the originals. Following the maiden flight of the initial new Me 262 in December 2002, the Manching-based example D-IMTT — ‘MTT’ standing for Messerschmitt — took to the air during 2005 and was air-freighted across the Atlantic the following spring, becoming the sole airworthy 262 in Europe. As things stand, it is displayed as a single-seat A-1 version, but provision was made to reconfigure it as a two-seat B-1 as well. For the pilots chosen to fly these Messerschmitt designs, every opportunity to take to the air in them is an outstanding experience, affording the chance to appreciate in a hands-on way the progress aviation has achieved in the past 90 years. But watching from the ground is itself a pleasure, for it is a rare treat to see and hear these aircraft in action, preserving the Messerschmitt legacy. BELOW: It was good to see the Bf 109G-4 ‘Red 7’ in Britain for a short tour in 2015. Such visits are rare due to the need to preserve precious flying hours. RICHARD PAVER

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AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

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29/09/2016 11:53

MONACO SEA PLA NE CO NTEST

MONACO’S first Grand Prix Think of sporting contests in Monaco, and four-wheeled motorsport springs most readily to mind. But, in the early years of aviation, the principality was the scene of a pioneering seaplane competition, here illustrated by some rare archive images WORDS: LUIGINO CALIARO

W

hat could be considered the first seaplane competition in aviation history, far pre-dating the Schneider Trophy, was organised by Camille Blanc of the International Sporting Club of Monaco, assisted by Georges Prade, a journalist and the editor of the magazine L’Auto. It was staged under the supervision of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, created officially on 14 October 1905.

The contest — in reality a series of tests and flight trials — was held between 24 and 31 March 1912 along the stretch of sea situated off the coastline between Monaco and the Italian city of San Remo. Some 10 entrants signed up, but only eight of them would vie for the main prizes: 8,000 francs for first place, 4,000 for second and 3,000 for third. The other participants would receive an equal share of the remaining 2,000-franc prize money available.

ENTRANTS Number

Pilot

Aircraft

Engine

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Louis Paulhan (France) Hugh Robinson (USA) Maurice Colliex (France) Paul Rugère (France) Eugène Renaux (France) Jean Benoît (France) René Caudron (France) Jules Fischer (Belgium) Émile Taddéoli (Switzerland) Louis Baillod (France)

Curtiss A-1 Curtiss A-1 Voisin Canard Voisin Canard Maurice Farman Sanchez-Besa Caudron-Fabre Henry Farman La Mouette Baillod

75hp Curtiss 50hp Curtiss 110hp Salmson 60hp Anzani 70hp Renault 110hp Salmson 60hp Anzani 70hp Gnome Withdrawn Withdrawn

ABOVE: The oldtime splendour of Monte Carlo — now long gone at the hands of developers — is evident in this image of Louis Paulhan on the water in his Curtiss Triad. OPPOSITE: Curtiss engineer Hugh Robinson’s A-1, or Triad, sits on the beach as René Caudron’s self-built machine with Fabre floats taxies out of the water. ALL PHOTOS VIA LUIGINO CALIARO

LEFT: Paulhan in conversation from the pilot’s seat of his Curtiss. He had more seaplane — in French, hydravion — experience than most by the time of the Monaco contest, having flown Henri Fabre’s pioneering machine as early as 1910.

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MONACO SEA PLA NE CO NTEST The flight trials, for which points were to be awarded, were divided between the following categories: • Take-off in calm sea from the port of Monaco — one point • Landing on a calm sea after at least one turn around the buoys — one point • Take-off from a choppy sea — three points • Landing on a choppy sea — two points • Take-off, complete circuit of the course, and landing, after which the aircraft would be beached to allow the pilot to exit while keeping his feet dry — four points • Take-off direct from the beach without the pilot climbing on board the aircraft while in the water, keeping his feet dry, followed by completion of a circuit and landing in the port of Monaco — four points

ABOVE: From his Henry Farman, Belgium’s Jules Fischer watches the ill-fated Voisin Canard of Maurice Colliex being launched.

RIGHT: Robinson, inventor during 1911 of the aircraft arrester hook, getting under way.

If the pilot was able to carry a passenger, extra points were awarded. The winner would, obviously, be the aviator who had accrued the greatest points score by the end of the week. The spectacle drew a large audience, while numerous military observers arrived from Italy, Russia, Germany, Britain, Switzerland and even Japan. There was an equally major presence on the part of the international press, over 100 correspondents being accredited. The first day was dominated by Jules Fischer, but also saw the accident that eliminated the Voisin Canard of Colliex. It was caught by a gust of wind, resulting in a loss of control, and crashed into the sea, fortunately without injury to the pilot. Fischer, amongst others, was awarded bonus points for having carried passengers in the course of several flights, as was Renaux, although he did not manage to complete all the required trials. Thanks in part to the excellent weather and favourable sea state, the pilots conducted ever more sorties over the days that followed, flying with increasing numbers of passengers. Renaux took three and later four passengers for the first time on 27 March, while Fischer, who did not have an aircraft with a central nacelle, had to be content with carrying only three people, one behind his seat and two standing, clinging onto the float mountings. Things did not go well for Rugère, however. Having taken his mechanic on board, his Voisin Canard lost power and ended up ditching. The airframe was wrecked but both occupants escaped unscathed. LEFT: Eugène Renaux’s Maurice Farman climbs out. Renaux had only taken up aviation in 1910, and won the 1911 Prix Michelin by flying with a passenger from Paris to the summit of the Puy de Dôme — via a circuit of Clermont-Ferrand’s cathedral — in less than six hours. He and Albert Senouque won the 100,000-franc prize.

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AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

LEFT: The Maurice Farman of Renaux was fitted with float-mounted wheels to provide an amphibious capability.

BELOW: Rugère aboard his Voisin Canard prior to its unfortunate — but thankfully nonfatal — mishap.

On 30 March Renaux even managed the feat of taking off with six people on board, while Fischer was joined by four passengers standing on the floats of his seaplane. That same day, Benoît, at the controls of the Sanchez-Besa, struck a branch while taxiing on the water and irreparably damaged a float. Louis Blériot flew in Fischer’s aircraft during the final day, as did author and politician Paul Déroulède, while Paulhan took marine engineer Barbec

aloft. Robinson and Fischer each undertook another flight carrying two of the competition judges, respectively André Fournier and Jacques Schneider. At the conclusion of proceedings, winning pilot Jules Fischer amassed 112 points, followed by Eugène Renaux with 100. But perhaps the biggest winner was the seaplane, for the Monaco contest had demonstrated that such aircraft had a future as a practical form of flying machine.

THE RESULTS Position

Pilot

Points total

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Jules Fischer Eugène Renaux Henri Paulhan Hugh Robinson René Caudron Jean Benoît Paul Rugère and Maurice Colliex

112.10 100.80 86.30 71.90 65 50.30 41.75

YA K- 3

EASTERN PROM The new-build, Allison-engined Yak-3 has become a deservedly popular warbird, as British owner-pilot Will Greenwood has discovered WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY: RICHARD PAVER

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OMISEE “T

he Yak-3 really appealed to me because it is a high-performance warbird that gives plenty of bang for the buck”. So says Will Greenwood, the owner-pilot of Yak-3UA G-OLEG. Having imported

the aircraft into the UK, it is now to be seen regularly at air events. Will has built good experience on this fast, nimble and much under-rated Soviet fighter, and has come to enjoy it immensely. “I started flying in 1986”, he says, “and first went solo aged 17. I have now built up over 2,000 hours, primarily on taildraggers and other vintage types. I got into display flying approximately eight years ago and have been a regular member of the Great War Display Team, flying a Junkers CL.I replica. Then I acquired my Bücker Bestmann [actually an Egyptian-built Heliopolis Gomhouria], G-TPWX WX, X forming Axis Axx

Air Displays in order to display it and other vintage types. My first display in the Bestmann was at the Abingdon Air and Country Show, with many thanks to [organiser] Neil Porter and his team. Since then I have flown and displayed at many events across both the UK and continental Europe. I am also the national coach for the Light Aircraft Association and help instruct other pilots when time allows. “After acquiring the Bestmann I was very much on the lookout for a more powerful warbird. In 2014 I was invited to fly in a photo-shoot at Bremgarten in southern Germany, and during this visit I was made aware that

BELOW: Will Greenwood flying his very fine Yak-3UA G-OLEG near the south coast in the summer of 2016.

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YA K- 3

ABOVE: Following experience on the Bestmann and other historic taildraggers, Will Greenwood has moved on to the potent Yak-3 with confidence.

MaxAlpha Aviation had up for sale their Yak-3UA D-FLAK, which was sitting there in the hangar. I later made separate arrangements to return to have a closer look at the aircraft, this time accompanied by Richard Grace of Air Leasing. Richard is certainly one of the foremost authorities on Yak fighters — he had built up much experience with the type as he looks after Yak-3 ‘White 100’ [G-CGXG] and had previously put that particular Yak onto the UK register. We were pleasantly surprised with what we found. D-FLAK was in lovely condition, was regularly hangared and maintained by MeierMotors, and had only flown approximately 80 hours from new. This looked like a great possibility. “This particular aircraft has two seats, adding further to its attractiveness. There is a full set of controls in the back — with the exception of brakes —

while the aircraft was undergoing its annual check so I could study all of its unusual systems in detail while it was up on jacks. The time spent on this before I flew it proved invaluable. I learned a great deal about the management of the aircraft and some of its peculiarities such as the loud ‘thud… thud’ as the tailwheel retracts, which I could then expect when it came to actually flying it. “Prior to flying the Yak-3, I had built up good experience flying complex single-engine aircraft such as the Harvard and Yak-52. The first leg of the ferry flight back to the UK was to be my first flight in the Yak-3. The flight was from Bremgarten to Albert-Bray airfield in France, which gave me an hour or so to prepare for the landing. The Yak needs between 800 and 900m of landing run and Albert-Bray has a long, hard runway of over 2,200m.

‘I practised stall recoveries in order to understand how the small wing behaved’ and so you can share the enjoyment of high-performance warbird flying with another pilot. “I purchased the aircraft in 2014 and soon set about planning the ferry flight back to the UK from Bremgarten. In preparing to fly it I spoke with several of the country’s top Yak pilots. I took the opportunity to visit MeierMotors

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I chose this deliberately for my first landing to give me plenty of room. “The Yak is a very nimble, highly manoeuvrable, very responsive low-level dogfighter but it is not a short-field machine. With gear and flaps down it stalls at 80kt, and so you need at least 95kt over the hedge for landing, which certainly grabs your attention.

The aircraft has a tendency to drop a wing at the stall, so I always try and do a tail-low wheeler landing as opposed to a more conventional ‘three-pointer’ that you might expect in some other taildraggers. In my early days of flying the Yak I took the time out to carry out a lot of slow-speed handling practice safely at height. I practised stall recoveries, both with power on and power off, in order to really understand how the small wing behaved and to build my confidence. “The Yak-3 is a fast-cruising machine. At approximately 60 per cent power — 2,200rpm and 32in of manifold pressure — it will race along at 230kt. By comparison the Spitfire will cruise at about 180kt at a similar power setting. Being a Russian aircraft many of the instruments use metric units, unlike the other Allied aircraft of the period. It has a fuel capacity of 520 litres, of which only 420 litres is usable in flight. It burns around 225 litres per hour in the cruise, so I aim to land after one hour 15 minutes, and I make it a rule to always be on the ground before an hour-and-a-half. “The Allison engine fitted to this aircraft is a liquid-cooled V12 producing 1,350hp. This particular aircraft has super-wide prop blades fitted, which give it a better climb rate and overall improved performance. Starting the engine is relatively Continued on page 57

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Yakovlev Yak-3UA G-OLEG Will Greenwood RICHARD PAVER

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YA K-3 Continued from page 52 straightforward, but once running the pressure is on to get going before the coolant overheats. The aircraft has a relatively sophisticated electrically controlled thermostat to help regulate the coolant temperature once airborne. But for running on the ground the radiator door should be manually fully opened to ensure it doesn’t overheat. “Like most Yak aircraft, the Yak-3 uses compressed air to operate all of the vital systems — the undercarriage, flaps and brakes. When flying the aircraft the management of this pneumatic system becomes one’s prime concern. Without sufficient air pressure you may find yourself with enough air to lower the wheels but might not have enough left to stop! “Air pressure is supplied from an engine-driven pump with an electrical back-up on a constantly depleting system. The system runs at an unusually high 150 bar — 2,200psi — and neither pump is capable of maintaining full operating pressure. So, on the ground this needs to be replenished depending on how much had been consumed in flight. The full 150 bar will last for approximately four normal flights, and I carry a small topup bottle when I take the aircraft away. “After I had ferried it to the UK I asked Air Leasing to do the work required to get it transferred onto the UK register. Fortunately, the way for this had to a certain extent been paved by the owner of G-CDBJ, who had previously succeeded in getting his example onto the UK register, so when it came to my aircraft the type was not

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unknown to the CAA AA. A That particular aircraft is actually a sister ship to my own — both are Strela Orenburg-built examples. “Air Leasing did a great job and the aircraft is now registered G-OLEG. As part of the process of transferring it to the ‘G-reg’ I had to obtain the permission of the UK’s Russian air attaché for the aircraft to fly in its

from the former Zavod Factory 47 in Leningrad, hence the 47 in the aircraft’s constructor’s number, 0470202. Will’s machine is finished in the markings of a Normandie-Niemen Regiment aircraft as flown on the Eastern Front. Specifically, it depicts the example piloted by Louis Delfino, commanding officer of the famous Free French-manned unit, in October 1944.

‘The Yak-3 has a great presence — it sounds like a V12 fighter should’ current markings. Coincidentally, the Russian Embassy official who granted this permission was one Capt Oleg Kornienko. “While the Yak-3 is perhaps not as well-known to the public as the more famous fighters of the time, it has a remarkable history. It served with great distinction for the Soviet Air Force, having a vital role in the Allied victory on the Eastern Front. For its size it was a formidable opponent and German fighter pilots were advised not to engage the Yaks at low level, such was their fierce reputation. As an airshow performer the Yak-3 has a great presence — it’s fast, manoeuvrable, and sounds like a V12 fighter should.” Along with a number of other Yak-3s, G-OLEG was built in about 2001 by Strela at Orenburg, approximately 700 miles south-east of Moscow. The design was based very closely on the wartime Yak-3 but used an all-metal structure with an Allison V-1710 engine as no original Klimov Kll VK-107s were available. The Strela plant was created

G-OLEG was initially based at Dunsfold and spent time at Syw ywell w when being maintained by Air Leasing. For the 2016 season, Will moved the aircraft to Goodwood to be closer to his home. It has now made a number of UK airshow appearances, which included prestigious performances at Farnborough 2016. Will has also flown the Yak to a number of displays in continental Europe during 2016, including trips to both Leszno in Poland and Pardubice in the Czech Republic in formation with Stephen Stead’s Spitfire TE184 and the Flying Bulls’ beautiful B-25 Mitchell. Given the proximity of the Boultbee Flight Academy at Goodwood, Will explained that he is currently working with them to assess the possibility of obtaining CAA AA A approval to offer passenger rides in G-OLEG as part of Boultbee’s customer flight experience programme in 2017. So, watch this space — there may be an opportunity to experience the thrill of flying in the Yak first-hand.

BELOW: The Régiment de Chasse 3 ‘NormandieNiemen’ markings on the Yak-3 are instantly recognisable.

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GUY

B L AC K A perfectionist when it comes to engineering, this leading figure on the historic aircraft scene has been key to the restoration of some unique survivors

A

formation of silver-winged Hawker biplane fighters — Fury, Nimrod, Demon — growls through the English summer skies, highly redolent of the inter-war years. Once an almost impossible dream, it finally happened at Duxford this year, and in this spectacle Guy Black was instrumental. Were it not for him, none of these beautiful aeroplanes may even have survived, let alone flown again. Of all the factors that go into restoring an historic aircraft to the highest possible standard, engineering expertise is the most vital. An engineer by training, Guy is truly passionate about this aspect of the restoration business, constantly striving for the highest of standards. The projects in which he has been instrumental bear witness to this. More than 30 years ago, with the desire for meticulous work in mind, he founded Aero Vintage. Today the engineering arm of the business is Retrotec, primarily restoring aircraft for operation by the Historic Aircraft Collection. Guy runs HAC with two co-directors, his wife Janice and accountant and family friend Angus Spencer-Nairn. A hive of activity, the Retrotec workshops are to be found at a small industrial unit in Westfield near Rye. This part of rural East Sussex is where Guy grew up, and a short drive through the countryside takes us to lunch at the delightful Red Lion at the top of Brede Hill.

Guy’s father had trained in the medical trade, and resumed that career after his wartime RAF service. “He flew Liberators and Beaufighters in India”, says Guy. “When I was about six, we were on a camping holiday at Arundel, and he said, ‘There’s a flight of Spitfires going overhead — come out of the tent and see’. They flew over with a great roar. He told me to look, listen and remember, because I would never see it again. “He loved fast cars and used to have them tuned by a patient of his, who ran a company called Weslake & Co, engine researchers mainly for the competition market but also consultants to industry, famously designing the ejector exhaust for the Rolls-Royce Merlin. Through that connection I had a Saturday job when I was 15, working in the machine shop. An apprenticeship with Weslake followed, and they allowed me to study the academic side of engineering at a local college. Design of engines was my thing — I really loved doing the drawing and the design work. It was a dream job.” Harry Weslake’s firm in Rye became best-known for its association with the great American driver Dan Gurney and his Eagle team. In 1967, the Weslake V12 Formula One engine powered Gurney to victory in the Belgian Grand Prix, making him only the second driver in history (after Jack Brabham) to win an F1 race in a car of his own construction. “I was around when

WORDS: BEN DUNNELL

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ABOVE: Guy Black addressing an audience at Duxford. PETER R. MARCH

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meets G UY BLACK Dan and his team were there”, Guy recalls. “Once he bought new Honda motorcycles for all his American team members. This was the first time any of us had seen a Honda motorcycle. Having experienced the primitive, almost pre-war engineering of British motorcycles, it was a real eye-opener, and an inspiration to me. “I became very involved with racing motorcycles then, and had a go at racing myself. Piston engines were really in the blood, but my father did all he could to stop me. He bought me a car, a locally made Elva Courier for me to use in hillclimbs and sprints. But I had a yearning to start my own business. I had an interest in vintage cars, and so I started restoring them. That grew into quite a large business, Lynx Cars, latterly specialising in competition Jaguars — the C, D and lightweight E-Type. We also did a lot of conversions and development work”. Probably the firm’s most prestigious product was the Lynx Eventer, an estate conversion of the Jaguar XJS. Guy retains one to this day. During this time, aviation re-entered Guy’s life. “At Lynx we decided to buy an aeroplane to commute about the country. In 1980 we bought a Cessna 172, G-AWUX, in which I gained my PPL”. But the appeal of running the car business was on the wane. “I had to start wearing a tie, I had business partners, and we took on another person who wanted to finance a massive expansion, who it turned out did not have the promised money. It was all becoming too stressful for me. One day in 1989, I just walked out of it and never returned. I sold my cars, severed all ties with the car engineering world and became more involved in old aeroplanes.” Aero Vintage was founded in 1982, but the first seed of the new venture had been sown in Guy’s mind a few years earlier. “I decided to build a Sopwith Pup replica. An original rotary was essential, and so I went to America and managed to get about half a dozen Le Rhône engines, because there were plenty of them around then. Another friend came along wanting a Pup, so we built two.

had to be perfectly authentic in every detail. They went along with this enthusiastically.” Guy saw many parallels between his car and aeroplane interests. “My particular fascination was with the D-Type Jaguar. This was where the synergy with aeroplanes really started, because it occurred to me that the D-Type and the Spitfire had a lot in common. “The D was the first British production monocoque sports racing car to be built, and the bodywork was styled by Malcolm Sayer, an aeronautical aerodynamicist-turnedcar stylist — he worked for the Bristol Aeroplane Company before turning to cars, and was involved with the Beaufighter — and the bodywork was constructed by Abbey Panels, who were an aircraft sheet metal company. The Spitfire was the first British production fighter with a monocoque. They both had tubular front subframes, they both had classic engines in them. They were both designed to win — they both won. And, most important of all, they both look good. Incidentally, they also both benefited from Harry Weslake’s airflow genius. It cannot be much better than that.

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“I was slightly encouraged by my father, who said how nice it would be to restore a Spitfire, an aircraft he yearned to fly during the war but was declared ‘temperamentally unsuited for fighters’. That discussion was back in the late 1970s, when there was really very little restoration activity in the ex-military aircraft world. Personal Plane Services was about it. I decided to look around and buy a Spitfire project, and bought two MkIXs from Robs Lamplough who had recovered them from Israel. They were TE566 and MJ730. “I had this great idea that if I restored two, number two could help pay for number one, because you find a customer for it. I should have learned my lesson from the car world. Of course, we all know that doing two Spitfires costs precisely twice the

‘All out-of-control collectors need more stuff all the time. You stretch your budget, you stretch your garden shed’ “At Lynx we made the fuel and oil tanks, undertook the engine rebuild and some of the trickier metal work, but I met Tim Moore and his then partner Cathy O’Brien, and they set up a business” — Skysport Engineering — “just to do this aircraft work for me. That went very well, and they did a lovely job. I wanted to set a very high standard for everything we did. It

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cost of doing one. There are almost no economies of scale. “At that time, Angus SpencerNairn, who had become good friends through our shared interest in cars, asked me if I wanted a partner in the aviation side, because it was going to be very expensive. I agreed”. Angus remains a key member of the Retrotec and HAC team to this day.

The replica Pups were ready in 1986, but the project did not have a happy ending. “Mine, unfortunately, crashed on its maiden flight [at Old Warden]. The pilot did a tight turn far too slowly while coming in to land and it spun in. He was hurt, but not badly. If I hadn’t been held back, he would have been very badly hurt…” After years of work, G-BIAT was wrecked. The owner of the other one, G-BIAU, decided not to fly it. He sold the aircraft to Paul Raymond’s short-lived Whitehall Theatre of War, from where it went to the Fleet Air Arm Museum. Guy thinks G-BIAT left for New Zealand, where it too became a static museum-piece. He was not to be put off. “Like all out-of-control collectors, you need more stuff all the time. You stretch your budget, you stretch your garden shed to accommodate more aeroplanes, manuals and associated bits that may come in handy one day. “I really wanted an original First World War aeroplane, and when the Wings and Wheels collection came up for sale in America I gave Tim [Moore] a budget and told him to go and buy me the best aeroplane he could with the money, with an order of preference — Sopwith Camel, SE5a or the Pfalz. I was shocked and appalled when he rang up and said he’d decided to buy a very derelict Nieuport 28, but that it was good news because I had lots of money left. I asked him, ‘Why? I didn’t want that’. He said, ‘Well, it’s going to give me lots of work to rebuild’. I suppose I would have done the same, perhaps, in his shoes. Skysport rebuilt it, and again they did a beautiful job. The power-to-weight ratio was so high it would almost climb vertically. It was just a stupendous aeroplane. A hopelessly impractical aeroplane [see ‘Aeroplane meets… Stu Goldspink’ in the August 2016 issue], but one that I had no interest in flying at my level of skill.” By now, in the early 1990s, the first of the Spitfires was almost ready to fly. This was HFIXe TE566, MJ730 having been sold. “Having been through a couple of bad experiences with selfstyled Spitfire rebuilders, along came Tim Routsis with Clive Denney and their company, Historic Flying Ltd. I recognised straight away that here was a company that had turned the familiar shoe-string barn operation into a professional engineering concern. During the course of the rebuild of TE566, HFL became involved in the big exchange [of the RAF’s gate guardians] for the fibreglass Spitfires. They had this really nice MkV, BM597, which attracted me immediately. The agreed plan was to finish the MkIX, fly it for a bit, sell it, and then have the MkV. That’s what we did.” As John Allison took TE566 for its maiden flight out of Audley End on 2 July 1992, many of Guy’s diverse projects were overlapping. Fieseler Fi 156C-3 Storch G-FIST, an ex-Italian

AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

ABOVE: Aero Vintage’s first project, Sopwith Pup replica ‘N6160’/G-BIAT, before its ill-fated maiden flight at Old Warden. VIA GUY BLACK ABOVE RIGHT: Fi 156C-3 Storch G-FIST coming in to land at Duxford, in the hands of John Romain. BEN DUNNELL BELOW: The two HAC Spitfires, the newly restored LFVb BM597 — which initially had clipped wings — and HFIXe TE566, flying together during 1998. The latter aircraft went to South Africa soon after. RICHARD PAVER

RIGHT: Guy just after his first Spitfire flight, in the Historic Aircraft Collection’s LFVb BM597. RICHARD PAVER BELOW RIGHT: A happy team at RAF Henlow after the first post-restoration flight of Nimrod I S1581. Initially operated by HAC, it is now with The Fighter Collection. VIA GUY BLACK BELOW: In the palace at Bikaner in late 1999, having made the incredible discovery of the two stored DH9s. VIA GUY BLACK

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ABOVE: Dave Evans at the controls of HAC’s Nimrod II K3661. RICHARD PAVER

ABOVE RIGHT: The IWM’s DH9, D5649, following its roll-out ceremony at Duxford during 2007. PETER R. MARCH

RIGHT: Guy in the gunner’s position of Bristol F2B D7889 as it arrives over Old Warden in July 2006 for one of its two post-restoration flying appearances. Stu Goldspink was piloting. RICHARD PAVER BELOW: A 2010 shot of Charlie Brown and Dave Harvey in HAC’s busiest aircraft, Spitfire BM597 and Hurricane ‘Z5140’ (since changed to ‘P3700’). RICHARD PAVER BELOW RIGHT: Fury I K5674 has been displaying with HAC since the start of the 2015 season. This is the sole genuine surviving example of the type in the world, finished in its original No 43 Squadron markings. RICHARD PAVER

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Air Force example, was among them. Unfortunately, the restoration ended up costing vastly more than anticipated and the aircraft had to be sold. After just one display appearance, at Duxford during October 1994, it went to the Italian Air Force Museum, sadly never to fly again. “I think a lot of people believe we have an unlimited budget, but that was never the case. Things have to be sold or money earned to finance other acquisitions. The amount of money we could otherwise spend would be limitless. We decided very early on that if we had a compromised budget to maintain the flying aeroplanes, it would be time to stop or reduce the number. The day also is fast approaching when we will simply be too old to continue and a new generation of owners will have to be sought.” Then there was Bristol F2B D7889, acquired in 1987. “That was a rather odd, fortuitous occurrence. The Shuttleworth Collection were desperate for a Spitfire V radiator, theirs having been over-pressurised and burst during routine testing. I advised them that I had a serviceable one and that I’d swap it for a derelict Bristol Fighter fuselage that, I had spotted in an Aeroplane article, was stored in their barn off-site. So a deal was agreed. “I went there with my car trailer to load it up. They wouldn’t let me in the barn, because it was ‘secret’ and we did not know each other very well then, so I waited there and they brought out this fuselage. I started tying it on, but they said, ‘Hang on, you can’t tie it on yet. There’s still the wings and everything else to come’. I wasn’t expecting that. They loaded on a complete set of good wings, still with fabric; tail surfaces, struts, undercarriage — loads of parts big and small. It was hard not to jump up and down with joy. “A Bristol Fighter project was an exciting development: a sensible aeroplane, a two-seater, and an original First World War aircraft at that. The only problem was that there wasn’t an engine with it. I searched around the world and there seemed to be about six surviving Falcon engines, all in situations that I’d never extract them from. I needed to find a seventh one. “At that time I had developed a quite a good relationship with the Brussels Air Museum, where they had this amazing cellar stuffed full of materiel from the First World War. They pulled out this engine, which turned out to be a Falcon, though it had been damaged in a crash. They agreed to exchange it for a Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine, which at the time I had no use for, and a Gnome rotary engine I also had.” Aero Vintage was now doing much more of the restorations itself. When Guy started acquiring his outstanding Hawker collection, work stepped up a gear. “I thought they were some of the most beautiful biplanes ever built, but

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there weren’t any in private ownership. I heard of an Audax on a mountain in Scotland, which I laboriously trekked up to see. What a walk that was. There wasn’t much left of it, and the owners of the estate wouldn’t let us take it away. I then found another Audax in a scrapyard in Cheshire. “I had a trawl through the RAF Museum stores, and they said they had surplus to requirements a rear fuselage and tail section of a Hawker biplane that had been turned into something called the ‘Foo’, a ground-running contraption resembling an aeroplane of sorts on which RAF students learned the art of taxiing, with a car engine connected to a crude propeller. On the back end was faintly stencilled the serial number of the donor aeroplane. We were able to trace it back to being a Hawker Demon, K8203, and so a trade was agreed. I started accumulating many more bits together, such as the remains of a Hector and some wing panels. “About this time I had a call from a chap in South Africa asking if I was interested in a Fury… he sent me a tantalising photograph of this fuselage covered in brambles. I shot out there, but we had fruitless journeys looking for it. I even hired an aeroplane and flew it around, roughly where he thought it was. He’d produced a whole lot of Hawker biplane bits and pieces he’d found on this farm, but he couldn’t remember where it was. I began to suspect that there was more to this story than met the eye.

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“I had to go back several times to South Africa to try and find it, and eventually I did without his help, on a farm. It was an estate sale, so I had to buy all the scrap from the farm. There were a number of derelict aeroplanes, some rare and some not so rare. I made sure the Fury remains were loaded up, but then I had to abandon it because we had to catch an aeroplane home”. Guy had hired some locals, but things didn’t go entirely to plan. “I said, ‘There’s a mineshaft. Everything with a circle sprayed on it goes down there.

fabulous bits of antique machinery. In the accompanying shop were racks and racks of military stores going right back to the Boer War. In the window were these weight training barbells, and on the end of them were little discs of grooved steel. I said to my wife, ‘These look remarkably like Hawker tube squaring rolls, but I can’t believe they are’. I looked at the end of one of these rolls, and there was a Hawker inspection stamp with a Hawker part number. He had many more of these in a back room, almost two complete sets. From a photograph of the original one we constructed our own machine.” That chance discovery proved crucial to all the Hawker biplane airframe work by Aero Vintage and Retrotec that has followed. Without it, the projects may have been impossible. “The Fury sparked a contact with George Neal in Canada. He wrote to us out of the blue saying he needed some Fairey fasteners, because he was building a Fury. I asked whether he had a basis for it, and he told me he had a Hind. I’d been looking for this ‘missing’ Hind for the last 20 years. It was one of the two that Canada had apparently been gifted from Afghanistan — they had last choice, so they were allowed to pick two aeroplanes. A simple solution to a mystery. George restored the first one, and in exchange they let him keep the second aeroplane. Now, the only thing a Hind and a Fury have in common is that they were both powered by a Rolls-Royce Kestrel and were made by Hawkers. Otherwise, it’s a bit like converting a Rolls-Royce hearse into an Austin Seven. He also had a spare and superb Kestrel IIS, and a complicated deal was done whereby we supplied him with a basic ‘kit’ for a replica but totally authentic Fury in exchange for the Hind project and engine. “I learned that Mike Cookman was trying to build a Hawker Typhoon, and he had found a Hawker biplane fuselage which he was going to use as a source of small parts for his project. It was a Nimrod II fuselage, which he’d bought from the RAF Museum when they cleared out their RAF Henlow store. I bought it from him, for not very much money. It had no identity at that stage.”

‘I had to go back several times to South Africa to find the Fury. Eventually I did, on a farm. I had to buy all the scrap’ Everything with a square on it goes in the container’. Unfortunately, they got in a muddle. They threw down the mineshaft the rare stuff, and I ended up with a lot of scrap as well as the Fury remains… “It was on that trip that I acquired the Hawker tube squaring rolls, from a wonderful scrapyard run by a Jewish rabbi. It was filled with the most

On the hunt for more Nimrod or Fury parts, Guy went to see Viv Bellamy, having heard that he had some parts from a Nimrod as well. “Indeed he had. In fact, he had at one time the remains of a whole aeroplane, which he had acquired from Coley’s famous scrapyard in Hounslow, but now he had just the remains of the fuselage and tail unit. The rest he had given to the

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meets G UY BLACK RAF Museum. That was a Nimrod I, not a Nimrod II, but it came with the oil tank, which had ‘S81’ on it. Viv told me that in the Fleet Air Arm they would paint on the larger components which aircraft it came from — crudely, with a 1in brush. In this case it was ‘S81’, meaning that it must be Nimrod S1581 as no other Nimrod had this series of numbers. Shortly after this we found amongst the debris the brass Hawker ID plate of the aircraft, which confirmed the identity. “Things became even more interesting, because I was trawling through another store at the RAF Museum and I found the wings from this aircraft and some other tail parts, as well as a pair of upper wings from a Nimrod II. Suddenly a more or less complete Nimrod project existed — another trade was agreed. “About this time, I learned from an Aeroplane article of a display case at the Hawkinge museum that had an instrument panel from a Nimrod with its data plate still attached, the control column and a load of other stuff. I went to see — the now late — Mike Llewellyn, who ran the museum, and asked where it all came from. He said they had recovered the whole aeroplane once, but had passed the larger bits to the RAF Museum. The complete aircraft had been dumped near a river north of Ashford, just next to an Air Training Corps unit, who had it as an instructional airframe. I acquired the whole lot from him, as he still had a shed full of smaller parts. Now two fully identifiable Hawker Nimrod projects had been brought back together. “Having also a very good Hind project, we really had a surfeit of Hawker biplanes, and so I found a buyer for the Demon: a retired RAF pilot, Howell Davis. He then commissioned a rebuild”. That was eventually undertaken by Skysport, though, as Guy says, “I helped them with spars, and other Hawker technology that we’d re-invented.” Spitfire LFVb BM597 took to the air in July 1997. The following year, Guy — who had plenty of Chipmunk experience, as well as time in a Harvard and a Yak-11 — made his first ‘Spit’

moment came when you think, ‘I’ve got to land this thing next… or crash. There is no alternative. “I slightly messed up the landing, because [HAC chief pilot] Charlie Brown said I should turn finals when I was abreast the runway, so by the time I straightened out it was time to flare. Well, of course, I turned on the wrong runway. I was about 200m too far downwind, so by the time I came to the grass runway I couldn’t see the ground and didn’t know how high I was. I probably flared with the wheels 6in or so above the ground, which doesn’t sound much, but is enough to make it bounce rather alarmingly. It lurched from one wheel to the other and I thought I was going to crash. But I managed to keep it straight, and, as they say, it’s a good landing if you walk away from it.” His trip in BM597 proved timely. “Already at that stage I had a creeping bone infection in my leg, and that pretty much put an end to my flying career in marginal aviation”. But it barely slowed Guy down. As planned, TE566 was sold, going to South Africa during 1998 and sadly being lost in an accident there four years later. The first of the Hawker biplanes to fly was Nimrod I S1581 in July 2000 — while it left the HAC fleet a little while afterwards, it didn’t go far, moving along the row of Duxford hangars to join The Fighter Collection in exchange for Hurricane XIIa G-HURI.

on the fabric on the two rudders, were D5649 and E8894. The extremely rare Siddeley Puma engines had, however, vanished. Sadly, the termites had first pickings. “One wing had its original fabric, and almost looked as if it was ready to go again. I lifted it up, there was a rustling sound and it ended up as a pile of dust in a fabric sack, rather like a bean-bag. We arrived almost too late. Another five years and there would have been nothing left. “The widow of the maharaja was in residence, a pleasant and cultured lady. She offered us tea and Dundee cake and assessed whether we passed muster. After lengthy deliberations the family agreed to sell the remains, but for an outrageous amount of money, having admitted that the remains were about to be burned anyway.” Despite the type’s historical significance, no DH9s had survived in Britain. Now two would be returning to these shores. “I was quite ill then”, says Guy. “I fell off a ladder and wrecked my leg, which became infected, so Andy Saunders [aviation archaeologist and now editor of our sister publication Britain at War] very kindly volunteered to go out there with his wife Zoe and a good friend of mine, Mike Stallwood [a military vehicle dealer], to recover it. That was a huge adventure”. Andy and Guy’s forthcoming book will tell the whole story. It was decided that Retrotec would embark on two DH9 restorations, All the while, Guy remained on one to flying condition, the other the lookout for further rare historic static. Given that DH9s were based aeroplanes in far-flung locations. The at RAF Duxford, the Imperial War discovery in India of two Airco DH9s Museum’s collection seemed an obvious stands as a crowning achievement. “A destination for the static airframe. backpacker wandered into Historic “After five years of bullying by me”, Flying with a map and said, ‘Just there Guy recalls, “they came and inspected are the remains of some First World the remains, agreed to buy the project War aircraft’. He didn’t know what they and commission the rebuild. Part were, or anything about them. Historic of the deal involved us receiving the Flying said they weren’t interested, but IWM’s Me 163 Komet, which was I managed to establish that there was sold to Paul Allen’s Flying Heritage actually some truth to this report. My Collection. A further sum was raised wife Janice and I went out there on an from the Sir James Knott Trust, created extended holiday.” to commemorate two sons killed in the Eventually they reached their trenches in World War One. objective: the city of Bikaner, in “A lot of the original wood was unusable for the flying aircraft, but we were able to use a high percentage in the non-flyer because we could fill termite holes with epoxy resin, for example. We were very aware that this was a conservation exercise of the highest order. The private sphere of aircraft conservation at the present time is some way ahead of the state one”. It Rajasthan province. Specifically, the was a proud moment when D5649 was aircraft — both Imperial Gift airframes rolled out into the sunshine at IWM — were stored in Junagarh Fort, where Duxford in April 2007. a third DH9 had been given a lessThe airworthy DH9 project, than-authentic restoration and put on meanwhile, remained in the early display. “I couldn’t believe my eyes when stages. Finding a suitable Puma engine I saw them. It was just unreal. There was a story in itself. This started when was a great pile of stuff: about 10 wings, the Bristol Fighter, which flew briefly and lots more, with two very distinct in 2006, had to be grounded soon identities”. The serials, still to be seen afterwards due to the failure of the

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‘I’m ruthlessly fastidious about authenticity. It has to be right; that’s the theme that runs through all our work’ flight in it. “My first impression was how noisy and how powerful the thing was. It took off easily enough, and by the time I the undercarriage was raised it felt like I was half-way to the moon. I couldn’t keep up with it, it was so quick. It was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. I went to the back of Duxford, having a lot of fun with it. But then that awful

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chromed cylinder liner, subsequently going to the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in a trade. “The Canadians had a 200hp engine, which was used in equal numbers to the Puma in DH9s and was almost identical to the Puma. It became an extremely rare find, the only other one being in the Science Museum. I had also a growing interest in German aeroplanes, and I thought a Heinkel He 162 would be an exciting thing to see flying, so we agreed an exchange. I received several other rare engines in the deal.” He 162A-2 Werknummer 120076 duly arrived at Retrotec’s premises. Investigations showed that the project was feasible, but Guy says, “I thought, ‘This isn’t going to end up as the same aeroplane’. The Heinkel was so perfectly preserved, even down to the paper labels in the cockpit. Everything was there, but it would have been quite wrong to disturb this amazing timewarp. So it was sold to fund the rebuild of the DH9”. The He 162 is now displayed in the Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin. Gradually, more of the Hawker biplanes gained air under their wheels — Nimrod II K3661 during 2006, Fury I K5674 six years later. These, the Spitfire V and Hurricane form HAC’s current Duxford-based airworthy fleet, with DH9 E8894 set to join them in 2017. The rebuild of Roy Palmer’s Sopwith Pup N6161 is nearing completion too, and it awaits test-flying. Thus far unrestored Hind L7181 is stored at Duxford, while Audax K5600 and Yak-1 1342 — an early 1990s recovery from Russia — make gradual progress in Sussex, where Retrotec is striving to re-convert MS505 Criquet G-BPHZ back to flying condition with a V8 Argus as originally fitted when it was an MS500. And this is before we get on to another mouth-watering prospect: a 1940 combat veteran Messerschmitt Bf 109E-1/B, Werknummer 4034. Registered G-CDTI, this project is well under way, but out of the limelight. Serving with 8./ JG 53, the fighter force-landed outside Canterbury on 2 November 1940. Later gifted to the Nizam of Hyderabad in recognition of his financial support for Nos 152 and 253 Squadrons during the Battle of Britain, it wound up in a technical college in Gulbarga, India, latterly being dumped on the college rubbish tip where it was spotted by an enthusiast. After passing through several hands it was sold to Rare Aero Ltd. They commissioned Retrotec to start a ‘sympathetic’ restoration, but only after the question of a restorable engine was resolved, as parts are extremely scarce. Having located an unused engine that had been found buried under a hangar floor in Germany — with bad magnesium castings, but with all the

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steel parts in perfect, as-new condition — Retrotec has manufactured new magnesium castings and is well on the way to restoring the engine. Being able to use the original crankcase and cylinder block set is perhaps a first for a Bf 109E with the mainly original DB601A engine it was last flown with. They were made of aluminium and not magnesium, so they survived well. Great expertise is required for the sort of projects Retrotec undertakes. One of the perennial problems is keeping hold of good people once they’ve been trained. Given that, the Lithuanian husband and wife pairing of Arvydas and Alina, who joined the company some years ago, have been worth their weight in gold. Experts in wood and fabric work, trained in such skills under the Soviet Air Force, people with their talents are rare indeed. The rest of the team has decades of experience in engineering, some going back to the Lynx days. Guy himself brings to this business an outlook different to many. “Firstly, I know I’m not cleverer than the original designer and manufacturer. There’s no point trying to be. If you have an engineering problem, then deal with it as a production manufacturing exercise. It has to be made or repaired as the original design, because no-one can design today better than that for that particular era of aeroplane. It’s just the way it is: are we restoring original aircraft as they were, or are we making a replica to a modern and better design standard? So we have the right steel made if necessary, by the correct process. For the Hawker polygonal spars, the roll-form tools were designed and made to produce hundreds of yards of Hawker biplane spar material the same way as Hawkers did.” There’s a lot of side-work for other companies, too. The latest challenge is to restore a Tempest fuselage for Weald Aviation, which has defeated several restoration experts so far. “My background is in design, production and manufacturing”, continues Guy, “and that really is the key to how we have developed Retrotec. The business is laid out like a manufacturing factory rather than a maintenance facility, and our CAA approvals — A8-21 — reflect this. Visitors often ask us why we are not at an airfield; I point out that the need for an airfield comes when our work ends. “I’m ruthlessly fastidious about authenticity. It has to be right; that’s the main theme that runs through all our aircraft restoration work. They have to be absolutely right as they would have been, in every respect. This obsession has become worse over time, and has become quite an expensive obsession. I don’t know if many people really care — that’s an interesting discussion — but certainly I do. Whether it is an incurable illness or not, that’s all that matters to me — utter perfection.”

Aero Vintage Spares can offer tens of thousands of original aircraft spare parts and high-quality reproduction items — for details, visit www.aerovintagespares.com. On the Historic Aircraft Collection’s Facebook page can be found information on the monthly ‘At Home with HAC’ events held at Duxford, including pilot talks, close-up aircraft access and more.

TOP: An image that sums up the diverse range of Guy’s engineering interests. Next to him is one of the Lynx D-Type replicas, specifically an example in which several speed records were set. It is now, appropriately enough, in the hands of a Spitfire owner. On the left can be seen Roy Palmer’s Sopwith Pup, which has since been moved to Duxford for flight testing. VIA GUY BLACK MIDDLE: Guy in the workshop at Retrotec’s Westfield premises with one of the company’s employees, Simon Knight. BEN DUNNELL ABOVE: Work on Bf 109E-1/B Werknummer 4034/G-CDTI has commenced recently. Behind the fuselage here can be seen that of Hawker Audax K5600/G-BVVI. BEN DUNNELL

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A I R CR E W: CON VA IR

‘PO G O’

CONVAIR ‘POGO’ PILOT T

he sheer variety of aerospace development in the 1950s, spurred by the Cold War and the opening-up of the globe, was arguably the greatest expansion of aviation in history. Of course, many trials proved to be dead ends, and among them was the tail-sitter VTOL (vertical take-off

and landing) aircraft developed for the American military. The Convair XFY-1, nicknamed the ‘Pogo’, was intended for the US Navy who wanted a VTOL shipboard self-protection aircraft. The ‘Pogo’ was powered by an Allison YT-40-A-14 turboprop engine turning 16ft-diameter, three-blade,

Curtiss-Wright electrically controlled counter-rotating propellers. Take-off power was 7,100eshp, in excess of the normal maximum of 5,500eshp. It is an axiom that taking off and flying are often easier than getting back down safely, and the XFY-1 showed the truth of that. Take-off and the transition to horizontal flight

RIGHT: The flight capability of the XFY-1 was limited, but it proved remarkably fast, outpacing several chase aircraft. FAR RIGHT: The remarkable sight of the ‘Pogo’ in the vertical hover.

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Aircrew A Aii rcrew WORDS: JAMES KIGHTLY ARTWORK: IAN BOTT (www.ianbottillustration.co.uk)

View from the office…

The cockpit was conventional for the era, although the controls for a turboprop were unusual. The main difference was the larger-than-average canopy, which was locked aft and open for take-off and landing, and the ejection seat, which tilted to different angles on the ground and in the air on the pilot’s command. The windscreen bow had two large handles, vital for the pilot’s entry, and an attachment on the right for an escape rope. No-one had confidence in the ejection seat, so it was disarmed. RIGHT: A conventional cockpit for an unconventional aircraft. BELOW: The awkward seat position is evident here.

I was there…

Test pilot ‘Skeets’ Coleman

simply involved nosing over after a prop-powered vertical ascent, though there were some interesting mechanical interconnections. Test pilot James F. ‘Skeets’ Coleman said: “I push the stick forward, nosing the ‘Pogo’ over. At the same time I ease the seat backwards so I’ll be sitting comfortably instead of leaning forward. The hatch closes automatically.” Landing, however, required two major phases. Firstly, there was a zoom climb from horizontal flight to vertical, gaining unwanted height and time before a careful, slow, reverse down to the ground. This second phase meant the pilot had to estimate both his proximity to the ground and his rate of descent — through his own turbulence — while looking over his shoulder. Initially there were no instruments or altimeters that could indicate the proximity or speed precisely enough, though the Ryan Aeronautical Company came up with one that was later fitted to the ‘Pogo’. ‘Skeets’ — who was awarded the Harmon Trophy in 1954 for successfully manoeuvring the aircraft from take-off, through horizontal flight, to landing — developed a

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process to slow down and transition at low altitude: “I make a normal approach until I’m down to about 50ft. Then I start jockeying the throttle, at the same time pulling the nose higher and higher. Slowly I pull the ‘Pogo’ into a nose-up attitude. I can stop anywhere during this change.” Initial flights were undertaken tethered in the airship hangar at Moffett Field, California, ‘Skeets’ simply calling “catch me” if things were getting out of his control, whereupon the winch operator triggered the brake to stop him falling. What was interesting was that his iterative training programme wasn’t chosen for Convair test pilot Johnny Knebel, who only flew the very basic thrust balance rig and took a briefing from Coleman. This resulted in several “unplanned manoeuvres”. The third pilot on type, C. E. Myers, decided to undertake landings by observing the horizon rather than looking down. This method proved effective for final descent. But getting the ‘Pogo’ ready to operate at sea, sometimes at night and in inclement weather, was not going to happen. It and its competitor, the Lockheed XFV-1 (known as the

“No-one wanted to fly it; there were no volunteers. It was a developmental powerplant, it was a developmental airplane, a developmental concept. It’s pretty hard to tie all of those together without having a lot of risk.” “As I climb in, I ease into the seat. I lie down, much as you might in a lounge chair. Actually, the back is about 30 degrees above the horizontal. Getting buckled in is the toughest part of the flight. Try putting on your suspenders while lying on your back. I check the controls, and ground workers roll the ladder away.” “Right now I’ve got my hands full learning to fly a machine that’s both the world’s slowest and fastest propellered aeroplane.”

J FF. ‘Skeets’ ‘Sk t ’ ABOVE: James ABOVE Coleman, first of the ‘Pogo’s’ test pilots.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

The sole ‘Pogo’ to have flown successfully is in store with the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. There are accounts online of the aircraft’s history, as well as several films of the machine in action. The definitive work on the aircraft is No 28 in Steve Ginter’s ‘Naval Fighters’ series.

‘Salmon’) — which never managed a vertical take-off or landing — showed that sometimes the technology required, and the risks, were just too much for the time.

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F LYI NG BU LLS SYCA MOR E

BRISTOL FASHION 68 www.aeroplanemonthly.com

The world again has an airworthy Bristol Sycamore helicopter, courtesy of the Flying Bulls, and what a marvellous machine it is WORDS: BEN DUNNELL

AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

T

he cabin sways gently on its wheels as the ninecylinder Alvis Leonides powerplant comes to life. It takes a while for the main and tail rotors to get up to speed, by which time the machine can be heard to generate a distinctive engine note

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not unlike, in the words of its pilot, a Harley-Davidson. Final pre-flight checks complete, and the world’s only airworthy Bristol Sycamore is ready to take to the skies once more. This is a truly remarkable survivor, a piece of British aviation heritage cherished far from home. In the

Salzburg-based Flying Bulls, the Sycamore has found a custodian best able to cope with the considerable demands of restoring and operating an early historic helicopter. Before arriving in Austria, it spent its days in Switzerland, another country where the type has no service background.

ABOVE: Sycamore HR52 OE-XSY of the Flying Bulls airborne near Salzburg. HELGE KIRCHBERGER/ RED BULL CONTENT POOL

ð

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F LYI NG BU LLS SYCA MOR E

ABOVE: Siegfried ‘Blacky’ Schwarz with the Sycamore outside Salzburg’s impressive Hangar-7. JÜRGEN SKARWAN/ RED BULL CONTENT POOL

How fortunate that enthusiasm for charismatic old aeroplanes transcends the boundaries of their original operation. As far as the Flying Bulls were concerned, it all started with a letter. The writer was Dieter Hasebrink, a vastly experienced helicopter technician who for many years had looked after the Sycamore for its previous owner, Swiss vineyard owner and pilot Peter Schmid. Hasebrink’s acquaintance with the machine began during the early 1960s, when he was starting his Luftwaffe career. The recipient, meanwhile, was Siegfried Schwarz. The Flying Bulls’ chief pilot for helicopters, ‘Blacky’ is a notably seasoned exponent of most things rotary-wing. His entirely civilian background takes in everything from rescue work to award-winning freestyle aerobatics in the Red Bullbacked MBB Bo 105s.

talked about it for one or two hours. The next year I was at the Aero show at Friedrichshafen, and he was also there with the Sycamore. He brought it on a trailer as it wasn’t flying any more. I had about two hours of Sycamore exploration, sitting in it and everything. When I got the full story behind it, I started to like the aircraft.”

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Schwarz was convinced. He now asked his bosses at the Flying Bulls whether they would be interested in buying the historic Bristol. The answer: yes. A deal was concluded with Peter Schmid, and in November 2010 the Sycamore, still on the Swiss register as HB-RXB, was moved by road to Hangar-8 at Salzburg Airport, the Flying Bulls’ maintenance base. With the potential flyer came five

‘We took two of the oldest rotor blades to the Technical University of Graz, where they tested them for two days. They were actually in very good condition’ Even so, Schwarz was less than enthusiastic back in 2007 when he opened Hasebrink’s missive. It informed him that the Sycamore was available for purchase, and wondered whether the Flying Bulls might like to buy it. “I didn’t like the idea of flying such an old helicopter”, ‘Blacky’ says. “But one year later we met at the big ILA airshow in Berlin, and we

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other airframes and “an incredible amount of spare parts, like 80 rotor blades and six or seven engines”. Dieter Hasebrink was brought in to head up the restoration effort. Despite that, and the care and attention lavished on the Sycamore by Peter Schmid, getting the 1957-vintage aeroplane back into the air would be no easy task. Crucial to

the whole effort was the condition of the wooden rotor blades. “I was really concerned about that”, says ‘Blacky’. “We took two of the oldest rotor blades to the Technical University of Graz, where they have a moving test stand and can do every kind of test. They did it for two days — bending the blades, making vibrations, recording everything.” Only when the blades broke was this phase of the testing complete. Thankfully the findings were good, proving that the blades were able to withstand loads three times those expected. “They were actually in very good condition”, Schwarz recalls. But this was only the first step. “On all the other blades we didn’t know if the glue was still fixed, because you can’t see inside them. So we bought a sort of scanner”. With the necessary parameters programmed into a computer, it is possible to conduct detailed internal surveys. Such is the investment the Flying Bulls are able to make. With no other Sycamores flying, nor pilots current on type, the Austrian airworthiness authorities — HB-RXB having been re-registered

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as OE-XSY — had to be sure that ‘Blacky’ was suitably well-versed in the aircraft’s intricacies prior to the start of flight-testing. “I did talk to a few old Sycamore pilots”, he says. “One was a British pilot who had

flown Sycamores in Borneo. He was visiting Hangar-7 [the Flying Bulls’ main public display facility at Salzburg Airport], and I got to meet him”. It was also possible to tap into Peter Schmid’s experience. Schwarz

obtained from Austro Control a test pilot’s licence, enabling him to undertake the programme himself. The lack of Sycamore instructors and examiners made this the only practical solution!

ABOVE: The test-flying programme for the world’s sole airworthy Sycamore was understandably extensive.

PATRICK SCHWIENBACHER/ RED BULL CONTENT POOL

LEFT: ‘Blacky’ Schwarz had to familiarise himself with the Sycamore and its systems before test-flying began. HELGE KIRCHBERGER/ RED BULL CONTENT POOL

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F LYI NG BU LLS SYCA MOR E

RIGHT: The Sycamore on display for the first time at this September’s AirPower 16 show. BEN DUNNELL

FAR RIGHT: A look inside the engine compartment at the 550hp Alvis Leonides. After a few problems when the overhauled powerplant was first delivered back to the Flying Bulls, it is now running superbly. HELGE KIRCHBERGER/ RED BULL CONTENT POOL

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LEFT: Hopefully this very fine Bristol helicopter has a long flying future ahead of it. HELGE KIRCHBERGER/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

autorotations, emergency procedures and everything else.” The process concluded on 28 January this year, when the Sycamore was given its full Austrian permit to fly. The helicopter’s public debut was saved until early September, when it flew as one of the stars of the huge AirPower 16 show at Zeltweg (see page 96). Since then it has attended a couple of other events in Austria. The Flying Bulls have re-applied to OE-XSY the No 32 Squadron, RAF scheme put on the aircraft during Peter Schmid’s ownership, with serial XG545. It used to wear XG544, the identity of one of the last two Sycamores retired by the RAF in August 1972; the real XG545, meanwhile, was lost in a non-fatal ditching incident in the North Sea off Happisburgh, Norfolk during July 1957.

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Eventually, on 2 July 2013, all was ready for the first — tentative — take-off. “Of course it was quite an exciting moment”, says ‘Blacky’. “All the Sycamore pilots I met told me that when you lift off you have to keep the cyclic to the right. When I made the first lift-off I put the cyclic to the right, but I was too slow to get it back [to the neutral position] again, maybe three or four seconds. After five seconds it was no problem to keep it in the air.” There followed an extensive flight test effort, conforming to the programme laid down with Austro Control. “At first it was just five hours of hovering, with a detailed programme of increasing the speed to 30kt, slowing down and so on. After that we did about 10 hours of normal flight testing —

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Siegfried Schwarz now has more than 30 hours on the Sycamore. “It’s very difficult to fly”, he comments, “because you have a lot of forces on the cyclic and collective. It’s nothing like a modern helicopter. You have big trim-wheels, and you have to transfer fluid between the nose and the tail to keep the centre of gravity within limits. But I like it very much. I’ve just flown it for a leg of two hours 17 minutes [in attending a show at Hohenems in the far west of Austria] without any problems. Everything runs perfectly. “Every 10 flight hours we take the rotor blades off the helicopter and our technicians scan every millimetre of them, so we can be sure that the insides are still OK. We don’t want to place too much load on the blades, so we are very careful.” While it is highly appropriate for the Sycamore to fly in Austria, given the fact that its designer Raoul Hafner was an Austrian émigré, it would of course be a delight to see it in British skies. ‘Blacky’ thinks so too, and is currently examining the possibility of bringing it over to some UK airshows in the summer of 2017. Looking further ahead, it may be possible to re-fit a winch to add an extra dimension to its displays. Early helicopters can be complex beasts, requiring much care, attention and investment if they are to be kept active. No wonder so few still fly. For the Flying Bulls to have rejuvenated this Sycamore is cause for great celebration. It is, without doubt, among the finest and most charismatic historic aeroplanes airworthy today.

A SURVIVOR’S STORY

Of 178 civilian Bristol 171s and military Sycamores built, 69 were for export. By far the type’s biggest overseas customer was West Germany. It took 50 Sycamore Mk52s, mainly for the Luftwaffe though some also went to the Marineflieger, the naval air arm. Among them was c/n 13475, which emerged from Bristol’s Banwell factory near Weston-super-Mare in 1957 with temporary B Conditions registration G-18-148. Its Luftwaffe service began as a VIP transport with the Flugbereitschaft BMVg at Cologne-Wahn, carrying serial CA+328. This changed several times as it passed between different operators, among them training unit Flugzeugführerschule ‘S’ at Memmingen and Fassberg, and the 2. Luftrettungsstaffel (Air Rescue Squadron) at Lechfeld. It spent a period on Marineflieger strength with the Kiel-Holtenau-based Marine- und Seenotgeschwader. Back with the Luftwaffe and serialled 78+17, the airframe was struck off military charge during 1969. Some of the retired Sycamores found a ready market in West Germany. A number were flown by the state of Niedersachsen’s fire department air service, the Feuerwehr-Flugdienst, while others went to NordHelikopter at Peine-Eddesse and Luftrettungsdienst (Air Rescue Service) Düsseldorf. Sycamore c/n 13475 ended up being registered as D-HALD in 1972, and was acquired by Karl Müller of Mellinghausen. This farmer and pilot established a firm called HubschrauberFlugdienst to operate the Bristol helicopters in a variety of roles. It gradually took on more of the German civilian Sycamores, and built up quite a sizeable fleet. Clearly, though, these veteran machines could not carry on earning their keep forever. After a period of storage, D-HALD — by now painted bright green — was bought during 1988 by Swiss vineyard owner Peter Schmid of Berneck. He also acquired a second example for airworthy operation, red ex-fire brigade aircraft D-HELM, together with further airframes for spares use. D-HALD was flown to its new home at Altenrhein on Lake Constance in August 1988. It was later reregistered HB-RXB, and painted in RAF markings as XG544. Sadly the former D-HELM, which became HB-RXA, did not enjoy such a long flying career in Schmid’s hands. During 1992 it suffered a roll-over accident on landing, though it was repaired to become a static exhibit. This left HB-RXB as the world’s final airworthy Sycamore, operated for many years from the Fliegermuseum Altenrhein as Peter Schmid’s pride and joy. When he decided to sell it, some predicted that a Bristol 171 might never fly again. Thanks to the Flying Bulls, they were wrong.

ABOVE: An early display for Sycamore D-HALD in Peter Schmid’s ownership was at the 1989 La Ferté Alais show. ANDREW MARCH

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DATABASE POLIKARPOV U-2/Po-2 WORDS: MIKHAIL MASLOV

Page 76 POLIKARPOV’S REMARKABLE CREATION Page 82 FROM TRAINER TO WARTIME WORKHORSEE Page 88 A RESTORER’S PERSPECTIVE Page 90 FLYING THE SOVIET ‘SLOW-PACER’ AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

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ABOVE: A standard Polikarpov U-2VS, coded 20, in flight.

IN-DEPTH PAGES

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Developpment How Nikolai Polikarpov created one of the most important aircraft in Soviet history

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T

his aircraft, known as the U-2 from 1927 and as the Po-2 after the death of designer Nikolai Polikarpov in 1944, boasts the most complete official history of any Soviet type. A factor of no small significance here is that the U-2 never belonged to the ‘secret list’. It was known extensively to

the general public and widely used. Employment of the U-2 as a night bomber throughout the Great Patriotic War became the aircraft’s most impressive role. In fact, this unpretentious biplane turned out to be such an indispensable governmental asset that it is almost impossible to imagine the Soviet military apparatus during the

feverish war years functioning without it. More than 30,000 U-2s were manufactured in just over 20 years from 1929. They underwent dozens of modifications, and left behind a vast history of operations. The appearance of a new Soviet biplane trainer was expected as early as 1923-24. Initially the gap was

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POLIKARPOV U-2/Po-2 U-1 was not quite up to the requirements for the primary training role. It was able to perform all the required evolutions; however, it demanded considerable attention to control, and did not forgive any piloting mistakes. The need to design a dedicated platform only heightened. On 23 August 1924, the Air Force Scientific Committee approved a specification for a trainer aircraft. It called for a biplane of simple design, the structure of which was not expected to contain any difficult-to-obtain materials. The aircraft was to have a 100hp engine and be able to carry a pilot and a trainee with a total weight of 160kg (353lb) and sufficient fuel for two-and-a-half hours of flight.

Its highest speed in level flight was not to exceed 120km/h (74.6mph), the cruising speed 90km/h (56mph) and the landing speed 60km/h (37.3mph). The process of creating such a machine under the designation U-2 began as late as summer 1926. The preliminary design was prepared under the supervision of Nikolai Polikarpov, and was approved at a meeting of the AVIATREST (State Aviation Industry Trust of the Chief Administration of the Metal Industry) Technical Council on 6 December 1926. As the powerplant was chosen the new 100hp M-11 engine, designed by Arkady Shvetsov, which was put into production at Factory No 29 in Zaporozhye during 1928. The

prototype aircraft, built according to Polikarpov’s design, was fitted with a pre-production M-11. Test pilot Mikhail Gromov made the type’s maiden flight on 24 June 1927. According to his report, the U-2 fully corresponded to its purpose, and he “was able to do whatever could be done in that aircraft.” Factory tests were completed in early September 1927. Then the aircraft was handed over to the NII VVS (Scientific Test Institute of the Air Force), where it was tested until 20 October. Except for its rate of climb, the machine fully complied with the air force’s specification. A decision was therefore made to manufacture a prototype series of the U-2 M-11.

BELOW: The first prototype U-2, with a rectangular wing utilising the Prandtl aerofoil, during testing in June 1927.

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filled by production of a copy of the British Avro 504K, under the designation U-1. This was brought about by the successful purchase of approximately 4,000 Le Rhône rotary engines in France. The said units had been stored since the First World War in two depots in the Paris suburbs, and their owner had a great desire to sell them. Military pilot Leonid Minov, sent to France as an adviser on aviation materiel orders in 1925, managed to buy the Le Rhônes at a price almost equal to that of scrap metal. As a result, the stock of engines for the U-1s became sufficient for years to come. The manufacture of such aircraft continued until the late 1920s. At the same time, the air force command recognised that the

DATABASE

DATABASE POLIKARPOV U-2/Po-2

ABOVE: The second prototype U-2 with elliptical wingtips, pictured in February 1928. The aircraft is equipped with a small headrest behind the co-pilot’s cockpit, a cowling fully covering the engine crankcase, and skids taken from earlier Russian aircraft of the 1910s.

ABOVE: Nikolai Polikarpov as a young man. In 1927-28, by the time the U-2 was created, the 35-year-old engineer already had several developments of his own in his portfolio. The most significant were the Il-400 (I-1), 2I-N1 and I-3 fighters.

All of a sudden, Polikarpov objected. It turned out that from late July 1927 he had been designing the second U-2 prototype, using many successful elements of his earlier aircraft. The design was revised so as to reduce weight and improve its shape; on the request of the NTK UVVS (Scientific and Technical Committee of the Air Force Administration), the strength of the wing cellule was enhanced. In the new configuration, the

found a phrase to the effect that on Christmas Day [as observed in Russia] God had sent him a joy, namely a successful flight of the new aircraft. That means it was 7 January 1928.” NII VVS state testing was conducted in March 1928. The aircraft, with a gross weight of 870kg (1,918lb), reached a maximum speed of 140km/h (87mph); its landing speed was 60km/h (37.3mph). In these and

low rate of climb was rectified; it thus complied with the air force’s requirement to climb to 2,000m (6,562ft) in 13 minutes. According to the available testing records, the second U-2 prototype was sent to the airfield on 16 January 1928, and it first flew on one of the days that followed. However, there are other reports in respect of the date. The famous Soviet expert Vadim Shavrov recorded the following version: “We

aviation historians of the 1950s had great difficulty in finding out the date of the U-2’s maiden flight in its final configuration, which was then put into mass manufacture. There were no documentary materials in any of the archives; it was only known that the maiden flight had taken place either in very late 1927 or in the very beginning of 1928. Test pilot Gromov did not remember the date. In one of the letters by N. N. Polikarpov we

BELOW: Aeroflot U-2SPs of the mid-1930s with three open cockpits. The aircraft in the foreground features a ‘faceted’ forward pilot’s windscreen and flat passenger windscreens.

POLIKARPOV U-2/Po-2 immediately won high praise from both instructors and trainees. It was far more efficient, the percentage of trainees rejected due to poor airmanship being notably reduced. Approximately 1,400 U-2s were built in the first three years of manufacturing in Leningrad. This allowed the almost complete replacement of the worn-out U-1s in the training institutions of the Red Army Air Force and the Civil Air Fleet; some aircraft

ONE-OFF VERSIONS • Inventor Filatov suggested replacing the standard tail unit of the U-2 with a V-shaped (‘butterfly’) tail. A prototype was tested successfully in 1934. Stability and controllability of the aircraft were unaffected; however, there were no obvious advantages either, and the modification never entered production. • In 1937, engineer Konstantin Shcherbakov equipped U-2 c/n 5342 with special skids, fitted with servo-assisted steering gear. This device could turn the skid downwind in any flight regime, seeking to improve the aircraft’s stability. • To improve the U-2’s take-off and landing performance, in 1937 engineer Nikolai Chechubalin replaced the standard wheels with a caterpillar assembly. Each caterpillar was essentially a chain of textolite rollers, 50mm in diameter and 3m (9.8ft) long, arranged between guides along the sides. The caterpillar undercarriage worked well during testing, with only slight increases in weight and drag. • During 1937, designer Yevgeny Agitov converted an 85hp sixcylinder powerplant into an aero engine; it was referred to as the

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were also provided to the flying schools operated by Osoaviahim (the Society for Promotion of Defence, Aircraft Building and Chemical Construction). At that time, the Civil Air Fleet ran three flying schools, one each in Bataisk, Tambov and Balashov. They received several dozen U-2s, but the lion’s share went to the Air Force, which had 597 as of January 1933. Almost immediately, the U-2 proved its suitability for other

applications. The first specialpurpose version was the U-2AP (Aeropyl) agricultural aircraft, intended for fighting locusts and other plant pests, which had become a real plague in southern regions of the Soviet Union. The agricultural U-2s were also used successfully for aerial sowing. In 1933 alone, 138,000 hectares were sown from the air. Some 1,255 U-2APs were built by 1941. During the Great

GAZ-AVIA. The following year, it was mounted on a U-2. Flight-testing showed that use of the engine, which weighed 200kg (441lb) and produced just 85hp, led to a considerable deterioration in flight performance. It was not pursued. • In 1939, specialists at the NII VVS experimental shops devised and tested a prone-pilot arrangement. Trials showed that it was feasible, and could be recommended for use on record-setting aircraft and interceptors. However, work was discontinued, since no aircraft projects that could benefit from such a configuration had been or were being developed at that time. BELOW LEFT: The U-2 with the V-shaped tail designed by Filatov. BELOW RIGHT: The testing of the prone-pilot U-2, 1939. BOTTOM LEFT: The caterpillar undercarriage devised by Chechubalin. With such ‘footwear’, a U-2 could take off and land from ploughed fields. BOTTOM RIGHT: A U-2 with an 85hp GAZ-AVIA car engine.

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other performance parameters, the U-2 conformed fully to the design specification. Pilots’ opinions were unanimously positive too. It was decided to launch mass production at Factory No 23 in Leningrad, which had been building trainer aircraft for several years. The first mass-manufactured U-2s began to reach flying schools in 1930. In spite of certain drawbacks, as are experienced with many new designs, the aircraft

DATABASE

DATABASE POLIKARPOV U-2/Po-2 Air ambulance U-2s with the designation SS (Sanitarny Samolyot, Russian for ‘air ambulance aircraft’), or S-1, emerged from the factory from 1934. The derivative featured a raised fuselage top — referred to as a ‘grotto’ — right behind the cockpit. This could carry a patient on a stretcher and an accompanying physician. The Leningrad plant manufactured 99 S-1s from 1934-36. While no air ambulance U-2s were built in 1937-39, a vital Red Army need for them arose during the Winter War. An improved version, built in 1940 and designated S-2, featured a larger ‘grotto’ with additional windows and the 115hp M-11D engine. The high wartime demand for air ambulance aircraft was satisfied in part by making use of removable cabins designed by Bakshayev and Shcherbakov, and by conversion of U-2s, U-2APs and U-2SPs into the S-3 version. The latter, constructed at the suggestion of technician Filatov (and thus sometimes referred to as the SKF, Sanitarnaya Kabina ABOVE: An S-3 air ambulance with the original mottled camouflage. Filatova — Russian for ‘Filatov’s Patriotic War, these aircraft were air ambulance cabin’), was notable — after fairly simple modifications for its simple and original design. were made — used instead for Almost any version of the U-2 could urgent transport tasks. Several carry, instead of the standard raised new agricultural Po-2 variants ‘grotto’, a new box-type plywood appeared post-war, some of them container fairing with a central modified from military aircraft; later partition. Projecting beyond the ‘Aeropyls’ were based on the Po-2L fuselage sides, it could accommodate passenger version. two casualties instead of one. Nor In 1931, the U-2AP became the did it alter the aircraft’s flying basis for a version fitted with an characteristics in any way. enclosed passenger cabin. It was Factory No 23 began to build the designated as the U-2SP (Special U-2VS (Voiskovaya Seriya, meaning Purpose). From 1934 the factory ‘Army Aviation Series’) in 1933. manufactured the U-2SP with three These aircraft were equipped with open individual cabins, the pilot bomb racks and bow and turretand passengers sitting one behind mounted machine guns. The U-2VS the other, protected by standard was used for training in military windscreens. More than 830 aviation schools. Approximately U-2SPs had come off the Leningrad ABOVE: The S-1 air ambulance was the first U-2 adapted for the role. 600 had been made in Leningrad by line by 1940. The encircled red star emblem was typical for special-purpose units. 1938.

WARTIME PRODUCTION

Production of the U-2 — together with the necessary tooling — was handed over in 1940 to another Leningrad factory, No 387. This led to a considerable reduction in the production rate. However, the outbreak of war entailed great demand for U-2s, and manufacture was launched at several new factories. From 1941-45, more than 17,000 were built, many being operated as night bombers. A pre-war decision on building transport gliders led to the appearance of new enterprises specialising in wooden aircraft. Among them were four factories that built the U-2.

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• Factory No 387 was, upon the outbreak of war, evacuated from Leningrad to Kazan. Initially there was a shortage of materials, engines and components; aircraft lacquer and casein glue were not

available. Gradually, many of the problems were solved by means of the substitution of different materials and cost savings in the manufacturing process. These steps allowed a 39kg (86lb) reduction

U-2/Po-2 mass production 1941-45 Factory

1941

1942

No 387* 1,245 2,225 No 464 No 471 No 494 18 Total 1,245 2,243 Overall total for this period: 15,304

1943

1944

1945

2,733 71 53 270 3,127

3,045 736 657 695 5,133

2,155 557 417 427 3,556

* — In 1940, Aviation Factory No 387 manufactured 50 U-2s.

of ferrous metal consumption per aircraft. In 1942, the factory’s design office was working on conversion of the aircraft into a bomber under the U-2VS designation. The number of DER-7 beams for the attachment of bombs under the lower wings was increased from four to six. That armament, with a total load of 300kg (661lb), became a standard configuration from mid-year. A folding seat was fitted in the rear cockpit to facilitate gun operation. Instead of the DA machine gun, an ShKAS belt-feed machine gun was installed. Of more than 2,000 aircraft manufactured during 1942,

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POLIKARPOV U-2/Po-2

ABOVE: U-2VS c/n 641115, manufactured at Factory No 464, during acceptance testing in August 1944. The aircraft is in standard configuration.

• Factory No 464 moved in 1943 to Dolgopruny in the Moscow region. It began to build U-2s in mid-year. During 1944, it turned out a batch of U-2NAK night artillery observation aircraft. The plant ceased to manufacture the Po-2 in 1945, switching that June to the Yak-10 liaison aircraft.

• Aviation Factory No 471 was set up in 1941 at woodworking facilities in Shumerlya, western Russia. Manufacturing of the U-2 was launched there in accordance with technical documentation already prepared at Factory No 387. In July 1945, this was discontinued, and the factory was handed over

to the People’s Commissariat of Forestry. • Aviation Factory No 494, in Kozlovka on the River Volga, began work in July 1941. During August 1942, it started to manufacture S-2 air ambulances, and in 1944 the U-2L passenger version with an enclosed cabin.

ON FLOATS

it was deemed suitable to be flown by pilots of below-average skill. However, in spite of the positive opinions, this version was not further Early work on a U-2 floatplane was carried out at Factory No 25 in developed. Moscow under the supervision of Sergey Kocherigin. The aircraft, A passenger-carrying Po-2LP (c/n 327118) with an M-11D engine designated MU-2 (or U-2M), was fitted with a single central wooden was equipped with floats at Aviation Repair Base No 402 in Bykovo, float and two small floats for lateral stability. Moscow area, during 1945. The floats were manufactured in repair Testing was conducted on the Moscow River in spring 1931. It was shops of the USSR’s NKVD border troops according to drawings from found that the main disadvantage was in starting the engine: it was Aviation Factory No 23. Waterborne take-offs and landings were extremely uncomfortable to turn the propeller manually (there was no quite possible with three passengers on board, and at a maximum other way of starting the engine on the U-2 at that time) while standing take-off weight of 1,300kg (2,866lb). The aircraft got onto the ‘step’ at on one of the side floats. Furthermore, after the appearance of the Sh-2 an indicated speed of approximately 60km/h (37.3mph), and lifted flying boat, the demand for small floatplanes in the USSR was basically off from the water with ease at 80-85km/h (49.7-52.8mph). Both in satisfied. Work on the U-2 seaplane conversion was temporarily level flight and turns or manoeuvres, flight performance of the floatdiscontinued. equipped aircraft was almost identical to that of an ordinary Po-2. The It resumed nine years later, with the appearance of the more seaplane was stable on landing, too. powerful M-11D engine featuring a pneumatic self-starter. At the same It was suggested that such floats should be manufactured for use time, the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) conducted an on Po-2s in the north of Russia and in Siberia. An unknown quantity extensive investigation into floats for aircraft of different gross weights, of float sets was fabricated for operations from river basins in border speeds and roles. For the U-2, they selected floats that became known areas. During the summer of 1946, five Po-2s (c/ns USSR-N402, -N403, as the Model 10 design for twin-float seaplanes. They were intended to -N404, -N405, and -N406) were fitted with floats and handed over to have a high lift-drag ratio at low speeds. the Igarka Aviation Group of the Chief Administration of the Northern In 1940, Factory No 23 in Leningrad built a seaplane version of Maritime Route (GUSMP). the U-2 using such floats. Then the war began, and again floatplane development was suspended. However, the single-float Po-2M was built at Aviation Factory No 51 in Moscow during 1944. It was designed on the initiative and under the supervision of Nikolai Polikarpov. Based on wartime experience, he decided to create a special-purpose combat aircraft to carry out military operations in areas rich in rivers and lakes. So as to hang bombs under the wings, he chose an arrangement involving a single central float and two small auxiliary floats. Armament included 100kg (220lb) of bombs — four FAB-25s on underwing racks — and a pintle-mounted DT machine-gun. The new NP-Po-2 night bombsight was used. The Po-2M generally proved successful in testing. It was recommended for application by Air Force units operating from rivers ABOVE: The float-equipped Po-2LP at Aviation Repair Base No 402 and lakes with at least 500m (1,640ft) of take-off and landing space, at Bykovo in the Moscow area. and with open approaches. So simple was the aircraft to operate that

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938 were equipped with a multipurpose pintle mount; of those, 771 were fitted with an ShKAS gun. To enable night missions, a new instrument panel with an AG-1 or AGP gyro horizon was installed; the aircraft were given navigation lights and a FZS-155 landing light. Considerable work was carried out in the name of saving materials. In particular, the wingtips, empennage and landing gear fairings were made from wood and plywood, while engine cowlings were manufactured from sheet iron. The Kazan Aviation Factory kept building combat aircraft until October 1945. Later, it began turning out Po-2S air ambulances, production of which was transferred from Factory No 494. The Po-2S featured a new instrument panel, modified wiring and a new highquality paint coating. Some aircraft were manufactured in Po-2L configuration, with space in the cabin for two passengers, though the labour-intensity of this modification was estimated at 15 per cent higher. In late 1946, manufacturing of the Po-2 was transferred to Factory No 168 in Rostov-on-Don, when the Kazan factory began to make combine harvesters.

DATABASE

In Service

ABOVE: Osoaviahim U-2s taking off during an aviation festival at Tushino, August 1934.

The trainer that was transformed into a combat aircraft

I

n the Osoaviahim flying clubs, the U-2 played a remarkable role in training would-be pilots during the pre-war period. At that time, the slogan ‘Young Communists, Learn to Fly!’ was very popular in the USSR; it was part of a propaganda campaign. From 1931-36, the Osoaviahim aircraft fleet grew 19-fold. As of 1936, the Society for the Promotion of Defence had as many as 150 flying clubs, 8,000 pilots having completed their training in 1935 alone. Enthusiasm for aviation was promoted by aviation parades and festivals, which became regular occasions from 1932. The U-2 trainers were of great significance in the massive aviation boom that swept the entire country.

The Osoaviahim flying clubs put approximately 50,000 people through initial training on the U-2 alone. The majority continued training in flying schools and then remembered with gratitude the small biplane, which had given them a ‘free pass’ to flying. The summer of 1941 brought a quite unexpected turn in the fate of the peaceful biplane trainer. Major aircraft losses during the first days of the war against Germany forced the Soviet government to take urgent measures, among them a search for new weapons. Given the enemy’s air superiority, one idea was to use obsolete aircraft types as night bombers. An order from the Supreme Command stated that several dozen night bomber regiments should be formed on

ABOVE: An instructor explains the purpose of the few instruments in the aft cockpit to his trainee. The forward cabin features a nonstandard instrument panel accommodating a starting magneto.

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ageing multi-purpose R-5 and R-Z biplanes and U-2 trainers. The highest hopes were pinned on the R-5s and R-Zs — by contrast, the U-2 was viewed as being of secondary importance. No-one could have expected that this seemingly harmless little machine would prove the most useful in the role. Determining the exact number of active U-2s at that time is difficult due to various factors. Of slightly more than 14,000 U-2s produced, in excess of 10,000 were built as trainers. Over the course of 12 years, the early examples were subjected to more than one overhaul, and some were written off. Some were lost in accidents; however, when a crash involved no fire, the aircraft was almost always restored. Furthermore, the U-2s were often listed in aviation fleet inventories under “other aircraft types”, rather than as an individual type. Still, a general idea can be gained. The majority of U-2s, of course, were posted to the Air Force. As of late September 1940, the Red Army Air Force had at its disposal 3,424 U-2s (of which 2,496 were serviceable) and 29 U-2S air ambulances (22 serviceable). Naval Aviation had 384 U-2s and several air ambulances. The author has no data as to the number of Air Force U-2s in summer 1941. However, given the low number of deliveries in the winter of 1940-41, we can assume that the figure only slightly exceeded some 3,600 or 3,800 aircraft. As of 1 April 1941 the Civil Air Fleet had 426 U-2s, 533 U-2APs, 42 S-1s (plus four more in the NKVD), 178 S-2s and 524 U-2SPs. At the same time, Osoaviahim had 3,175

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POLIKARPOV U-2/Po-2 before the war may be estimated at 9,200-9,400 aircraft, though the very first month of military hostilities resulted in a considerable reduction of this figure. The flight and groundcrews operating the U-2s are worthy of special mention. Upon formation, the individual regiments were manned initially by pilots and

technicians from flying schools, the Civil Air Fleet and Osoaviahim. Later there arose a practice to post to the U-2 units pilots who had been wounded, reservists, or those unfit to fly fighters or bombers for health reasons. However, almost immediately after the start of the war, U-2 aircrews began to be trained at separate schools. The

principal objective was to learn all types of flying in bad weather or at night, since the type remained the main liaison and air ambulance aircraft for the Red Army. During wartime, 22,227 pilots completed their training on the U-2 at Civil Air Fleet schools; 18,704 of them were posted to Air Force and Long-Range Aviation units.

IN ACTION DURING THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR Once the panic surrounding early combat losses had subsided — and as the summer nights became longer — the Red Army began to employ increasingly efficient techniques for fighting the enemy, from partisan warfare and sabotage operations to night-time aerial bombing raids. As far as is known, U-2s were first used for night bombing missions on the Southern Front in July and August 1941. However, the time soon came when fully equipped U-2 units were active on almost all fronts. By the end of 1941, up to 20 new light bomber regiments had entered action. The most active combat use of U-2s took place near Moscow in late 1941. A group was formed for operations around Mozhaisk under the command of Col Sbytov. It included a squadron of hastily armed U-2s. From 8-19 October they flew 508 sorties around Yukhnov, inflicting considerable damage to German troops. More U-2s began to arrive at the front. Re-equipment usually involved the attachment of DER-7 underwing bomb racks. Four such racks — which had long before been used on the Polikarpov R-1 — could take up to 100kg (220lb) of bombs. Later, the number of racks was increased to six; the bomb load grew too, with individual bombs of up to 50kg (110lb) or even 100kg (220lb) being used. Early night bomber operations involved much improvisation as crews developed better tactics and new fighting methods. The results were sometimes far from impressive; the bombing accuracy suffered, and the lack of proper flight training and night flying practice was felt. But, as experience grew, the situation changed considerably. The 46th Back-up Regiment was formed at Alatyr, Chuvashia, in June 1942. Its task was to train U-2 crews for flying in difficult weather conditions and at night. The main problem had been the total absence of aircraft specially equipped for night flying. Initially, the few aircraft that were fitted with autopilots and illuminated

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ABOVE: U-2VS c/n 4504 with an M-11D engine, manufactured at Factory No 387 in October 1943. The photo was taken during state testing, which took place from 21 November 1943 to 13 January 1944.

back to idle, and glide almost silently as far beyond the front line as possible. At 300m (984ft), the pilot applied full power again. About a year after the outbreak of hostilities, U-2s began to be fitted with mufflers for the M-11 engine. At first, makeshift devices appeared on the front line; later, they were mounted on newly manufactured aircraft too. The practical use of mufflers and flash reducers showed that the enemy was unable to detect an aircraft so equipped at an altitude of 700-800m (2,297-2,625ft). There were many cases when a U-2 with ABOVE: A U-2 being refuelled in the field. The 50kg (110lb) bombs such devices proved undetectable at under the wing indicate preparation for a combat sortie. lower altitudes as well. instrument panels were allocated for pilots trained by the 49th BackA flight leader from the 23rd training purposes. up Regiment at Bogorodsk. The Guards Regiment, Guards Master As the U-2 production rate said 15 hours of practice proved Sgt Sinyakov, reported: “From May increased, so manufacturing began evidently insufficient for the young 1942 up to now [April 1943], I at nearby factories in Shumerlya pilots, since three aircraft out of five have been flying U-2s fitted with and Kozlovka. There thus developed crashed when the pilots lost their AKS-2 mufflers. The latter have what amounted to a U-2 training bearings. shown themselves to advantage centre at Alatyr, which received It was not an easy task to fly the in a combat situation. The engine new combat-equipped aircraft. U-2 at night. A nocturnal mission sound becomes softer; this allows The flying practice available there was full of hazards; crews had to flying with impunity over large typically did not exceed 15 hours, act with particular prudence, and facilities protected with all air meaning crews had to acquire stick scrupulously to the established defence weapons. I have flown a experience at the front, often at a rules. On a sortie to the Germans’ lot of reconnaissance sorties. I flew heavy cost. For example, operational rear, the aircraft had to approach across the front line at an altitude of service testing of the U-2NAK the front line at an altitude of at 800-1,000m [2,625-3,281ft], closed in 1944 was conducted using least 1,500m (4,921ft), then throttle the muffler’s shutter, descended to

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U-2s; several more U-2 trainers were at the disposal of agencies including the Border Troops (16 aircraft) and NKVD (22). The number of U-2s in various versions posted to different nonmilitary agencies totalled, in April 1941, 5,551 aircraft. Thus, the quantity of reasonably serviceable U-2s available in the USSR just

DATABASE

DATABASE POLIKARPOV U-2/Po-2 100 or 150m [328 or 492ft], and felt like a master of the area: the running vehicles did not switch on their lights; large railway stations conducting the unloading of troops did not attempt to camouflage themselves against an unexpected raid; sometimes, the enemy took me for their ‘cuttlefish’ [the Henschel Hs 126].” Guards Capt Mankevich of the 23rd Guards Regiment stated, “The muffler/flash reducer plays a positive role in night conditions, since it ensures acoustic covertness and the element of surprise in approaching the target. In our raids against large pockets of resistance, where the enemy’s air defence weapons are concentrated, the aircraft fitted with mufflers/flash reducers approached the target and left without hindrance, whereas the aircraft which were not fitted with mufflers/ flash reducers were detected on approaching the target and met by anti-aircraft artillery. “It is peculiar that, on the appearance of aircraft fitted with mufflers/flash reducers, the enemy does not take any defensive steps

ABOVE: An MAKF-4 muffler/ flash reducer on an artillery observation U-2 in autumn 1943. LEFT: A DT machine gun (without its cartridge tray) in the stowed position on the pintle mount of U-2VS c/n 4504.

until the moment of bombing, especially in areas where the enemy’s aircraft operate. The sound of a muffled engine is […] identical to that of the Ju 87’s engine. There were cases when the enemy from its airfield gave signals to land to our aircraft flying over.” In 1943, MAKF-4 mufflers appeared, acting as a high-frequency acoustic filter. In accordance with

an order dated 21 July 1943, such mufflers were installed on some of the U-2 M-1Ds of the 213th Night Bomber Division led by Maj Gen Molokov, Hero of the Soviet Union and a famous polar pilot, who himself flew U-2s a great deal. Aircraft with MAKF-4 mufflers/flash reducers underwent operational service tests in combat conditions until 3 September 1943,

in the presence of the Red Army NII VVS representatives. The results were deemed satisfactory, and a decision was made to fit all the aircraft of the 213th Night Bomber Division with MAKF-4s before 1 October. On a bombing mission with 300kg (661lb) of bombs, the U-2 ‘crawled’ to the front line at a speed (56mph). of approximatelyy 90km/h 90kkm/ m/h h (5 (56m 6mph p ).

Polikarpov U-2VS ‘White 4’ 2nd Polish Night Bomber Air Regiment ‘Kraków’, Lublin, summer 1944 ANDREY YURGENSON

ABOVE: The attachment of 50kg (110lb) bombs to a U-2’s underwing racks.

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ABOVE: A U-2VS carrying underwing ABPK-100 bomb dispensers, and sporting winter camouflage.

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Night Bomber Division. That month, it lost 19 U-2s. Of those, three were shot down, 14 sent for 6th Air Army of the North-western Front 31 active repair, and two suffered accidents. (1 unserviceable) Losses of all aircraft types in the 3rd Air Army of the Kalinin Front 4 (2) 5th Air Army for that same period 1st Air Army of the Western Front 205 (1) totalled 336 aircraft, of which 15th Air Army of the Bryansk Front 51 (1) 121 were shot down. Attrition 16th Air Army of the Central Front 75 (3) 2nd Air Army of the Voronezh Front 42 (8) among the U-2 night bombers was 5th Air Army of the Steppe Front 20 considerably lower than for other 17th Air Army of the South-western Front 71 (5) combat aircraft. 8th Air Army of the Southern Front 67 (12) For pilots who flew U-2s, the 4th Air Army of the North Caucasian Front 72 number of combat sorties was the 257th Separate Air Division of the Air Force 15 key indicator of their performance. Total 653 (38) Among the top scorers were two Heroes of the Soviet Union, Maj zero. Sometimes, car headlights or lights on — and simulated the A. A. Dobkevich (with 1,037 small bonfires were used for shortlanding procedure. They then combat sorties) and Maj A. P. term illumination, but more often switched off the lights and flew Yerofeyevsky (1,034). kerosene lamps of a tubular lantern to the darkness-enveloped main The number of U-2s in combat design were employed. Pilots used airfield. service on the most intensive to say that one should be able to In most cases, such practice segments of the Soviet-German perform a landing approach at yielded good results. From 15-18 front was impressive, too. night “with the runway lit by the September 1942, German aircraft Gradually, as the war went on, tip of the regiment commander’s made 67 attacks against airfields of the quantities grew. In January cigarette.” the 272nd Night Bomber Division; 1944, 49 night bomber regiments To protect the main airfields of those, only 31 raids actually at the front had up to 1,000 U-2 used by the U-2s, decoy airfields targeted the operating airfields. bombers in operation. As the were sometimes set up near them, Furthermore, from 21-31 October, military situation changed, units with intensive combat operations the division’s main bases were were reassigned to other areas. being simulated at these locations. attacked by German bombers just As of January 1945, the number The decoys were provided with twice. of combat U-2s amounted to clearly detectable night take-off Combat operations by the night 1,018 aircraft. A quite appreciable lights; the actual bases, meanwhile, bomber divisions enjoyed mixed number operated with the 3rd were lit with only two small success. One measure of the U-2s’ Air Army of the 1st Baltic Front lights indicating the take-off and efficiency can be ascertained by (116) and the 15th Air Army of landing direction. On returning comparing the losses sustained by the 2nd Baltic Front (153). Upon from a combat sortie, U-2 crews various aircraft types. In May 1944, the war’s end in May 1945, night approached the false airfield — the 5th Air Army had 1,105 aircraft, light bomber regiments had at their sometimes with their navigation among them 72 U-2s in the 312th disposal 991 U-2s.

Front-line U-2 disposition, 1 July 1943

THE ‘NIGHT WITCHES’ The heroic Soviet comedy ‘Nebesny Tikhokhod’ (‘The Slow-Pacer in the Sky’) made the U-2 immensely popular with the general public. It also established a belief that, during the war, the aircraft was flown mostly by female crews. In fact, of more than 80 regiments and many squadrons that flew U-2s, only one female regiment operated at the front: the 46th Guards ‘Taman’ Regiment. Its history began on 8 October 1941 when Josef Stalin signed Order No 0099 to deploy three women’s air regiments — the 586th Fighter Regiment, the 587th Bomber Regiment, and the 588th Night Light Bomber Regiment flying the U-2. Formation of the 588th Night Light Bomber Regiment at Engels was basically completed on 6 February 1942. As soon as June, its crews began to fly combat sorties. This was a hard time for the Red Army’s Southern Front. Against a rampant enemy and with heavy losses, Soviet troops were retreating from Voroshilovgrad and Rostov.

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The women’s regiment suffered casualties, too. Squadron leader Lyuba Olkhovskaya and navigator Vera Tarasova failed to return from their first combat sortie, which was flown by three crews led by regiment commander Yevdokia Bershanskaya.

Throughout summer 1942, the 588th kept up operations on the Southern Front. The night bombers attacked German crossings on the Mius and Severny Donets rivers, and carried out raids against vehicle columns in the steppes near Salsk.

ABOVE: 588th Night Light Bomber Regiment comrades-in-arms: pilot Marina Chechneva and navigator Yekaterina Ryabova.

Together with other units, the regiment suffered the hardship of retreating from the Donbass region to the Caucasian foothills. On 13 August, it was redeployed to the village of Assinovskaya, where it remained for nearly five months. During a relative lull, a group was organised for the training of new navigators, the separate navigator squadron members being retrained as pilots. Replacement crew members also arrived, comprising women sent to the Army under mobilisation. Throughout the war, 150 new recruits joined the unit. Before the end of 1942, the 588th took part in the defence of Vladikavkaz, the U-2s bombing German troops near Mozdok, Prokhladnaya and Digora. The following March, the regiment began to fly combat sorties to support offensive operations aimed at breaking through the ‘Blue Line’, a line of defences constructed by the Germans on the Taman Peninsula. On some nights, the crews flew as many as eight or 10 sorties.

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Not all of the aircraft were able to climb to the required altitude of more than 1,000m (3,281ft) above the most dangerous area of the route. From that moment on, the type’s chief weapon and ally was its covert nature. Many tactical techniques were employed when approaching the target and making an attack. Pilots resorted to group attacks, with the most daring crews drawing fire upon themselves. They bombed searchlights and anti-aircraft artillery units, and subjected them to machine gun fire. The main goal in every case was to leave the area under fire in good time. Battles with ground gunners were decidedly unequal. If hit, the aircraft could catch fire and burn out in just 40 seconds. The particular tactics for operations in the German rear required the U-2s to fly from small, temporary landing sites along the front line. In the evening or as darkness fell, aircraft flew to these locations, to which bombs and fuel were brought in advance. By day, German reconnaissance and attack aircraft searched for the principal basing locations of the Soviet night raiders; at night, they tried to find the forward sites. Utmost attention was paid to camouflaging the field units. Special care was taken to ensure an effective blackout; the use of powerful floodlights was reduced almost to

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Polikarpov U-2VS ‘White 19’ 46th Guards Night Bomber Regiment, 1945 ANDREY YURGENSON

In no way was the women’s regiment treated any differently from its male counterparts, nor was it ever posted to ‘quiet’ parts of the front. The women fought on an equal basis, suffered the same difficulties and hardships, and incurred heavy casualties. From its formation until the termination of hostilities, 32 members of the 588th died in combat. The night of 31 July 1943 was the most tragic. Twelve crews departed on a mission to bomb

‘Blue Line’ positions. German night fighters, interacting with searchlight units, shot down four U-2s. Eight women were killed. A burning U-2 typically took less than a minute to disintegrate in mid-air, while pilots carried no parachutes until 1944. It was believed that death was the best way out for a crew shot down over enemy territory. Navigators seldom had machine guns at their disposal. The regiment’s aircraft were fully equipped with defensive machine guns only as late as summer 1944.

From November 1943 to May 1944, the 588th supported the landing of seaborne troops on the Kerch Peninsula, and took part in liberating the Crimea and Sevastopol. Bombing missions were flown every night in April 1944, by which time many pilots and navigators had flown 500 combat sorties. For its especially meritorious combat achievements, the 588th Night Light Bomber Regiment was re-designated as the 46th Guards

ABOVE: Leaflets being dispensed from a U-2VS named Avenger, with tail number 19, from the 46th Guards Regiment. The fuselage bears the inscription, “We will take revenge for our comrades-in-arms Tanya Makarova and Vera Belik!” This aircraft is also depicted in the colour side view on this page.

Night Bomber Regiment on 3 February 1943. It was awarded the title of ‘Taman’ Guards Night Bomber Regiment decorated with the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of Suvorov Third Class for its part in the liberation of the Taman Peninsula. After liberation of the Crimea, the 46th was redeployed to Byelorussia (today Belarus), and headed towards Berlin in 1945. The regiment’s women pilots flew 23,672 wartime missions, and dropped more than 3,000 tonnes of bombs on the enemy. At the war’s end its strength numbered 230 personnel, among them 80 aircrew members. Twenty-three women, five of them posthumously, were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union; another two were made Heroes of Russia in more modern times. Approximately 40 of the regiment’s pilots and navigators flew in excess of 500 missions — those given the title of Hero had to have notched up 800. Upon the end of hostilities in May 1945, many women were demobilised by the Soviet armed forces. The 46th Guards Night Bomber Regiment existed as a combat unit for a few months longer. It was disbanded on 15 October 1945.

SECOND-LINE ROLES During the initial period of hostilities, when manufacturing of the U-2 for its new role had not yet been launched, aircraft were handed over to combat units from their second-line counterparts. Before mid-1942, 898 U-2s were thus provided to the Army, mostly from flying schools. As of 1 July 1942, light bomber regiments had at their disposal 679

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U-2s, 90 being unserviceable. The number operating on the front line had risen to 1,072 by 19 November, with 122 unserviceable. It should be noted that even if an aircraft was unserviceable on a certain day, it could have been mission-ready as soon as the next day or — in extreme cases — in two days. U-2s were also taken from the Civil Air Fleet. This resulted at

one time in a situation whereby almost all these small biplanes were operating on the front line, leaving just a few in second-line and training roles. In 1944, second-line units of the Civil Air Fleet had only 34 U-2s in service. The statistics testify to the extent of militarisation of the civil ‘slow-pacers’. In 1944, U-2 combat losses in the Civil Air Fleet regiments totalled 50

aircraft; non-combat losses, 64. The corresponding figures for 1945 are, respectively, 26 and 25. The quantity of U-2 air ambulances in service may seem far from significant, but there are many reports from combatants who attributed their survival to these aircraft. Numerically, the high point in the service of S-1, S-2 and S-3 aircraft in Army units was in

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RIGHT: Nurses loading an injured soldier onto a U-2 fitted with Bakshayev ambulance containers in 1942.

May 1942, when 179 were noted in use. Factory No 387 in Kazan made 1,204 Bakshayev ambulance cabins prior to discontinuation of production in 1945. In comparison with the night bombers’ combat achievements, the U-2’s role as a liaison aircraft receives very little attention. However, it is of no less significance. Given the shortage of radio equipment in Red Army units, U-2s formed the basis of the wartime communications system as established in 1942. Every frontal headquarters had 32 liaison aircraft assigned, and each army 12. Given the importance of this activity, liaison squadrons were manned by the most experienced pilots. In Soviet Naval Aviation, U-2s were used for liaison purposes only, and were not numerous — summer 1942 saw a maximum of 56 on strength. The number of U-2s of all types in the Far East grew somewhat before the start of hostilities in Japan. In August 1945, 181 were in service with the Air Force of the Pacific Fleet and the Pacific Flotilla. With the war in Europe having come to an end, there arose during

the summer of 1945 the problem of finding further duties for this army of biplanes. Some of the military examples were handed over to the Civil Air Fleet, and converted into training, agricultural or passengercarrying aircraft. However, a year later, more drastic measures were taken. A total of 11,937 obsolete and worn-out aircraft were officially written off, among them 1,959 Po-2s.

Aviation Factory No 387 in Kazan and No 168 in Rostovon-Don continzed to build the latest Po-2 derivatives until the late 1940s, namely the Po-2S air ambulance, the Po-2A agricultural version, and the passenger-carrying Po-2L. These found a wide range of domestic applications, for instance in forest fire-fighting, geological exploration, aerial surveys and communication.

ABOVE: This U-2 is performing parachute-dropping training.

The Po-2 also remained in use with the Civil Air Fleet schools and the flying clubs of DOSAAF (the Voluntary Association for Assistance to Army, Aviation and Fleet) until the early 1950s for initial training and exercises and, sometimes, paradrop training. Some were in service with the Air Force in the 1950s as liaison aircraft and as trainers for blind or night flying. Mass decommissioning of the Po-2s in the Soviet Union began in 1958-59. In remote areas of the country, they remained in operation for a year or two more — possibly, at some locations, for even longer. However, they disappeared from official reports and summaries. The type continued in post-war service in many other Communist countries. Licence production was undertaken in Poland from 194856, the CSS-13 being built by the WSK-Mielec and WSK-Okęcie factories to the tune of some 500 examples. The Yugoslav Air Force used its Po-2s as late as 1959, and the type soldiered on with aero clubs in eastern and central Europe for longer still, not least as glider tugs.

‘BED CHECK CHARLIES’ OVER KOREA Perhaps the most famous employment of the Po-2 after World War Two occurred during the 1950-53 Korean War. Its role harked back to the Great Patriotic War, as North Korea’s Korean People’s Air Force operated the biplane as a night intruder, taking advantage of its low noise levels and slow-flying capabilities. The first such raid against a United Nations base took place on 28 November 1950, when a single Po-2 attacked Pyongyang airfield and caused major damage to parked US Air Force F-51 Mustangs of the 8th Fighter Bomber Group. Thereafter, the manner in which UN forces were roused from their slumbers by the Polikarpovs and other North Korean aircraft — the likes of Yakovlev Yak-18s, Lavochkin La-11s and, on one occasion, a Beriev MBR-2 seaplane among them — led to application of the ‘Bed Check Charlie’ nickname, first used by US troops to describe Japanese nuisance raiders during the Guadalcanal campaign. Their missions were sporadic, but highly irritating. On 17 June 1951 a pair of Po-2s bombed F-86 Sabres lined up at Suwon, destroying one 335th Fighter

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Interceptor Squadron aircraft and badly damaging four others. Not bad for a biplane designed in the 1920s. Just as in World War Two, the slow-paced Po-2 was a difficult weapon to combat. Especially for the early Western jets active in Korea, decelerating sufficiently to get in a decent shot proved a risky business, while the Polikarpovs could use terrain to their advantage in making an escape. Illustrating the dangers, one USAF F-94 Starfire night fighter collided with its target Po-2 on 12 June 1952. But there were several successful shoot-downs. Notably, Po-2s were the subject of the sole air-to-air kills ever recorded by several types: the B-26 Invader (a USAF aircraft, with undercarriage and flaps extended to slow to 90kt, achieving the feat in June 1951), the F7F Tigercat (single examples falling victim to US Marine Corps F7F-3Ns of VMF(N)-513 on 30 June and 23 September 1951) and the AD-4 Skyraider (another Marine aircraft, of VMC-1, claiming the kill on 15 June 1953). Ben Dunnell

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ABOVE: Moscow, 11 January 1944. A U-2SP of the 574th Separate Liaison Squadron is taxiing for take-off, carrying a cargo of freshlyprinted metropolitan newspapers for troops of the 1st Baltic Front.

Technical Details

A restorer’s perspective on the design and construction of the Polikarpov biplane

ABOVE: Assembly of a Po-2 fuselage frame during a recent restoration in Russia. In the background is a rig for the wing assembly.

T

he author has been involved in the restoration of U-2s/ Po-2s since 2002, and can thus provide insights both into the type’s original construction and how it may be restored today. Essentially, the U-2 was an ordinary two-seat biplane with an all-wooden structure and simple design. In its first incarnation it had a squared-off tail and wingtips and tail. This was brought about by the requirement to make manufacturing cheaper, and to ensure easy component swaps in case of repair. In particular, all the outer wing panels were identical, while ailerons could be used as elevators, and vice versa. The wing section utilized the thick Prandl 365 aerofoil section with a relative thickness of 14 per cent. On the second prototype, for the wing section a thinner

U-2 specifications Length Upper wingspan Empty weight Gross weight Maximum speed (ground level) Maximum speed (3,000m/9,843ft) Service ceiling

U-2 M-11

U-2VS

AP-1

8.17m (26.8ft) 11.42m (37.5ft) 650kg (1,433lb) 907kg (2,000lb) 160km/h (99.4mph)

8.17m (26.8ft) 11.42m (37.5ft) 684kg (1,508lb) 1,064kg (2,346lb) 134km/h (83.3mph)

8.17m (26.8ft) 11.42m (37.5ft) 711kg (1,567lb) 1,053kg (2,321lb) 139km/h (86.4mph)

140km/h (87mph)

132km/h (82mph)

-

4,450m (14,600ft)

3,500m (11,483ft)

3,000m (9,843ft)

Note: data for U-2 as manufactured by Aviation Factory No 23 in 1935-36.

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OSS TsKB 2 aerofoil with relative thickness of eight per cent was used (later, it was referred to as the TsAGI 541 design). The tail and wingtips were also rounded off. The wood used is mostly straightgrained pine with a specific density of 0.52kg/cubic cm; depending on the quality of the wood, two or three cubic metres of such material are required for one aircraft. Aircraft plywood is of critical importance; the required thicknesses are 1mm (eight to 10 sheets); 1.5mm (six or seven sheets); 2.0mm (five or six sheets); 3.0mm (one sheet); and 5.0mm (one sheet). The sheets are of standard type, measuring 1.5 by 1.5m (4.92 by 4.92ft). To bond the materials in a U-2/ Po-2 restoration, it is better to use modern synthetic adhesives — for example, the K-153 plasticated epoxy resin — rather than the historical casein glue. While this does involve a certain deviation from originality, the final bonding quality and the resulting reliability of the structure are worth it. The Po-2 has a truss fuselage; the wooden components are secured together using assemblies made from 1mm, 1.5mm, 2mm and 3mm-thick steel sheets. Fragments of assemblies prepared according to pattern drawings are assembled into the required structural components using steel bolts and fixative welding. The workmanship will, as they say, “correspond to

the professional level of a village blacksmith”. OVS steel wires (of 2mm and 2.5mm thickness) are needed to assemble the fuselage. To assemble the wing, steel rods are used to make the internal braces. The required rod diameters are 4mm (a length of approximately 20m will be needed), 5mm (about 30m), 6mm (2m) and 7mm (2m). Other necessary items include materials for the engine mount, cowlings, and undercarriage; cables for control linkages; flying instruments and engine instruments. We will also need cotton cloth for the skin, a small amount of leather, glass for the windscreens, and approximately 100kg (220lb) of cellulose dope. Most Po-2s were equipped with M-11G and M-11D engines, though during the post-war period the M-11K and M-11L were used. Today it is difficult to find such engines, which featured open-type pushrods and had no valve boxes. The M-11FR-1 and M-11FR, which were used on the Yak-18 trainer, are more widely available for U-2/Po-2 restorations in the modern era. The standard fixed-pitch propeller is bonded from wood. Years ago, the prop was fabricated from ash boards, with outer plates made from oak or beech. Later, dense pine and oak were used. Depending on the aircraft’s purpose, propellers with 2.35m diameter and a pitch of 1.49m, 1.67m or 1.73m were used.

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DATABASE | Development | In Service | Technical Details | Insights

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Insigghts

Flying and preserving the Polikarpov veteran

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I

STARTING THE ‘SLOW-PACER’

ABOVE: An unmarked U-2VS on a test flight.

n the words of a description of a 1939 flight evaluation, “The aircraft taxies steadily at 800-850rpm, allows unassisted taxiing at a wind of up to seven to eight metres per second, and performs turns easily. The take-off is normal. The tail lifts easily… speed at lift-off is 75-80km/h [46.6-49.7mph]. The best indicated rate of climb is 95km/h [59mph] at 1,550rpm. The aircraft climbs steadily… “In level flight, the aircraft demonstrates good longitudinal and transverse stability, similar to aircraft of previous models. The best gliding speed is 90-95km/h [56-59mph] at 400-450rpm. The aircraft glides steadily, without any abnormal tendencies. “The best turning airspeed is 108-115km/h [67.1-71.5mph] at

1,580rpm. The aircraft enters and exits turns at a bank of up to 45° easily; considerable effort is required for steep turns. The aircraft is stable while turning. “The entry speed for a loop is 150-160km/h [93.2-99.4mph] at 1,750rpm. Altitude loss is up to 50m [165ft]. The aircraft behaves normally. The aircraft performs rolls normally at a speed of 105km/h [65.2mph] at 1,300rpm. Altitude loss is 80-100m [260-328ft]. With normal rudder and elevator deflection angles, the aircraft enters a spin… it spins and recovers from the spin normally. “The landing is performed normally, and the aircraft lands easily on three points. The landing speed is 65-70km/h [40.443.5mph]. There are no abnormal tendencies during the approach and landing run.”

This extract is from the instructions for manually starting the M-11 engine. “Upon taking his seat in the aircraft”, it reads, “the pilot (technician) shall make sure that all instruments and control levers are in good order, and the ignition is off. “After opening the gasoline valve, the pilot (technician) shall command: ‘Turn the propeller’, and shall confirm the command by extending his left arm horizontally to the side and performing, with it, a rotational motion at the shoulder level. “The engine-man, upon receiving the command, shall ask: ‘Is it off?’ The question shall be confirmed by his arms being held upward and crossed. The pilot (technician) shall again make sure that the ignition in the cabin is off, and shall answer, ‘It is off’. He shall also confirm the answer by holding his arms upward and crossed. “Upon receiving the confirmation, the engine-man shall take the propeller blades in his hands and turn the propeller in the forward direction. Meanwhile, the pilot (technician) shall perform engine priming using the priming pump and making three to five pumping motions in the summer period or eight to 12 pumping motions in the winter period. “The engine-man shall energetically rotate the propeller to reach compression. Simultaneously with the propeller snatch, the engine-man shall run off to the right, put up his right arm, and report loudly, ‘Contact!’ “The pilot (technician) shall reply, ‘Clear prop!’ and start up the ignition by engaging the switch and turning the starting magneto handle. He shall also confirm the command by extending his left arm to the side. “If the engine fails to be started, the pilot (technician) shall turn off the ignition and command, ‘It is off’. Simultaneously, he shall confirm the command by lifting crossed arms above his head. “After that, the propeller shall again be set to compression with the ignition off, and the starting procedure shall be repeated. The engine-man may come up to the propeller only after the affirmative answer by the pilot (technician), ‘It is off’ to the engine-man’s question, ‘Is it off?’”

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ABOVE: The Shuttleworth Collection’s Po-2 G-BSSY has been flying at Old Warden since 2011. It is marked as an aircraft of the 9th Guards Night Bomber Air Division, which supported Polish rebels in September 1944. DARREN HARBAR

Many U-2s/Po-2s have been preserved, several in Russia itself. Two are listed among the exhibits in the Air Force Museum at Monino. Another is kept in Kazan, and one is on display in the V. P. Chkalov Museum in Chkalovsk near Nizhny Novgorod. The latter (c/n 9589) was registered personally to famed test and long-distance pilot Valery Chkalov as USSR-Ch4. It is a unique aircraft, since it was one of just four private aeroplanes registered in the Soviet Union at that time. Meanwhile, a significant number of ‘Kukuruzniks’ — the aircraft’s nickname, derived from the Russian word for maize, and a reference to its early crop-dusting role — have reappeared in the sky. The veteran biplane has, indeed, become a symbol of the restoration of flying historic aircraft in Russia. Materials used in its construction are widely available, structural components can be made easily with minimum equipment, there is an abundance of technical documentation, and — most importantly — M-11 engines still exist. Simple maintenance and reliability provide good grounds to

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hope that the aircraft will carry on flying for many years to come. It’s not just in Russia and other former Warsaw Pact states that Po-2s can be found flying today. The Flying Heritage Collection at Everett, Washington, has a 1944-vintage Russian Front combat

veteran Po-2 that also served in the Korean War. Kermit Weeks keeps a 1954-built example in his Fantasy of Flight museum in Polk City, Florida, and the Military Aviation Museum near Virginia Beach also has a Po-2 in its collection. The only one in the

UK is the Shuttleworth Collection’s machine, which dates from 1944, and flew in Yugoslavia in both military and civil hands post-war. The ex-Yugoslav Po-2W in the Salis family’s La Ferté Alais, Francebased Casques de Cuir fleet hasn’t flown for a few years.

ABOVE: The Military Aviation Museum’s Po-2 N3602 during a flight out of Virginia Beach. MAM

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THE Po-2 TODAY

Events

OLDTIMER FLIEGERTREFFEN HAHNWEIDE

9-11 September The setting for the Oldtimer Fliegertreffen events on the historic Hahnweide airfield south of Kirchheim unter Teck near Stuttgart could not be more idyllic. The heavily wooded rolling hills of the Schwäbischer Alb run across the area, rising to a little over 1,000m in places. They are the location of a number of castles — Burg Teck overlooks the airfield — and contain some of the most important Celtic remains in Europe. The local dialect has close links to Alemmanic, a language first mentioned by the Romans around 213AD. Variations of it crop up as Swiss German, and elsewhere in Alsace, western Austria and Liechtenstein. The show is usually staged every two years, but this time it returned after a three-year break due to personnel changes within the Fliegergruppe Wolf Hirth, the organisers. It represents a huge task for a relatively small group of individuals, even though during the event itself they can call on the help of around 500 volunteers from the eight other flying and gliding clubs on the airfield, and within the local community.

Reviewed by David Halford As on previous occasions, around 350 aircraft booked to attend what is a cross between a fly-in and an airshow. To judge from the density of parked aircraft along the crowdline and in the south-west corner of the airfield, many more than usual turned up, some 311 machines according to the organisers, yet the marvellously relaxed atmosphere was undiminished. Not only in the UK has a heavy-handed attitude to display regulation been seen in recent times. Here, officials from the Präsidium of the Baden-Württemberg government were keeping a close eye on all the flying activity. Though it appeared that some displays were closer to the crowd than in 2013, memories of the 1988 Ramstein disaster still colour the oversight of all German air events. The nearest thing to a team display was a ‘Flying Circus’ of circling aircraft from the Quax-Flieger club at Paderborn-Lippstadt, which was celebrating its 10th anniversary the following Saturday. Nineteen aircraft from the group were on the airfield, and

more than half a dozen, including a Chipmunk, Jungmann, Stearman and Stieglitz, took part in the display. A 20th Quax aircraft, the Fouga Magister, was seen briefly overflying the airfield on Saturday. A ‘Flying Circus’, like its terrestrial counterpart, needs a ringmaster, a real showman, and in Mikael Carlson the Hahnweide event had one in spades. His show in the Fokker Dr.I opened with Jürgen Weller’s Fokker E.III replica taking off just ahead — its 110hp Rotec seven-cylinder radial sounding barely more powerful than a garden mower — with Carlson’s Le Rhône well throttled back on its tail, before letting rip as the ‘Eindecker’ broke away to land. Mikael certainly showed the Dr.I to best advantage. What a nimble performer it is in the right hands, soaring and diving, turning on a sixpence. Having ‘gunned down’ his wife Gunilla, who was ‘firing’ at him from the ground, Carlson allowed himself a few victorious passes before landing. On both Saturday and Sunday his displays earned the loudest spontaneous applause. His outings

BELOW: There are few finer air display venues than the Hahnweide — and few events with a busier flightline.

DR ANDREAS ZEITLER

ABOVE: Mikael Carlson’s Thulin A aloft at sunset. DR ANDREAS ZEITLER TOP RIGHT: ‘Eindecker’ and ‘Dreidecker’ team up. DAVID HALFORD ABOVE RIGHT: Klaus Plasa getting airborne in Karl Grimminger’s beautiful silver Hurricane. DR ANDREAS ZEITLER

in his Thulin A were more sedate, but as always beautifully flown. The commentator claimed it to be the world’s oldest flying original aircraft, something about which Shuttleworth might wish to differ. Further international guests were the Yak-11, P-40N and P-51D from Melun-based France’s Flying Warbirds, present to mark the untimely death in a light aircraft accident near Strasbourg last autumn of Marc ‘Léon’ Mathis, a display pilot at the Hahnweide for many years. Their arrival provided a brief cliff-hanger, when the Mustang undershot, landing short of the path at the eastern end of the runway before bouncing over it. Thankfully no damage was done, allowing the memorial to be flown on Sunday. Paul Erhardt’s Zlin 526ASM (D-EWXA), a type in which Mathis had given some of his most unforgettable displays, led the cross-shaped ‘missing man’ formation before pulling up and away. Those aircraft aside, the French were again present in force. The Amicale Jean-Baptiste Salis’ AD-4N Skyraider was thrown around spectacularly by Christophe Bailly in Saturday’s evening light, while the two Alençon-based Dassault Flamants performed their elegant duo, the MD311 (F-AZER) repainted in black, as a bomber, for a recent feature film shoot in France. British involvement was small but select. Dan Griffith flew Stephen Stead’s Spitfire LFXVIe with his usual polish, but another well-known UK warbird pilot had a far longer journey to make. Jonathon Whaley joined his friend Tom Leaver in bringing 1928-vintage Travel Air 4000 NC5427 from Compton Abbas, a nearly 15-hour, 1,170nm round trip. Coming out of Spanhoe in USAF-marked Helio Courier G-BAGT, Carl Tyers had to

AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

cover still more ground, but his mount is at least a little more rapid. It made for an interesting contrast with Cessna O-1 Bird Dog EC-MAB, part of the Fundación Infante de Orleans at Cuatro Vientos. A first-time guest at the Hahnweide was silver-painted Hurricane XII AG244/G-CBOE from the growing collection of KarlFriedemann Grimminger at Aalen-Elchingen, north of Ulm. His DH83 Fox Moth G-ACEJ was on hand too. The Hurricane was flown by Klaus Plasa, whose planned appearance in the Messerschmitt Stiftung’s Bf 109G-4 ‘Red 7’ was cancelled after its late-August take-off mishap at Manching. However, the Stiftung’s Me 262 was very welcome. So was the father-and-son Eichhorn duo, the evergreen

Walter — 80 this summer — with his Harvard, Toni in a T-28 Trojan recently purchased from Jan van den Flier in Antwerp. Long-winged German aircraft old and new made their presence felt. The sight of Klemm L25a D-EBMX, a rebuilt 1927 aircraft with a five-cylinder BMW engine, was notable for the LED strips embedded in the prop blades creating the initials ‘BMW’ as they spun. Another head-turner was the UAV-like Grob G520T Egrett surveillance aircraft, making several passes on the Sunday. One of the best-known European warbird collections, the Flying Bulls, was not scheduled to have a presence at this year’s event, but while settling down to a litre of Weißbier and a plate of Maultaschen ð

ABOVE: A typical early-morning Hahnweide scene — dew on the ground, mist hanging in the hills, pilots of visiting aircraft waking from their slumbers. DR ANDREAS ZEITLER

www.aeroplanemonthly.com 93

Events

ABOVE: The horseman of the Hahnweide. DAVID HALFORD

TOP RIGHT: The marvellous Klemm L25 from BMW Heritage. DAVID HALFORD RIGHT: Raimund Riedmann, the Flying Bulls’ P-38, and the 14th-century Burg Teck. DAVID HALFORD

(Swabian ravioli) after the Slingsby T21 glider had closed the show on Sunday, I heard a sudden shout of “Corsair!” Everyone’s plates went flying as we scrambled for cameras and dived for the crowdline, as the P-38L Lightning and F4U-4 Corsair barrelled in from the north-west in formation at speed, en route from Sanicole to Salzburg. Raimund Riedmann and Eric Goujon beat up the field for several minutes before disappearing as fast as they arrived. They were some compensation for the supposed appearance on the Friday of the Patrouille de France, who straggled across the airfield just once en route to a display near Mulhouse. They were persuaded to make a flypast by the Aéro-Club Albert Mangeot of Pont-Saint-Vincent near Nancy, with which the Fliegergruppe Wolf Hirth has

had close links since 1955. It was later claimed that local air traffic made any formation flying too dangerous. As for the strangest happening of the show, it was probably prior to the Monday departure to Mengen of the Antique Aeroflyers’ Kinner B-1 Sportster and Morane-Saulnier MS317 when, out of nowhere, a man on a white stallion rode up, seated on a Western-style saddle, and engaged the pilots in conversation. A memorable Fellini-esque moment. RIGHT: So many international classics to savour — Stearmans, Fox Moth, Waco YKS-6 and more. DR ANDREAS ZEITLER BELOW: The Saturday night’s illuminated flightline, with the P-40N from France’s Flying Warbirds prominent. DR ANDREAS ZEITLER

Thanks to very fine weather — something of a curse for keen photographers, as much of the flying is contre-jour along the Hahnweide’s 13/31 airstrip — around 35,000 to 40,000 people visited the show during the weekend, though children under 14 were allowed in free. Meanwhile, hundreds gathered outside in the fields under the eastern approach. The old — and unfair — cliché goes that Swabians are reputed to have deep pockets but short arms, and are reluctant to part with their money.

THE DUXFORD AIR SHOW 10-11 September

Reviewed by John Dunnell

ABOVE: The ‘Ultimate Pistons’ — Fury and Bearcat — sweep in from the M11 end. JOHN DUNNELL

IWM Duxford’s final show of the season, given a ‘Meet the Fighters’ theme in honour of the 80th anniversary of RAF Fighter Command, brought together machines spanning the years from the Great War to the Korean War in an imaginative programme. Yet still it was not the easiest weekend. The venue’s introduction of an advance ticket-only entry policy and £5 car parking charge remain bones of contention for some, while the event was not allocated any modern fighter aircraft to bring its theme up to date. Then Saturday saw poor weather, rain and low cloud combining to comprehensively wreck proceedings. It is to the credit of all involved that anything was able to fly. In contrast, Sunday enjoyed unbroken blue skies, a far bigger crowd — thankfully advance tickets remained available until midnight the previous day — and the display was able to go

ahead as advertised, opening with the ‘Ultimate Pistons’ pair of Richard Grace in North Weald Heritage Aviation’s Fury FB11 accompanied by Pete Kynsey with The Fighter Collection’s Bearcat. This perfectly executed high-energy close pairs routine was a great start to a marvellous afternoon. RAF and Fleet Air Arm biplane fighters from the 1930s were well-represented. A Hawker trio of the Historic Aircraft Collection’s Fury I, Howell Davies’ Demon and the HAC’s Nimrod II flown by Charlie Brown, Stu Goldspink and Peter Holloway paraded, while Nick Grey threw TFC’s Gladiator around the sky in an exuberant performance that included almost vertically banked turns at low level — a wonderful sight. The early years of World War Two were illustrated by a ‘Dunkirk Trio’, in which Comanche Fighters put up Dave Southwood for his first display in a Spitfire Ia — X4650, still in

its ‘Dunkirk’ film colours — and Brian Smith with Spitfire Vb EP122 in a tailchase against Historic Flying’s Buchón. When at Duxford for Flying Legends, EP122 also wore a temporary movie scheme, making this September show a first opportunity to see the machine in its splendid No 185 Squadron markings as carried in the 1942 defence of Malta. An ambitious attempt was made to demonstrate gunnery training. This featured Anna Walker in her Piper Super Cub picking up a flag target, an interesting thing to see in itself, even if it didn’t go quite according to plan. Flying the HAC Hurricane, Dave Harvey made a series of dummy attacks on the unfortunately tangled banner. One of the weekend’s highlights was provided by the Norwegian Air Force Historical Squadron. Kenneth Aarkvisla flew an excellent solo session in the SB Lim-2 (MiG-15UTI), before being joined for a tailchase and a three-ship pass by the Vampire T55 and FB6. As the MiG landed, the de Havillands performed as a pair in the hands of Rolf Meum and Per Strømmen. For any fan of early jets, this was a real treat. As the afternoon drew to a close, how better to mark the theme than with massed Spitfires? This time there were 14, flying as two four-ship groups in trail flanked by two vics of three, with Brian Smith leading in Aero Legends’ MkIX TD314. In that formation they made three passes prior to breaking into smaller elements. What followed was a typically outstanding Duxford tailchase, the sky filled with the sight and sound of Spitfires — and the Seafire III, of course. It may have been a little smaller than last year’s Battle of Britain extravaganza, but the line-up of aircraft was still different. There was EP122, of course, and MkIa P9374, not seen in a public flying display since its sale at auction last summer. That wasn’t quite the end, as the final item was a full blue-skies display by the Red Arrows. What a fine way to conclude Duxford’s 2016 season, and for Jeanne Frazer to bow out after 15 years as the venue’s flying display director.

BELOW: Thirteen Spitfires and a Seafire parade against the blue. BEN DUNNELL

AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

www.aeroplanemonthly.com 95

Events

AIRPOWER 16 2-3 September

Reviewed by Ben Dunnell

ABOVE: The Sycamore entertains as Vampire and J 29 taxi back. BEN DUNNELL

ABOVE: The Flying Bulls’ four-ship. BEN DUNNELL

It was a ‘pinch yourself’ airshow moment. A Bristol Sycamore displaying as a Fouga Magister, de Havilland Vampire, Saab J 29 and Northrop F-5 taxied in, all set against the imposing backdrop of the tree-covered Styrian hills. Yet this was just one of the many memories to linger from AirPower 16. Yes, this huge triennial event at the Austrian Air Force’s Zeltweg base — officially called the Fliegerhorst Hinterstoisser — is one of the very best modern military displays. But it’s far more than that. AirPower offers action from almost the entire aviation spectrum, contrasting Mikael Carlson’s low-level aerobatics in his Fokker D.VII with the cream of today’s solo fast jets, of which the best has to be the French Air Force Rafale. And what a spectacular stage on which to watch it. Above all, AirPower never forgets that it’s a show. Take the opening gambit. An Austrian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon and an Alpha Jet from the Flying Bulls made formation and opposition passes past a tethered hot-air balloon advertising the Styria region, before three of the air force’s Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porters dropped water dyed in the Austrian flag colours. Talk about starting in style. With Red Bull being the event’s main commercial backer, of course the Flying Bulls’ fleet looms large. The public display debut of the Sycamore (see pages 66-71) was a true star item, but almost as good — and rather more dynamic — was a highly original combine of

of military and civil pilots, aircraft with significant variations in performance — this was a splendid piece of flying. What different shapes, too, from first-generation straightwinged jet to contemporary canard delta. From the final flyby, Lars Martinsson lit the Draken’s afterburner and, with a characteristic burst of flame, pitched up and out of the formation. His excellent solo display rekindled memories of the two decades to 2005 during which the Saab fighter stood on Austria’s air defence front line. But who says 21st-century combat jets don’t have charisma too? Certainly, no-one told the pilots in the later Austrian Typhoon two-ship combat demo, a masterclass of aggression, agility and raw power. More than 300,000 people attended AirPower 16 over its two days, the atmosphere — as usual at Zeltweg — almost more akin to a music festival than an airshow. Superbly organised, unceasingly entertaining, there really is nothing quite like it.

B-25J Mitchell, P-38L Lightning, F4U-4 Corsair and two Alpha Jets. Performing initially as a five-ship before splitting into elements, the quintet gave a tour de force of showmanship. In the midst of close-coupled box-four formation aerobatics from the warbird fighters and jet trainers, the Alpha Jets broke away to draw a smoke heart, pierced by the barrel-rolling Lightning and Corsair. Take a bow Philipp Haidbauer, Stefan Doblhammer, Raimund Riedmann and Eric Goujon. The crowning glory, though, was one of the best ‘old and new’ formations. Every jet type ever operated by the Austrian Air Force came together for a series of passes, an in-service Saab 105OE flanked by the Vampire T55 from the Fliegermuseum Altenrhein and the Magister based with the Quax-Flieger in Germany; tucked in close behind came the Swedish Air Force Historic Flight’s SK 35C Draken and J 29F, accompanied by a Swiss Air Force F-5E Tiger II and Austria’s current fighter, a Typhoon, bringing up the rear. A mix

ABOVE: Austrian Air Force jets old and new. BEN DUNNELL

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AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

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Books

Book of the Month

EAP: The Experimental Aircraft Programme by Allan Seabridge and Leon Skorczewski published by BAE Systems

A book of more than 400 pages on an aircraft with a build run of precisely one might seem excessive, but the British Aerospace EAP was no ordinary aeroplane. After all, this technology demonstrator, which contributed so much to the Eurofighter, was the last allnew, all-British fighter design to fly when it took to the air 30 years ago — even if it was never intended for production. The authors, both of whom were deeply involved in the EAP programme, have covered this fascinating subject in unprecedented detail. The result is, it must be said, quite a scholarly tome, but one that often belies its dry appearance. Some of the recollections of early planning meetings are rather amusing, and Seabridge and Skorczewski draw throughout on a varied range of archive documents and individual accounts. If I do have a criticism, it concerns the text’s overall balance. In 418 pages, the description of the EAP’s flight test effort only begins on page 330, and ends on

Training the The Second World War Guide to Aircraft Right Stuff by Mark A. Frankel and Identification Tommy H. Thomason

page 359. A great deal of the content in this section comes in the form of tables listing the aircraft’s flights; it seems to lack the depth of the earlier chapters dealing with the development phase. Adding to that, too many of the images have clearly been blown up larger than their low resolution can take, and the index would be far more usable were it to quote page numbers rather than chapter/paragraph references. This is, however, a good book on an undeniably important aircraft. I doubt a more comprehensive EAP volume will ever be produced, so if you’re interested in this chapter of post-war British aviation history, I’d definitely make the effort with it. Ben Dunnell

ISBN 978-0-9573755-4-3; 7in x 9.5in hardback; 418 pages, illustrated; £30

★★★★★

Outstanding

★★★★★

Excellent

★★★★★

Good

★★★★★

Flawed

★★★★★

Mediocre

Enough said

★★★★

Piu’ Cento

by Massimo Dominelli and Luciano Pontolillo published by Aviani & Aviani

published by Amberley

published by Schiffer Publishing

This volume is essentially a reprint of a document produced by the United States War Department and issued to US forces in 1943. Intended as a practical aircraft recognition guide for the man in the street (should that be ‘the man in the dugout’?), it is intelligently produced and contains far more than simple black three-view drawings of aircraft types, both ‘ours’ and ‘theirs’. For each design there is a list of distinguishing features, a summary of basic facts and a series of photos taken from various angles to aid recognition. There’s also a useful glossary of terms used, with a good, practical explanation of each. This title’s appeal results very much from its period feel. Some information is questionable: was a version of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 really used by the Japanese in the South-west Pacific? This and other points provide a useful reminder that Allied intelligence didn’t always get it right. When commenting on Allied aircraft, naturally, the authors were on safer ground. Would anyone quibble with the statement that ‘the Albacore is an obsolete aircraft’? Well reproduced, this will surely provide a few hours of nostalgia to today’s armchair-seated enthusiast reader. Denis J. Calvert

A weighty tome printed on high-quality paper, on the face of it this book about the aircraft that have trained US military jet pilots carries on in the best traditions of Schiffer’s high production values. It’s certainly a good concept; after a chapter on ‘Flight Training Before Jets’, the text goes straight into each of the types used for pilot instruction by the US forces during the jet age, starting with the T-28 Trojan. There is much interesting information here — for instance, the reminder that the DHC-1 Chipmunk (sadly, incorrectly referred to as the “deHavilland DCH-1B”) and Boulton Paul Balliol were evaluated for the primary trainer deal eventually won by the Beech Mentor. Accounts of training in the T-34 and the T-38 Talon are entertaining and insightful. Sadly, though, the whole product is very badly let down indeed by the photo reproduction. Every single image in the book — except those on the dust jacket — is pixelated to a greater or lesser degree, indicating a serious flaw in the production process. Have low-resolution versions inadvertently been used? Aspects of the layout leave something to be desired, too. Given the very high purchase price, the reader deserves far better. Ben Dunnell

ISBN 978-1-4456-5889-6; 9.2 x 6.5in hardback; 128 pages, illustrated; £12.99

ISBN 978-0-7643-5030-6; 8.5 x 11in hardback; 352 pages, illustrated; £60.50

ISBN 978-88-7772-228-7; 11in x 8.5in softback; 152 pages, illustrated; available from The Aviation Bookshop at £26.99 plus £4 p&p

★★★★★

★★★★★

★★★★★

AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

Reviews Rating

This landscape-format book, entirely in Italian, is the story of SIAI Marchetti from 1915 and marks the 100th anniversary of the company, but it should be explained that it only covers the firm’s flying boats, seaplanes and commercial aircraft, not post-war types like the SF260. The first pages list the various types covered — the S16, 55, 66, 73, 75, 83 and 95 — with the registrations allocated to various airlines. The S73 three-engined commercial airliner, a contemporary of the Junkers Ju 52/3m, became well-known on European routes, operated by Italian, Czech, Hungarian and Belgian companies. Italy’s Ala Littoria was the main user, and a map shows their considerable route network from Rome to such destinations as Haifa, Cairo, Tetuan, Lisbon and Constantinople. Many of the illustrations are printed at double-page size and are of excellent quality, while there are pictures of various models which are available. This is an attractive addition to the rather few books available on Italian aviation. Mike Hooks

www.aeroplanemonthly.com 99

TRUMP S HUTTLE

T

he uncensored thoughts of Donald J. Trump have on occasion been known, to put it diplomatically, to cause a degree of consternation. Sometimes they don’t seem all that funny, and so it was back in 1989 when, with typical bombast, he

addressed a press conference to herald the launch of his new airline, the Trump Shuttle. Operating on the potentially lucrative shuttle route between New York, Washington DC and Boston, the tycoon’s carrier would have some stiff opposition. Of Pan American, Trump told the gathered

throng, “I wouldn’t fly them; they’re losing money and their planes are old”. To call the remark tactless would be an understatement. It was, after all, just a few months since Pan Am Flight 103 was blown up over Lockerbie. Trump Shuttle marketing director Henry Harteveldt wasn’t happy. “That’s

‘It was great for t

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AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

one of the few occasions not only [the airline’s president] Bruce Nobles but I gave Donald hell”, Harteveldt says today. “I just said that you do not criticise another airline’s maintenance. It is wrong. We all strive to maintain our airplanes well, and there but for the grace of God go we. There were a lot of

people, especially in the New York area, who had lost friends and family on Flight 103 and were still very upset — understandably so. “Well, karma is a bitch. A little more than three months after we started flying, one of our Boeing 727s landed with the nose gear up at Boston Logan.

It was determined that it was not our fault — that there had been a ‘legacy’ maintenance problem that had not been detected. Our pilots handled the incident well, our flight attendants handled the incident well, and there were no major injuries. But it was very, very embarrassing.”

the Trump ego’ Those were Donald Trump’s words on the day of his new airline’s inaugural flight back in 1989. Perhaps its failure was unsurprising, but there was rarely a dull moment for those involved with the ill-starred Trump Shuttle WORDS: GORDON RENCHARD

Harteveldt was one of many seasoned airline industry campaigners who helped set up the airline. He had worked in advertising for American Airlines, marketing for TWA, and marketing and planning for Continental. Bruce Nobles, also ex-Continental, brought him in. As Harteveldt told Aeroplane, “It was a lot of fun — it was very chaotic. It was a start-up situation, and as a start-up there are always more things to do and not enough people to do the tasks. What added to the challenge was that I left Continental for Trump Shuttle before the Trump Organization had actually bought the airline.” Some background is required. “Eastern Airlines started the air shuttle in 1961”, says Harteveldt. “Texas Air Corporation bought Eastern, and it owned Continental. There was a plan to spin off the shuttle as a way to bring in money and to, frankly, help Texas Air in its battle with Eastern and the unions that was going on at the time. “Frank Lorenzo, chairman of Texas Air, had met Donald Trump and the two had a conversation about buying the shuttle. However, the unions at Eastern took legal action and successfully got a judge to say that the shuttle couldn’t just be sold outright; that there should be an auction so that the shuttle brought in its true value to the company.

AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

LEFT: Donald Trump at the 1988 announcement of his $365-million purchase of the Eastern Airlines shuttle — the birth of Trump Shuttle. PHOTOLINK/NEWSCOM

ð

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TRUMP S HUTTLE

ABOVE: Boeing 727-225 N917TS freshly refurbished at Miami International in 1989.

BOB O’BRIEN COLLECTION/ AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM

“It became a bidding war, and the two finalists for the Eastern shuttle were the Trump Organization and America West Airlines, which saw the shuttle as a way to get a toehold into the north-east. The Trump Organization purchased the shuttle from Texas Air for approximately $365 million, and with that we got 22 Boeing 727s, a mix of 727-100s and -200s. One of the 727-100s we got was among Eastern’s oldest 727s, from when they first started taking delivery in the 1960s. We actually wanted the shuttle to have fewer airplanes, roughly 16, and we were hoping to have a mix of 727s and DC-9s, but the deal that Lorenzo and the Trump Organization agreed to was 22 airplanes, all 727s.” Trump himself had announced the purchase of Eastern’s shuttle at his Plaza Hotel in Manhattan on 12

“As marketing director, my job was to build the brand. What was Trump Shuttle going to be? I was involved in all the tasks you would expect a marketing head to be: livery, cabin design, advertising, frequent flyer, brand positioning, product development… “At the beginning, Donald was very involved in things that were marketingfocused — things such as cabin design, our loyalty programme, advertising, promotions. But it’s important to understand that the Trump Shuttle was its own business unit. We had our own president, Bruce Nobles; we had our own chief pilot. We were, for the most part, self-sufficient. “Donald was involved only on things that were fairly major, especially once the airline was launched. PR was very

‘Donald said the Trump Shuttle would be a ‘diamond in the sky’. After that I said, ‘We’re starting with cubic zirconia’ October 1988. Harteveldt was an early recruit. “I got to New York, I started my job, and we were building an airline without actually having an airline. That was a risk I was willing to take. I’d left a secure job in Continental for this start-up, and a lot of other people did as well — people who’d come from other airlines.

102 www.aeroplanemonthly.com

important to him, advertising was very important to him, because in that pre-internet era those were two of the communications platforms that really helped to identify and create the image of the airline, and position it in the consumer’s mind. But he would get involved in other things, including the design of the magazine, certain aspects

of the meal service that we offered, and even a frequent flyer ‘thank you’ direct mail campaign.” Some of that influence was undeniably positive. In other ways, Trump betrayed his lack of understanding of the airline business in general, and the shuttle in particular. “Donald certainly insisted on a very opulent cabin”, recalls Henry Harteveldt. “As he kept telling me, “It’s the Trump Shuttle”, and people had, in his mind, an expectation of this. “We ended up spending more than $1 million per airplane — probably closer to $2 million — on renovation. That included maintenance, engine repair and overhaul, going through the airframes, as well as what the passengers saw. Remember, these were some of the oldest 727s, and while Eastern kept them flyable these were airplanes that probably were flying on the minimum of minimum equipment lists. They had not exactly received much tender loving care from Eastern because Eastern simply didn’t have the cash. “We put in very thick pile carpeting. That’s lovely to have in a private jet, that’s lovely to have in your home. On a commercial airliner? No. Not very practical. He insisted that we put that carpeting down the tail stairs of the 727. Again, not practical. It added weight, and those stairs were used primarily by service personnel, inevitably in all types of weather, which in the north-east US includes rain and

AEROPLANE NOVEMBER 2016

Using a 727-200, the inaugural Trump Shuttle service operated from New York to Washington on 8 June 1989. At LaGuardia, passengers were greeted by a string quartet, complimentary champagne — and Donald himself. He described the whole venture as “great for the Trump ego”. Fog caused a 20-minute delay, but otherwise things went off without a hitch. It wasn’t long, though, before the cracks started to show. “We had a lot of challenges as a start-up. Our competitor was Pan Am, and they ran a very good shuttle. What we learned through our research was that 40 per cent of people preferred to leave on the hour and had some kind of loyalty towards either Eastern, Continental or the OnePass frequent flyer programme. Another 40 per cent preferred the Pan Am product. We were really battling for 20 per cent of the market.

❖

snow. That was not one of the better decisions. “He wanted to replace the aluminium doorhandles on the boarding door and other cabin doors with brass handles, because he thought they would be more attractive. We talked him out of that. He wanted to put in marble counter-tops in the lavatories. We had to investigate that and convince him that a faux marble would be just as good.” Another remark at one of the airline’s early press conferences rather troubled marketing boss Harteveldt. “Donald said the Trump Shuttle would be a ‘diamond in the sky’. After that I said, ‘You may want a diamond in the sky, but we’re starting with cubic zirconia’. Again, these were old airplanes with rather grotty interiors. “After Mr Trump’s statements, our advertising had to contain and manage consumer expectations. A lot of what we did with our PR and advertising had to make sure people realised that, at first, literally the only thing that changed was the name. In one of our first advertisements, which we shot at Boston Logan, we filmed the workers putting a decal on the fuselage that said ‘Trump’ over the Eastern Airlines name and logo. We were sending airplanes down to Orlando, Florida, to be repainted and have new cabins done. It took us several months to get the first of them in, but [after that] the rest quickly followed.”

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“Back in 1989-90, you didn’t need a reservation. If you got to the Pan Am shuttle terminal at 8.29, you’d probably get on the 8.30 shuttle to Boston or Washington. In addition, Continental was still struggling from its 1987 merger with People Express, and did not have the strong following that it began to get later in the 1990s. It had a challenge with on-time performance and service and some other things. And, of course, Eastern was not exactly in the strongest of positions. So, even though we had a tie to a very strong frequent flyer programme in OnePass, the anchor airlines of that programme were not in the strongest of business positions, whereas Pan Am could promise people the world. It had its own business challenges, but it was viewed as a ‘less bad’ option by some.”

Still, the newcomer battled hard. “Because Eastern had been in such bad straits, when we took over we had something like 14 per cent market share. And because Eastern had to be aggressive with its pricing — both retail pricing and corporate discounts — we had less than 14 per cent of the revenue on the shuttle. Back in 1989, Amtrak, the US inter-city rail operator, did not yet have the Acela high-speed train service. It had Metroliner between New York and Washington, but it was not high-speed — it was simply faster than average and had fewer stops. It was still a fairly long train ride, roughly four hours if I remember correctly. New York-Boston was also four or more hours on the train. The majority of people travelling between Washington and New York, and between New York and Boston, went by air. “By the end of March or so of 1990, we had pretty much gotten to about 50 per cent of the market and were able to command a slight revenue premium. We had a really good sales team, we had invested in product. One thing we were really committed to from both an operational standpoint and a marketing standpoint was on-time performance and reliability. In those days, we maintained the promise that even if it was just for one passenger we would roll out an empty airplane in order to accommodate everybody who wanted to go on any given shuttle flight. We had back-up airplanes at the ready and we were able to maintain our reliability. “From a marketing standpoint, we realised that the air shuttles were really time management tools. Our passengers didn’t fly to earn frequent flyer miles, or for snacks or the in-flight magazine, or because we had outfitted the flight attendants with faux pearl necklace accessories as part of their uniforms. It was because they needed

BELOW: With hindsight, an interesting passenger on a Trump aircraft: then Governor Bill Clinton flew on a Trump Shuttle 727-200 to Cleveland, Ohio for the annual Democratic Leadership Council meeting in May 1991.

THE IMAGE WORKS/TOPFOTO

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TRUMP S HUTTLE

ABOVE: By the time this shot of 727-225 N917TS was taken at Fort Lauderdale in September 1990, Trump Shuttle was already in difficulties. It operated charters as well as the shuttle flights. CARL FORD/ AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM

to get between New York and either Boston or Washington DC in the fastest possible manner. That was core. Everything else was ancillary.” Harteveldt and others saw how difficult the situation was. “It became clear to me that it was going to be a tougher road to profitability than we initially anticipated. When the Trump Organization bought the shuttle, the economy was relatively strong, real estate values in New York were strong, and Trump had invested in a variety of casinos in Atlantic City. “The executive leadership of the shuttle had told Trump what they believed it to be worth, and we all felt that paying $65 million for it was too much money. We were concerned from the outset about our ability to not only turn a profit but service the debt. What we heard was that they were reasonable business concerns but that the cashflow and profit from the real estate side of the house would at least compensate for any losses that the shuttle may incur during its startup phase. We all knew that we would not be profitable overnight, we knew that we would not be profitable within

have been documented in the New York Times and elsewhere. I should point out again that we were a freestanding business unit — we did not do anything with the Plaza Hotel or the casinos other than some joint promotional efforts. Also, tragically, there was a helicopter accident in the fall of 1989 and three of the casino executives were killed. I think that was very upsetting to Mr Trump personally as well as professionally.

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“The recession intensified in 1990, and there were some concerns about what was going on leading up to the 1991 Gulf War. We started to see that demand softened for the shuttle. We had to become more aggressive with our pricing. Continental was competing out of Newark, there were some other airlines between New York and Washington, and Pan Am was competing aggressively, so there was a lot of competition in the market. It brought down the published fares and the corporate discount fares. “We took certain steps to reduce

‘The executive leadership of the shuttle told Trump what they believed it to be worth, and that $65 million was too much’ a year, but we expected to be well on our way towards being profitable. “There were macro-economic factors outside our control that occurred. The US went into a mild recession [in late 1989], and that recession started more in the northeast than the rest of the country. Real estate values softened in New York and elsewhere. There were some challenges that the casinos had, which

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our expenditure — we scaled back some advertising, we adjusted our catering — but an airline can’t fix the economy. The shuttle’s losses I don’t think were terrible, but, in the context of the larger financial challenges that the Trump Organization was facing, things were starting to implode.” Harteveldt left in June 1990. “While I enjoyed working there, and had a very good working relationship

with Donald on the things where I did work with him, when I got a job offer to run marketing for a luxury hotel company in San Francisco I took it”. That month saw big changes for Trump Shuttle, as Bruce Nobles was ousted as president in favour of Richard Cozzi. The New York Times quoted Trump as saying of the airline, “It will be a financial success, but right now I’m upset with the people running it.” Credit where it’s due comes from the genial Harteveldt, now boss of travel data analysts Atmosphere Research. “He did listen, he would say ‘You’re right’, and if he didn’t agree he would always tell you why”. But, given Trump’s ambitions, it must have come as a blow. “He saw Trump Shuttle as the potential anchor for, possibly, a larger airline. Let’s put it this way: I don’t think there were any of us who went to Trump Shuttle with expectations that all we would be was an airline flying between Boston, New York and Washington DC. We believed that there was an opportunity to expand, either organically or through acquisition… “While I was there, Donald made an unsolicited takeover bid for AMR Corporation, the parent of American Airlines. Bob Crandall of American threatened a lawsuit, and Trump sold his shares in AMR. I believe he made a profit. There was also, I think, a brief effort to buy Continental from Texas Air. Neither of those went anywhere.” By September 1990, Trump Shuttle’s creditor banks decided they’d had enough. An injection of finance proved little more than a stickingplaster solution. Nor could the banks find a buyer. Eventually, after lengthy negotiations, USAir was persuaded to step in. Trump Shuttle was closed on 7 April 1992, the disappointing end of its founder’s airline dream.

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