FlyPast 2015-11

WIN SIGNED MOSQUITO PRINTS PLUS SPITFIRE DVDs CLOSING DATE: DECEMBER 30, 2015

Britain’s Top-Selling Aviation Monthly

MOSQUITO 75th Anniversary • FIGHTER-BOMBER FAMILY • ELVINGTON’S NIGHT FIGHTER

THUNDER CITY ON TOUR

Buccaneer goes international CLASSIC JETS

• NEW TRICKS FOR FIGHTER ACES • SURVIVING MOSQUITOS IN PROFILE • COMBAT OVER BURMA

Spotlight Consolidated Catalina

BATTLE OF BRITAIN 75TH Fighters gather at Duxford and Biggin Hill

COMMEMORATION

HISTORY

A detailed look at the U-Boat hunter in action WORLD WAR TWO www.flypast.com

KENNEDY’S LIBERATOR

The ill-fated Project Anvil AIRCREW 01_November fc_fp.indd 1

SOVIET LEGEND

Flying the MiG-15 fighter

NOVEMBER 2015

£4.40

CAN $9.99

WARBIRDS

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Welcome

W

elcome to your 132-page November issue of FlyPast, an edition that, among other things, commemorates the Mosquito’s 75th ‘birthday’. It’s an important type of aircraft that has a special place in the hearts of many, so we couldn’t let the Mossie’s special day go by uncelebrated! The team and I hope you enjoy our special coverage, which starts on page 37. Looking at current events, it’s been a month of mixed fortunes, to say the least. Our sympathies go to everyone caught up or affected by the tragedy involving the Hawker Hunter at Shoreham – it was a truly shocking and awful accident. To make matters worse, the crash and subsequent events were subjected to some disgraceful reporting by certain parts of the wider media – some of it quite unnecessary. On a more optimistic front, historic aviation has been seen in a more positive light over the last couple of weeks by supporting the Battle of Britain commemorations. The valour of Churchill’s Few is being saluted with large gatherings of fighter aircraft from the era, and several mass flypasts. (See pages 94, 106 and the news section.) I was particularly pleased to see that the handful of surviving veterans were at the heart of the events, with 95-year-old Wg Cdr Tom Neil even being taken aloft again in a Spitfire – he served with 249 Squadron and gained ace status during the battle. Such stirring sights and sounds as mass flypasts are a fitting tribute to these brave men, in this special anniversary year. Surely this is historic aviation at its best. In closing, I hope you will savour FlyPast’s tribute to a remarkable double anniversary – 75 years of the Mossie and the Battle of Britain – along with the rest of this special issue.

This is the month that was... Nigel Price Editor

Seventy-five years ago – November 1940 – James Nicolson of 249 Squadron was decorated with the Victoria Cross. It was the only such award for a Fighter Command pilot in World War Two.

Assistant Editor Steve Beebee

Contributing Editor Ken Ellis

This is the month that is...

Today, the men and women who fought during the Battle of Britain are being remembered at events around the world. Illustrated are Wg Cdr Tom Neil DFC* AFC (in the cockpit) with HRH Prince Harry, Matt Jones, Nathan Forster, Steve Brooks and John Romain at Goodwood, West Sussex, on September 15. JOHN DIBBS

MANAGING DIRECTOR/PUBLISHER: Adrian Cox EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN: Richard Cox

General enquiries to: Editor’s Secretary: Vanessa Smith FlyPast, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincs, PE9 1XQ, UK Tel: 01780 755131 Fax: 01780 757261 E-mail: [email protected] www.flypast.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS / MAIL ORDER: Manager – Roz Condé PO Box 300, Stamford, Lincs, PE9 1NA, UK Tel: 01780 480404 Fax: 01780 757812 E-mail: Subscriptions: [email protected] E-mail: Mail Order: [email protected] Readers in USA can place subscriptions by visiting www.flypast.com or by calling toll free 800 676 4049 or fax 757 428 6253 or by writing to FlyPast, 3330 Pacific Ave, Ste 500, Virginia Beach, VA23451-9828.

DESIGN: Art Editor – Mike Carr

Art Editor Mike Carr

Advertising Manager Alison Sanders

PRODUCTION: Production Editor – Sue Blunt Deputy Production Editor – Carol Randall Sub Editor - Norman Wells Production Manager – Janet Watkins ADVERTISING AND COMMERCIAL: Commercial Director – Ann Saundry Group Advertisement Manager – Brodie Baxter Advertisement Manager – Alison Sanders E-mail: [email protected] Sales Executive - Marie Parry Ad Production Manager – Debi McGowan Ad Production Controller - Louise Talbot E-mail: [email protected] Marketing Manager – Martin Steele Marketing Executive – Shaun Binnington

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FlyPast (ISSN: 0262-6950), November, is published monthly by Key Publishing Ltd, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincs, PE9 1XQ, UK and distributed in the USA by Mail Right Int., 1637 Stelton Road B4, Piscataway, NJ 08854.

EDITORIAL: Editor – Nigel Price Assistant Editor – Steve Beebee Contributing Editors - Ken Ellis and Dave Unwin

SMALL PRINT: While every care is taken with submissions, the Publisher cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage incurred. All items submitted for publication are subject to our terms and conditions. These are regularly updated without prior notice and are downloadable from www.keypublishing.com We are unable to guarantee the bonafides of any of our advertisers. Readers are strongly recommended to take their own precautions before parting with any information or item of value, including, but not limited to, money, manuscripts, photographs or personal information in response to any advertisements within this publication. The entire contents of FlyPast is © Copyright 2015. No part of it can be reproduced in any form or stored on any form of retrieval system without the prior permission of the publisher.

Periodicals Postage Paid at Piscataway, NJ and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to FlyPast, Key Publishing Ltd., C/o Mail Right International Inc., 1637 Stelton Road B4, Piscataway, NJ 08854. DISTRIBUTED BY: Seymour Distribution Ltd, 2 Poultry Avenue, London, EC1A 9PP Tel: 020 7429 4000 Fax: 020 7429 4001 PRINTED BY: Warners (Midland) plc, The Maltings, Bourne, Lincs. PE10 9PH PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY: Key Publishing Ltd, address as Editorial

Printed in England ISSN 0262-6950

Britain’s top-selling aviation monthly

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Features

News

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Liberator down

114 Great War flyer

28

Roar of the MiG

124 Fast as Lightning

Nigel Walpole examines the events that led to the loss of Joe Kennedy Jr in a Consolidated B-24 Liberator.

Charles Kennedy sampled a Cold War icon as it returned to Eastern Europe to begin a new life as a jet for hire.

Andrew Carter reflects on the challenges and joys of flying a newly built Fokker E.III Eindecker.

The deployment of a Thunder Cityoperated English Electric Lightning to Namibia is described by Ian Black.

• Film star Spitfire sold to Australia • Harrier restored in Suffolk • Goodwood’s Battle of Britain tribute • New owners for B-17 • Coventry’s CAF fleet for sale • Duxford exhibition opens

106 Saluting The Few

We report from Biggin Hill where a special flypast took place to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain’s ‘hardest day’, August 18.

Contents November 2015

No.412

Front Cover

Marking the 75th anniversary of the de Havilland Mosquito’s first flight, our special section on the ‘wooden wonder’ begins on page 37. ARTWORK-ADAM TOOBY This page, main image: Supermarine Spitfire I N3200 flying at Duxford’s Battle of Britain Anniversary Air Show on September 19. See pages 94-95. RICHARD HALL

20 Liberator down

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28 Roar of the MiG

114 Great War flyer

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in

THE WOODEN WONDER ON NOVEMBER 25, 1940, DE HAVILLAND’S LEGENDARY MOSQUITO TOOK TO THE AIR FOR THE FIRST TIME. TO MARK THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MOSSIE’S MAIDEN FLIGHT, WE PRESENT A SERIES OF FEATURES AND IMAGES CELEBRATING THIS REMARKABLE CREATION.

38

FIGHTER-BOMBER

54

Ross Sharp examines the Mk.VI and the important role played by a car manufacturer in its development.

le

46

MOUNT OF ACES Andrew Thomas explains how a large number of well-known aces converted from their single-seat fighters onto the Mosquito – and excelled.

52

COMBAT OVER BURMA

Regulars 94

Reviews and images from major events at home and overseas.

100 From The Workshop – Canada

Andrew Thomas speaks to Ron Wambeek and Ray Pears about their experiences of flying the ‘wooden wonder’ in the Far East.

62

Airshow

Darren Harbar reports from Ontario on the latest Canadian Warplane Heritage restoration projects.

STILL ALIVE We list all the known Mosquito survivors.

YORKSHIRE’S MOSQUITO We recount the history of Tony Agar’s Elvington-based NF.II night-fighter.

108 Glory Days For ten years West Malling was home to the jets of 500 Squadron. Robin Brooks profiles the ‘weekend’ fliers.

111 FlyPost and ‘Ops’ Board Readers’ letters and dates for your diary.

112 From The Workshop – US A Boeing F4B-3 is gradually taking shape in California. Frank B Mormillo reports.

120 What’s New The latest books, calendars and aviation-related merchandise receive the FlyPast verdict.

130 Finals Boeing B-29 Superfortress.

WIN!

Veteran signed Mosquito prints, plus Spitfire DVDs. See page 111.

Spotlight

Consolidated Catalina

FREE gift when you subscribe! Claim your FREE F-105 Thunderchief DVD or copy of Lie In The Dark And Listen, the memoirs of Bomber Command pilot and PoW Ken Rees, when you subscribe. A subscription to FlyPast also makes a great birthday gift. See pages 26 and 27 for details or visit www.flypast.com to find out more about our digital packages.

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70 72 74

Origin and History

82

Inside the Catalina

84

We describe the famous amphibian’s history.

Cutaway artwork of a PBY-5A.

Men Behind the Catalina

Graham Pitchfork profiles three tenacious pilots who flew the Catalina with the RAF.

92

Catalina in Profile

Ted Williams artwork of a Catalina used for wartime passenger flights.

In Combat

Long-range Catalinas played a vital role in the Pacific, as Warren E Thompson explains.

Duxford survivor

The Catalina Society’s David Legg profiles Duxford’s airworthy PBY.

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NEWS THE LATEST IN AVIATION HERITAGE

Coventry’s historic aircraft fleet for sale The fleet of post-war aircraft operated by Coventry’s Classic Air Force (CAF) is to be sold. The company, which has more than 30 aircraft on its books – including Gloster Meteor T.7 WA591, the world’s oldest flyable jet – is inviting offers from interested organisations and individuals. The news follows the announcement that CAF founder Mike Collett is to retire. Now 72, he co-founded the Air Atlantique group in 1977 and has been involved with historic aviation ever since. “The absolute essential is that they keep flying,” he said. “These are living pieces of history, capable of teaching piloting and engineering skills that could otherwise be lost. Our commitment has always been to keep

these aircraft alive and operational rather than let them become dead museum pieces. “All other considerations being second to that, I’m open to suggestions. If a committed, wellfunded organisation puts a convincing proposition to me, then it may well be possible for the whole collection to pass into new ownership. In many ways that’s my favourite scenario. “I’m not looking for a quick result,” he added. “I’m committed to finding the right owners or partners. I’m quite happy if it takes a year to find the right homes for the remainder. Once I’m sure these unique aeroplanes will keep on flying for future generations I’ll feel I’ve done my job.” www.classicairforce.com

Everett Aero, based at Sproughton, Suffolk, is close to completing its restoration of BAe Harrier GR.5 ZD353. Now the only GR.5 in existence, the jet made its first flight on October 21, 1988. It operated with 233 OCU until written off after a landing accident at Wittering, Cambs, on July 29, 1991. The pilot made a successful emergency landing after an in-flight fire caused by an electrical fault.

Severely damaged, the Harrier was transferred to British Aerospace at Brough but was deemed beyond economical repair. It was later used for fatigue testing on the undercarriage main beams.

Above

Completed in 1949, Gloster Meteor T.7 WA591 is the world’s oldest flyable jet. RICHARD PAVER-CAF Below

Nicknamed ‘Primrose’, Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer G-APRS is currently being returned to airworthy status. CAF

Unique Harrier restored in Suffolk

WITH THANKS TO JAMES EVERETT

www.everettaero.com BAe Harrier GR.5 ZD353 is close to completion at Everett Aero in Suffolk. COURTESY JAMES EVERETT

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Film star Spitfire destined for Australia

Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX MH415 ‘ZD-E’ in Texas prior to moving to Australia. COURTESY PLATINUM FIGHTERS

Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX MH415 has been sold to a new owner in Australia in a deal brokered by warbird

specialists Platinum Fighter Sales. Serving with 222 Squadron during World War Two, MH415 is a ‘sister ship’

to Old Flying Machine Company’s famous Duxford-based Mk.IX, MH434. Both fighters continue to wear

colours and markings representative of the unit. After the war, MH415 was flown by the Royal Netherlands Air Force in Java and later operated with the Belgian Air Force. Following retirement from military service, it featured in the 1962 film The Longest Day and 1969’s Battle of Britain. Acquired by Wilson ‘Connie’ Edwards, who co-ordinated some of the flying sequences in Battle of Britain, the Spitfire moved to Texas along with six of the Hispano Buchóns used to portray Messerschmitt Bf 109Es. It was flown in the US for a mere 36 hours before being placed in storage, where it has remained ever since. It is now destined for Pay’s Air Service in Scone, New South Wales, where it will undergo a thorough inspection before being sympathetically preserved in as close to original flying condition as possible. WITH THANKS TO JOHN RAYNER www.platinumfighters.com

Goodwood’s salute to The Few

New colours for Yorkshire Tornado

The 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain was commemorated on September 15 with a spectacular flypast from Goodwood – and a service of remembrance at St Paul’s Cathedral. Around 40 aircraft, mostly Supermarine Spitfires and Hawker Hurricanes, took off from the West Sussex airfield (formerly RAF Westhampnett) and flew in smaller groups across towns in southern England and the sites of bases used in the battle. PHOTO-PHIL WHALLEY

Staff at Elvington’s Yorkshire Air Museum have repainted Panavia Tornado GR.4 XZ631 in the colours of the RAF’s No.II (AC) Squadron. The jet, the first Tornado to be converted to GR.4 status, retains its serial number. Before arriving at Elvington in 2005, XZ631 flew as a test aircraft, its trials work including air-to-air refuelling, weapon handling and supersonic flight. www.yorkshireairmuseum.org KEY-STEVE BEEBEE

Mossie prototype project nears completion The de Havilland Aircraft Museum is making significant progress on its restoration of Mosquito prototype W4050. The four-year initiative, which is supported by a £41,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, is being carried out by volunteers at the museum at Salisbury Hall, London Colney, Herts. Mosquito W4050 flew for the first time on November 25, 1940 from nearby Hatfield. The project is currently on schedule to be completed in time for the maiden flight’s 75th anniversary later this year. www.dehavillandmuseum.co.uk PHOTO-BOB GLASBY

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NEWS THE LATEST IN AVIATION HERITAGE

Sopwith Pup being restored to fly

Sopwith Pup B1807 on display at Tyntesfield on August 21. ADRIAN M BALCH

An extremely rare original Sopwith Pup was recently unveiled in the grounds of Tyntesfield, a National Trust-owned

stately house near Bristol. Pup B1807 was built in 1917 by Coventry’s Standard Motor Company. It

originally served as a night-fighter with Rochford-based 198 Training Squadron and is likely to have flown with a number of other units before ending the war with 39 Squadron. Flying in civilian hands as G-EAVX, it crashed during the 1921 Aerial Derby at Hendon, due to pilot Dring Lester Forestier-Walker becoming unwell. The airman escaped unhurt, and the aircraft was stored for a few years at Claude Grahame-White’s hangar, also at Hendon. The Pup was discovered in a barn near Compton Abbas, Dorset, in 1972 by Kelvyne Baker. Work began to rebuild the aircraft in several different locations, eventually continuing at RNAS Yeovilton.

New wings have been built, but the fuselage and tail are original and an 80hp Le Rhône rotary engine has been installed and successfully run. The Pup even has its original wicker seat and working illuminated night-flying instruments. Kelvyne is currently working alongside Nick Harris, Jason Nuttall, Mark CastleSmith, and Mike Waldron at his home near Banwell, Somerset, to complete the restoration to airworthy condition. The team plans to return the biplane to its civilian colours and markings and anticipates a first flight in or around 2020 from either Yeovilton or Middle Wallop, Hants. ADRIAN M BALCH

New home for Flying Fortress Engines received for Hudson

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress ‘Miss Liberty Belle’ at Grissom Air Museum prior to its move to Georgia. TONY SACKETOS

briefings

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress 4483690 has been disassembled and transported to the Warner Robins Museum of Aviation in Georgia, US. Formerly at the Grissom Air Museum in Peru, Indiana, the bomber is painted to resemble B-17G 42-31255 Miss Liberty Belle as a tribute to the USAAF’s 305th BG. Based at Chelveston, Northants, the machine it represents completed 64 missions before being lost on August 3,

1944. It sustained severe damage over Saarbrücken and crashed in Wymington, near Rushden, with the loss of seven airmen. The aircraft on display served the USAF as a DB-17P drone detector before being retired in 1958. It has been on static display ever since, wearing a number of different paint schemes. The transfer to Warner Robins was completed with the help of Dayton, Ohio’s National Museum of the USAF.

The Flying Bulls’ Vought Corsair F-4U4 OE-EAS is continuing to undergo maintenance at the team’s base in Salzburg, Austria. Delivered to the US Navy in 1945, it did not see action and has been owned by Flying Bulls boss Sigi Angerer since 1990. It is pictured inside the Red Bull Museum’s maintenance hangar on August 24. GEOFF JONES

Restoration of Lockheed Hudson VI FK466 at Trenton, Ontario, has been given a boost, thanks to two Wright GR1820 radial engines donated by Joe McBryan of Buffalo Airways. The aircraft’s fuselage, found in a scrap yard, and on long-term loan to the National Air Force Museum of Canada from the Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum in Halifax, already has a new nose, wings and tailplane. All of these components were taken from donor aircraft Lockheed Lodestar CF-CEC. Originally allocated to the RAF, before being taken on by No.1 Composite Squadron RCAF at Torbay, Newfoundland FK466’s turret was

removed and it was equipped with a lifeboat for use in air-sea rescue. In 1945 the aircraft was used to save the crew of a downed US Consolidated B-24 Liberator. Museum executive director Chris Colton also confirmed that restoration of Northrop A-17A Nomad 3251 has been put on hold. Recovered from Lake Muskoka last year, the Nomad is severely damaged, necessitating lengthy and extremely complex work. Much of the existing airframe needs to be replaced. The museum is considering putting it on display in ‘as found’ condition, but for the time being it remains in storage. www.airforcemuseum.ca KEN COTHLIFF

Lockheed Hudson VI FK466 is being restored at the National Air Force Museum of Canada. KEN COTHLIFF

A new owner is being sought for Californiabased Douglas AD-6 Skyraider N39606, with the asking price recently reduced to $595,000 (£387,350). One of only two AD-6 models still flying, it returned to the US in 1980 having flown with the South Vietnamese Air Force. Restored in 1989, it wears a US Navy scheme. www.courtesyaircraft.com

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Crusader rolled out in Florida The Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum’s Vought F8U-1 Crusader 143806 was rolled out of the Pensacola, Florida attraction’s restoration hangar on August 30. The 1957-built jet has been the subject of a nine-year restoration performed by dozens of volunteers from the Delaware Valley Historical Aircraft Association. The

aircraft has now been returned to its original appearance and configuration to form part of an external static display at the museum. It had previously spent more than 25 years outdoors at NAS Willow Grove in Horsham, Pennsylvania. www.wingsoffreedommuseum.org TONY SACKETOS

Vought F8U-1 Crusader 143806 at the Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum in late August. TONY SACKETOS

Invader receives new colours Huntington, Indiana-based Douglas A-26B Invader 44-34104 has received new nose art, and now represents Silver Dragon, an aircraft flown by the USAAF’s 552nd Bomber Squadron,

Douglas A-26B Invader 44-34104 ‘Silver Dragon’ in its new markings. JAMES P CHURCH

386th Bomber Group, during its time at Sint-Truiden, Belgium, in early 1945. Group markings are also being added, leaving only some stencilling to complete the paint work. Its

private owner also hopes to add more period equipment to the Invader, including nose guns, a lower turret and a remote sighting device. The aircraft recently took part in

the VE Day 70th anniversary flyover of Washington D.C., and also appeared at the EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and the Thunder Over Michigan airshow. JAMES P CHURCH

Fiat G-59 4B MM53278 (VH-LIX) is on its way to a new owner in Europe following a deal brokered by Platinum Fighters. Previously based in Queensland, Australia, the 1950-built aircraft is painted in Italian Air Force markings. It was restored to fly by US company Sanders Aeronautics in 1987, but has not flown since 2009. www.platinumfighters.com

As FlyPast closed for press, the Vulcan To The Sky Trust announced that Avro Vulcan B.2 XH558 would be making a farewell tour on October 10 and 11. It will fly two major sorties to cover both the north and the south of the country. Precise details had yet to be announced. See the website for the latest details: www.vulcantothesky.org

Readers of FlyPast will have heard about the accident at Shoreham on August 22, involving Hawker Hunter T.7 WV372. Eleven people died when the jet crashed onto a main road near the airport and an investigation is under way to determine the cause. Our thoughts are with all of those affected by this tragedy. November 2015 FLYPAST 9

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NEWS THE LATEST IN AVIATION HERITAGE

Cornwall’s Aviation Heritage Centre opens its doors Former Duxford resident Vickers Varsity T.1 WJ945.

Cockpit tours of Hawker Hunter T.8 WT722 will be offered.

Based at Newquay Cornwall Airport, the Cornwall Aviation Heritage Centre (CAHC) opened its doors to the public at the end of September. After the Classic Air Force (CAF) decided to return to its previous home at Coventry, Warks, questions were asked about the fate of its static exhibits, many of which were too big to move. Ownership of the former CAF airframes has now passed to the CAHC, with a number of other projects likely to join them in the near future. These form the basis of the centre, and the personnel running the attraction are determined to make theirs a ‘hands-on’ operation,

meaning visitors can climb aboard many of the aircraft. The CAHC is housed within the airport’s new Aerohub enterprise zone, and most of its exhibits (except the larger ones) are based inside a Cold War-era hardened aircraft shelter (HAS), which dates back to when the site was part of RAF St Mawgan. The military base still exists at Newquay in a reduced capacity. Vickers VC10 K.3 ZA148, which landed for the final time at Newquay on August 28, 2013, is to be refitted with its original Rolls-Royce Conway engines and maintained to a high standard, with the help of specialists

from Bruntingthorpe-based GJD Services. BAC 1-11 ZH763, which also arrived in 2013, will be kept in ‘live’ running condition. Like the VC10, tours will be available inside the former QinetiQ jet, the cabin of which will be converted into an educational facility for school groups. Other attractions include Vickers Varsity T.1 WJ945, formerly at Duxford, and Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.3 XV753. The latter was built in 1969 as a GR.1 and later modified to GR.3 standard for the RAF. It was most recently used by the Royal Navy as a deck-handling trainer at Predannack, Cornwall.

The centre also has two Hawker Hunters – a former RAF F.4 singleseater and an ex-Navy T.8 trainer. The cockpits of both jets are being refurbished to enable visitors to sit in them. Space for commercial partners and special events is available and a 1950s-themed café is being installed. The group is currently undertaking long-term Hawker Sea Hawk and English Electric Lightning restorations and is hoping to offer Harvard and Chipmunk flights among other flying experiences in the near future. WITH THANKS TO GEOFF OGDEN www.cornwallaviationhc.co.uk

Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.3 XV753 at Newquay. ALL CAHC

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Sales Executive, Aviation Key Publishing is Europe’s foremost transport publisher and is renowned around the globe for its wide range of magazines and media. The company produces marketleading publications and its aviation portfolio includes AIR International, AirForces Monthly, Airliner World, Combat Aircraft, FlyPast and Aviation News. We are looking to recruit a Sales Executive to work within our Aviation team. Reporting to the Senior Advertisement Manager, Aviation, you will be responsible for looking after the advertising needs of your customers. You will possess the following experience: • A minimum of two years sales experience • Successful key account management • A track record in exceeding individual and team sales targets • New business development • Strong negotiation skills You will be: • • • • • •

Self-motivated and possess a proactive attitude to conducting business Dedicated to finding creative sales solutions Able to work well under pressure and meet deadlines Competitive, ambitious and goal-orientated Friendly, sociable and outgoing A provider of excellent customer service

Whilst not essential, interest in or experience of aviation would be beneficial. In return, Key Publishing offers excellent rewards and incentives; 25 days holiday per year, a company pension scheme, a great environment for learning and career development, as well as the opportunity to get out and meet customers and readers at events. Key Publishing Ltd is an Equal Opportunities Employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. Applicants will be invited for interview based on merit. If you are up to the challenge and want the chance to work within a fun, dynamic sales team, please send/email your CV with a covering letter for the attention of Ian Maxwell, Senior Advertising Manager, Aviation, stating why you are the right candidate for this role. Alternatively call Ian on +44 (0) 1780 755131 to register your interest.

Contact details: Ian Maxwell - Senior Advertising Manager, Aviation Key Publishing Limited, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincolnshire PE9 1XQ Tel: +44 (0)1780 755131 Email: [email protected] Website: www.keypublishing.com The closing date for applications is Friday 16 October 2015.

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Future uncertain for Illinois airframes Efforts are being made to find new homes for the aircraft preserved at the Chanute Air Museum near Rantoul, Illinois. The attraction has announced that it will close its doors for good on December 30. Built on the site of a former USAF base, the museum opened in 1994 and is home to around 30 airframes. North American P-51H Mustang Louisiana Heatwave will be going to the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, Georgia, but the future

of some of its exhibits has yet to be decided. Rantoul’s Douglas C-133A Cargomaster and Boeing KC-97 Statofreighter are both on loan from Dayton, Ohio’s National Museum of the USAF, but due to their size and the difficulty involved in transporting them, their fate is unclear. It is likely that North American F-86A Sabre 47-0615 will be scrapped after traces of radium contamination were discovered in its lower fuselage. www.aeromuseum.org TONY SACKETOS

North American F-86A Sabre 47-0615 at Rantoul’s Chanute Air Museum.

Douglas C-133A Cargomaster 56-2009 is among the larger exhibits at Rantoul. BOTH TONY SACKETOS

Dumfries’ Jet Provost receives new colours

briefings

BAC Jet Provost T.4 XP557 has been given a striking new colour scheme at the Dumfries and Galloway Aviation Museum in Scotland. The work was carried out by painters from the northern region of the Guild of Aviation Artists. The museum invited the guild to design a scheme for the jet, which was in primer awaiting a topcoat. The artists opted for livery similar to Great War ‘dazzle’ camouflage, and have now applied it to the upper surfaces of the aircraft. The temporary finish has already

proved a hit with visitors, especially children who like the ‘stripey aeroplane’. Curator David Reid said: “It makes a change from the usual service paintwork, and it is nice to have such an eye-catching talking point among the aircraft. It was brave to let the guild have a free hand in the design but we think it rather suits it.” Work is currently taking place on the first phase of the museum’s expansion project, which is set to more than double its size. WITH THANKS TO BOB SLOAN www.dumfriesaviationmuseum.com

Gothenburg-based Aeroseum has acquired Beechcraft Twin Bonanza LN-DBE from the Arlanda Civil Aviation Collection. Originally registered N186AA, it flew in Norway from July 1962 until retirement in 1969. The Arlanda group never assembled the aircraft and it remained in storage for 44 years. www.aeroseum.se JAN FORSGREN

Jet Provost T.4 XP557 being painted at the Dumfries and Galloway Aviation Museum. VIA BOB SLOAN

Agusta Bell 47G-4A EC-BVE, one of the last civilian-owned examples of its type in Spain, has been installed as a ‘gate guardian’ outside Intercopters helicopter school at Mutxamel, near Alicante. Built in 1969, it was owned by several civilian companies and finally by a private owner prior to retirement at Lavacolla in 2005. ROBERTO YÁÑEZ

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Midlands museum plans airline history exhibition Sywell Aviation Museum is installing a new display detailing the history of commercial aviation at the aerodrome. The first air taxi service was established at the Northamptonshire airfield in 1935, when Charles Newton and Geoffrey Shaw launched Midland Airways Ltd. Equipped initially with a de Havilland Fox Moth and Gipsy Moth, the company ceased trading when war broke out, as did Crilly Airways, which also used Sywell in the pre-war years. In 1959, Derby Airways began to fly in and out of Sywell, using Miles Marathons (a rare type, of which only 43 were built) and Douglas DC-3s. The airline operated services to and from Europe and the Channel Islands, its other UK bases including Hurn, Burnaston, Staverton, Luton and Cambridge. In 1962, over 1,000 passengers were transported to the Channel Islands via Sywell, and two years later Derby replaced its DC-3s with Canadair C-4 Argonauts and, later still, Vickers Viscounts. The airline then decided to cease operating from grass runways, relocating to Castle Donington (now East Midlands Airport), and becoming British Midland Airways. The museum would be delighted to hear from any readers with memories of flying on airliners from Sywell, and would welcome copies of any photos, or other memorabilia such as ticket stubs, timetables and postcards. Please email your stories to: [email protected] or call 07968 061708. BEN BROWN

Thunderbolts pay tribute to Steeple Morden

A pair of Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II jets from the USAF’s 354th EFS, 354 FW flew over the former airfield at Steeple Morden in Cambridgeshire on July 16 as a tribute to the 355th Wing’s first home. The flypast was organised by Mark Rourke, Alan Addison and Maj ‘Wolf’ Steffen. The ‘Warthogs’ flew over the site several times, in both single and pairs formation, watched by an audience of around 100 people. MARK ROURKE

Nieuport reproduction unveiled in Canada A full-scale replica of the Nieuport 17 flown by Canadian Great War ace William Avery ‘Billy’ Bishop VC has been hung from the ceiling at Toronto City Airport’s newly opened pedestrian tunnel. The biplane – built by Airdrome Airplanes of Holden, Missouri – can be seen by passengers as they leave the tunnel and arrive in the terminal. Life-size bronze statues of Bishop and fellow Victoria Cross recipient William George ‘Billy’ Barker are also featured in a new atrium area. Two of Canada’s most decorated servicemen, they survived the war and later ran an airline called Bishop-Barker Aeroplanes. Several cabinets containing

Great Lakes 2T-1A Sport Trainer F-AYGL has been acquired by French enthusiast Emmanuel Carré and is now based at SaintCyr-l’École, near Paris. The 1930-built aircraft was the 91st of 250 built, and is the only example in France. The original powerplant – an 85hp Cirrus III – has been replaced by a 200hp Fairchild 6-440. ERIC JANSSONNE

The Nieuport 17 replica suspended from the ceiling at Toronto City Airport. ANDREW CLINE

memorabilia and artefacts relating to Bishop are arranged around the atrium, as is a collection of historic photographs. The pedestrian tunnel

was opened to the public on July 30 by Toronto’s mayor John Tory in the presence of Bishop’s greatgrandchildren. ANDREW CLINE

Hughes 369HE 89-0107 ‘PGH-05’ returned to its position as ‘gate guardian’ at Morón, Buenos Aires, on August 14, following repair and paintwork. The helicopter represents a machine used by INAC (National Civil Aviation Institute). Originally delivered to the Argentine Air Force in 1970, it was retired after an engine fire. ESTEBAN BREA November 2015 FLYPAST 13

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Duxford opens new Battle of Britain exhibition Wg Cdr Gordon Sinclair OBE DFC, who flew Spitfires with 19 Squadron from Duxford in 1940, subsequently becoming a flight commander with the Czech-manned 310 Squadron. His flying suit is included in the display. Gordon’s son Alan was among those attending the opening of the exhibition. “Like many pilots of his generation, he never spoke much about it,” Alan told FlyPast. “It was a strange life for them – the loss ratio was high and they had no idea if they were going to survive another week. He did

A wartime image of Gordon Sinclair. BOTH COURTESY IWM DUXFORD

say more about it to his grandchildren, about what he wore, what they ate and did in the evening. I think he’d be rather embarrassed to know he had been profiled in an exhibition, because he always made the point that he was one of a great many. But they were phenomenal days and it’s great that Duxford is helping to keep those memories alive.” The exhibition can be seen in Duxford’s Battle of Britain room – on the right as you enter Hangar 4: Battle of Britain. www.iwm.org.uk/ visits/iwm-duxford

Wg Cdr Gordon Sinclair’s flying suit is on display in the new exhibition.

briefings

A new, permanent exhibition was opened at IWM Duxford on August 21. ‘People in the Battle of Britain’ presents the personal experiences of seven people who served at the Cambridgeshire airfield during 1940, along with logbooks, a flight suit, letters and other artefacts. Several of the items included have not been on public display before. The individuals profiled comprise four pilots – Gordon Sinclair, James Coward, David Whitley and Peter Howard-Williams – plus Duxford WAAF member Maria Blewitt, chaplain Guy Mayfield, and charismatic station

commander, ‘Woody’ Woodhall. “What you’ll see in there are examples of what the Battle of Britain was like for the people at the sharp end,” said Carl Warner, the museum’s research and information manager. “The idea is to present the stories of different people who shared this experience. They are drawn together by the wonderful diary written by the station chaplain, Guy Mayfield. He was the person that pilots turned to when they couldn’t talk to anyone else about their experiences. It pays tribute to the resilience of the people at Duxford.” Among the pilots featured is

Newly restored de Havilland DH.83 Fox Moth ZK-AGM successfully returned to the air on August 3 from Rendcomb, Glos, after being rebuilt at Hungerford’s Newbury Aeroplane Company. Temporarily registered G-CIPJ in the UK, it subsequently flew at the DH Moth Club’s annual rally at Woburn, on August 15 and 16. ADRIAN M BALCH

Voodoo restoration close to completion MAPS Air Museum in Canton, Ohio, has received an afterburner pipe to complete its restoration of McDonnell Douglas F-101F Voodoo 57-0342. The aircraft flew with the Texas Air National Guard in the 1960s, and was later put on display at the Florida Military Aviation Museum. When that facility closed, the jet was placed in storage, and eventually joined MAPS on indefinite loan. Restoration work began in March 2013. www.mapsairmuseum.org TONY SACKETOS

Eurocopter SA 315B Lama Cerro Huelen was moved from Chile’s Museo Histórico y Militar near Santiago to the Museo Nacional Aeronáutico y del Espacio in Cerrillos county on August 17. The helicopter, formerly in service with the Chilean Army as Ejército 166, but now painted as ‘H-155’, has been donated to the museum. ÁLVARO ROMERO

Douglas DC-3 VH-ABR, the second oldest example of the type in Australia, is currently being overhauled in preparation for a return to the air. The work is being carried out by its new owner, Paul Little’s Melbourne Aviation Precinct, at the city’s Tullamarine Airport. The 1938-built machine served in the RAAF during World War Two.

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NEWS THE LATEST IN AVIATION HERITAGE

Special award for Junkers Ju 52M/3 Junkers Ju 52M/3 D-CDLH (‘D-AQUI’), one of the oldest airliners still flying in commercial service, has been designated a ‘flying memorial’. The 1936-built machine belongs to the Deutsche

Lufthansa Berlin Stiftung (DLBS). At a ceremony in August, Olaf Scholz, Hamburg’s Lord Mayor, presented a plaque to Deutsche Lufthansa’s Dr Jürgen Weber and DLBS boss Bernhard Conrad, placing

the aircraft under the protection of the Office of Historic Monuments of the Hamburg Cultural Authority. For official purposes, the aircraft has been classed as a ‘Moveable Monument’.

During summer, some 9,000 passengers are carried on sightseeing flights around Germany and Austria in this machine, with the flight and cabin crew being selected from Lufthansa employees. KEY-TONY DIXON

Junkers Ju 52M/3 D-CDLH (‘D-AQUI’) at Hamburg in August. KEY-TONY DIXON

British Lynx trio for sale in the Netherlands

briefings

Three Westland Lynx AH.7 helicopters, formerly in British military hands, have been obtained by Dutchman Piet Smedts. Both XZ641 and XZ196 served with the Army Air Corps while ZD282 is an ex-Royal Marines machine. All three are available for sale or hire from Baarlo-based PS Aero. The helicopters are complete but not airworthy. www.psaero.com ROGER SOUPART

Dassault Mirage IIIE FAB 4927 is receiving new paint work in São Paulo, Brazil. The jet is on display as a ‘gate guardian’ outside the city’s Campo de Marte military base. It is not yet known if the aircraft will be given new livery or resprayed in the same markings. It is one of 22 Mirage IIIEs to have served with the Brazilian Air Force. ÁLVARO ROMERO

More aircraft delivered to Stow Maries

Two Great War reproductions arrived at Stow Maries aerodrome in Essex recently. MoraneSaulnier N replica ‘MS824’ (G-AWBU) and Blériot XI replica G-BPVE are both on loan from Tony Bianchi. Neither machine is currently airworthy and both have been placed in the main display hangar pending reassembly. Two further reproductions, a Sopwith Camel and a Fokker E.IIIa, are also due to arrive in the near future. PAUL MIDDLETON

A fire at New York’s Old Rhinebeck aerodrome destroyed a gift shop and model museum on August 20. Two pieces of original fabric from SPAD-built Great War fighters were also lost. Nobody was hurt in the blaze, and a 1909-built Blériot monoplane and other nearby exhibits were pulled to safety. www.oldrhinebeck.org

Converted to resemble a Mitsubishi A6M2 ‘Zero’ fighter, North American Harvard IV N7757 is for sale in Illinois. The aircraft has been used to portray Japanese fighters in numerous films, including 1970’s Tora! Tora! Tora!. A popular airshow participant in the US, the asking price is $155,000 (£101,000). www.courtesyaircraft.com

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www.flypast.com Fairchild 24W-46 F-AYSE at Compiègne, France, recently. ERIC JANSSONNE

New exhibitions open at US museum

American classic arrives in France Fairchild 24W-46 NC81273 has been acquired by French association Le Cercle des Machines Volantes, based at Compiègne, near Paris. The 1946-built machine has recently joined the French register as F-AYSE. After spending 36 years in storage in the US, it was discovered by an American collector and restored by Fairchild specialist Bob

Woods in North Carolina. Powered by a 165hp (123kW) Warner Super Scarab radial, it is currently one of four examples in France, and only the second resident to have this particular powerplant. The association also operates a Jodel D.112, Aero Ae-45, Stampe SV.4, North American T-6, Piper L-4 Cub, Morane-Saulnier MS.181 and an MS.230. ERIC JANSSONNE

New Swedish Harvard Team forms The Swedish Air Force Historic Flight (SwAFHF) has formed a new aerobatic display team comprising four Noorduyn-built Harvard IIs. All the aircraft formerly served with the Swedish Air Force, with

which the type was designated Sk 16. The team has consequently been named SwAFHF Team 16. Three of the machines are painted in Swedish Air Force colours, while the fourth – SE-FUZ – flies in a bare

A memorial plaque to the 19 airmen who died while serving with 54 Squadron in Darwin, Australia, between 1942 and 1945, was unveiled at Darwin Military Museum on August 24. The ceremony was led by Her Excellency Menna Rawlings, the High Commissioner to Australia. The plaque was funded by charitable donations. PHOTO-MARK CULLENANE

One of the historic images on display at the SAS Museum’s new exhibition. COURTESY SAS MUSEUM

Ashland, Nebraska’s Strategic Air & Space Museum has recently opened two new exhibitions. The first of these, titled Moving The Museum, was unveiled on August 22 and explains the processes involved in moving the attraction’s static aircraft exhibits into its new 300,000 square foot facility. The display also includes hitherto unseen documents and photos recounting the history of the

museum. The centrepiece is an 82ft wide mural that aims to take guests through the mammoth project of moving its aircraft. On September 4, the museum also opened a temporary exhibition, titled Aviation Hall of Fame. Open until November 15, it features 12 paintings by renowned aviation artist Charles H Hubbell. All are taken from his 1969 series of the same name. www.sasmuseum.com

The four Harvards of the Swedish Air Force Historic Flight Team 16. LENNART BERNS

metal finish. All of its pilots are either serving or former air force personnel. The Sk 16 was used as an advanced trainer at the Central Flying School at Ljungbyhed in southern Sweden,

before being replaced in the late 1950s by de Havilland Vampires. After being withdrawn from the training role, the air force used its Harvard fleet as liaison aircraft until the late 1960s. LENNART BERNS

Two Embraer Tucanos have been put on display in an unorthodox fashion at the Air Force Academy in Pirassununga, Brazil. Both of the machines – FAB 1351 (red) and FAB 1367 (blue) – have been suspended from the ceiling in an inverted position. They represent aircraft of the Esquadrilha da Fumaça display team. ÁLVARO ROMERO

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Scouts for Farnborough

Spanish museum marks Skytrain anniversary

The Aeromuseo of Malaga, Spain, has set up an exhibition to celebrate the 70th ‘birthday’ of its Douglas C-47B Skytrain. The aircraft left Douglas’ factory in Oklahoma in August 1945 and served with both the USAF and the Spanish Air Force, before passing into civilian hands. It flew as EC-CPO, and is now painted to represent EC-ABC, the first DC-3 to serve with Spanish national airline Iberia. www.aeroplaza.org WITH THANKS TO ISIDRO CALDERÓN MUÑOZ

Westland Scout AH.1 XT633 on its way to FAST on September 3. PETER COOPER

briefings

Two Westland Scout AH.1s – XP848 and XT633 – were transported by road from Middle Wallop, Hants, to the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust (FAST) museum on September 3. Scout XP848 first flew on April 13, 1962, and after trials at Boscombe Down it went on to serve at Middle Wallop with 651 Squadron and in Northern Ireland with 662 Squadron. It later joined the British Army in West Germany with 1 Wing before entering storage in August 1979. Subsequently used as a training aid at Middle Wallop and Arborfield, Berkshire, it was on display as a ‘gate guardian’ at the latter until being removed for disposal in 2014. After negotiations with the Army Air Corps, it was acquired by FAST earlier this year. The other Scout served in the Middle East, based at Sharjah and Aden, before returning to the UK during 1970. It also flew in West Germany in the hands of several units, until being placed in storage.

Prior to its transfer to FAST it was used as a training aid at Arborfield. PETER COOPER

F-111A on the move in US

Waukegan Airport in Illinois is to receive General Dynamics F-111A 63-767 from Rantoul’s Chanute Air Museum for static display. The jet first flew on February 25, 1965, was used to trial Pratt & Whitney engines and as a test-bed for the Triple Plow I and II engine inlet modification. It is currently painted in the colours of the USAF’s 428th TFS. TONY SACKETOS

We salute you Sqn Ldr Stan Dixon DFC AFC – an observer on Blenheims during the war, later earning the DFC as the CO of 52 Squadron – died on August 7, aged 95; W/O Leslie Goodwin – navigator on Hampdens and Stirlings – on August 28, aged 93; Sqn Ldr Edward Hearn DFC* – bomb aimer on 50 Squadron Avro Lancasters – on August 29, aged 94; Sqn Ldr Ian Hewitt DFC* – Halifax navigator shot down attacking the Tirpitz, who escaped to Sweden to join the Pathfinder Force on 405 Squadron – on June 30, aged 94; Lt Col Mark Elliot Legg DFC – flew with 656 Squadron of the Army Air Corps in Malaya – on August 2, aged 89; Flt Lt John Emerson Nicholas – flew as wireless operator and air gunner with RCAF 434 Squadron in Halifaxes completing more than 36 ‘ops’, later flying in 575 Squadron Dakotas – died in August, aged 93; W/O Maurice Macey – Spitfire pilot who flew with 127 and 41 Squadrons, including three sorties on D-Day, and ended the war as a PoW – on September 4; W/O James Arthur Prescott – Wellington pilot with 142 Squadron who stayed with his aircraft following an engine failure allowing all crew to bale out, and spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner – on September 3, aged 94; Flt Lt Paul Royle -–Blenheim pilot on 53 Squadron who was the penultimate survivor of the Great Escape – on August 23, aged 101; AM Peter Walker CB CBE – Phantom and Tornado F.3 pilot who commanded RAF Mount Pleasant in the Falklands – on September 6, aged 65; Ivan Yates CBE – project engineer for the TSR.2 initiative and later Deputy Chief Executive of British Aerospace – on August 2, aged 86. A ‘We Salute You’ notice in the June issue stated that Sqn Ldr Wainwright’s first name was Martin, when it should have been Michael. We apologise for our mistake. The correct obituary is: Sqn Ldr Michael Wainwright AFC – flew Spitfires in the Battle of Britain with 64 Squadron, later becoming an instructor and Dakota pilot before a long post-war career in civil aviation – on March 23, aged 96.

A flight simulator is being set up at the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre in Wales. Comprising three large TV screens it will replicate the take-off and landing sequences undertaken in the area by Short Sunderland flying boats. The simulations were created by centre volunteers Ron Boreham and Graham Clarkson. WITH THANKS TO JOHN EVANS

The RAF Museum’s First World War in the Air exhibition has been named the UK’s Best Heritage project after receiving 7,000-plus votes in this year’s National Lottery Awards. The museum won a £2,000 cash prize, plus a trophy, presented by Spandau Ballet star Martin Kemp. More than 65,000 people have visited the exhibition in the last six months. RAFM

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Historic Aircraft Association

Annual Symposium RAF Museum Hendon Saturday Oct 31st 2015 Start 9.45

2016 PROVISIONAL TOUR PROGRAMME 28 Jan – 1Feb

12-31 Mar

1-12 Apr 1-10 May 8-19 May

Mid May Late May Late May/Early Jun 27 May-5 Jun

FeaturingEpic Restoration The Return of The Blenheim

5-17 Jun

Imperial Air-PowerRAF Hunter operations in Aden

Grandad’s Bristol Scout Veteran fighter re-born 90 Years of the de Havilland Moth The Light Aeroplane that changed the world

7-11 June (tba) 23-31 Jul/6 Aug 28 Jul-1 Aug Dates TBA 11-17 Sep Sep TBA 17-28 Nov 26 Nov-5/12 Dec

Aviation Tours

SWITZERLAND: 38th Int’l Hot-Air Balloon Festival, Chateau-d’Oex & Swiss Air Force Museum, Zurich. Awesome mass ascent, special shape balloons and the beautiful “Night Glow”! This tour is perfect for enthusiasts and non-aviation-minded persons. NEW ZEALAND WITH HONG KONG STOPOVERS: 20 day tour of both islands: airports, airfields, museums and collections; plus the spectacular warbird airshow at Wanaka. Plenty of opportunities for optional flights and sightseeing (whales, Arthur’s Pass, Glacier Landing/Take Off on Mount Cook, etc). USA: NAS Key West & Sun ‘ Fun Airshows & Aviation Sites Of Florida incl Piper Aircraft Factory, Fantasy of Flight & Valiant Air Command Museums. RUSSIA: Moscow: Great Patriotic War Victory Day Parade, Red Square & Aviation Museums USA, MEXICO, CUBA & ST MAARTENS: Calling all airliner fans: Miami, Mexico City, Havana & St Maarten. Flying AAL & CUB (opt CUB An-148 flt). Ramp tours requested at MEX and HAV & Aeromexico & Cubana maintenance. Opt flt to St Bart from St Maarten NATO TIGER MEET, ZARAGOZA AIRBASE: Zaragoza hotel. 5-day tour. In addition to Spotters Days we also include full day at end of runway. BELARUS: long weekend trip to fly in Soviet aircraft, eg, IL-18, IL-76, An-12 & Tu-134 FINLAND: Airshow, Aviation Museums & Bear Spotting. Await confirmation of airshow. GERMANY: ILA Aero Exhibition & Airshow, Berlin; Minsk, Belarus; & Warsaw & Deblin, Poland. Optional long weekend just to Berlin. USA: ALASKA: Propliners, Airliners & Floatplanes. Flying Icelandair via Iceland; repeat of our hugely popular and successful tour of 2014. Interest in this tour is already high. TURKEY: Anatolian Eagle, Konya. Hotel confirmed. USA: Oshkosh; 6 full days at the show. Opt Ext to USAF Museum, Dayton & Nat Air & Space, Udvar Hazy Museums in Washington D.C.. Hotel near the White House. HUNGARY: Hungarian Air Force Int’l Airshow. Back, this very popular airshow. 4 days visiting several museums in addition to “Arrivals Day” and 2 full days at the airshow. REPUBLIC OF CHINA: Air Force Base Visits TBC BULGARIA: Air Force Bases: all the airbases of the Bulgarian Air Force (TBC), and military aviation museums and collections. CANADA: Air Force Bases; tours of major airbases of all the major airbases; to coincide with an airshow. FALKLAND ISLANDS: airfields & battle sites inc Argentinian Air Force aircraft; local wildlife. CHILE: Air Force, Army & Naval Aviation Bases: Opt 1 Week Extension to the Falkland Islands airfields & battle sites inc Argentinian Air Force aircraft; local wildlife.

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WORLD WAR TWO V-WEAPONS

Joe Kennedy’s Last Flight Intended route Actual route

Beccles Blythburgh Where the B-24 exploded

Framlingham

Clacton

Manston Where the bail-out point should have been Dover

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THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING Nigel Walpole describes the loss of Joe Kennedy Jr and the ill-fated US Navy Project Anvil

M

ick Muttitt was only nine but already an expert on identifying aeroplanes operating in East Anglia. The tranquillity of a warm, cloudless evening gave way to an increasing rumble of aircraft approaching from the south. It was August 12, 1944 and Mick and his brother were at their home at Darsham in Suffolk. The cocktail of noise caused the youngster to take a particular interest as a loose formation of mixed types approached at a height

he estimated to be 1,500ft. In the lead was a US Navy (USN) PB4Y-1 Liberator, ominously trailing a wisp of smoke from its bomb bay. It was followed by two PV-1 Venturas, a pair of P-38 Lightnings, two B-17 Flying Fortresses and a USAAF photo-reconnaissance Mosquito, while P-51 Mustangs danced attendance around the group, ready to provide ‘top cover’. It’s thought that another Mosquito, acting as ‘weather ship’, was also involved. As the brothers watched, a mighty

explosion rent the air, the B-24 disappearing in a fireball and re-emerging in a thousand pieces, the propellers still turning as they plunged to earth. Many years later, Mick described “an enormous pall of black smoke resembling a huge octopus, its tentacles indicating the earthward paths of burning fragments”. Spellbound, he saw one Ventura pull

“As the brothers watched, a mighty explosion rent the air, the B-24 disappearing in a fireball and re-emerging in a thousand pieces, the propellers still turning as they plunged to earth” November 2015 FLYPAST 21

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WORLD WAR TWO V-WEAPONS

Aphrodite. Both involved radiocontrolled, redundant bombers, filled with explosives for use against high-value, heavily reinforced concrete targets, such as submarine pens and weapons bunkers. A pilot and an engineer were required to take these modified USAAF B-17s and USN B-24s into the air manually and, when all was in order, hand over control to the ‘mother-ship’, arm the explosives and bale out at a specified point over the UK. Slightly higher and 7 to 20 miles behind, the ‘Mother’ would then use radio control for en route and terminal guidance to the target. The Liberator had been stripped of all non-essential equipment – the guns replaced by broomsticks to

de Calais. The USAAF had flown several Aphrodite sorties already, without success, but this was the first Anvil mission to be executed by the USN’s Special Air Unit One, headed by Cdr James A Smith.

Volunteer crew

Tasked to fly PB4Y-1 32271 that day were Lts ‘Joe’ Kennedy Jr, as captain, and Wilford J ‘Bud’ Willy, also a Liberator pilot, acting as radio control technician/co-pilot. Joe Kennedy suspended his law studies at Harvard to become a naval aviator. After a first tour on Mariner flying-boats in Puerto Rico, he came to England to fly USN PB4Ys on anti-submarine duties with VB-110

Above

Lt Joseph P Kennedy Jr, 1943. COURTESY JOHN FLETCHER

Right

Officers of VB-110 at Dunkeswell in March 1944; Joe Kennedy Jr is in the back row, far left. COURTESY CDR JOHN F BERGER

high while a P-38 spun away to port as they took violent avoiding action. The Mosquito suffered some damage from the debris and its camera operator was slightly injured, requiring an emergency landing at Halesworth. There were only two men aboard the Liberator. Both died in the inferno. One of them, Lt Joseph Patrick Kennedy Jr, had been tipped to be a future US President.

Terminal guidance

The main elements of the formation had taken off from Fersfield, a highly classified airfield near Diss, in Norfolk, on the USN’s ‘Top Secret’ Project Anvil, the equivalent of the USAAF’s Operation

fool the enemy. It was loaded with 21,170lb of Torpex in 374 boxes distributed securely throughout the aircraft. This would be detonated by six Mk.9 demolition charges, each containing 100lb of TNT. After take-off from Fersfield, the PB4Y-1 would be flown southeast to Framlingham, then north to Beccles, while a number of control checks were carried out, before turning south towards Clacton, then to Dover and across the sea to the target, south of Calais. The two men were to have baled out, through the nose wheel bay exit, over Kent, near Manston, while the aircraft continued to be guided by ‘Mother’ to the heavily fortified gun emplacement at Mimoyecques, Pas

from Dunkeswell, Devon. Despite completing the required number of missions to render him eligible for a home posting early in 1944, Joe – aged 29 – volunteered for an extension to his tour to serve with Special Air Unit One. He was the son of Joseph Patrick Kennedy Sr, the controversial US Ambassador to the UK. Since the early 1940s Joe had been groomed by his father to be the first Roman Catholic President of the USA. That honour would indeed go to a Kennedy, Joe’s younger brother, John Fitzgerald, in 1960. ‘Bud’ Willy joined the USN in 1933 and worked his way up through the ranks. As well as flying Liberators he had been responsible

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“Joe was the son of Joseph Patrick Kennedy Sr, the controversial US Ambassador to the UK. Since the early 1940s Joe had been groomed to be the first Roman Catholic President of the USA” for much of the weapons system installed in the Anvil aircraft. As Cdr Smith’s executive officer, 35-year-old Bud had ‘pulled rank’ on Kennedy’s normal co-pilot to fly the August 12 mission.

London cannon

Following the V-1 flying-bomb and the V-2 stratospheric rocket, the V-3 was another of Hitler’s Vergeltungswaffen ‘retaliation weapons’. It was a massive, revolutionary cannon designed to fire high-explosive projectiles

at London from sites close to the French coast. The first was at Mimoyecques where work began on two gigantic underground bunkers to house what was nicknamed the ‘London Cannon’. Throughout 1943, relying on information from the French Resistance and photo-recce, the British identified new work at many sites in the Pas de Calais and Normandy that could be associated with new weapons known to be about to enter the German arsenal. On September 18 photographic

interpreters began to take particular interest in two parallel rail lines running into separate tunnels in the Marquise-Mimoyecques area – and sounded the alert. The intelligence services now had sufficient evidence to justify two raids against the site – mounted on November 5 and 8 but with little success. Ironically, during November 1943 defects found in trials of the gun led the Germans to abandon work on the second tunnel at Mimoyecques. In the spring of 1944 the planned

Top

A PB4Y-1 Liberator of the sort converted into a ‘drone’ to attack ‘Fortress Mimoyecques’. COURTESY NAVAL AVIATION NEWS

Above left

The railway entrance to Fortress Mimoyecques. Above

As late as 1960, Mick Muttitt found the main landing gear actuating assembly near the crash site. MICK MUTTITT

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WORLD WAR TWO V-WEAPONS

Below

A VB-110 Liberator following a forced landing at Chivenor, Devon. COURTESY CDR JOHN F BERGER

Mimoyecques and the ‘London Cannon’ Codenamed Hochdruckpumpe (high-pressure pump) and later nicknamed the ‘London Cannon’, the V-3 was the brainchild of August Cönders, a German artillery engineer. With a 6in diameter, the barrel was 420ft long and could propel a 7ft 9in finned shell at 5,000ft/sec or Mach 6. The first tests, in 1943 at the Hillersleben Designed to cover a cluster of five barrels of the artillery range in Germany, revealed many V-3, this 8in steel plate survived the destruction of problems, but Hitler demanded that work Fortress Mimoyecques. proceed on sites in northwest France. There would have been a garrison of around 1,200 men working 328ft below the surface. The barrels were inclined at 50 degrees, each pointing at London. They were protected on the surface by 16ft-thick concrete slabs, with 8in steel plates at their exits. The target date for completion of the facility was December 1943.

“...the V-3 was another of Hitler’s ‘retaliation weapons’. It was a massive, revolutionary cannon designed to fire highexplosive projectiles at London...”

number of guns was reduced from the original 50 to 15, in three banks of five. The site was raided again, twice in March, four times in April and three times in May 1944, causing peripheral damage above ground but having little effect on the work going on beneath. Following D-Day, raids on Mimoyecques were stepped up, with three in June depositing 1,400 tons of high-explosive bombs on the site. When evidence suggested the new weapon was about to become operational, two massive raids were planned for July 6. That morning, 100 Halifaxes dropped 464 2,000lb bombs and in the afternoon 16 Lancasters of the legendary 617 Squadron, led by Wg Cdr Leonard Cheshire, each delivered a 12,000lb ‘Tallboy’ bomb on the site with great accuracy. They left huge craters and collapsed several arches about 100ft down, blocking the gun chambers and causing some flooding. This – coupled with development problems and the Allied invasion of France – was enough to make the Germans decide to abandon the site. Most

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a success, and higher headquarters suggested it had demonstrated “the readiness of the weapon for operational deployment on a modest scale”. It’s believed Special Air Unit One had ceased work on Anvil by the end of 1944, and that the last Aphrodite sortie was flown on January 20, 1945. Lts Kennedy and Willy were both posthumously awarded the Navy Cross and are listed in the ‘Tablets of the Missing’ at the American Cemetery Memorial at Madingley, near Cambridge. In 1946, a USN destroyer was named USS Joseph P Kennedy Jr and in 1947 the Kennedy family established the Joseph P Kennedy Foundation, funding a memorial hall in his name at Boston College.

of the labour force had departed by July 26, leaving more than 4 million cubic feet of redundant concrete.

Zoot Suit

It seems the Americans may not have heard of, or been convinced that, the evacuation had taken place, because the Anvil mission to Mimoyecques went ahead. The Liberator drone took off from Fersfield at 17:59 hours on August 12, eventually transferring control to the ‘mother’ Ventura. When he was happy that all was well aboard his aircraft, Joe Kennedy transmitted the codeword ‘Zoot Suit’ while Willy switched on the ‘block’, the codename for the TV camera in the PB4Y’s nose which would be used to guide the drone to its target. Two minutes later Liberator 32271

exploded, killing Kennedy and Willy instantly. There were no casualties on the ground, but up to 147 houses were said to have been damaged. Wreckage was scattered across Blythburgh Fen, starting many fires. On the scene the following day, young Mick Muttitt found many fragments, a complete engine, part of the main undercarriage and tattered remnants of parachute – a poignant reminder of the two crewmen. An exhaustive investigation followed, offering several theories. One suggested that inadequate shielding around the ‘block’ led to a disastrous chain of technical events, while another pointed to possible overheating in the circuitry of the arming panel – but the mystery has remained unresolved. Despite the tragedy, Commander Smith claimed Project Anvil had been

Mimoyecques was overrun by the Canadians on September 5, 1944. A report recommended the site’s complete destruction, allegedly to avoid the use of the residual facility by any future enemy. On May 9 the Royal Engineers carried out Prime Minister Churchill’s orders to do so. The southern access to the bunker was cleared by the French in the 1980s, revealing some of the original underground corridors and galleries. Evocative memorial stones remember the slave workers who toiled and died there and the airmen above who attempted to destroy the ‘London Cannon’. There is also a special one to commemorate the bravery of Kennedy and Willy.

Left

The memorial stone dedicated to Lts Kennedy and Willy at Mimoyecques. AUTHOR Below

One of the doomed Liberator’s engines at the crash site in the 1960s. MICK MUTTITT

Left

Memorial to the French aircrews who carried out raids on Mimoyecques in Mitchell FV959 of 226 Squadron on November 8, 1943, Lancaster ME743 of 44 Squadron on June 27, 1944, and Halifax LK728 of 247 Squadron on July 6, 1944.

A highly recommended museum is open daily at the Mimoyecques site. The 390th Bomb Group Museum at Parham, Suffolk, has parts of Kennedy’s Liberator on display, and is well worth a visit. The author wishes to thank the curator, Valérie Noel, for her help in telling the story of this unique piece of history. Images courtesy of the Mimoyecques Museum unless noted. www.mimoyecques.com

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PILOT’S PERSPECTIVE MiG-15

Soviet

Legend

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Charles Kennedy sampled a `Cold War` icon as it returned to Eastern Europe to begin a new life as a jet for hire

i

n the early stages of the Korean War no other aircraft could touch the swept-wing jet created by Artyem Ivanovich Mikoyan and Mikhail Iosifovich Gurevich. At the design bureau run by Mikoyan and Gurevich it was known as the MiG-15; to NATO countries it was given the unflattering reporting name Fagot. The MiG-15 went on to enjoy a long career as a fighter and trainer with air forces throughout the Warsaw Pact, other socialist states and non-aligned nations across the globe.

Today, MiG-15s are in military service only in the country where its role was first defined more than 60 years ago, in the Korean People’s Army Air Force. North Korea flies about 30 Chinese-built FT-2s, the export version of the Shenyang JJ-2 trainer. (See the panel for more). There are hundreds of MiG-15s in museums and static collections all over the world. But North Korea is not alone in flying this famous design; dozens of privately owned examples are operated as warbirds, including 43 in the USA, six in Australia and a handful across Europe.

Czech Midget

In Switzerland a specialist company called MiGFlug is an intermediary between twin-seat jet owners worldwide and aviators who want to sample the aircraft. Its portfolio ranges from the relatively sedate Aero L-29 Delfin and the L-39 Albatros in various locations, a lovely Swiss-based Hawker Hunter, and even the MiG-29 Fulcrum, which uniquely offers supersonic and edge-of-space flight to civilians. Latest addition to the MiGFlug offering is Czech Flying Legends’ MiG-15 2514, appropriately

Above

MiG-15 2514 moving out to the main runway prior to another air experience flight on June 6.

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PILOT’S PERSPECTIVE MiG-15

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registered OK-UTI. Codenamed Midget by NATO, the two-seat trainer variant of the MiG-15 was designated UTI. Tango-India was built under licence in Poland in 1955 and based on the MiG15bis. (Literally meaning ‘second’ in Russian, ‘bis’ is better read as ‘improved’.) After a long career as a trainer with the Czechoslovakian Air Force, this MiG was retired from military duty in 1984 and found its way to California, where it was a regular on the airshow circuit. Czech aviator Josef Miracky always wanted a MiG-15 after seeing one perform a low pass when he was five years old. As an adult, the chance to acquire an example came up and, with a consortium of four others, he took the opportunity after a careful evaluation. The Midget was purchased and shipped to Hradec Králové in eastern Czech Republic, a busy general aviation airfield located two hours’ drive east of the capital, Prague. The Czech Flying Legends team consists of four engineers whose day job revolves around the Czech

Left

The rear seat’s flight instrument panel.

“The aircraft was smaller than I expected, and was in such immaculate condition that any vague unease about flying in an old jet melted away on sight – she was as shiny as a new penny” Republic’s fleet of 14 Saab JAS 39 Gripen state-of-the-art jets. After a year-long restoration and certification process the vintage MiG was ready for duty this summer.

Unearthly boom

I was fortunate to be one of the first five fare-paying passengers in OK-UTI. Along with the boss of MiGFlug, the quintet arrived at Hradec Králové the night before, and enjoyed a few local beers with the Czech Flying Legends crew and gained a first glimpse of the MiG. The aircraft was smaller than I expected, and was in such immaculate condition that any vague unease about flying in an old jet melted away on sight – she was as shiny as a new penny.

Far left

The author in the rear cockpit during one of the rolls on June 6. CHARLES KENNEDY

The morning dawned hot and clear, and the ground crew worked to prepare Tango-India for flight. Their professionalism was immediately evident, as was their love of the MiG and the familiar rapport they enjoyed with each other, having worked together in the air force as a team all their adult lives. The first passenger was strapped in and the jet was almost ready to go. During start-up, the engine emitted an unearthly boom that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once; soon a normal jet whine took its place and was surprisingly quiet. The day was off to a good start as OK-UTI taxied to the runway. Observing the take-off from midfield, the roll was spritely, followed by a fairly shallow climb.

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PILOT’S PERSPECTIVE MiG-15

After 30 minutes Tango-India was back. The first turnaround went quickly, with checks to the exterior, cockpit and engine. The windscreen was sprayed and polished to remove dead bugs. Again the thorough approach of the Czech Flying Legends was impressive to observe. My friend Chris, an aviation cameraman and film editor, was next up. I asked how he felt as he clambered inside the rear cockpit: “Hot – and scared”, he replied.

`What if` drill

An hour later, I was feeling plenty of nerves as my time to fly a MiG jet fighter arrived. I climbed the ladder and gingerly lifted myself into the cramped cockpit. Ground crew fussed around me, firstly strapping on the parachute which formed part of the seat cushion. The five-point harness was fitted

tightly around my shoulders, my body, and between my legs. Then the helmet went on, with a connector for built-in earpieces plugged into a socket on the side of the cockpit. Finally, I was shown how to fasten a mask to cover my mouth; it was not needed for oxygen but it contained a microphone for communication with the pilot. The evacuation briefing focused the mind – first of all, to power up my avionics before flight I had to move three switches in a bank of four. If the aeroplane suffered an incident that rendered it completely unflyable, I had to remember the drill: trigger the fourth switch, which would power the explosive bolts around the canopy. Unplug the communications connector. Reach down to the right of my seat and move a handle forward that would blow the bolts and release the canopy. Release the harness

attaching me to the aircraft (but emphatically not the straps attaching me to the parachute). Jump out of the aeroplane. Pull the ring-shaped handle to open the parachute and remember to minimise the impact with the ground by bending my knees. A small part of me, the bit that enjoyed strutting around in a flight suit and making Top Gun-themed comments, thought a mid-air evacuation sounded like an excellent adventure, not to mention a very worthwhile Facebook status update. But it mostly sounded like a very bad and scary idea. Before I had a chance to think about it too much, the canopy was closed and my pilot brought the elderly MiG to life. Although I am only moderately tall, I had to scrunch down in the seat a little to avoid my helmet contacting the arched canopy above me.

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MiG-15 variants The prototype of what became the MiG-15 took to the air for the first time on the last day of 1947. Approximately 12,000 were produced in the Soviet Union in a variety of sub-variants, including the two-seat UTI. MiG-15s were also built under licence in Czechoslovakia (as the Aero S-102) and in Poland (as the Lim-1 and Lim-2, and some two-seat trainers as the SB Lim-1 and SB Lim-2). Hundreds were exported to China (as the J-2) and China’s Shenyang Aircraft Factory produced some two-seat trainers under licence as the JJ-2 and for export as the FT-2.

In other dimensions the cockpit was reasonably spacious, with generous flat panels on either side – throttle on the left, avionics on the right – and a well laid out instrument panel.

Off the leash

We taxied down to the threshold, lined up and stopped, contemplating Runway 16L’s 7,874ft (2,400m) length. After take-off clearance was received, full power was applied and we began our roll, unlicensed Rolls-Royce technology performing beautifully to accelerate us rapidly to 130kts (240km/h). The nosewheel left the runway and then the rumble from the main gear stopped. Airborne! The gear snapped up and we levelled off to accelerate, before pulling up in a dramatic climb with some moderate ‘g’, giving a hint of what was to come. For the first couple of minutes

of our sortie, we were to rendezvous with the Cessna TTx cameraship to get some air-to-air footage and photos of the Czech Republic’s exotic new machine. We rolled into a turn and the Cessna, also flown by a ‘moonlighting’ Gripen pilot, came into view and closed in on us. We flew a figure of eight pattern over the airfield with the Cessna on the inside, giving dramatic views – the earth sliding vertically up and down behind us as we rolled in and out of steep turns. With the camerawork complete, we were off the leash to go and have some fun.

Forgiving nature

Flying out to uncontrolled airspace nearby, the performance of the

MiG was finally demonstrated – an aileron roll through 360 degrees, a loop and a few other manoeuvres were flown by the pilot sitting ahead of me, then it was my turn to take the controls. When performing an aileron roll the trick is to push forward on the stick as the aircraft rolls belly-up, because a nose-down input when inverted keeps the flight path trending above the horizon. I think I was a little heavy-handed in the application but that’s only a hunch, as the machine proceeded smoothly as though flown by a real jet jockey – a tribute to the forgiving nature of the MiG-15. After performing a few more rolls, it was time to return to base. We still had one great move left, which was a low pass down the runway. The ground came up to meet us

Above

Czech Flying Legends’ MiG-15, with the author in the rear seat on June 6. ALL RETO SCHNEEBERGER UNLESS NOTED

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PILOT’S PERSPECTIVE MiG-15

Above right

Ground staff make sure the MiG’s windscreen is thoroughly cleaned before each sortie. CHARLES KENNEDY

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A gift to vladimir As well as the swept wing, the MiG-15’s outstanding performance resulted from a request in 1946 by the Soviet Union to its World War Two ally, the United Kingdom, to licence-produce the Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Clement Atlee, Britain was keen to improve relations with the USSR and it responded positively to the overture. Sample engines, blueprints and technical data were purchased by Vladimir Klimov’s design bureau, which quickly reverse-engineered the Nene to create the RD-45 prototype that went into production as the Klimov VK-1.

“I was helped to the ground and stood, thrilled beyond words by the performance and capability of this antique jet. I couldn’t stop smiling for the next hour, and at every recollection of the flight to this very day”

Above

The author in the MiG shortly before the flight. Left

in a shallow dive at a speed of 280mph until we levelled off at 100ft and went shooting along the length of the airfield. As the last of the concrete was eaten up, the pilot pulled up the nose, piling on the ‘g’ until the load was crushing me into the seat, barely able to move. I balled my fists and tried to lift my arms but could hardly get them an inch off the armrests. The pilot rolled into a turn which not only began the process of getting us heading downwind but also seamlessly maintained the ‘g’ load. We turned onto final approach again, with flaps cranked out and gear down with a thud. At the conclusion of a well-judged approach and round out, we settled back onto the ground after 35 minutes in the air. The seams of the concrete runway thumped through the main undercarriage shock absorbers in a slowing beat, and we turned off onto the parallel taxiway leading back to the parking area.

Smiles all round

After shutdown, I unplugged my helmet and rotated the release on the harness. The canopy was cracked open by ground crew and I inhaled the sweet countryside

air. I carefully stood up on the seat to climb out, and moved slowly and deliberately, not wishing to lose all Top Gun cred with a clumsy exit in front of the assembled observers. This task was complicated by the fact that my senses were swimming from flying fast, upside-down and pulling ‘g’. I was helped to the ground and stood, thrilled beyond words by the performance and capability of this antique jet. I couldn’t stop smiling for the next hour, and at every recollection of the flight to this very day. My only regret was that for the first part of the flight I was rather overwhelmed by the reality of the hardware, which made me feel slightly detached, and, on the controls, slightly timid. That means only one thing – now I have a sense of what this extraordinary bird is capable of, I just have to find a way to get back to Hradec Králové and the MiG, to find out what else Tango-India can do. Cost wise, I thought it stacked up well against other jet experiences offered by non-military entities and while it compares with an L-39, it is probably a better aircraft and certainly a much more interesting one. I can’t wait to fly the MiG again.

The Ostrava city badge on the MiG’s forward fuselage.

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MOSQUITO 75

ON NOVEMBER 25, 1940, THE PROTOTYPE MOSQUITO LIFTED OFF FROM DE HAVILLAND’S HATFIELD AIRFIELD ON ITS MAIDEN FLIGHT. IT WAS SOON CLEAR THAT ONE OF THE MOST POTENT WARPLANES OF ITS ERA HAD BEEN CREATED. WITH 7,781 EXAMPLES BUILT, THE TYPE SERVED IN THE PHOTO RECCE, NIGHT-FIGHTER, BOMBER, GROUND ATTACK, TRAINER AND TARGET TUG ROLES. WE MARK THE MOSSIE’S 75TH ‘BIRTHDAY’ WITH A SPECIAL LOOK AT ITS TIME IN SERVICE, AND CHART HOW THE TYPE HAS FARED IN PRESERVATION. 38 The Mosquito VI fighter-bomber was a formidable weapon in the right hands and a painful thorn in Germany’s side during the latter days of the war. Ross Sharp outlines the variant’s evolution.

46 Andy Thomas explains how a large number of well-known aces converted from their single-seater fighters to the Mosquito – and excelled

52 Over many years Tony Agar and friends have restored a

night-fighter Mk.II, and it is now on show at the Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington, near York. We profile this remarkable project.

54 Mossies inflicted tremendous losses on the Japanese forces

in Burma, but the hot and humid conditions took their toll on the wooden airframe and wings. Andy Thomas talks to two airmen who enjoyed the highs and suffered the lows of combat over the jungle.

62 Survivors – we take a look at the remaining Mosquitos that are preserved around the world.

66 Centrefold – the Military Aviation Museum’s airworthy Mosquito FB.26 KA114.

A very early photograph of Mosquito W4051, the photo-recce prototype. This airframe flew for the first time on June 10, 1941, and later served with No.1 PRU, coded ‘LY-U’. It was struck off charge on June 22, 1945. KEY

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THE WOODEN WONDER

FIGHTER-BOMBER Mk.VI

STANDARD Mosquitos

ROSS SHARP EXAMINES THE FIGHTER-BOMBER MK.VI AND THE IMPORTANT ROLE IN ITS DEVELOPMENT’ PLAYED BY A MIDLANDS CAR Above

A post-war line-up of airmen and Mosquito FB.6s of 4 Squadron.

D

espite the obvious capabilities and potential of the Mosquito, it was not until early 1943 that a combination of the attributes of the fast, low-level Mk.IV bomber and the hard-hitting punch of the Mk.II night-fighter was achieved. When the best of both variants were incorporated into one model it was called the FB.VI, which many aircrew regarded as the ultimate Mosquito fighting machine. Some at de Havilland referred to this version as the ‘Intruder’, a role in which this variant of the ‘Wooden Wonder’ was to excel.

The prototype FB.VI, HJ662, was short-lived. It arrived at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at Boscombe Down from its birthplace at Hatfield, Herts, in June 1942, but on July 30 it suffered engine failure on take-off, slewing into a pair of Beaufighters, the third production Mk.I, R2057, and Mk.II R2311. Both survived to fly another day, but the Mosquito was a write-off. During its short time at Boscombe, the first FB.VI had managed to impress all who had flown it. It retained the awesome firepower

MANUFACTURER

of the NF.II – four 0.303in Browning machine guns and four 20mm Hispano Mk.2 cannons. Behind these was a bomb bay that could hold a pair of 250lb bombs. Two more 250-pounders could be carried under the wings. Power came from the reliable Merlin 21 or 23 with a maximum rating of 1,480hp (1,104kW). The first 300 FB.VIs were known as Series 1s – and, as with the rest of the Mosquito ‘family’, the specification was improved upon during the type’s service career. The Series 2 had a stronger wing and

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BREAKING THE ‘DUCK’ At de Havilland’s Australian factory at Bankstown, New South Wales, a version of the FB.VI was built designated FB.40. Thirty-eight British-built FB.VIs were sent to Australia, including Standard-built HR499, HR501 to HR511 and HR513. A total of 175 FB.40s were completed, although three were not delivered to the RAAF, crashing during test flying. The last RAAF Mosquito sortie was on August 29, 1953.

FB.VI A52-526 served as ‘NA-E’ with the Royal Australian Air Force’s 1 Squadron. It was built by Standard Motors as HR506.

1,635hp Merlin 25s – and could carry two 500lb bombs internally. They needed specially-shortened tail sections to fit the cramped space. The underwing hardpoints could also take 500lb bombs as well as being ‘plumbed’ for 50-gallon (227 litre) drop tanks. Depth charges or 250lb SCI – Smoke Curtain Installation – units could also be carried. By far and away the most

Above

Groundcrew making adjustments to a 4 Squadron FB.6. Below

A Mosquito VI with engines running shortly before a night raid on Germany in December 1944. ALL KEY UNLESS NOTED

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THE WOODEN WONDER

FIGHTER-BOMBER Mk.VI

“When equipped with 60lb rocket projectiles, it was said that a salvo of all eight rockets from a Mosquito was equivalent to the broadside from a 6-inch cruiser” Above

No.143 Squadron’s FB.VI HR405, fitted with underwing rockets for the anti-shipping role.

effective underwing store was a load of eight 3in rocket projectiles (RPs), four under each wing. These could be fitted with either the 60lb highexplosive or 25lb armour-piercing heads. The latter were deadly against the thin hulls of merchant ships, punching clean through to tear large holes in the structure. When equipped with 60lb RPs, it was said a Mosquito’s salvo of all eight rockets was equivalent to the broadside from a 6-inch cruiser. If an internal weapon load was not carried, two 63-gallon overload self-sealing fuel tanks could be fitted in the roof of the bomb bay. The definitive FB.VI had a top speed under normal conditions of around 380mph and a cruise of 255mph, with an impressive maximum range of 1,855 miles.

Mosquitos, especially FB.VIs, during the mid war years. Eventually 1,218 of the new fighterbombers were built at Hatfield and 300 by Airspeed (a DH subsidiary since 1940) at Christchurch, Dorset. During 1942, DH had been encouraged by the Ministry of Aircraft Production (MAP) to disperse Mosquito factories away from the vulnerable south of England. The Standard Motor Company had created a popular range of family cars before the war and was now fully engaged in the war effort. At its Canley plant near Coventry the workforce of around 4,500 built Beaufighter fuselages, Airspeed Oxfords and Bristol Mercury radial engines. Ted Grinham of DH was

instrumental in establishing the Mosquito production line at Canley. A network of companies in the Coventry and Birmingham areas supplied parts and sub-assemblies to the factory. These included Mulliners, well-known for high-class bodywork used on Rolls-Royce cars, and Perfecta Motor Equipment, which built the Mosquito’s steel tube framed canopies. Some of the newly recruited workers described their excitement at building the fast and heavily-armed aircraft. They also had to get used to something common to every Mosquito factory – an all-pervasive smell of wood glue, dope and thinners! When the fuselages and wings had been internally fitted out and sprayed, they were placed on RAF ‘Queen Mary’ trailers and driven the 8 miles

EXTRA CAPACITY

Demand for the Mosquito was such that de Havilland (DH) was under immense pressure from the moment production got into full swing – the first operational versions, photo-recce Mk.Is, entering service in September 1941. Manufacture of Tiger Moths had already been transferred to Morris Motors at Cowley, near Oxford, and the Dominie (the military version of the Dragon Rapide) was handed on to Brush Coachworks at Loughborough from the spring of 1943. A ‘shadow’ factory was set up at Leavesden, not far from Hatfield, but still there were not enough 40 FLYPAST November 2015

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the nose of many bomber and photo-recce versions was a short, vertical tube about 18in long: this was a fairlead, a duct for the long trailing radio aerial. With a lead weight at the end, the aerial was manually wound out to receive medium wave transmissions. The first Hatfield-built FB.VIs had this feature, but it was soon omitted via a ‘mod’. But the instruction didn’t seem to reach Standard – all Canley FB.VIs had the fairlead under the nose.

Left

Standard Motors built HR302 which served with the Royal Australian Air Force’s 1 Squadron as A52-500 ‘NA-A’. Note the bomb-carrying Mosquito badge on the forward fuselage, just below the cockpit. Below

Mosquito VI PZ438 of 143 Squadron. ANDY HAY

CANADIAN DEBUT

or so to Ansty for final assembly. Flight testing usually consisted of general handling, performance checks and a climb to 30,000ft followed by a maximum power dive, usually to around 430-450mph. The whole process took around 45 minutes to an hour. If any snags arose, rectification work would be carried out and further tests conducted until the ‘Mossie’ could be signed off by the test pilot as ready for collection, probably by a member of the Air Transport Auxiliary. Bill Wanley, one of the Standard test pilots, would sometimes fly low and fast over the factory in Canley to let the workers see the fruits of their labours. The first Standard-built Mosquito FB.VI was HP848, delivered to the

RAF in May 1943. Production at Canley amounted to 1,066 units. (Unless noted, all aircraft mentioned in this section were produced by Standard.)

FACTORY ‘QUIRK’

The Chief Draughtsman at de Havilland in charge of the Mosquito project during 1943 was P F Bryant. It was his responsibility to see that the more than 10,000 production drawings were both accurate and up to the latest modification state. With such a rapidly evolving airframe, it must have been difficult to issue new drawings and withdraw old ones in a timely manner. It’s possible that this gave rise to a quirk in Standard FB.VIs. Under

In Europe, the first unit to equip with the FB.VI, in May 1943, was 418 ‘City of Edmonton’ Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force. The Mosquito’s long range was exploited to seek and destroy targets from the Baltic to the FrancoSpanish border. Operating as part of 11 Group, 418 was the highest-scoring RCAF fighter squadron engaging in ‘Intruder’ sorties (targeting Luftwaffe nightfighters on or near their bases) or ‘Rangers’ (attacking targets of opportunity in the air or on the ground). In 1944, the squadron transferred to 138 Wing, 2nd Tactical Air Force, flying many ground attack and close support sorties in the run-up to D-Day. With his usual navigator, Fg Off Bobbie Bruce DFC, Wg Cdr Russ Bannock DSO DFC used FB.VI HR147 Hairless Joe to score eight air-to-air ‘kills’. Typical of the deep Ranger sorties was that of September 27, 1944 when Bannock and Bruce made a dawn attack on the Luftwaffe

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FIGHTER-BOMBER Mk.VI

“...the Banff Strike Wing comprised six squadrons, putting up ‘packages’ involving dedicated air-sea rescue Warwicks orbiting off-shore, Mustang escorts and heavily-armed FB.VIs” Above

Mosquito VI PZ471 ‘YH-F’ of 21 Squadron. Below

The prototype FB.VI, HJ662. This aircraft made its maiden flight on June 1, 1942, and was written off following a crash at Boscombe Down on July 10 that same year.

base at Parow on the Baltic coast. There they found six Messerschmitt Bf 108 Taifuns on ‘circuits and bumps’. Bannock immediately shot at one which disintegrated over the airfield and he put another into the adjacent Kubitzer Bay. At this point they were attacked by a Bf 109 which set fire to the Mosquito’s port engine. Evading at tree-top height, feathering the propeller and using the fire extinguisher, Bannock and Bruce made their escape. They safely touched down 90 minutes later.

‘KIWI’ TRAIN BUSTERS

An exciting life was led by HR339, on charge with 487 Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force from late 1944 to 1945 and then with 16 and 268 Squadrons. While based at Rosiéres-en-Santerre in France with 487, Flt Lt Jack Dempsey and his navigator attacked a train while flying J-for-Jig HR339. This led to a laconic logbook entry: “Bombed train.

Increasing smoke. Badly damaged by flak. Returned from target area and landed on one engine – crew OK.” Eventually, HR339 was one of 80 Mosquitos transferred New Zealand, becoming NZ2328 in October 1947. It was damaged while taxying at Wigram on April 14, 1948 and was written off. Finally put up for disposal on April 20, 1953 it was dismantled and stored on a farm. Discovered by aviation enthusiasts many years later, NZ2328 was donated to the nascent Ferrymead Aeronautical Society in Christchurch. Today, along with parts from another machine, it is in the middle of a long rebuild to static display condition.

STRIKE WING

Gp Capt the Hon Max Aitken DSO DFC was the swashbuckling leader of 153 Wing – the Banff Strike Wing – which included 235, 248 and 333 Squadrons (the latter being a Royal Norwegian Air Force unit which specialised in reconnaissance of its

‘home’ waters). ‘Mossies’ serving with 333’s ‘B’ Flight included HR129, RF724 and RF725. Eventually the largest RAF wing, the Banff Strike Wing comprised six squadrons, putting up ‘packages’ involving dedicated air-sea rescue Warwicks orbiting off-shore, Mustang escorts and heavily-armed FB.VIs. The Mosquitos created havoc among German shipping in Norwegian waters during the closing stages of the war. Aitken took delivery of Standard HR366, nominally on charge of 235 Squadron; it became his personal aircraft, carrying the appropriate code ‘MA-01’. Both man and machine survived the war and HR366 was sold on to the Turkish Air Force in September 1947. The 3-inch RP was the weapon of choice for the Banff Strike Wing, the Mosquitos progressing from the steel Mk.I launching rail to the much lighter aluminium alloy Mk.III. By the last few weeks of the war in Europe,

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BATTLE OF BRITAIN DAY 1948 The horrific tragedy at Manston on September 18, 1948 (see the main text) was not the only fatal accident at Battle of Britain Day celebrations that day. At Leuchars in Scotland, Spitfire PR.19 PM622 of the based 237 Operational Conversion Unit broke up in mid-air while displaying, killing its pilot. Meanwhile Hatfield-built Mosquito FB.6 TA507, on charge with the resident 51 Maintenance Unit, inadvertently entered a spin while displaying at Lichfield and crashed, killing its pilot and a passenger. Coningsby-based 139 Squadron participated in the home station’s Battle of Britain Day, Leavesden-built Mosquito T.3 VA887 carrying out a slow roll – but, just like the Manston FB.6, it lost height while inverted and crashed, killing the two on board. Including Manston’s, the total number of fatalities at RAF airshows that day came to 17. Source: Final Landings by Colin Cummings, Nimbus Publishing, 2001.

the wing was using a ‘double stack’ system and just two rails per wing to carry the full load of eight RPs. This configuration enabled the carriage of a 100-gallon drop tank under each wing, giving a range deep into the Baltic if required.

NIGHT ‘SPOOKS’

Mounting Bomber Command losses in 1943, and the end of Mosquito F.II/NF.II production after 494 aircraft, meant new tactics and support units were needed, and 100 (Bomber Support) Group was formed on November 11 under Air Cdre Edward Addison to concentrate the RAF’s electronic warfare, radio countermeasures and long-range intruder efforts. The group operated a range of bomber types (Wellington, Stirling, Halifax, Liberator and Fortress) for radar/radio countermeasures and briefly used Beaufighters before settling on the Mosquito, in both night-fighter and fighter-bomber forms. Pilot Fg Off George Stewart and navigator Fg Off J R Paul Beaudet of 100 Group’s 23 Squadron chalked up around 50 ‘ops’ before returning

to their native Canada to instruct in January 1945. Flying HR201 T-forTare on September 26, 1944 they raided Grove airfield in Denmark during a daring low-level Ranger sortie. They damaged a Junkers Ju 88G night-fighter on the ground and, for good measure, scored strikes with cannon and machine guns on a German Wassermann radar array at Houvig, Denmark, as they crossed the coast on their way home. T-for-Tare was declared missing on operations four days later. Also part of 100 Group was 141 Squadron, and several of its FB.VIs were fitted with early-model airborne interception (AI) Mk.IV radar and the Serrate radar homer – which could detect Luftwaffe Lichtenstein airborne radar emissions, enabling the Mosquitos to locate and destroy enemy night-fighters. In the final months of the war, selected 100 Group FB.VIs (including some from 23 Squadron) began to carry US-built ASH radar – designated AI Mk.XV by the RAF – in a thimble-shaped fairing in the nose which displaced the Browning machine guns and their wooden ammunition boxes. It had a narrower

beam and slower scan rate but could be used down to 600ft. Shadowing at a distance of about 30 miles, 100 Group’s Mossies endeavoured to prevent German night-fighters getting among the bomber streams where their heavy cannon could do immense damage in a very short period. The FB.VIs also mounted standing patrols over Luftwaffe bases near the bomber stream, both before and after its passing. A typical Bomber Command operation, supported by 100 Group, took place on the night of January 16/17, 1945 when a force of 320 Halifaxes, 44 Lancasters and seven Mosquitos attacked Magdeburg. At West Raynham in Norfolk, 141 Squadron launched two FB.VIs: Flt Lts H Young and J T Sanderson in HR200 E-for-Easy and Fg Off R C Brady and Flt Lt M K Webster in HR213 G-for-George. Both crews shot down Bf 110 night-fighters.

Above

Built by de Havilland at Hatfield in the spring of 1943, Mk.VI HJ732 was used for extensive test work during the war years, and was struck off charge in May 1946.

LIBERATING RANGOON

Many Standard-built Mosquitos were committed to the Far East. At Yelahanka in India, 1672 (Mosquito) Conversion Unit had been formed. Trainees were mostly making the transition from the Vultee Vengeance to the potent twin and, as might be imagined, the accident rate was high. For example, on June 16, 1945 the pilot of HR549 made a bad approach and landed short. The starboard wingtip dug in first and then the starboard undercarriage was ripped off. No fatalities were recorded, but the damage was so extensive that the aircraft was written off. The first operational unit to November 2015 FLYPAST 43

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THE WOODEN WONDER

Below

An early Mosquito VI, serial number HJ675, wearing 23 Squadron codes.

FIGHTER-BOMBER Mk.VI

convert to the FB.VI within South East Asia Command (SEAC) was 45 Squadron, ready to support the liberation of Rangoon. A single Mosquito was detailed to attack a bridge over the Irrawaddy River at Alon on December 20, 1944. Armed with two 500-pounders, W/Os B Walsh and H Osborn, flying HR462 J-for-Jig of 45 Squadron, carried out a successful strike. No.47 Squadron, based at Kinmagon, Burma, operated FB.VIs equipped with 60lb RPs. Fg Off G R T ‘Bob’ Willis DFC flew HR518 on at least 19 ‘ops’ with the unit during the Allied advance on the Japanese Southern Army. Like 45 Squadron, 82 had formerly been equipped with the Vengeance, and its aircrew were delighted with the Mossie. Initial equipment included HR558, which was finished all-over in aluminium dope, as suggested by DH to minimise heat damage. Postwar, 82 moved from India to Java for operations against Indonesian terrorists. It was in the Far East where the Mosquito sustained its worst losses – not due to the enemy, but structural failure, sometimes with fatal results. See the Combat Over Burma feature on pages 54 to 61 for details.

PLAYING HIGHBALL

Some FB.VIs were shipped to Australia from Liverpool in 1945 to be assembled by Commonwealth

Aircraft at Fisherman’s Bend, Melbourne, and issued to 618 Squadron. The unit was waiting for clearance to use the highly secret ‘Highball’ type of ‘bouncing bomb’ against the Japanese Navy, flying from carriers of the Royal Navy’s Pacific Fleet. Strictly speaking, Highball – devised by Barnes Wallis – was a mine based on its bigger brother, ‘Upkeep’, which was used against the Ruhr dams in May 1943. Before departing the Clyde on the carriers HMS Fencer and Striker in December 1944, No.618 Squadron aircrew had been briefed and then trained by celebrated test pilot Lt Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown, on the best way to fly Mosquitos from carrier decks. Lt Brown performed the world’s first carrier landings by a twin-engined aircraft, on the deck of HMS Indefatigable on March 25, 1944 using the Sea Mosquito prototype, LR359 – a converted Hatfield-built FB.VI. The FB.VIs were intended to keep 618 Squadron aircrew ‘current’ while not running up the hours on the unit’s highly modified B.IVs that carried the Highballs. In the event, the weapons were not used operationally. The sole surviving FB.VI of this batch, HR621, is in the Camden Museum of Aviation, near Sydney, New South Wales, the subject of an ambitious rebuild to static condition.

AIRSHOW TRAGEDY

One of the last formal appearances of Standard-built Mosquitos was over central London in September 1947 when RF932 and others from 36 Squadron took part in a flypast to commemorate the Battle of Britain. Sadly, not all public appearances went as well – a year later tragedy struck on September 18 at a Battle of Britain display at Manston. Piloted by a 29-year-old flight lieutenant who hailed from nearby Ramsgate, FB.6 TE808 carried out a slow roll at about 400ft, but it flicked wildly and crashed inverted, killing the pilot, its 46-year-old navigator and ten spectators, including a three-year-old and three teenagers. (Battle of Britain Day 1948 was a black day – see the panel on page 43.)

OVERSEAS DEMAND

Post-war the FB.VI was still in demand, and many Standard-built aircraft were shipped overseas to friendly air forces. Turkey bought 135 and the diminutive Dominican Military Aviation Corps acquired halfa-dozen, including TE612, formerly of 114 Squadron. France took 57 FB.VIs from surplus RAF stocks in 1945 to equip two home defence fighter groups. Both units also served in the French territories in North Africa – principally from Rabat, Morocco – and one, GC I/6, briefly saw combat

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in French Indo-China in 1947. A number of Standard-built Mosquitos were transferred to the newly re-formed Czechoslovak Air Force in 1947. The FB.VIs were referred to as the LB-36 (Lehka Bombardovaci-36) in Czech service. Many were flown with captured German weapons rather than the usual Brownings and Hispano cannon, due to an arms embargo. In June 1948, Yugoslavia’s leader, Marshal Tito, broke off relations with the USSR. A Yugoslavian military mission to Britain then requested Mosquitos and the first FB.VI was delivered in October 1951. Among those handed over were HR162 and HR250 – probably the last FB.VIs in service anywhere. The final examples were not withdrawn until 1962. When the new state of Israel was proclaimed on May 14, 1948 it had few military aircraft, and attempted to buy warplanes wherever possible. It acquired at least 68 Mosquitos, many from French stocks, including RF608 and RF646, both delivered in February 1951. Some sources say the fledgling state used more than 100. All Israeli Mosquitos were retired to storage by 1956, only to be hurriedly reissued in time to take part in the Suez Campaign, Operation Kadesh, in October and November. So successful were the Mosquito bombing sorties against the town of Sharm-el-Sheikh over four days from November 1 that an Israeli reserve

DE HAVILLAND MOSQUITO FB.VI Construction: A total of 2,282 were delivered to the Royal Air Force between 1942 and 1947. Production was carried out by de Havilland at Hatfield, Herts, Standard Movers at Coventry, Warwickshire and Airspeed at Christchurch, Dorset. First Flight: Mk.VI prototype HJ662/G made its first flight on June 1, 1942 at Hatfield. Powerplant: Two 1,460hp (1,088kW) Rolls-Royce Merlin 21 or 23 V-12s or two 1,635hp Merlin 25s. Dimension: Span 54ft 2in (16.5m). Length 40ft 10in. Height 12ft 5in. Wing area 454 square ft (42.2m2). Weight: Empty 14,344lb (6,506kg). All-up weight 22,258lb. Performance: Max speed 378mph (608km/h). Service ceiling 33,000ft. Maximum range 1,855 miles (2,985km). Armament: Four 20mm cannon and four 0.303in machine guns, plus a variety of bombs or rocket projectiles. Crew: Two.

“In June 1948, Yugoslavia’s leader, Marshal Tito, broke off relations with the USSR. A Yugoslavian military mission to Britain then requested Mosquitos and the first FB.VI was delivered in 1951” brigade was able to advance across the desert and take its objective. As far as is known, these were the last significant combat sorties made by the Mosquito. Standard Motors produced its final FB.VI, TE628, in December 1945, and the major elements were towed – as all others had been before – to Ansty for assembly and flight test. It was the end of an era, but there was a sense of pride among the workforce, and with good reason. For, from 1943 to 1945, more than a thousand Mosquitos had taken off from Ansty, helping to strike powerful blows against Britain’s enemies. The People’s Mosquito Ltd is a charitable organisation formed to return a Mosquito to British skies. Find out more at: http://peoplesmosquito.org.uk November 2015 FLYPAST 45

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NEW

THE WOODEN WONDER

AIRCREW

Tricks

ANDY THOMAS EXPLAINS HOW A LARGE NUMBER OF WELL-KNOWN ACES CONVERTED FROM THEIR SINGLE-SEATER FIGHTERS ONTO THE MOSQUITO – AND EXCELLED

Below

Flt Lt Peter Cobley of 613 Squadron flew Mosquito VI LR358 during March 1944. 613 SQUADRON ASSOCIATION

W

ith its exceptional performance and excellent armament, the Mosquito was undoubtedly one of the most potent aircraft of World War Two, but required experienced pilots to make the most of it. As its capabilities became more understood, operational training units helped to prepare aircrew for the adaptable twin-engined type. Among other roles, the Mosquito excelled in bomber, coastal strike, fighter-bomber, night-fighter and photo-reconnaissance taskings. Many of those who converted onto the de Havilland type had been successful fighter pilots; several having reached ace status. In taking on the Mosquito they not only had to learn to fly a twin, but to adopt a new ‘trade’.

The Mosquito’s first operational use was with 1 Photo-Reconnaissance Unit at Benson, Oxfordshire. In July 1941, Sqn Ldr Rupert Clerke joined the unit; he had flown Hurricanes through the Battle of Britain, making eight claims. With his experienced navigator, Sgt Henry Sowerbutts, Clerke left Benson on September 17 and flew over Brest, Bordeaux and La Pallice as far as the Franco-Spanish border on the type’s first operational sortie. On November 4, Clerke took the Mosquito on its first overseas deployment, landing in Malta, having covered targets in Italy en route. He flew several sorties over the ‘Med’ before returning home. Having established the ‘Mossie’ in the PR role, Rupert Clerke later flew them on night-fighter sorties.

PRECISION STRIKE

As well as the pure bomber Mk.IV, from late 1943 Mosquito VI fighterbombers became a key element of 2 Group. In the late summer 21, 464 and 487 Squadrons re-equipped, becoming 140 Airfield (later Wing). The second wing, 138, was established at Lasham, Hampshire, on October 14. In command of 613 was Wg Cdr Ken Blair, a former Hurricane ace, and he flew the unit’s first ‘op’ in LR271 with Fg Off Majer on December 19. Early in 1944 Blair was joined by Flt Lt Peter Cobley, a successful pilot from Malta. Attacks on continental targets increased, but the Mosquito was also an ideal weapon for precision strikes. One of the most spectacular of the latter was the raid on the German-

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“I dropped my own bombs from a height of 10ft, pulling hard on the stick. The air was thick with smoke, but of all the bombs dropped by my section, only one went astray” run prison at Amiens on February 18, 1944 in a desperate attempt to free members of the Resistance held under sentence of death. The first two ‘vics’ of three were from 487 Squadron followed by six from the Australian 464 Squadron, while 21 Squadron brought up the rear. All were led by a bomber ace, Gp Capt Percy Pickard. Beginning the attack, 487 was led by the CO and night-fighter ace, Wg Cdr ‘Blackie’ Smith who later recalled: “My section went right in for the corner of the east

walls, while the others drew off a few miles and made their run for the north wall. Navigation was perfect and I’ve never done a better flight. It was like a Hendon demonstration. “We flew as low and as slowly as possible, aiming to drop our bombs right at the foot of the wall. Even so, our bombs went across the first wall and across the courtyard, exploding on the wall at the other side. I dropped my own bombs and pulled hard on the stick. The air was thick with smoke but of all

Above

Among the Mosquito PR.Is flown by Sqn Ldr Rupert Clerke when he served with 1 PRU was W4060. 140 SQUADRON

Left

Sqn Ldr Rupert Clerke flew the first-ever operational Mosquito sortie. RAF MANSTON Below

An archive image of a Mosquito in action.

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AIRCREW

“With the He 177 looking as big as a house, a stream of flame and smoke appeared below the nose. It reared up like a wounded animal, then winged over on its back and dived vertically into the ground” Above

Mosquito VI MM417 of 487 Squadron on February 29, 1944 flown by the CO, Wg Cdr ‘Blackie’ Smith. RAF THORNEY ISLAND

Right

Former Hurricane pilot Wg Cdr ‘Blackie’ Smith led a Mosquito fighter-bomber unit, 487 Squadron. AUTHOR’S COLLECTION

the bombs dropped by my section, only one went astray.” In spite of the loss of two aircraft, including Pickard to marauding Focke-Wulf Fw 190s, the raid was brilliantly executed and allowed 258 prisoners to escape.

‘SCROUNGED’ SORTIES

Sqn Ldr Henry Bodien, another night-fighter veteran, flew his first ‘op’ for 21 Squadron on March 2, 1944. This was a night intruder sortie and he successfully bombed Montdidier airfield. Although he was being ‘rested’ in a staff post as Wing Commander Night Operations at HQ 2 Group, Wg Cdr Bob Braham - another skilful night-fighter pilot ‘scrounged’ sorties when he could get away with it! With his old navigator, ‘Sticks’ Gregory, he flew over the bomber base at Châteaudun on March 5 and shot down Heinkel He 177 ‘SJ+RL’ of 3/KG 100, despite being new to the fighterbomber role. Braham wrote of his first Mosquito victory: “With the He 177 looking as big as a house, a stream of flame and smoke appeared below the nose. It reared up like a wounded animal, then winged over on its back and dived vertically into the ground.” He claimed

another eight victories on similar unofficial sorties. Bob Braham was not the only one doing this at 2 Group. Sqn Ldr Mike Herrick, whose varied career included flying against the night Blitz of 1940 and fighting over the Solomon Islands against the Japanese, was also adept at this ploy of securing ad hoc fighter sorties.

D-DAY ACTION

At the beginning of May 1944 two Battle of Britain Spitfire aces began operations on Mosquitos: Flt Lt George Unwin with 613 Squadron and Flt Lt Joe Kilner with 21. Soon afterwards

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Sqn Ldr Henry Bodien was awarded the DSO while flying a Mosquito VI of 21 Squadron. A F CARLISLE

the ex-Malta ace Flt Lt Tony Rippon arrived at 107 Squadron. During the D-Day landings many of the former fighter pilots flew support and ground attack sorties in ‘Mossies’. On June 16, Sqn Ldr Herrick, with Fg Off Turski, flew a ‘Ranger’ deep-penetration offensive patrol with the Polish-manned 305 Squadron. Unit records bleakly note that: “This aircraft took off from West Raynham, Norfolk, and nothing more was heard of them.” In company with Wg Cdr Braham the pair had headed for Aalborg

in Denmark. Herrick and Turski were intercepted by an Fw 190 of JG1 flown by Ltn Robert Spreckels who dispatched the Mosquito with the loss of the crew. Nine days later Spreckels proved to be Braham’s nemesis when he was shot down during another trip to Aalborg and became a prisoner of war.

A SENSATION

In May 1943 ‘B’ Flight of the Norwegian-crewed 333 Squadron at Leuchars, Scotland, became the first Coastal Command unit

to re-equip with Mosquitos. The prime role was to reconnoitre the coastal waters off Norway. Due to problems with training, during October Sqn Ldr George Melville-Jackson, an experienced instructor and a successful ‘coastal’ fighter pilot, was attached to assist for a period. Known as ‘M-J’, he flew his first sortie with Sgt Harald Jensen, who went on to claim three victories. ‘M-J’ also later effectively led the Mosquito-equipped 47 Squadron against Indonesian rebels just after the war.

Above left

Wg Cdr Ken Blair assumed command of 613 Sqn with Mosquito fighterbombers in 1943. AUTHOR’S COLLECTION

Below

Mosquito II DZ700 was one of the first to reach 333 Squadron. It was flown by Sqn Ldr MelvilleJackson. KJETIL KORNES

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Clockwise from above

Gp Capt Max Hastings led the Mosquito Strike Wing at Banff during the last winter of the war. VIA C F SHORES Armourers reloading a Mosquito with cannon shells in early November 1944. KEY Sqn Ldr George MelvilleJackson flew Mosquitos with 333 Squadron. G H MELVILLE-JACKSON

A Mosquito of Max Aitken’s Banff Wing being re-armed for another strike during the bitter winter of 19441945. G A B LORD

AIRCREW

The Norwegian unit eventually moved north to Banff, near Elgin, Scotland, where in September 1944 it was joined by the Mosquitos of 235 and 248 Squadrons to form a coastal fighter wing under the ebullient Gp Capt Max Aitken DSO DFC. Aitken was a very skilful day and night-fighter pilot with 14½ victories. Leading the Banff Wing to great success against both shipping and aircraft, Aitken noted that: “The Mosquito was a sensation! It was unquestionably a better strike aircraft in which to take on fighters. German fighter pilots knew that if they were outmanoeuvred by a Mosquito, a well-aimed burst from its enormous

firepower would blast them out of the sky.” As well as a number of expert ‘home grown’ pilots, such as Fg Off Noel Russell of 235 Squadron, some other notables joined Mosquitoequipped coastal fighter units. One was Sqn Ldr Robert Reid who had five claims from the Battle of Britain. As a flight commander in 235 Squadron on February 11, 1945 Reid shot down a Junkers Ju 188 during a North Sea patrol. Sadly he was lost in a strike off Norway on March 25.

Coastal strike Mosquitos continued to take a heavy toll on enemy shipping, the last big encounter coming during a U-boat hunt on April 21. Over the Kattegat (off Denmark’s coast) four rocket-firers from 248 Squadron each destroyed a Ju 88 and four more, plus a ’188 fell to the other units. A very frustrated Sqn Ldr Herbert Gunnis of 248, a veteran from the North African campaign, recalled that “the sea was full of blazing aircraft. Five times I got a Junkers in my sights and each time another Mosquito crew shot it down before I could draw a bead.” All of these maestros had warmed to the ‘new tricks’ afforded by the ‘Wooden Wonder’.

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For a great selection of aviation and transport books, DVDs, magazines and models visit: www.keypublishing.com/shop 183/14

THE WOODEN WONDER

NIGHT-FIGHTER

YORKSHIRE’S Rose WE RECOUNT THE HISTORY OF TONY AGAR’S MAGNIFICENT MOSQUITO NIGHT-FIGHTER

Below

De Havilland Mosquito NF.II HJ711 at Elvington’s Yorkshire Air Museum. IAN FINCH

A

ny description of de Havilland Mosquito NF.II HJ711, a resident at Elvington’s Yorkshire Air Museum since 1986, must be accompanied by the phrases ‘labour of love’ and ‘lifetime’s passion’. For Tony Agar, the aircraft’s owner, it’s both – a project that he collated and built up from 1971 and which might eventually be heard firing up its Rolls-Royce Merlin engines.

In simple terms, the Mosquito on display at Elvington is a composite, meaning it’s an exhibit comprising parts of several different aircraft. Only the cockpit and part of the nose hail from the original HJ711 – but, given that machine’s illustrious history, Tony decided it was an appropriate subject to recreate. A night-fighter, HJ711 served with 141 and 169 Squadrons in

World War Two. Based with the latter at Little Snoring, Norfolk, it shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 110 over Germany on January 30, 1944. Sqn Ldr J A H Cooper returned safely from the sortie, having notched up 169’s first ‘kill’. After obtaining parts of the machine at an auction in Blackpool in 1971, along with the remains of B.XVI PF498, Tony won 169’s blessing to ‘bring back’ HJ711.

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DIFFICULT JOURNEY

Accumulating parts for a Mosquito restoration has never been easy. For Tony and friends, a long road had to be travelled. They acquired wing segments from T.III VA878, which had lain derelict at St Davids in South Wales for decades, and salvaged the bulk of the fuselage from TT.35 RS715, a veteran of the 1964 film 633 Squadron. Remarkably, Tony began to construct his Mosquito on the driveway at his home near York, the fuselage and cockpit coming together in 1973. The pilot’s seat was found in a scrapyard in Warrington two years later and other parts, including propeller blades and tailplane elevators, were recovered from a former 141 Squadron Mosquito near Kings Lynn, Norfolk. Although not the first engines to be acquired, Tony

eventually sourced two Merlin 75s – the correct units for the type. A breakthrough came in 1986 when the Yorkshire Air Museum offered to accommodate the project. With most of the essential components in place, the pace of the restoration picked up. Numerous repairs were made to the fuselage, the undercarriage was stripped and the ventral doors were largely rebuilt, along with many other tasks. Radiators were found for both Merlins, as well as several engine firewalls and fittings, discovered in remarkable condition after almost 45 years in a Gloucestershire gravel pit. More parts were located in places as far flung as Glen Esk in Scotland and – furthest of all – New Zealand. Tony’s aim was to have the Mossie completed in time for the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the

night-fighter prototype in 1941. This was duly achieved on May 15, 1991 – a date dubbed ‘Mossie Day’ which saw HJ711 rolled out at Elvington to the delight of the many attending veterans, including Sqn Ldr Cooper. On the same day, T.III RR299, then the only flying Mosquito in the UK, flew a display overhead in the hands of Peter Henley. Today, HJ711 continues to wear 169 Squadron colours and has been named Spirit of Val in tribute to Tony’s late wife. It was recently rolled out for a memorable night photography shoot, and it’s hoped both engines will run in the future, raising at least the possibility of a taxying Mosquito, alive and roaring, in the UK. For more on Elvington’s Yorkshire Air Museum & Allied Air Forces Memorial see: www.yorkshireairmuseum.org

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THE WOODEN WONDER

FLYING ARTILLERY

COMBAT over Burma

FORMER MOSQUITO AIRCREW RON WAMBEEK AND RAY PEARS RECOLLECT THEIR TIME FLYING THE ‘WOODEN WONDER’ IN THE FAR EAST TO ANDREW THOMAS

A

mong the fastest aircraft of World War Two, Mosquitos were a delight to handle. The fighter-bomber version with its 600 nautical mile radius of action and heavy armament of four Hispano 20mm cannons and four Browning 0.303in machine guns – plus four 500lb bombs – carried an enormous punch. But there was a flaw with some of these superb machines, which was veiled by wartime secrecy. Having flown Hurricanes in the pivotal Battle of Imphal in 1944, former Beaufighter pilot Flt Lt Ron Wambeek first encountered

the Mosquito later that year. He remembers: “I learnt that South East Asia Command was to form a wing of Mosquito fighter-bombers and pilots with twin-engine experience were required. I applied and was posted to 82 Squadron, the first unit to convert to them [in theatre].” After receiving his ‘wings’, Wambeek had trained as a nightfighter pilot and initially joined 219 Squadron at Tangmere in West Sussex on Beaufighters, helping to counter the night ‘blitz’. In 1942 he was posted to North Africa and the Beaufighter-equipped 46 Squadron, once again in the nocturnal role.

Wambeek continued eastwards to India where he eventually joined 42 Squadron, flying Hurricane fighter-bombers. He continues: “Conversion training onto the Mosquito was carried out at Yelahanka, near Bangalore in southern India, in August/September 1944 and we went on to Ranchi in the Central Provinces for operational training in October/November. During the first months of training we lost three aircraft, the first two of which were found burning on the ground for no apparent reason, and their crews were dead.

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‘Mossies over the jungle’ by Adam Tooby. This artwork shows the Mosquitos used by Flt Lt Ron Wambeek and Flt Lt Ray Pears on their ground attack sortie on March 8, 1945.

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RATS OF RANGOON Wg Cdr Lionel ‘Bill’ Hudson, pre-war a journalist on the Sydney Sun, was captured and taken to Meiktila – where he and his navigator were interrogated under torture – then to Rangoon, where he found himself the Senior British Officer in the jail. When the Japanese Army eventually retreated from Rangoon in April 1945 to avoid being cut off by the advancing British 14th Army, Hudson set himself up as British Military Governor of Rangoon for four days until he could make contact with the British Combined Operations Invasion Fleet, which was standing off Rangoon. He detailed a group of former prisoners of war to paint a message on the roof of the prison: ‘JAPS GONE EXTRACT DIGIT’. This was clearly visible from the air and resulted in the cancellation of a pre-invasion blitz on Rangoon. Hudson’s book The Rats of Rangoon describes vividly the story of his capture and subsequent events.

Above

Flt Lt Ron Wambeek (third from left) with his ground crew in front of his Mosquito. RON WAMBEEK Right

Mosquito HR551 ‘Anopheles II’ carried an impressive tally of successful operations. RON WAMBEEK

Below

After the incident at Meiktila, Ron Wambeek adopted Mosquito FB.VI HR551 – in which he flew long-range attacks behind Japanese lines. L BRADFORD

“One afternoon in November, I was briefed to carry out practice ‘shallow dive’ bombing over the range, commencing the attack at 2,000ft and releasing the bombs at below 1,000ft, throwing them at the target. This technique was necessary for lowlevel operations, though the accuracy increased the steeper the dive. Fortunately, for my navigator and for

me, the exercise had to be postponed until the following morning because of rain and low cloud.”

BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD

“My own aircraft, P-for-Peter, was due to become serviceable next morning, so I switched and another pilot, Al Parker, and his navigator,

Alf Newman, took over the one I had been due to fly that afternoon [Mk.VI HP919 – author]. We had an early breakfast together in the mess and went down to the flights on the first transport. I never saw them again. “While waiting for my turn over the range, a telephone message came through from the range officer to say that Al and Alf had ‘gone in’ on their bombing run. A wing had disintegrated and the aircraft had rolled over and dived into the ground. “That same morning another Mosquito landed back at Ranchi

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“While waiting for my turn over the range, a telephone message came through from the range officer to say that Al and Alf had ‘gone in’ on their bombing run. A wing had disintegrated and the aircraft had rolled over and dived into the ground” with the plywood skin on the upper surface of one wing wrinkled. The wing must have been within seconds of disintegrating – only held together by the plywood skin glued to the surface of the main spar, which was then beginning to lift and wrinkle. All aircraft were grounded. “In tropical climates it was necessary to bury the dead before sundown. The charred remains of Al and Alf had been placed into two coffins and that evening I found myself with 11 other pilots and navigators, acting as pallbearers again. As we lowered the coffins into the two freshly dug graves each one of us was thinking ‘there but for the grace of God go I’.”

CONDEMNED

“Immediately after the crash, signals went out grounding all Mosquitos in India. Within four days Major [Hereward] de Havilland arrived at Ranchi [to carry out a technical investigation on behalf of the manufacturer. Brother of Sir Geoffrey, Hereward was the much travelled liaison between Hatfield and the RAF – ED]. “With a fretsaw he cut inspection panels in the wings of all remaining 17 aircraft, level with the scarf joints in the main spars, and condemned 14 of them. He knew exactly where to look for the trouble. “The wooden main spars were

composed of a centre section and two outer sections joined together by means of two ‘scarf joints’ set at 15 degrees to the horizontal. On account of poor workmanship by carpenters on wartime ‘shadow’ factories, the opposing surfaces, when set up in jigs, did not match up exactly and the resulting gaps had been filled in with glue. With the extremes of temperature in the tropics, this had crumbled. “In three months of training, we had lost three, and almost a fourth, aircraft due to structural failure – and of the remainder, ten were not repairable and dismantled for spares. To press home attacks against the enemy it was necessary to fly to the very limits of structural strength of one’s aircraft. To the credit of the squadron – consisting of RAF, RAAF, RCAF and RNZAF aircrew – not one member opted out. “Over dinner that evening we were told that the next nine months’ supply of Mosquito wings had already been stockpiled in the UK... while the badly flawed ones would be rejected, there was little more that could be done. “Squadron morale went to rock bottom. Neither did it improve when it was decided that four of the condemned aircraft could be put into service after having modifications carried out to give extra support to the main spars.

“New aircraft from the manufacturers arrived with these modifications, and we had little doubt that the problem had occurred in Europe too. From that time on, whenever the ground crew hammered on the wooden cockpit hatch to make it fast before start-up, it was difficult to avoid the impression that they were hammering down the coffin lid! “Considerable time had already been lost waiting for replacement aircraft from the UK. Our return to the front was delayed by about six weeks, and the 14th Army had already started its push to drive the Japanese out of Burma before the return of the monsoon in May 1945. “The very first day after our return our Australian CO, Wg Cdr Lionel Hudson, went missing. Sqn Ldr Freddie Snell, the senior flight commander, was promoted to wing commander and took over. He had been awarded the DFC in France in 1940, flying Fairey Battles. We could not have had a better leader. From the time he took over, morale improved rapidly.”

Above

A Mosquito of 82 Squadron low over the plains of Central Burma. G J THOMAS

ATTACK SCHOOL

Also serving with 82 at this time was navigator Flt Lt Ray Pears, who recalled: “My first 18 operations were with 27 Squadron on Beaufighters. On leaving the unit I was ‘volunteered’ to join the ‘Chindits’ [Col Orde Wingate’s November 2015 FLYPAST 57

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badly; Merlins never did like the tropics. With nearly 100 miles to go to Sadaung, I altered course for Meiktila airfield which lay ahead and just to port of track. “I was flying No.2 in a section of two. Leading the section was Flt Lt Dick Mackenzie DFC, a West Australian, and his navigator, Flt Lt Ray Pears. We had dropped our bombs over the River Sittang at Pyinmana, where Japanese reinforcements were coming in from Indo-China, and then swept low over nearby Lew II airstrip in the hope of catching Japanese fighters on the ground. “Having alerted the whole area it

Above

The crew entry door was often decorated by crews, as seen on this 82 Squadron example. VIA MIKE HODGSON

Right

Three of the groundcrew in front of the Mosquito VI flown on occasion by Ray Pears and his pilot, Flt Lt Dick MacKenzie. RAY PEARS

behind-the-lines fighting force] and to march over the hills into Burma, where we caused a certain amount of trouble – and went pretty hungry and thirsty in the process. “Returning to Delhi, I was given the opportunity to choose what to do next, and I asked to do sea patrols from Ceylon on either Liberators or Sunderlands. A few days later I was posted as navigation officer to 82 Squadron. They still had a few [Vultee] Vengeances standing around awaiting disposal, but we were soon off to Kolar.” Eventually, 82 resumed flying and working up, but Pears’ first operation was some way off: “Following Kolar, we all went up to Ranchi in the north of India to attend the Special Low Attack Instruction School. This was rather fun, as the instructors were all my ex-colleagues from 27 Squadron. At Ranchi, malaria knocked me down and so my first operation with 82 was on January 12, 1945.”

TRAGIC START

In early December 1944, No.82 flew its ‘Mossies’ from Ranchi via Chharra and on to Kumbhirgram in Assam, to the west of Imphal, where they began operations on January 19. This first ‘Rhubarb’ - a smallscale harassment operation against road and river traffic - ended badly when Mosquito VI HR403 was lost. Ray Pears remembers: “By the time I returned to operations Wg Cdr Lionel Hudson had been lost. He was captured with Bill Shorts, his navigator, nearly shot by the ‘Indian Traitor Army’, saved by a ‘Jap’ and after a three-week journey – by night only, because of ‘Rhubarbing’ Mosquitos – was put into Rangoon jail as a criminal prisoner. (See the

Rats of Rangoon panel on page 56.) “My pilot in 82 Squadron was Dick McKenzie and from my logbook I see that we did most of our operations in HR449. They were almost all ‘Rhubarbs’ on roads, rivers and railways, though we bombed a few bridges too.”

SLAP-HAPPY FEELING

Despite the loss of its CO, 82 soon got into its stride by hitting Japanese communications and airfields by day and night. Ron Wambeek takes up the story: “Our role took us all over Burma, usually at low level, in pairs, attacking airfields, bridges, rail, road and river transport and troop concentrations. We were also used to provide close support to the army, in squadron strength when required. “On March 8, 1945 I flew Mosquito VI HR311, which I had named Anopheles I, over Central Burma. [The mosquito insect family includes the malaria-carrying Anopheles genus – ED.] It was near midday and my labouring starboard engine was overheating

was hardly surprising that we picked up some flak there. My port engine was struck and streamed glycol; intercom with my navigator ceased, and it became apparent that our hydraulics had been damaged.” From the leading Mosquito, Ray Pears watched the drama that had befallen his wingman: “For March 8, 1945 my logbook reads: ‘Bombed by-pass railway bridge in Pyinmana Town. Escorted No.2 to Meiktila with port engine shot up.’ The No.2 was Ron Wambeek, and he was shot up because we failed to avoid a small landing strip called Lew II, which was defended. “It was my fault as leading navigator and was due to a slaphappy feeling that we had got the ‘Japs’ on the run. I watched the stream of glycol pour from one of his engines and also watched him land on a runway with a broken steamroller in the middle. “The ‘Japs’ hadn’t entirely gone away and the army had a bit of trouble rescuing the two airmen. I can tell you that I was pretty relieved when they turned up in the mess!”

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VITAL LONG-RANGE FLYING ARTILLERY Ron Wambeek pointed out the Mossie’s importance to the force fighting in the latter days of the Burma campaign: “The Mosquito was the only aircraft suitable for the long-range fighter-bomber role. Additionally it could operate from bases in Assam near a railhead, thus relieving the problem of supply. “With no seaport, supplies to the 14th Army in Burma had to be transported by a single road through jungle and over mountain passes for more than 800 miles, a distance that was rapidly increasing as the advance progressed. The problem had become a nightmare.”

SLENDER CHANCE

Wambeek, who had meanwhile been struggling along in HR311, continues his part of the story: “With the port propeller feathered, course was set for Sadaung, approximately 200 miles to the north and some 25 miles north of the Irrawaddy River, the most

“...whenever the ground crew hammered on the wooden cockpit hatch to make it fast before start-up, it was difficult to avoid the impression that they were hammering down the coffin lid!” advanced airfield at which repairs could be carried out before crossing the mountains to our base in Assam. “The situation on the ground was fluid, with the British 14th Army advancing across the Irrawaddy and the Japanese fighting a savage and tenacious rearguard action. A special advance force consisting of the 17th Indian Division with 255 Tank Brigade had crossed over in the latter part of February and pushed through the 80 miles to the town of Meiktila, which they had taken on March 4 after five days of heavy fighting. “The Japanese had closed in behind them and all reinforcements and supplies, including petrol and ammunition, were being ferried in by air. Vicious Japanese counterattacks were being driven back and

Above

A trio of 82 Squadron Mosquito VIs above cloud. G J THOMAS

at night our patrols clashed with Japanese mining the airfield. Every morning the airfield had to be cleared of ‘Japs’ and mines before the first transports could land. Even then the strip was subjected to mortar fire. The position was tenuous. “In retrospect it was surprising that we had been briefed that we could use the strip in emergency. The instruction must have been intended for the single-engine fighter-bombers that were giving close support to our ground forces. Now, with one engine feathered and the radiator temperature of the other one off the clock, our chances of reaching our own lines were slender. “Approaching at 2,000ft we could make out considerable activity in the circuit, but on descent November 2015 FLYPAST 59

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Above

Flt Lt Ron Wambeek. VIA GRAHAM PITCHFORK

Above right

Mosquito VI LR311 of 82 Squadron. L BRADFORD

FLYING ARTILLERY

“...with one engine feathered and the radiator temperature of the other one off the clock, our chances of reaching our own lines were slender” we entered a thick haze with poor visibility at about 1,000ft. Not being able to contact the controller on any of my VHF frequencies, but being in a good position to start my approach, I selected ‘wheels down’ to indicate my intention, in the hope that seeing our plight he would give me a ‘green’. “At that moment a Dakota on takeoff threw up a thick cloud of dust, completely obliterating my view of the strip. Seconds later, on checking, I found that my starboard wheel was hanging down but not locked and that my port wheel remained locked up.”

COMMITTAL

“A decision had to be made while I still had sufficient height and power from the remaining engine. Without hydraulics we were committed to a crash landing which could put the strip out of action for several hours. In addition, without any communication with the ground and in poor visibility, the risk of collision was high. “I decided to make for a small satellite strip five or six miles to the south-east, although it was not in our hands at the time. Uneven ground, trees and large boulders precluded a crash landing elsewhere, and it was better to take our chance of evading

the ‘Japs’ than risk certain death on that terrain. “At about 700ft I opened the starboard throttle and, with the undercarriage selected up (but to no avail), turned south-east towards the satellite strip. It appeared out of the haze sooner than expected and I throttled back and shoved the nose down, but with no flaps my speed built up rapidly. “Before crash-landing, the port propeller had to be unfeathered to prevent it from breaking off at the shaft and cutting into the wing tanks – or into the side of the cockpit and trapping me. Only a few weeks earlier a Mosquito had belly-landed with its port propeller feathered and a blade had cut through the side of the cockpit, trapping the pilot by the legs. He had been burned to death. “The unfeathering buttons on the Mk.VI were on the starboard side of the cockpit and I was unable to reach them with my harness tight. With no spare hands to loosen my shoulder straps, and no intercom with my navigator, I pulled the quick release pin out of my Sutton harness and reached for the button. There was no time to refasten it. “The airspeed indicator was showing 160 knots as we crossed the boundary

to the rough grass strip, which was 700 to 800 yards long. It also had a steamroller at the far end, to the left of centre. Without flaps we would have floated a mile. “I cut the remaining fuel cock and ignition switches, threw my left arm across the gunsight, slid forward on the seat – placing my face on my arm and with my forehead pressed against the bulletproof windscreen – and, feet braced against the rudder pedals, eased the stick forward until we struck the ground.”

RUNNING THE GAUNTLET

“The initial deceleration was alarming and I was forced rigidly against the windscreen and rudder pedals – and we careered straight for the steamroller. At the last moment the aircraft slewed round to the right and the fuselage broke in half just behind the wing roots. We struck the ground well over halfway down the strip and ended up 30 to 40 yards from the trees at the end. “My navigator, W/O Brian Mooney, with his four-point Sutton harness secure before impact, had no problem with the deceleration. With the crash position I had taken up, I too was unharmed.

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“Even before we had ground to a halt, ‘Mac’ from the leading aircraft was yelling over the radio: ‘Get out of that bloody aircraft quick!’ We were out through the top hatch in a

flash and into the scrub undergrowth nearby, hoping he would get a message through to the army. A sickly stench of rotting flesh pervaded the whole area. We heard later that an estimated 4,000 ‘Japs’ had been killed in the fighting. “After about two hours an army patrol in two Jeeps, each with a Lewis gun mounted on the bonnet, drove cautiously down the side of the strip, and when we were certain they were ‘ours’ we came out into the open. “They took us on board, standing room only, which was unpleasant because the drivers had to go slowly and we had to run the gauntlet of snipers when driving through the town. “Before reaching the town we passed along the shore of Meiktila Lake with numerous bodies floating high on the water in the shimmering heat of the tropical afternoon, all with huge grotesque gas-inflated bellies. The effect was weird and unreal. “Later, we were thanked warmly by the RAF Liaison Officer for not obstructing his airfield. While awaiting our turn to be evacuated with the wounded, the army gave us cups of hot sweet tea. As I sipped mine, a ghastly thought occurred to me: ‘Where had the water come from?’ Meiktila Lake, we were told!”

AFTERMATH

Below

After the excitement at Meiktila both Ron and Ray remained flying with 82 Squadron, which was constantly in action as the 14th Army advanced against Mandalay and drove towards Rangoon. The unit reached its peak of activity through March when it flew 269 sorties, mainly by day. At the end of the month, 82 moved south to Joari near Cox’s Bazar. From there, attacks to the Rangoon area were flown in support of Operation Dracula, the amphibious landings to seize the Burmese capital, during which the wing mounted ‘cab rank’ patrols against targets selected and identified by ground forces. Two sorties were flown on May 12 – the second a two-aircraft ‘Rhubarb’ against road and rail lines from Kyaikto along the Salween River to Mawachi. These were 82’s final ‘ops’ of the war, after which the unit remained on standby until it withdrew to Cholavarum near Madras (now Chennai). In midOctober No.82 Squadron moved to St Thomas Mount, India, where it remained until it was disbanded on March 15, 1946. Flt Lts R S Wambeek and R K Pears were both awarded the DFC for their services to the unit.

Mosquito FB.VI RF792 of 82 Squadron baking under the hot Assam sun. VIA M HODGSON

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SURVIVORS

MOSQUITO survivors

WHILE RELATIVELY FEW MOSSIE AIRFRAMES REMAIN TODAY, THE SURVIVORS REPRESENT A GOOD CROSS-SECTION OF THE DIFFERENT VARIANTS OF DE HAVILLAND’S ‘WOODEN WONDER’, INCLUDING THE PROTOTYPE. WE PRESENT AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT REMAINS Above

Mosquito B.35 VR796 (C-FHML) – restored to flight status by Victoria Air Maintenance in Canada. A new video charting its rebuild, called ‘Gaining Altitude – the Mosquito Reborn’, has just been released. For details see http://gainingaltitude documentary.com Opposite, top to bottom

The prototype Mosquito undergoing conservation work at the de Havilland Aircraft Museum in the summer. BOB GLASBY The Dayton, Ohio-based USAF Museum has TT.35 RS709 on show as PR.XVI NS519. None of the Mosquitos flown by the USAAF in World War Two survive. NMUSAF Mosquito T.43 NZ2305 at the Museum of Transport and Technology in Auckland, New Zealand. MOTAT Hatfield-built TA639 is displayed as ‘AZ-E’ of 627 Squadron at the RAF Museum, Cosford, Shropshire. RAF MUSEUM

F

rom a preservation point of view, the Mosquito presents a number of problems – it’s relatively big; difficult to dismantle due to its construction and onepiece wing; and largely made of wood, held together with glue, which means inside accommodation is a necessity – but its bulky size can make that difficult. The preservation world has, however, risen to the challenges over the years, saving airframes from destruction, conserving them and even returning a few to flight status. The world currently has a pair of airworthy Mossies – Jerry Yagen’s in the USA and Bob Jens’ in Canada. Jerry’s was completed by Avspecs in New Zealand, using a fuselage and wings built largely to original specifications by Glyn Powell. Thousands of hours went into the project, and FB.26 KA114 re-flew in New Zealand on September 27, 2012. After several flights and public appearances it was dismantled and transported to Jerry’s museum in Virginia, re-flying on April 7, 2013. It’s a very active warbird and the star attraction at many shows on the eastern side of the USA. It has also performed at several events in Canada.

The second airworthy Mosquito, Mk.B.35 VR796 (C-FHML), restored by Victoria Air Maintenance, has retained much of its original structure. Finished in 105 Squadron markings, it made its first post-restoration flight in the hands of Steve Hinton from Victoria International Airport in British Columbia, Canada, on June 16, 2014. It has only made the occasional public appearance since but recently appeared at the 2015 Abbotsford Air Show.

PROTOTYPE ON SHOW There are more than a dozen fine examples of de Havilland’s famous creation on static display around the world, evenly spread between the northern and southern hemispheres. They are, of course, all special in their own right, but a standout airframe must be the prototype, on show at the wonderful de Havilland Aircraft Museum near London Colney, Hertfordshire. Few early development aircraft survive from the pre-1950 era, so W4050 is a jewel to be cherished. Geoffrey de Havilland JR took this aircraft up on its maiden flight on November 25, 1940, and it was used as a test aircraft until December

1943. It was then employed as an instructional airframe before being placed in storage, ultimately going on show in what would become the Mosquito Aircraft Museum (the present day de Havilland Aircraft Museum) in 1959. It is now nearing the end of an extensive restoration and conservation project by the highly skilled volunteers at the museum, and is benefiting from a Heritage Lottery Fund grant. (See the From the Workshop special report on W4050’s overhaul in your May 2015 issue.)

MORE FLYERS TO COME

Several Mosquitos are being restored to flight status, so the future looks very bright for the type. Among them, Mk.T.3 TV959 is thought to be the closest to flying – reports suggesting it could be back in the sky in late 2016 or early 2017. But rebuilding a Mossie is a massive undertaking and engineering challenges can extend timescales, which is why restorers are often reluctant to get our hopes up with timescales! Mosquito TV959 was handed over to the RAF in August 1945 and

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MOSQUITO SURVIVORS Serial W4050 DZ542

HJ711 RL249 ‘HR147’/VP189 HR339/NZ2382

HR621 KA114/N114KA ‘KB161’/CF-HMR KB336 LR480 ‘NS519’/RS709 RK952 RS700/CF-HMS RS712/N35MK TA122 TA634 TA639 TA719 ‘TD753’/TW117 TH998 TJ118 TJ138 TV959 VR796/C-FHML A52-319 A52-600/NS631 NZ2305 NZ2308 NZ2336/TE910 NZ2384/PZ474/ N9909F

Mk Prototype

Location DH Aircraft Museum, London Colney, Herts. Under restoration B.IV Series ii Privately owned, New Zealand. Basis of an airworthy project. Components only, airframe construction yet to start NF.II Tony Agar, YAM, Elvington, Yorks. Display NF.36 People’s Mosquito, Norfolk, UK. Components only B.35 Alberta Aviation Museum, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Display. Modified to represent an FB.VI FB.VI Ferrymead Aero Society, Christchurch, New Zealand. Restoration to static display, including parts from TE758/ NZ2328 FB.VI Camden Museum of Aviation, Narellan, New South Wales, Australia. Restoration to static display FB.26 Fighter Factory, Virginia Beach, USA. Airworthy B.XX Mosquito Bomber Group, Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Restoration. Actually TA661 B.XX Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Rockcliffe, Ontario, Canada. Display PR.IX South African National Museum of Military History, Saxonwold, South Africa. Display TT.35 National Museum of the USAF, Dayton, Ohio, USA. Display NF.30 Musée Royal de l’Armée, Brussels, Belgium. Restoration PR.35 Calgary Aero Space Museum, Nanton, Alberta, Canada. Restoration TT.35 EAA Museum, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA. Display FB.VI DH Aircraft Museum, London Colney, Herts. Restoration/ display TT.35 DH Aircraft Museum, London Colney, Herts. Display TT.35 RAF Museum, Cosford, Salop. Display TT.35 Imperial War Museum Duxford, Cambs. Display T.3 Royal Norwegian AF Museum, Bodø AB, Norway. Display TT.35 Paul E Garber Facility, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Suitland, Maryland, USA. Stored TT.35 DH Aircraft Museum, London Colney, Herts. Major parts TT.35 RAF Museum, Hendon, London. Display T.3 Flying Heritage Collection, Ardmore, New Zealand. Restoration to fly B.35 Privately owned, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Airworthy PR.41 Australian War Memorial, Canberra, ACT, Australia. Display PR.XVI RAAF Museum, Point Cook, Victoria, Australia. Restoration T.43 Museum of Transport and Technology, Auckland, New Zealand. Display. Formerly A52-1053 T.43 Glyn Powell, Auckland, New Zealand. Restoration to fly FB.VI John Smith, Mapua, New Zealand. Status not known FB.VI Ardmore, New Zealand, Restoration to fly

Notes: The remains of two airframes are said to be stored in derelict condition in Sweden, but haven’t been noted since the early 2000s. They are thought to be in the Linköping area. One served with the Australians and the other is a former Swedish example. Mosquito FB.VI NZ2355/TE863 – sometimes referred to as ‘substantial remains’ at the RNZAF Museum, Wigram, New Zealand – is in fact a collection of parts and has therefore been omitted from this list. There are also remains of a Mosquito (mark unknown) at the Israeli Air Force Museum at Hatzerim Air Base. Meanwhile several replicas are known to exist, with some on show in Europe, China and Australia.

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“A number of long-term projects are under way, including the People’s Mosquito group’s aim to rebuild an example and fly it in the UK. This ambitious venture is centred on the remains of NF.36 RL249...” Above

Tony Agar’s HJ711 during a night photo shoot at Elvington, Yorks. GEOFF HILL Below

The Canadian National Aviation Museum’s B.XX KB336 on public display at Rockcliffe, Ontario. CNAM

Below right

Mosquito TJ138, on show in the ‘Milestones’ building at the RAF Museum, Hendon. RAF MUSEUM

served with 13 Operational Training Unit (OTU), 266 Squadron, 54 OTU, 228 Operational Conversion Unit (OCU), 204 Advanced Flying School, the Home Command Examining Unit, the Fighter Command Communications Squadron and 3 Civilian Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit. It was ‘demobbed’ in May 1963. It was given to the Imperial War Museum, but in August 1963, before going on display in London, it starred in the film 633 Squadron as ‘MM398’. After storage at Bicester, Oxfordshire, the Mosquito arrived at South Lambeth in 1965 and was hung from the museum’s

ceiling, minus its right wing. It moved to Duxford, Cambs, in 1989 and joined The Fighter Collection three years later. The aircraft spent much of its time in store, and in April 2003 the project was acquired by the Seattle, Washington-based Flying Heritage Collection. It departed Duxford in June 2003 bound for Norfolk in the east of England and more storage, and was later exported to New Zealand, where the rebuild is progressing well. A number of long-term projects are under way, including the People’s Mosquito group’s aim to rebuild an

example and fly it in the UK. This ambitious venture is centred on the remains of NF.36 RL249, although the plan is to rebuild it as an FB.VI, which is significantly different in terms of engine installation and the (less complex) forward fuselage structure. The work is at an early stage and a firm timescale for completion hasn’t been set. With so many fine aircraft on show, and numerous projects under way, the Mosquito is sure to remain in the public eye for many years to come. Many thanks to Ian Thirsk and Nick Horrox for their help with this feature.

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Before leaving New Zealand, the Military Aviation Museum’s de Havilland Mosquito FB.26 KA114 flew in the company of a Spitfire Tr.IX, P-51D Mustang and P-40N Kittyhawk. GAVIN CONROY

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Spotlight Consolidated Catalina 22 Pages in detail 70 Origin and history 72 Inside the Catalina 74 Men Behind the Catalina 82 Artwork Long-distance traveller 84 In Combat The Catalina in action 92 Duxford Warrior

Main picture

The Consolidated Catalina gained fame in World War Two for its ability to land and take-off from both land and water. KEY

69_Spotlight Opener_fpSBB.indd 69

This month, Spotlight shines on the unmistakeable Consolidated Catalina, an amphibious military machine that saved numerous airmen and sailors in World War Two. When armed, it could also be a potent threat to German submarines and other enemy vessels. The graceful aircraft’s versatility granted it a similarly stellar career in post-war civilian hands. We reflect on the Catalina’s origins and its use during the war.

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Spotlight Consolidated Catalina

Scrutinizes the history of...

Catalina A The Consolidated

Above

Consolidated Catalina I AH550 ‘DA-L’ of the RAF’s 210 Squadron. This aircraft flew with the unit from April 1941. ALL KEY Below right

A small number of Catalinas flew with the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force’s 91 Squadron in the 1950s.

lthough mostly remembered as an amphibious aircraft that rescued numerous downed airmen and sailors from the sea, returning them safely to land, the earliest versions of the Catalina were flying boats – able to operate from the water alone. The important task of airsea rescue was one of many

successfully carried out by Catalina crews. The aircraft also played a significant role in countering the U-boat threat in the Atlantic, while PBYs gave the first airborne alert of the approaching enemy carrier force at Midway, and shadowed the German warship Bismarck in the North Atlantic. The XP3Y-1 prototype flew for the first time on March 21, 1935.

Powered by two 825hp (615kW) Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp radials, it beat a Douglas design for a US Navy order, entering service as the PBY-1 in October 1936. An initial order of 60 was delivered, followed by 50 PBY-2s, 66 PBY-3s and 32 PBY-4s (all with slight modifications and/or engine upgrades) between 1936 and 1939. The outbreak of war in Europe led

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SPOT FACT Examples built on RCAF contracts were named Canso and Canso A Consolidated to step up production as demand increased. With Britain, Canada, the Dutch East Indies and Australia all placing orders, the Catalina went on to become the most widely used flying boat of the war. In British service the name ‘Catalina’ became widely accepted. With the threat of war looming, the US Navy put in further orders, and the USAAF also introduced the type, designating it OA-10/OA-10A. On November 22, 1939, four years after the initial prototype, the first amphibious version of the Catalina design flew. The PBY-5A had a retractable tricycle undercarriage allowing it to operate from both

Origin & history

land and sea. These models, and their sub-variants, accounted for nearly three-quarters of all production, and the type served on all fronts. By the time the definitive PBY-5 and 5A were in service, its Twin Wasps had been upgraded to deliver 1,200hp each. Two Victoria Crosses were awarded to Catalina/Canso pilots for pressing home attacks on U-boats in the face of heavy fire. It is thought that around 40 German submarines were destroyed by PBYs, including U-199, which was sunk by a Brazilian Catalina on July 31, 1943. The so-called ‘Black Cats’ of the Royal Australian Air Force

used the aircraft as night raiders, laying mines in Japanese-held waters, sometimes flying as low as 200ft in the dark. The final version of the Catalina was the PBY-6A, which had larger tail surfaces among other modifications. A total of 175 were built, including the 21 transferred to the Soviet Navy. After the war, most of the older flying boats were withdrawn, but many of the amphibians remained in service throughout the world, both in military and civilian hands. Some were used as transports and for aerial fire-fighting, and about a dozen remain airworthy to this day.

Below

The XPBY-5A was the first amphibious version of the Catalina, and made its debut flight in November 1939.

Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina

AT A GLANCE: RANGE (miles) 0

800

1,600

2,400

3,200

3,100

AT A GLANCE: SPEED (mph) 0

50

100

150

200 196

Construction: First Flight: Powerplant: Dimension: Weight: Performance:

AT A GLANCE: CEILING (feet) 0

5,000

10,000

15,000 18,100

Armament: 20,000

Crew:

A total of 3,305 Catalinas were built – 2,550 in the US, 731 in Canada, and 24 in Russia. The prototype first flew on March 21, 1935. Two 1,200hp (895kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 Twin Wasp radial engines. Span 104ft 0in (31.7m). Length 63ft 11in. Height 21ft 1in. Wing area 1,400sq ft (130m2). Empty 20,910lb (9,485kg). Loaded 35,420lb. Max speed 196mph (314km/h). Service ceiling 18,100ft (5,517m). Initial climb rate 690ft per min. Range 3,100miles (4,989km). Up to five 0.30in or 0.50in machine guns in nose, blister and waist positions, plus up to 4,000lb bomb load, mines or depth charges. Up to ten – pilot, co-pilot, bow turret gunner, flight engineer, radio operator, navigator, radar operator, two waist gunners, ventral gunner.

Note: performance and weights varied according to role and configuration.

138

PBN-1 versions served with the Soviet Navy

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Spotlight Consolidated

PBY-5A Catalina 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28. 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51

Starboard tailplane Tailplane leading edge de-icing boot Tail navigation light Starboard fabric-covered elevator Elevator tab Rudder trim tab Fabric-covered rudder Tail cone Elevator push-pull control rod Rudder control horn Tail mooring point Lower fin structure integral with tail fuselage Tailplane centre section attachment Upper fin construction Aerial cables Fin leading edge de-icing boot Port tailplane Cooling air intake Rear fuselage frame and stringer construction Ventral tunnel gun hatch 0.3in (762mm) machine gun Fuselage skin plating Target towing reel Flare launch tube Rear fuselage bulkhead Bulkhead door 0.5in beam machine gun Starboard beam gun cupola Cupola opening side window Flexible gun mounting Port beam gun cupola Gunner’s folding seat Semi-circular gun platform Walkway Hull bottom V-frames Wardroom bulkhead Crew rest bunks Wardroom Starboard mainwheel Hull planing bottom step Planing bottom construction Fuselage skin plating Mainwheel housing Hydraulic reaction jack Telescopic leg strut Fore and aft wing support struts Wing mounting centre pylon construction Pylon tail fairing Starboard wing integral fuel tank, capacity 875 US gal (3,312 lit) Fuel jettison pipe 1,000Ib (454kg) bomb

52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65

Smoke generator tank Trailing edge ribs Fabric-covered trailing edge Rear spar Aileron trim tab Starboard retractable wing-tip float Float support struts Retraction linkage Fabric-coverage starboard aileron Static discharge wicks Wing-tip aerial mast Float up-lock Float leg housing Starboard navigation light

66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76

Leading edge de-icing boot Float retracting gear Front spar Wing rib/stringer construction ASV radar aerial Outer wing panel attachment joint Wing lattice ribs Bomb carrier and release unit Two 500Ib bombs Leading-edge nose ribs Position of pitot tube on port wing

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SPOT FACT The PBY-5A was designated OA-10 in USAAF hands 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94

Landing lamp Landing lamp glass shield Starboard engine nacelle fairing Hydraulic accumulator Engine oil tank Fireproof bulkhead Exhaust stub Engine bearer struts Detachable engine cowlings Curtiss Electric three-bladed constant speed propeller, 12ft (3.66m) diameter Propeller hub pitch-change mechanism Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 Twin Wasp two-row radial engine Aerial cable lead-in D/F loop aerial Oil cooler Control runs through pylon front fairing Pylon step Engineer’s control panel

803

95 Flight engineer’s seat 96 Wing mounting fuselage mainframe 97 Radio and radar control units 98 Cabin heater 99 Front cabin walkway 100 Port main undercarriage leg strut 101 Torque scissor links 102 Port mainwheel 103 Mk.13-2 torpedo 104 450Ib depth charge 105 Forward fuselage frame construction 106 Navigator’s seat 107 Radio/radar operator’s seat 108 Radio rack 109 Cabin side window 110 Autopilot servo controller 111 Navigator’s chart table 112 Fuselage chine member 113 Cockpit bulkhead 114 Co-pilot’s seat 115 Pilot’s seat 116 Pilot’s electrical control panel 117 Sliding side window 118 Engine cowling cooling air gills 119 Port engine nacelle 120 Cockpit roof escape hatch

Inside the Consolidated Catalina 121 Overhead throttle and propeller controls 122 Windscreen wipers 123 Curved windscreens 124 Instrument panel 125 Control column yoke and handwheels 126 Rudder panels 127 Cockpit flooring 128 Nose undercarriage hatch doors 129 Nosewheel bay 130 Port aileron 131 Nosewheel 132 Port retractable wing-tip float 133 Float support struts 134 Port navigation lights 135 Leading edge de-icing boot 136 Nosewheel forks 137 Nose undercarriage retraction jack 138 Front gunner/bomb aimer’s station 139 Curtained bulkhead 140 Gunner’s footboards 141 Spare ammunition containers 142 Front rotating gun turret 143 0.3in machine gun 144 Bomb aimer’s instrument panel 145 Drift sight 146 Bomb aiming window with protective blind 147 Anchor cable

PBY-5As were built

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Spotlight Consolidated Catalina

Endurance

and Determination RAF Catalina crews seldom got the praise they deserved for their valour and for carrying our extreme long-range sorties – Graham Pitchfork profiles three tenacious pilots

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SPOT FACT The Catalina was produced from 1936 to 1945

F

lying long and lonely patrols miles from land and safety, the Catalina provided a welcome sight to convoys, ships and those in distress. Its prodigious endurance meant it could remain airborne for close to an astonishing 30 hours. Uncomfortable, noisy and slow, with few modern aids and little by way of rest facilities, Catalinas needed a special breed of aircrew to operate them successfully. The great service given by Catalina crews has received too little recognition: the three men whose experiences are recounted below are typical of many. Former Halton apprentice and RAF College Cranwell flight cadet Percy Hatfield converted to flyingboats and completed a full tour on Saro London biplanes with 202 Squadron. Most of his

2

wartime sorties with 202 were from Gibraltar where he assisted in the destruction of the Italian U-boat Durbo. On his return to Britain in April 1941 he joined 210 Squadron, based at Oban in the northwest of Scotland. The unit had just started to re-equip with Catalinas, and after a handful of conversion sorties Hatfield flew his first convoy escort patrol on April 27. Two days later, with an experienced Catalina pilot as captain, he flew to Sullom Voe in the Shetlands to refuel before departing for a reconnaissance of the coastline between the ports of Hammerfest and Harstad in the extreme north of Norway. The sortie was flown at very low level and a successful recce completed despite heavy anti-aircraft fire. After a 19-hour flight the Catalina alighted at Sullom Voe before returning to Oban.

Men Behind the Catalina The pursuit and sinking of the pocket battleship Bismarck is one of the great epics of naval warfare. Germany’s most powerful warship left the Baltic on May 18, together with the battle-cruiser Prinz Eugen, for a raiding cruise against the convoys of merchant ships crossing the Atlantic. The Royal Navy had been anticipating such a move and dispatched two powerful forces to counter it. On May 24, the battleship HMS Prince of Wales and battle-cruiser HMS Hood intercepted the Bismarck between Greenland and Iceland. After a brief engagement, the Hood blew up, leaving just three survivors from the 1,418 crew, and Bismarck sailed on looking for more prey. German Admiral Günther Lutjens’ tactics to shake off his shadowers finally succeeded in the early hours of May 25. To regain contact, a long-range sweep by Catalinas was

Below

A Catalina of 202 Squadron, seen from another, over the Indian Ocean.

Victoria Crosses were awarded to Catalina/Canso pilots

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SPOT FACT The design of the wingtip stabiliser floats had been licensed from Saunders-Roe

Closing in

After 12 hours in the air, and accurate plotting by navigator Frank Cadman, the crew of O-for-Orange spotted the Bismarck and reported her position just before midnight. Hatfield sought some cloud cover and took the Catalina in for a closer look. On breaking cloud directly above the battleship he was immediately engaged by a dense barrage of multi-coloured tracer and took violent evasive action, which threw LAC Roy Davis, the aircraft’s fitter, from his rest bunk seconds before bullet holes appeared across the full length of his bed. Further hits were sustained to the wing and aerial. Hatfield managed to get clear and took up a shadowing position, remaining to see the gun flashes

Above

Percy Hatfield, second right, with Ensign Rinehart of the US Navy (second left) in a ‘staged’ briefing after the ‘Bismarck’ action. Below

Catalina I W8406 of 210 Squadron at Oban.

organised: 210 Squadron was tasked to provide an aircraft and Hatfield and his crew were called to readiness at the operations room in Dungallan House in Oban. Catalina AH545 from 209 Squadron sighted the Bismarck at 10:30 hours on the morning of May 26 and two hours later Hatfield lifted Mk.I W8416 O-for-Orange off the water at Oban and set a heading for the battleship’s last reported position. Sitting alongside him acting as co-pilot was Ensign Carl Rinehart, a US Navy observer. Based on the earlier report, Swordfish from HMS Ark Royal delivered a torpedo attack, which was unsuccessful. This was fortunate because the navy’s target had mistakenly been the British cruiser HMS Sheffield – so another strike was ordered which damaged the Bismarck’s steering gear, causing her to reduce speed.

“German Admiral Günther Lutjens’ tactics to shake off his shadowers finally succeeded in the early hours of May 25. To regain contact, a longrange sweep by Catalinas was organised...”

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Men Behind the Catalina

which heralded the commencement of the historic and final duel between the Bismarck and the Royal Navy. Soon afterwards, Cadman took an astro-fix (a star ‘shoot’ with a sextant) over the German battleship as it came under fire and, at 03:00, Hatfield turned his damaged Catalina for Oban – but not before he endeavoured to engage an enemy Blohm und Voss flyingboat which had arrived on the scene. By the time W8416 alighted at Oban, the Bismarck was finished. Hatfield and his crew had carved a small piece of history. They had been airborne for almost 27 hours; an endurance record for the Catalina at the time. The following day at Dungallan House, Hatfield and his crew told the London Illustrated News of their part in the Bismarck’s destruction. Surprisingly, there were no awards for him or his men.

Long patrols

More long patrols followed and 16 to 18-hour flights were routine. On July 27 Hatfield took off to provide escort for an outbound convoy to Gibraltar, 300 miles southwest of Land’s End. A U-boat had recently attacked the convoy and, in poor visibility and low cloud, Hatfield spotted a surface craft leaving “a creamy wake and bow wave with a dark object in the centre”.

40

The identity of the vessel was suspect and the Catalina’s challenge received no reply. A flare was dropped showing the gradually disappearing wake, which had been very visible on the black surface. Flying at 200ft, Hatfield dropped a flame float followed by two 450lb depth charges on the estimated position. Unfortunately there was no conclusive result so Hatfield resumed his patrol, eventually alighting at Oban after a 25-hour flight. More long sorties followed including one when Hatfield transported three VIPs to Archangel in northern Russia and returned with a Polish general. Over the next few days he completed two more convoy patrols of more than 20 hours. During August 1941 Hatfield completed no less than 122 hours of flying, recording another 135 hours in October and November. He was then posted for a rest tour as a test pilot at the Marine Experimental Aircraft Establishment at Helensburgh, just north of Dumbarton, Scotland. His only reward after his arduous and successful tour was promotion to squadron leader. Later in the war he commanded a Sunderland squadron and was awarded the DFC. He remained in the RAF after the war and commanded 209 Squadron in Singapore, receiving

the AFC. Percy Hatfield was killed in a civilian flying accident on July 27, 1965.

Malta lifeline

Above

An unusual overhead view of an RAF Catalina.

By the time John Stacey flew his first sortie in a Catalina – on March 30, 1941 – he had already accumulated more than 1,000 hours on the Saro London, Supermarine Stranraer and Short Singapore biplane flyingboats. After completing a tour of operations with 240 Squadron he was posted as an instructor to 4 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit at Invergordon in Scotland, piloting a variety of types. When he was posted to 202 Squadron in the middle of October 1941, Stacey had almost 200 hours on the Catalina. Within a week of his arrival he headed for Gibraltar and on October 26 flew his first convoy escort, a sortie of more than 17 hours. Also based at Gibraltar was the Royal Navy’s Force-H, which had been established to replace French naval power in the Western Mediterranean. In addition to escorting convoys, it also provided escort for aircraft carriers taking Hurricanes and Spitfires to reinforce the beleaguered squadrons on Malta. On November 10, Force-H sailed on Operation Perpetual and headed east with HMS Ark Royal carrying

German U-boats were destroyed by Catalinas

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SPOT FACT An Australian PBY made the first trans-Pacific flight between Australia and Chile in 1951

"At 15:40 the following day a torpedo fired from U-81 hit Ark Royal and the ship had to be abandoned. Stacey took off and carried out a search for the U-boat but nothing was found" Indian Ocean searches

After more patrols escorting Force-H and Mediterranean convoys, 202 Squadron headed for Ceylon in April 1942. The Japanese had achieved some spectacular successes in the Far East and one of its very Top

A surfaced U-boat under attack. Above

John Stacey (centre) with fellow flyingboat pilots. Right

An informal portrait of Jack Holmes.

21 Hurricanes destined for Malta. Stacey and his crew took off on the 12th and carried out a sweep ahead of the fleet. After the Hurricanes had been launched, the Catalina headed back for Gibraltar. At 15:40 the following day a torpedo fired from U-81 hit Ark Royal and the ship had to be abandoned. Stacey took off and carried out a search for the U-boat but nothing was found.

powerful carrier fleets had sailed into the Indian Ocean. Reinforcements, particularly anti-submarine squadrons, were needed urgently and Stacey and his crew left Gibraltar on the 11th bound for Ceylon, refuelling at Aboukir in Egypt, Basra in Iraq and Karachi. After flying two patrols east of Ceylon, Stacey was sent to the Seychelles, in the Indian Ocean off the East African coast. There was a perceived threat that the Vichy French might provide naval facilities for the Japanese on Madagascar. The island was well situated to provide a base from which an enemy might strike at the main Allied sea routes round the Cape of Good Hope to India and Ceylon, and to the Middle East via the Red Sea. Stacey flew anti-submarine patrols from the Seychelles, Mombasa in Kenya and Dar es Salaam in Tanganyika, Africa. At the end of July he was promoted to squadron leader and posted as a flight commander to 205 Squadron, which had just reformed at Koggala in Ceylon. The unit immediately began anti-shipping patrols, interspersed with anti-invasion flights and air-sea rescue sorties.

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Men Behind the Catalina

Fearless captain

On August 26, 1942 Stacey set off to search for survivors of a ship sunk by an enemy submarine, sighting three lifeboats with

4

around 60 passengers. Supplies were dropped and Stacey circled overhead for the next ten hours until a Canadian Catalina relieved him. Four months later the youthful Stacey – he was 22 – was selected for an unusual bombing raid on Sumatra. The headquarters of 222 Group tasked two Catalinas to carry out a reconnaissance of the airfield on the island of Sabang, off the north coast of Sumatra, before bombing the nearby harbour. Stacey took off at lunchtime on December 20 to reach his target, 1,000 miles away, at midnight. After completing the recce without incident he climbed to 4,000ft, selected a line of buildings on the wharf and started divebombing. Light flak met him as he dropped the

four 250-pounders, which his crew saw hit the target. With full power applied, Stacey escaped at low level. He landed after almost 21 hours in the air from a sortie thought to be the longest bombing raid to date at the time. For this attack and his earlier work, he was awarded the DFC and described in the citation as “a fearless captain”. In January 1943 Stacey headed back to East Africa. German U-boat activity had increased in the Indian Ocean and there was a need to reinforce the anti-submarine capability in the region. He flew from various island bases in the area and from Mombasa; and Durban in South Africa, in conjunction with the South African Air Force. In June his long period of operational service on the Catalina came to an end and he left to spend six months as an instructor at the FlyingBoat Conversion Unit at Mombasa. John Stacey returned to operations in March 1944 when he took command of 160 Squadron flying Liberators from Ceylon. He flew some extremely long-range mining and bombing sorties and was awarded the DSO. Remaining in the RAF, he retired in 1976 as an air vice-marshal.

Left

A wartime air-to-air view of an RAF Catalina. Below left

AVM John Stacey shortly before retiring from the RAF. Below

A Catalina of 205 Squadron at its mooring.

Caught on the surface

By the end of 1942 Jack Holmes was already a Coastal Command veteran, having flown almost continuously since the outbreak of war. His service had taken him to Gibraltar in the south and Murmansk in North Russia. His time flying Catalinas with 210 Squadron had earned him the DFC. In January 1943 he and his crew returned to Sullom Voe from a detachment to Gibraltar to find the squadron had expanded during their absence. The additional Catalinas were formed into 190 Squadron and Holmes transferred to the new

RAAF Catalina units were used for mine-laying in the southwest Pacific

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SPOT FACT The Royal Australian Air Force retired the last of its Catalinas in 1952

Hawker Typhoon Right

depth charges. They exploded slightly astern of the U-boat, which stayed on the surface, firing its gun. The Catalina circled warily. On the run in, its hull had been holed, the starboard engine had been hit and the constant speed unit damaged – and, with no further armament, they could do little but report the action as the submarine submerged. The engagement had lasted almost an hour before Holmes headed back for Sullom Voe. He landed close to the slipway and taxied straight in as water began to flood through the hole in the Catalina’s hull.

Jack Holmes jettisoning fuel as his aircraft drifts down to Thomson’s dinghy. Below

Picking up the Thomson crew after their three-day ordeal.

Fortress down

"With improving weather and the sea moderating, Holmes voiced the possibility there was a chance to land and pick up the Fortress crew" unit as a flight commander. On May 30 he and his crew headed for the Faroes-Iceland gap to search for U-boats. They had been on patrol for some hours and Holmes was discussing tactics with the navigator when the second pilot, Fg Off Cecil White, called that he had a surfaced U-boat in sight. Holmes told him to dive and prepare to attack; the U-boat was clearly going to stay on the surface.

Electing to leave White in the lefthand seat, Holmes stood between the two pilots directing the assault. As White dived, corkscrewing to avoid the submarine’s anti-aircraft fire, there was a loud explosion in the front of the hull and smoke and splinters entered the cockpit. On the flight deck, Sgt Wood, was wounded in the head, a splinter hit Holmes’ flying boot and White was grazed, but held on to drop the six Mk.XI

Two weeks later, on June 14, Holmes wandered into the operations room and looked at the large wall chart of the North Atlantic. He noticed the ringed symbol for a dinghy somewhere to the west of the Faroes and southeast of Iceland. Aboard this was the crew of Fortress II FA704 shot down two days earlier. Wg Cdr Ronald Thomson, the CO of 206 Squadron, and his crew of eight had attacked and sunk the U-417. Return fire had disabled three engines of his Fortress and the crew managed to transmit an SOS before he ditched the aircraft. Thomson climbed onto the port wing and unfolded the dinghy, which had started to inflate; the starboard dinghy must have been damaged as it failed to inflate and was abandoned. Just as the last man was hauled aboard, the Fortress reared up and started to sink, almost taking the crew with it. They had had no time to collect the emergency rations and equipment. A few hours later a US Navy PBY5A made an attempt to pick up the crew but crashed while alighting with the loss of all the crew bar one. Coastal Command aircraft kept up a

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Men Behind the Catalina constant patrol over the dinghy but bad weather prevented any further attempt to land on the sea and pick up the survivors.

Epic rescue

With improving weather and the sea moderating, Holmes voiced the possibility there was a chance to alight and pick up the Fortress crew. After discussing the option with the staff at HQ 19 Group, it was agreed he should make an attempt. With eight men to pick up, Holmes realised he must keep the weight on his aircraft down. He decided to defuel

his Catalina (Mk.IB FP102) to leave just sufficient for the return journey, with a little to spare, and unload the depth charges before seeking a skeleton crew of volunteers. He took off from Sullom Voe before first light. As the Catalina passed the Faroes, the sea looked angry with white caps forming but conditions started to improve as they headed further north. Approaching the area at 11:00, a Fortress, which was in visual contact with the dinghy, made a series of transmissions enabling the Catalina to make a homing using its Bendix radio compass. Navigator Fg Off C White suddenly spotted the circling Fortress and the pathetically small dinghy below. Holmes realised the sea conditions would not improve so he decided to attempt a landing. He rejected the first two approaches before, on the third attempt, he found a swell that was suitable. At this stage, the instruction on fully stalled landings he had received from a US Navy pilot proved invaluable. Holmes put the Catalina down with the nose

20

held high. The aircraft hit a wave with a loud bang and stopped very quickly without any damage. The crew could not see the dinghy but it suddenly rose on the swell. Holmes commented in his report: “I caught sight of its brave little flag and gradually crabbed over to its position.” Holmes cut the engines and a line was thrown to the survivors before they were brought alongside the flying-boat. Exhausted after spending 3½ days in a dinghy designed for four, the eight men were taken on board and the weakest placed in the bunk as the others sat on the floor.

Alone and silent

Holmes realised the Catalina was far too heavy for take-off so he jettisoned 140 gallons (636 litres) of fuel, leaving just enough to reach the Shetlands. He graphically outlined the almost surreal position he and his crew found themselves in: “With all aboard it was a strange experience, a single flying-boat, alone and silent, floating in the middle of the North Atlantic at 64° north. Luckily the engines started on the button. The swell now seemed like small hills, rolling towards us; it was no cricket pitch. “At full throttle in fine pitch the Twin Wasp engines screamed like a swarm of their namesakes. We breasted a swell, roared down a valley, up the next long swell, and staggered into the air with relieved cheers all round. It was a moment of exaltation. It would not be a good thing to attempt with, say, twothirds fuel load and depth charges aboard.” On the long return flight, Holmes was requested to fly on

to Invergordon but his fuel state dictated a landing at Sullom Voe. He was also anxious to land the survivors as soon as possible as one of them was in a poor way and needed medical attention. Six hours after picking up the survivors, the Catalina landed and the Fortress crew were rushed to the sick quarters where they were found to be in remarkable condition and spirits considering their ordeal crammed in an open dinghy. Holmes was full of praise for Wg Cdr Thomson who had maintained a strict routine in the dinghy and maintained the morale of his crew. Thomson was later awarded the DFC to add to a DSO of a few months earlier. He went on to have a long and successful career in the RAF, retiring as an air vice-marshal. For his role in this dramatic rescue Holmes was awarded a Bar to his DFC. The citation concluded: “This officer displayed superb airmanship and great determination throughout.” Over the next two months, Holmes flew more anti-U-boat patrols before his second tour came to an end in August 1943. For the rest of the war, he served at the Air Ministry and the RAF Staff College. He remained in the RAF after the war and retired as an air commodore in 1967.

Above

Inside the cockpit of a typical RAF Catalina. Left

A Catalina at 'rest' on the water.

-hour missions were common for RAAF Catalina mine-laying operations

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Spotlight Consolidated Catalina

Up at Sunrise Artwork

Consolidated Catalina Mk.IB FP244 ‘Altair Star’ (G-AGFM), one of the five ‘Double Sunrise’ aircraft. TED WILLIAMS-2015

C

Ted Williams artwork of a Catalina that flew long distance passenger flights during World War Two

onsolidated Catalinas fulfilled a great many roles during the war – one of the more unusual was as a longdistance airliner and freight carrier, operated by Royal Australian Air Force personnel seconded to Qantas. The aim was to re-establish the air link between Australia and England that had been cut by advancing Japanese forces. Regular services from Swan River in Perth to Koggala in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) were set up. Our subject, Catalina IB FP244

Altair Star was one of five aircraft used for this purpose. The others were named Rigel Star, Spica Star, Vega Star and Antares Star after the stars used for navigation – celestial route finding was essential for radio silence to be maintained over enemy patrolled waters. Taking between 27 and 32 hours, the weekly flights crossed occupied territory during darkness. Those aboard could observe the sun coming up twice, leading to the service being nicknamed ‘Double Sunrise’.

Passengers completing the 4,100 mile journey were even presented with a certificate, proclaiming them to be members of the ‘Secret Order of the Double Sunrise’. The flights operated without loss between June 1943 and July 1945. At the end of the war, all five machines were scuttled at sea under the terms of the lend-lease agreement with the US Government. Qantas founder Wilmot Hudson Fysh described the demise of the aircraft as: “a dismal fate for these splendid boats, which for

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SPOT FACT Catalinas remained in service with Qantas until November 1958

Catalina in profile

two long years saw us through our most hazardous operation ever without accident or mishap of any kind.” A 30-minute documentary film titled Return Of The Catalina was produced in 2013 to mark the 70th anniversary of the crossings. It was released on DVD on August 22, 2015. For more information see: www.returnofthecatalina.com With thanks to Qantas: www.qantas. com.au

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successful crossings were made by the ‘Double Sunrise’ Catalinas

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Spotlight Consolidated Catalina

Tide

Turning the

Long-range Catalinas were vital in the vast expanses of the Pacific. Warren E Thompson describes action in two very different regions

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SPOT FACT VP-11F and VP-12 were the first units to receive Catalinas, in 1936 and 1937

Catalina in combat

F

lorida, Iceland, Puerto Rico – within the space of 18 months US Navy patrol squadron VP-1 was based in three very different climes. That was the nature of the work; go where the threat was and engage in long, tedious, patrols with little chance of contacting the submarine enemy while hoping the very presence of a PBY Catalina acted as a deterrent. While based in Puerto Rico in the mid-war years, VP-1’s Lt Samuel C Hair – one of the unit’s senior pilots – was detached to Coco Solo, Panama, where the enemy potentially lurked in wait as shipping entered the Panama Canal.

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Left

The ‘blister’ gun position on a PBY at Pensacola in 1942. DAVE MENARD Below left

Lt Sam Hair piloting a VP-1 PBY, taking off from the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, in 1943. SAM HAIR

Catalinas were built in total

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SPOT FACT Catalina crews spotted the Japanese fleet approaching Midway Island, beginning the Battle of Midway

Above

A VP-1 Catalina flying over Panama in 1942. SAM HAIR Right

A gunner scanning the ocean looking for Japanese shipping off the coast of Guadalcanal in late 1942. DAVE MENARD

They were fighting against submarines from two nations – Japanese in Pacific waters, German in the Caribbean. All of the PBYs carried 4,000lb of depth charges just in case they happened on an enemy vessel.

Ten pairs of eyes

Lt Hair reminisces about those days guarding both entrances of the Panama Canal as being mostly frustrating work. He said: “The Catalinas carried a crew of ten and that gave us a total of 20 eyes to look for subs, enemy shipping and downed crewmen. I was told during training that the aircraft was designed to keep the pilot’s eyes off the instrument panel and allow him to spend most of his flying time looking out. The gauges were all monitored by the flight engineer, which helped keep the pilot’s eyeballs focused on the ocean. “The area patrolled out of Coco Solo during our period there was roughly north as far as Jamaica and from the west coast of Nicaragua. Convoys and single ships approaching the canal from points within this area were given air coverage for varying numbers of hours, depending on the interception distance. The Germans were always a threat in the area as some of the ships were coming through the Panama Canal from the west coast of the US and delivering material to the British.

“The Germans were always a threat in the area as some of the ships were coming through the Panama Canal from the west coast of the US and delivering material to the British” “The PBYs were fairly well adapted to the mission. Their range was up to 2,000 miles or 15 hours aloft, with a maximum fuel load. The amount of work done by German subs in our area was tremendous. “In December 1943, one of the ships we were guarding got

torpedoed. We could not get there before the submarine had gone under and that was the story most of the time. That U-boat was probably the only one working in our area, but we could not get a fix on his position. “We did not have enough PBYs to cover the area and the bulk of them

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Catalina in combat were used in the Pacific. During the first two weeks of December 1943, there were 15 convoy coverages made, covering 38 operational flights or about 300 flying hours. “Trying to catch the U-boats on the surface was a problem. The ships they hit were any freighters coming out of [the canal zone] as many were from smaller countries hauling produce bound for the US. Very few of these were heading toward Europe. “We were close on many of the calls, but by the time we were overhead, they had disappeared under the surface. On some occasions, we dropped depth charges in their area, but with no results.”

Left

Lt Sam Hair at the controls of his PBY-5 over the east end of the Panama Canal. SAM HAIR Below

A Catalina of VP-44 ready to embark on a search for the Japanese fleet, Midway, June 3, 1942. TAILHOOK ASSOCIATION

Find the fleet

Meanwhile, in the Pacific, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, commander of the Japanese combined fleet, had devised a plan to drive the remaining ships of the US Pacific Fleet into the open so they could be destroyed. By invading Midway, 1,300 miles northwest of the Hawaiian Islands, the Americans would have to commit what few carriers they had to protect the island. While the raid on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 had

125

mph was the PBY-5A’s typical cruise speed

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SPOT FACT Catalinas and B-17s were the only US aircraft with effective range in the early years of the Pacific campaign Right to left

The crew of a PBY-5A. RICHARD STARINCHAK

An Aleutian-based Catalina loaded with depth charges. RICHARD STARINCHAK

Taking off from the Galápagos Islands, a PBY ready for a long patrol over the eastern part of the Caribbean Sea. SAM HAIR

devastated the US Navy, a crucial element of the plan was unfulfilled. None of the carriers had been caught in that attack. Japanese intelligence determined the US had two ‘flat tops’ left so Yamamoto sailed with four aircraft carriers plus a large fleet of cruisers and battleships. Unbeknown by the Japanese, Admiral Chester Nimitz and his cryptanalysts had broken the JN-25 naval code and in late May 1942 learned of the Japanese plan to take Midway. Admiral Raymond Spruance headed the US response,

ordering the carriers USS Enterprise and USS Hornet to go to Midway. The USS Yorktown followed two days later after some quick repairs were made. With their exceptional endurance, PBY Catalinas were vital to the US fleet as it headed across the Pacific for the confrontation. Providing daily long-range, reconnaissance patrols, the PBYs monitored the Japanese Navy, while risking encountering Mitsubishi Betty bombers flying from Wake Island. On May 30 a Catalina got into

a fight with a Betty and managed to escape. Later that day, a PBY of VP-23 had a close encounter with two Bettys with almost fatal consequences. When it limped back to Eastern Island, groundcrew counted 175 holes in the wings, props, engine and fuselage. It was very probably not a onesided fight. During the clash the PBY had unleashed 400 rounds of 0.30 calibre and 300 of 50-cal. Despite that there was no noticeable damage to the Bettys as they headed back toward Wake.

3,

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Catalina in combat

At 0300hrs on June 3, the crews of 22 PBYs – ten from VP-44, the remainder from VP-23 – rolled out of their beds and were given orders to find the Japanese fleet. Since arriving on May 23, VP-44 had been flying patrols as far out as 700 miles every day. Operating from Sand Island, part of Midway chain, VP-23 had a fleet of 15 PBY-5As and 14 PBY-5s. Ensign Jack Reid was in the right position to spot the Japanese armada en route to Midway on June 3. He recalls a mission that forced them to

3,443

go beyond their range to pull it off: “We began flying an exhausting 700 miles covering a semi-circular area extending from due north through west, to the south of Midway. “In this area, other PBYs had run into Japanese patrol bombers that were flying from enemy air bases from Wake Island, at the extreme northeastern ends of their searches. These encounters were frequent because the enemy were not flying very far from their home base. “The previously night, I had ‘requisitioned’ some blue-nosed

50-cal bullets [for his Catalina’s gunners] that the B-17 crews swore would tear apart the Japanese patrol bombers. My navigator and I, Ensign Robert Swan, decided to push the search a little further.”

Above

A PBY-5 departing Eastern Island on a patrol from Midway. WARREN BODIE

Distant specks

“Suddenly, far out to the west, I spotted some small specks in the distance. I asked my co-pilot to have look see and I added: ‘Do you see what I see?’ He stared at the sight for a few seconds and said: ‘You’re damn right I do!’ A much larger convoy

miles were flown by the XPBY-1 in May 1936, setting a distance record

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SPOT FACT ‘PB’ stood for ‘Patrol Bomber’ and Y was the code given to Consolidated

Hawker Typhoon

Above

A gunner preparing to climb on board a Catalina at Corpus Christi, Texas, for another mission over the Gulf of Mexico. CONSOLIDATED

of Japanese ships were heading straight for Midway.” It was an impressive looking fleet to a PBY pilot, but it did not contain Admiral Nagumo’s group of four carriers. Reid sent a signal: “Sighted main body, bearing 262, distance 700 miles” and back came the order ‘Amplify!’ At that, Reid went down low,

and as quickly as the Catalina would allow. He assumed this large an armada would also include Mitsubishi ‘Zero’ fighters that would cut his flying-boat to pieces. Reid turned the Catalina north and stayed on that course for 15 minutes. He kept his aircraft low and continued for at least 25 miles until he was safely behind the enemy

ships. He then flew south and while taking advantage of some rather scarce cloud cover, gained enough altitude to once again spot the naval task force: identifying two small carriers and some other ships. (This force was a different group from the first one Reid had spotted, but he didn’t realise that.) Although they were at the Catalina’s maximum range, Reid asked his navigator to see if they had enough fuel to stay airborne a few minutes more. Calculations revealed with careful handling another three hours airborne was possible. They kept on station as long as they could and then successfully headed home. Early on the morning of June 4, PBYs found the main carrier force and the US fleet went into the attack. Although 36 out of 42 torpedobombers launched were lost, the strike force was successful as the Japanese carriers Akagi, Hiryu, Kaga and Soryu were sunk. The Japanese lost 322 aircraft along with 5,000 sailors. American losses amounted to 147 aircraft and 300 seamen. Admiral Nimitz had timed his strike to perfection. The Battle of Midway proved the tide could be turned, with the help of the trusty Catalina.

Above

A PBY amid the basic surroundings of an Aleutian airstrip. RICHARD STARINCHAK

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Spotlight

Catalina Survivor

Consolidated Catalina ‘Miss Pick Up’ in Worksop College Operation World First livery at Akureyri, Iceland, during July 2015 en route to Constable Point, Greenland. DAVID LEGG

Spotlight Next Month Westland Lysander Next month, Spotlight focuses on the distinctive Westland Lysander, a machine capable of impressive short take-off and landing performance, an attribute that served it well in its most famous role. As well as being used to drop off and collect agents operating in enemy territory, the Lysander could also be armed and was used in a number of military roles in World War Two. We reflect on the Lysander’s history in our December issue, on sale in the UK on November 1 – see page 26 for our latest money-saving subscription offers.

Miss Pick Up The Catalina Society’s David Legg profiles Duxford’s airworthy PBY

D

uxford-based Catalina G-PBYA, known as Miss Pick Up, has been an established performer on the European display circuit since 2004. In a varied career, it has flown as a genuine ‘warbird’ and transport aircraft, serving firstly with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), then flying as a fire-fighting water bomber in Canada, France and Chile and, most recently, as a muchloved airshow performer. In the latter role, it has travelled north to Arctic Norway and Iceland, to Ireland in the west, Moscow in the east and as far south as Barcelona. G-PBYA was built for the RCAF by Canadian Vickers at Cartierville, Quebec, as a Canso A (equivalent to the US Navy’s PBY-5A) and in military service flew with the serial 11005. It saw active duty on Canada’s west coast during World War Two and flew in more peaceful

roles post-war until being placed in storage in 1959. These days it is painted to represent a USAAF OA-10A Catalina that was based at Halesworth in Suffolk circa 1945 on air-sea rescue duties with the Eighth Air Force. The original Miss Pick Up was destroyed by a Messerschmitt Me 262 jet after engine problems prevented it from becoming airborne following a rescue attempt on the North Sea. July 2015 saw G-PBYA undertake its biggest adventure yet when it transported a party of students and leaders on Worksop College’s Operation World First from Loch Lomond in Scotland to Greenland and back. It successfully completed some gruelling flying over hostile seas and mountains and onto remote lakes. You can support Miss Pick Up by joining The Catalina Society – see www.cataline.org.uk

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AIRSHOW DUXFORD

A re-enactment of a Duxford scramble.

The BBMF’s Spitfire Vb flying with Eurofighter Typhoon ZK349.

Spitfire Vb BM597 and Mk.IX RR232 getting airborne.

Below and right

A formation of Spitfires and Seafires flying over the BBMF line-up at Duxford. ALL DARREN HARBAR

The Many Remember The Few A

fter several spectacular Battle of Britain commemorations at such historically significant places as Biggin Hill and Goodwood (formerly Westhampnett), anticipation was certainly high for Duxford’s climatic, end of season event. Held over the weekend of

September 19 and 20, tickets for the Sunday show sold out several weeks up front, with Saturday’s sales not far behind. Thankfully blessed with fine weather, the scene was set for a glorious and immensely emotional salute to The Few, the relatively

small band of pilots who valiantly fought off the Luftwaffe in the summer and autumn of 1940. With numerous Supermarine Spitfires and Hawker Hurricanes participating, the weekend certainly did not disappoint – highlights included dramatic scrambles, evocative flypasts and

stirring solo displays. It’s almost impossible to single out particular aircraft or pilots for special praise. All played an equally significant part, ensuring that this special tribute will live long in the memory. The opening ‘Messerschmitt attack’ and

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The RAF’s Red Arrows display team flying with the BBMF.

Tickets for Duxford’s Battle of Britain Anniversary Air Show sold out weeks in advance – and the event lived up to Steve Beebee’s expectation consequent ‘scramble’ is one image that has stayed in the mind of this writer, along with the concluding Spitfire formation flypasts and tail chases, but everyone will have their favourites. On the Sunday, six Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF)

fighters departed Duxford to fly over Westminster Abbey, where a service attended by several veterans had just taken place. Ultimately, this salute was staged not for us, the many, but for these gentlemen and of course their brothers-in-arms who are no longer with us.

From the men and women who built and maintained the aircraft in 1940, plus those who battled to keep communication links and radar operational, to the tactical genius of the ‘top brass’, all played an invaluable role in a conflict that ranks among the most significant

events in British history. If The Few are fading, then the embers of their achievement leave us with a glow of reassurance. An understanding that when anything less would result in tyranny and hatred, people can and will stand together. And that once, we did.

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AIRSHOW GERMANY

Hamburg’s H

amburg Airport’s eagerly awaited 2015 Airports Days were held over the weekend of August 22/23 and attracted over 80,000 visitors. The show takes place every four years and although there was less flying than at previous events – mainly because the international airport remains open throughout – there were still a great number of displays for the crowds to enjoy. The German military provided a Lockheed P-3C Orion, a pollution

transport

control Dornier 228 and several helicopters, while a Boeing E-3A AWACS from the NATO squadron at Geilenkirchen was also on static display. For the classic aircraft enthusiast, sightseeing flights were available in Breitling’s Lockheed Super Constellation (HB-RSC), Red Bull’s Douglas DC-6 and Lufthansa’s Junkers Ju 52M/3 (also see News), while Nord Noratlas F-AZVM of the Association Le Noratlas

fest

de Provence performed an impressive flying display. There was also an airworthy de Havilland Dove (D-INKA) in LufttransportUnternehmen colours, and the Catalina PBY Foundation’s Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina PH-PBY. Smaller aircraft included a pair of Zlin Z-526s (‘DM-WQH’ and ‘DM-WKX’), a Waco YKS-7 (NC16512), Yak-50 (T7-III) and Peter Bishop’s Miles M38 Messenger 2A (G-AJWB) and M11A Whitney Straight (G-AERV), which are both

locally based. More modern participants included an Airbus A300-600ST Beluga and the same company’s Advanced Technical Research Aircraft, the A320 ATRA, which is operated by the German aerospace centre.

Above left

Breitling’s Lockheed Super Constellation HB-RSC performed a number of sightseeing flights over the weekend. Above

Miles M38 Messenger 2A G-AJWB is owned by local English businessman Peter Bishop. Left

Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina PH-PBY departing for Holland on the Sunday afternoon. Below

Yakovlev Yak-50 T7-III is painted in quasimilitary markings.

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Tony Dixon attended a special event in Germany that featured a wide variety of aircraft, including several classic airliners

There were two Boeing 707s on display. One example in Lufthansa colours was towed from its usual location in the northeast corner of the airport, while a NATO E-3A arrived from Geilenkirchen, with both open to the public. ALL KEY-TONY DIXON Nord Noratlas F-AZVM from the Association Le Noratlas de Provence performed a spirited flying display.

Left

Locally based Miles M11A Whitney Straight G-AERV was flown by Charles Lindbergh in the 1930s.

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AIRSHOW ROUND UP

Home and Away A selection of images from recent airshows both in the UK and the US

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Top left

Mike DeMarino flying the Planes of Fame Air Museum’s Curtiss-built Republic P-47G Thunderbolt 42-25254 (NX3395G) at the Wings Over Camarillo Airshow in California on August 23. FRANK B MORMILLO

Top right

Bristol Blenheim I L6739 (G-BPIV) flying over the sea near Beachy Head during Airbourne, the Eastbourne International Airshow, on August 14. Above

Although the days of Harrier displays may be over in the UK, an appreciative crowd witnessed a taxying demonstration by a pair of Sea Harriers at the recent RNAS Culdrose Air Day. LIAM SHAW

Above

A dramatic view of Avro Vulcan B.2 XH558 over the English Channel during August 14’s Eastbourne International Airshow. Above left and far left

The 10th annual Victory Show was held at Foxlands Farm, Cosby, Leicestershire, on the weekend of September 5-6, and it proved to be a superb event. Among the many highlights was an impressive display by Supermarine Seafire LF.IIIc PP972 (G-BUAR) and an equally welcome performance by the B-17 Preservation’s Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, ‘Sally B’. ALL PHOTOS BY JAMIE EWAN UNLESS NOTED Left

Built by The Vintage Aviator Ltd, an Albatros D.Va reproduction ‘starred’ at the Stow Maries Heritage Fly-in. DAVID DAVIES

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FROM THE WORKSHOP CANADIAN WARPLANE HERITAGE

Hamilton’s Hive V

isitors to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum at Hamilton Airport, south of Toronto, cannot fail to be impressed by the number of airworthy types in the collection. The emphasis is firmly on this being a ‘living’ museum with passenger flights in warbirds an almost daily occurrence during the summer months. Within the hangars there’s a hive of activity on view to all visitors. This includes three very significant restorations. Longest-

running is the return to flight of Bolingbroke IVT 10117, civil registration C-GCWO. Under the co-ordination of Wayne Ready, this project is a significant one for Canadian Warplane Heritage (CWH), as the Bolingbroke was an important Royal Canadian Air Force type during World War Two. A development of the Blenheim IV, Bolingbrokes were built by Fairchild Aircraft in Quebec from 1939. The type had a number of roles in Canada, but most were used as bombing and gunnery trainers,

preparing a large number of RAF aircrew for ‘ops’ with Bomber and Coastal Command. A total of 626 were produced in Canada.

Farmyard airframes The Bolingbroke project is based on the remains of eight airframes that were salvaged from farms in the Manitoba area during the 1980s. Wayne explained to FlyPast that work started in 1986 and is progressing well: “When acquired by CWH, three of the recovered donor airframes were almost complete,

but the others were sections with various chunks missing. “Each was broken down to recover all the useable parts, and these have now been catalogued, stored and used as needed. The biggest section of original Bolingbroke that has been incorporated is the fuselage of 10117, which will form the identity of the flying aircraft.” Once complete, the Bolingbroke will be painted appropriately in the colours of an example from 119 ‘City of Hamilton’ Squadron.

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Darren Harbar reports from Ontario on the latest Canadian Warplane Heritage restoration projects Wayne said: “We have six Bristol Mercury engines in various states that will be used to produce two airworthy powerplants. One is currently being worked on in California, and the other will follow in turn. Work is progressing well on the engine mounts and cowling flaps, which have been meticulously put together and are ready for fitting once the engines are ready. “With the airframe, the biggest job was replacing all the steel used in the spars, as the originals were badly corroded. This required us

sourcing some specialised steel, which we managed to get made locally, and new tools also had to be manufactured in order to form the steel for the replacement front and rear spars. “With this done, which was a bit of a brute, we could then put the centre section back together. The rear fuselage and tail have all now been restored and fitted. The nose has also been attached and the cockpit is more than half complete, with various instruments and systems yet to be installed.

Top

The Bolingbroke’s cockpit is already fitted out with a number of systems, flying controls and seating for the flight crew. Left

The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum’s Bolingbroke project on July 27, 2015. ALL DARREN HARBAR

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FROM THE WORKSHOP CANADIAN WARPLANE HERITAGE Considerable work has gone into overhauling GCWO’s undercarriage and associated ancillaries.

Clockwise from above

Excellent progress is being made on the Grumman Avenger and it is expected to be the next ‘flyer’ to emerge from the CWH workshop. Much of the Avenger’s cockpit has been completed and instrumentation will be fitted once the aircraft’s systems are in place. The Avenger’s overhauled weapon’s bay.

“The rudder and elevators are already covered and ready, but we’ll leave them off until later in the rebuild to ensure they don’t get damaged. The undercarriage legs and all the hydraulics for the gear are in place. “All the glass has been done, and for this we had to build our own moulds. There were a few attempts on some panels to get them right before we ended up with the final panels. The glazing has also been done for the rear turret, which is now ready to fit. It is hoped that the turret will be able to move once the aircraft flies, but this may well be dictated by it potential passenger-carrying options.” One of the biggest chunks yet to be started are the mainplanes. Wayne explained: “We have had the right-hand wing in the jig and found that it’s sadly not suitable for airworthy restoration. Thankfully, we had others in storage, and have found a candidate that we think will be suitable. We’ll get this into the jig as soon as we can, and get the wings started.”

Fire-bomber Alongside the Bolingbroke is the CWH Avenger restoration. This was acquired in 2009, filling the gap left when the previous airframe was lost in the 1993 hangar fire. This machine was built by General Motors for the US Navy as TBM-3E 53858 in 1945. After its military career, 53858 was converted into a spray plane as N3357G, serving from 1963 to 1972 in California. It was purchased in 1976 by Forest Protection of New Brunswick and modified for firefighting duties with the call sign Fire 4 and the Canadian registration C-GFPR. In 2000 the Avenger passed into the hands of a French collector and registered as F-WQDN. It never made the trip to Europe and was acquired by CWH, becoming C-GCWG. Glen Craigie has been a volunteer on the Avenger project from the start and he talked FlyPast through the work so far. “When the aircraft arrived with us on two flatbed lorries it was in potentially flyable condition - to the point we could run the engine.

“It did however need a lot doing to it, so the first task was to strip it down and soda blast it to remove all the paint. Because its previous role was as a firefighter, the bomb bay doors were no longer in place, as the belly had been filled with a large tank. This had been removed before the aircraft was delivered to us, but the thin skins and rusty hinge pins that were used to fix the tank, needed to be removed. “We then had to make a new bomb bay and doors, which included the actuators and cockpit controls. The associated plumbing for the spray systems also had to be removed, which left some significant holes in the skins these needed replacing.”

‘Avengually’ “We wanted to restore the Avenger as a Canadian AS.3 model, which necessitated a number of new modifications. Although the rear turret had long gone, any fixtures and fixings that were common to a TBM-3E needed to be removed and replaced by the sloping canopy AS.3 configuration.

“When it came to the wings, we had a number of challenges due to missing parts. The locking mechanisms and actuators had long been discarded as the fire bombers didn’t want the excess weight. We had to source replacement parts for the wingfold systems, including the engine driven hydraulic pump. “Both undercarriage legs have been stripped, overhauled and had new seals installed. The engine was in really good shape and had low hours, which meant we needed to do little work on it. The baffles and rocker covers were taken off; we cleaned up the gear case and various small components went away for overhaul. We’ve had the propeller overhauled and that’s now ready to be rehung on the engine. “All that now remains to be done is to tie up the systems and finish the cockpit installation. I’ve always said that the project will be ready to fly ‘Avengually’, but that’s now looking rather imminent. After a few shakedown flights we can think about painting her in Canadian Navy colours as Navy 324.”

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“We wanted to restore the Avenger as a Canadian AS.3 model, which necessitated a number of new modifications”

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FROM THE WORKSHOP CANADIAN WARPLANE HERITAGE

Parts of the Tracker’s complex cockpit have been stripped out to allow access to the wiring and pipework. Grumman CS2F-3 Tracker C-GNVY, which is two years into a total restoration.

Maritime patroller Intensive work is taking place at the far end of the hangar, where the most modern and indeed complex of the projects is progressing. Completing a timeline of Canadian maritime reconnaissance, including the Firefly and Avenger, Grumman CS2F-3 Tracker C-GNVY will provide an interesting warbird experience. The twin-engined anti-submarine patroller was built under licence by de Havilland Canada at Downsview and it served with the Royal Canadian Navy as 1577. It operated from the carrier HMCS Bonaventure and was shore-based at Shearwater from 1960 to 1969. Declared surplus in 1993, the Tracker arrived at the museum in 1997 after 23 years as an instructional airframe at Borden, Ontario. Restoration started in 2013 and the airframe has needed little work. The museum has managed to source a large number of parts, including zero-time engines and overhauled propellers, which

“The twin-engined anti-submarine patroller was built under licence by de Havilland Canada at Downsview and it served with the Royal Canadian Navy as 1577” saved money. The undercarriage has been overhauled and the engine mounts have all been nondestructive tested. The engine nacelles are 80% complete and

work is currently focussing on the wings, with the installation of the flying controls. At the current pace the Tracker, one of the youngest airframes in

the CWH fleet, could be flying as soon as next year. Then the next candidate for restoration will take the Tracker’s place - there’s no rest at the Hamilton workshop!

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‡%8< 9,(:$//$9$,/$%/(672&.21/,1(

WW2 OR B AT T L EDESERTER O F B R I TA I N B IPATRIOT? GGIN HILL

A HARD DAY’S F PARTICIPANTS AUGUST 18, 2015 AIRCRAFT:

OWNED OR OPERATED BY:

Spitfire I X4650

Comanche Warbirds

Spitfire I `P3708`

Spitfire The One

Spitfire Vb EP120

The Fighter Collection

Spitfire Vb BM597

Historic Aircraft Collection

Spitfire Vc EE602

Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar

Spitfire IX TA805

Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar

Spitfire IX MK356

RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight

Spitfire IX MH434

Old Flying Machine Company

D

espite some inclement weather, 17 Supermarine Spitfires and five Hawker Hurricanes got airborne from Biggin Hill on August 18. The event was staged to mark the 75th anniversary of ‘the hardest day’, a gruelling series of air battles that resulted in the greatest number of casualties to both sides during the Battle of Britain. Several veterans – including Sqn Ldr Tony Pickering, who flew from Biggin Hill with 32 Squadron in 1940 – were among around 3,000 visitors attending the Greater London airfield. Formations of aircraft subsequently flew over several locations that were key to the battle, including Gravesend, the Solent and Dover, before returning to Biggin Hill.

Spitfire IX RR232

Martin Phillips

Spitfire Tr.9 MJ627

Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar

Spitfire Tr.9 SM520

Boultbee Flight Academy

Spitfire Tr.9 ML407

Carolyn Grace

Spitfire XI PL965

Hangar 11 Collection

Spitfire XIV MV268

The Fighter Collection

Spitfire XVI TE184

Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar

Spitfire XVI RW382

Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar

Seafire III PP972

Air Leasing

Hurricane I `P2921`

Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar

Hurricane I R4118

Peter and Polly Vacher

Hurricane IIc PZ865

RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight

DARREN HARBAR

Hurricane XII `P3700`

Historic Aircraft Collection

Below

Sea Hurricane Ib Z7015

Shuttleworth Collection

Also present was North American P–51D Mustang G–SHWN (painted to represent Mustang IV KH774 of the RAF`s 112 Squadron).

Right

An impressive collection of Spitfires and Hurricanes assembled at Biggin Hill on August 18.

Re-enactors pose with Hawker Hurricane I ‘P2921’ on August 18. RICHARD HALL

The aircraft flew a series of flypasts at several locations. DARREN HARBAR

75

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FLIGHT

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A LARGE FORMATION OF SPITFIRES AND HURRICANES TOOK OFF FROM BIGGIN HILL TO COMMEMORATE AN IMPORTANT ANNIVERSARY

01/09/2015 16:23

GLORY DAYS PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORIES

Meteors of ‘ Malling

For ten years West Malling was home to the jets of 500 ‘County of Kent’ Squadron. Robin Brooks profiles the ‘weekend’ fliers Top right

Re-formed as part of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, 500 Squadron took delivery of nightfighter Mosquitos in April 1947 at West Malling and operated Spitfire F.22s briefly in 1948. The unit then converted to Gloster Meteors, in turn F.3s (1948-1951), F.4s (1951-1952) and F.8s (1951-1957). Two F.8s carried the code letter ‘F’ and the name ‘Folkestone’ – WA988 (illustrated) and, from late 1956, WK855. Above

A massed formation of 500 Squadron Meteor F.8s led by the CO, Sqn Ldr Desmond de Villiers, in WF714 ‘K’ in 1953. GLOSTER AIRCRAFT–RUSSELL ADAMS

Right

The Royal Auxiliary Air Force was disbanded on March 10, 1957 and No.500 marked the end of this incredible era with a march through Maidstone. RAF WEST MALLING

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Conservative MP and later Prime Minister (seated second from left) Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Eden, was 500 Squadron’s Honorary Air Commodore. He’s seen during a visit to a summer camp at Thorney Island, 1949, with a Meteor T.7 as a backdrop. EVENING NEWS AND HAMPSHIRE TELEGRAPH

Refuelling a Meteor F.8 at Ta Qali, Malta, 1953. The unit flash was very distinctive: either side of the roundel, a dark blue rectangle with a green zig-zag outlined in white.

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The RAF looks for a new maritime reconnaissance aircraft and Avro creates the final derivative of its legendary Lancaster design.

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FLYPOST

Competition Time!

FlyPast, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincs, PE9 1XQ, UK email: [email protected]

Lockheed C-121G Constellation 54-4062 with the Wyoming ANG in the late 1960s. VIA ANDY THOMAS

‘Connie’ in the Spotlight How good to see one of the less fashionable ‘support’ types covered in the Spotlight section – I refer to the coverage of the elegant C-121 Constellation in the September issue. I am pretty sure that in the background of the internal shot of the USAF EC-121 on page 78 is Capt Don Newton, who in the early 1980s served on an exchange tour on RAF AEW Shackletons with 8 Squadron – an equally noisy, if far less roomy type. I also enjoyed Warren Thompson’s story about the US

Navy ‘Connies’. After they were withdrawn, some were transferred to the US Air National Guard, and one of those was 54-4062 which originally served with the US Navy as an R7V-1. It later flew in its C-121G guise with the 187 Airlift Squadron of the Wyoming ANG from 1963 to 1970. The only other military operator was the Indian Air Force which used some for maritime patrol work during the 1960s and 1970s. They replaced World War Two vintage Liberators. ANDY THOMAS, SLEAFORD, LINCS

Lockheed L-1049G Constellation BG579 of the Indian Air Force’s 6 Squadron during a visit to Northolt, London, in 1969. R C B ASHWORTH

Win signed Mosquito prints, and Spitfire DVDs To commemorate the Mosquito’s 75th ‘birthday’ we have three veteran signed ‘Mossie’ prints to be won, courtesy of artist Keith Hill. The trio of limited edition prints all depict a different scene – They Also Served is signed by Air Cdre Arthur Steele AFC*, Moonlight Serenade has been autographed by Wg Cdr Harold E Tappin, as is Encounter Over The Bay. We also have five runner-up prizes of the Spitfire – the Pilot’s View DVDs. To be in with a chance of winning a print or DVD, simply answer the question below. The first correct entries drawn after the closing date, 5pm (UK time) on December 30, 2015, will win. Good luck! For more on Keith’s work, why not visit his annual exhibition at Rushden Hall in Northamptonshire on November 14 to 22? There will be more than 100 paintings and limited editions on display, including Keith’s latest works, and the man himself will be on hand to answer questions and discuss all things aviation. www.aviation-artist.com Question: What was the name of the test pilot at the controls for the Mosquito’s maiden flight in November 1940? Douglas Bader Geoffrey de Havilland Jr Leonard Cheshire Send your answer, along with your name, address and telephone number to: Mosquito Competition, FlyPast, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 1XQ, UK. Alternatively, email your answer and contact details to: [email protected] with ‘Mosquito competition’ in the subject field.

OPS BOARD

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------October 2, Martlesham Heath – ‘Witold Lanowski – fighter pilot’. A talk by Krys Lanowski, Martlesham Heath Aviation Society, Martlesham Heath, Ipswich, IP5 3UZ – www.mhas.org.uk October 6, 8, 13, 15 and 20, East Kirkby – Lancaster taxi runs, Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre, East Kirkby, Lincs – 01790 763207 www.lincsaviation.co.uk October 9, Sywell – World War One Zeppelin Air Raids Over Northamptonshire from 1914-1918, a talk by Ian Castle, The Cirrus Room, The Aviator Hotel, Sywell Aerodrome, Sywell, Northants, NN6 0BN – 0796 8061708 October 14, London – ‘The Story of the BE.2c Replica, the ‘Biggles’ Biplane’, a talk by Steve

Slater, London Society of AirBritain, The Victory Services Club, 63-79 Seymour Street, London. Email: james.dale@ tesco.net

October 20, Old Sarum – ‘Air Display Supervision at International Airshows’, a talk by Gp Capt Roger Beazley, Boscombe Down Aviation Collection, Old Sarum Airfield, Salisbury – 01722 323636 www.boscombedownaviation collection.co.uk

Terms and conditions: Only one entry per household is permitted. The winners will be the first correct entries selected at random after the closing date. There can be no cash alternative and the editor’s decision is final. Winners will be notified no later than January 9, 2016. No purchase necessary. On occasions Key Publishing Ltd, and other selected organisations, may make offers on products or services that we believe to be of interest to our customers. If you do not wish to receive this information, please write NO INFORMATION clearly on your entry.

Beaufighters in Malaya While stationed at RAF Wunstorf in Germany just after the end of World War Two, my friend and roommate gave me an interesting batch of photographs. They were taken at RAF Butterworth in Malaya. He had been asked to fly in North American Harvard IIB FX479 and take some air-to-air pictures of Bristol Beaufighter X RD854. He was not a trained RAF photographer, but I think you will agree he did pretty well! MR H WATSON HUCKNALL, NOTTS

November 14-22 Rushden – Exhibition of the aviation, railway and military art of Keith Hill, with visiting veterans, Rushden Hall, Hall Park, Rushden, Northants – 01933 350283 www.aviation-artist.com

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FROM THE WORKSHOP BOEING F4B

Time Machine A

lthough the Boeing F4B-3 type is undoubtedly pleasing to the eye and has a great performance, it is also absent from the sky, without an example that is flown on a regular basis anywhere in the world. Putting that right was the rationale that brought Harry Haggard, Fred Bruning and Jim Zascarro together as partners during 1992. They were going to build an airworthy replica of the 1930s F4B-3, probably the most famous of the Boeing biplane fighters. The prototype flew for the first time in Seattle, Washington, on June 25, 1928, with further test flying in Virginia on August 7. Production orders followed in 1929. The F4B (for the navy and marines) and P-12 (air force)

variants rendered excellent service at sea and on land, with a few still operational as late as 1941. Haggard, Bruning and Zascarro planned to use as much hardware as possible from derelict Boeing Stearman A75N-1 crop dusters in the replica. Along the way, a good friend, Mel Heflinger, became a fourth partner, but he resigned from the team in 1999, though still assists with special items and parts. A 450hp (335kW) Pratt & Whitney R-985 was selected instead of the R-1340 that powered the original F4B-3s. According to Haggard, the R-985 produces about the same horsepower, but presently available R-1340s are rated at about 600hp and the trio thought that was a bit too much ‘poke’.

Extended schedule

Harry Haggard: “We put together a budget and a schedule, but boy were we kidding ourselves. We planned on three years, but now it’s 23 years later.” The project started in an automobile shop in Hawthorne, California. Due to a temporary lack of funding, things languished for a while, but in 1997 Alex Prosser at Torrance Municipal Airport, also in California, expressed an interest in fabricating and shaping the fuselage skins, so the F4B moved into his workshop in 1997. Prosser made several trips to the Planes of Fame Air Museum at Chino, California, to inspect and photograph its P-12E N3360G, built for the USAAC in 1932, which was last flown in 1983. Prosser

then used his ingenuity and an English Wheel forming jig to turn out individual panels. The airframe was finally put together for the first time at the beginning of 2015 and is now about 90% complete. Haggard wisely notes that the final 10% is often the hardest. The partners have put the F4B on temporary display in the Western Museum of Flight at Torrance so that youngsters and the public in general, can get some idea of what goes into projects like this.

Crop duster legacy The fuselage is made up

Top right

The cockpit of the F4B project. Right

The F4B project is on show at the Western Museum of Flight at Torrance so that visitors can view progress. Left

The lower starboard wing root. Below left

Boeing plans helped with the creation of the metal-ribbed tail surfaces. ALL FRANK B MORMILLO

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Frank B Mormillo reports from California on a 36-month project now in its 23rd year. from components of two wrecked Stearman crop dusters. A fiveinch (14cm) section was added to the forward structure to allow for proper spacing of the cabane struts. In the rear fuselage a 30in section was removed to achieve the correct length and shape. Dave Kent of Hawthorne carried out this surgery. The fuselage is 2in wider than that of an original F4B-3, so the lower wings had to be modified to fit. These were obtained from an incomplete F4B project that had been started at Brown Field near San Diego, California. The lower wings have F4B-3 spar spacing and use Stearman flying wires with modified attachment lugs and compression struts. The lower wings have hollow

spars like the original F4B-3, but the scratch-built upper wing has solid spars. Although the upper wing utilizes the F4B-3 airfoil, the spar spacing has been modified to accept A75 compression struts, drag wires and attachment hardware. A partial set of Boeing F4B-4 plans has helped to create the external fuselage skin, the firewall and all of the bulkheads. The corrugated skins on the tail surfaces were fabricated with a set of dies built for use in a Pullmax power hammer. After all this time, the project really looks like a Boeing F4B-3. How long it will take before it flies is anyone’s guess. Several pilots have already volunteered for the privilege of flying the replica but are not yet blanking off sections of their diaries.

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PILOTS PERSPECTIVE FOKKER EINDECKER

Flying the F Andrew Carter from The Australian Vintage Aviation Society describes the

Below

A dramatic air-to-air view of the TAVAS Fokker. DAVID WHITE

o

ur Fokker E.III Eindecker ‘345/16’ has been completed as accurately and as authentically as we were capable of doing (see From The Workshop, July issue). So, in theory, we anticipated that flying it from our base at Caboolture, Queensland, would also be almost identical to flying an original. The early Gnome (or Oberursel) rotary engine is one of the simplest

types. It has a single fuel lever, which looks like a throttle, but simply controls the amount of fuel going into the crankcase. The engine has no throttle – it runs at full power (100hp) or nothing. This powerplant does not have a fuel pump fitted to it, so there is a hand-operated version on the right hand side of the cockpit, which looks similar to an old fashioned bicycle accessory, and is used to

pressurise the tank. Above it is the air pressure gauge, which is the most important instrument in the sparse cockpit. There are two rotary valves which I can turn to select either fuel tank – the smaller forward tank just behind the engine, or the larger one situated to the rear of the pilot. For start-up, I select the front tank and use the hand pump several times, bringing the pressure up to almost 1.5 psi. Starting the engine

“...in theory, we anticipated that flying it from our base at Caboolture, Queensland, would also be almost identical to flying an original” 114 FLYPAST November 2015

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e Fokker

bes the challenges and joys of flying a newly built Great War reproduction is basically a three-man operation. One sits in the cockpit, one pulls the propeller through, and one stands by with a fire extinguisher ready to put out any fire that starts at the engine, or lights up the fuel that has flowed onto the ground. With the chocks in place, the engine is rotated so that a cylinder with an open valve is positioned at the bottom. The pilot then opens the fuel lever for a second or two,

until fuel runs out of this open valve, and then he closes it. With that done and the switches off, the crewman turns the engine over, thus priming the cylinders with a fuel/air mixture. After I turn the magneto switch to the start position, my colleague pulls the prop through and the engine usually fires to life first time. I move the fuel lever forward until I get what sounds like the best running

from the engine (about 1,100rpm). You know if you have moved the lever too far, or not far enough, as the engine revs are low and it sounds a bit off-note, indicating that the mixture is either too rich or too lean.

Preparing for take-off

With the engine running properly, I rotate the oil pulsator shut-off valve to open. This is a little glass vial – it looks like the end of a test tube. It

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PILOTS PERSPECTIVE FOKKER EINDECKER

Above

Fokker E.III Eindecker ‘345/16’ airborne over Queensland, Australia. VIA ANDREW CARTER-TAVAS

has oil pulsed to it from the engine oil pump and thus is proportional to engine revolutions. You could describe it as a poor man’s tachometer. In the days when these aircraft were in service, the really good pilots could just look at the number of pulses, or surges, of oil in the glass indicator and know that the rpm was right. I think it was ideally 108 pulses per minute for 1,200rpm, just under two per second. I give the signal for the chocks to be pulled away and I ‘blip’ the engine to make it run as slowly as possible. ‘Blipping’ is the word we use to describe how we use the button on the control column – when pressed and held in, it stops all sparking, killing the engine momentarily. With no brakes, this is necessary to assist the crew in removing the chocks. This is typical of the limited power control these early engines had. They either ran at full power or not at all. You have to be careful not to hold the button in too long or the engine will stop completely. This pressing and releasing of the button is what gives rotary engines that distinct ‘burrrp, burrrp’ on and off sound. You often hear it when such aircraft are on approach to land.

Once the chocks and the people removing them are clear, I can release the ‘blip’ button, the engine goes to full power and I am off. There is really no feedback through the control column or rudder pedals. You simply ease forward on the column a small amount, just enough to get the skid off the ground and look over the nose. Apply small rudder pressure to keep straight. You have to use visual clues as you don’t feel anything through the controls. In a very short distance (less than 90 feet), the aircraft breaks ground and climbs straight ahead with no effort. It is a stable machine with a relatively powerful engine. There is, however, a lot of drag, so although you have quite a reasonable rate of climb (it appears to be at, or around, 1,000 feet per minute), it happens at a relatively low forward speed.

In flight

Unlike most aircraft flown today, those built during World War One were designed before we had a real understanding of control coupling. As such, each aircraft type feels vastly different to the others and each control surface really needs to be

considered individually. The full flying stabilator is ridiculously sensitive. In fact, at times it was downright scary. The secret is to lock your arm on your leg and just apply the gentlest pressure with your wrist to change attitude. The original Eindecker was fitted with a simple friction control lever at the base of the control column – I assume this was applied in an effort to overcome this control sensitivity. Our engineer Dave Walsh subsequently fitted one to ours and it has made a substantial improvement. The well-balanced rudder without a fixed fin is also incredibly effective, but without the same oversensitivity. When you decide you want to turn, you subconsciously lead with an almost imperceptible pressure on the rudder bar and the aircraft starts turning. This is the most enjoyable aspect of the Fokker’s controls and it gives you a positive feeling. The wing warping, as expected, does work, but is not the most effective form of roll control. There is a fair amount of effort required (I have to use two hands on the stick) for a relatively sluggish result. Due to the gyroscopic effect of

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rotary engines, turns to the left are meant to be slower and make the nose of the aircraft rise. The opposite is supposed to be true of turns to the right, which were quick but tended to pull the nose down. It has been written that some pilots found turning right through 270 degrees was quicker than turning 90 degrees left. I’m sure that is all correct, written by people with far more experience on these aircraft than I have. It would be noticeable in any sort of intense manoeuvring, but at this early stage, I tend to fly conservatively and haven’t noticed the effect at all. Despite the high drag, the aircraft cruises quite quickly by 1915 standards, at around 75 knots (86mph). The view is fantastic and each flight is an incredible experience that I don’t take for granted. To ensure smooth engine operation you need to keep the pressure in the fuel tank fairly constant, at about 1 psi. Some reports I’ve read suggested that this would mean pumping eight or more times per hour, but in practice I’ve had to do it that many times in just one ten-minute flight. Simply put, when the tank is full of fuel, there is little air space. It

“Unlike most aircraft flown today, those built during World War One were designed before we had a real understanding of control coupling. As such, each aircraft type feels vastly different to the others and each control surface really needs to be considered individually” only takes one pump on the handle to pressurise the tank – however this runs down quickly, so you need to repeat it fairly regularly. As the fuel level in the tank decreases, it takes more pumps on the handle to fill the volume and create the pressure, but it doesn’t have to be done as often. The pressure gauge is the largest of the instruments, but I very rarely spend any time with my head in the cockpit with this aircraft, so a November 2015 FLYPAST 117

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PILOTS PERSPECTIVE FOKKER EINDECKER

“A 1916 British test report of a captured E.III stated that it would be very tiring to fly in anything but the smoothest conditions. I agree with this completely. In fact, if you are doing anything other than circuits, it would indeed require a lot of effort to fly” Above

The Fokker’s distinctive lines make it an unusual sight in the skies above Queensland. DAVID WHITE

change in note of the engine is the best indication that pressure is low. You have to be careful not to over pressurise the tank either, as this can cause a rich mixture, which is just as detrimental as a lean one. If you did make that mistake, you would have to use the fuel lever on the left hand side and pull it back a bit to lean out the mixture again. This can be difficult enough in the local circuit area, let alone back in the Great War, over enemy territory, with people shooting at you from the air and the ground. The biggest challenge, which I haven’t yet faced, will be to move fuel from the rear tank to the front tank while still keeping pressure to the engine constant. I plan to spend a lot of time doing it on the ground before I try it in flight – and even then, I will only be doing it within gliding distance of the airfield.

Bringing the E.111 home

Like all good things, a flight in a Fokker Eindecker comes to an end all too soon, and I have to start descending. As there is no throttle, a steep nose-down descent can cause over speeding of the prop and possible damage to the engine. So before I turn base, I tend to start ‘blipping’. I hold the button in for quite a few

moments at a time, before releasing it just for a second. This ‘more off than on’ technique enables me to ease forward and descend quite comfortably. However, anytime I need to steepen the angle of bank or exit the turn, I have to let off the button to get a burst of slipstream over the rudder and elevator, which instantly energises their effectiveness. Despite all that drag, it glides very well. I tend to keep the aircraft high and slightly fast, and come in steep, just to be able to keep the energy high if the engine fails altogether. I keep ‘blipping’ the engine all the way into the flare. This technique uses up a bit more runway, but as this is my first rotary engine experience, I find it the easiest and most manageable method. This way I am able to control the aircraft very precisely all the way to landing – which, given the good design and the forgiving undercarriage, is very straight forward. You simply transition through the flare, into the take-off attitude just above the ground, and hold it there as the speed decreases. Let off the ‘blip’ switch momentarily every few seconds and a smooth landing is assured. This is one of the most enjoyable aircraft I have flown, but it is

certainly not without its quirks. A 1916 British test report of a captured E.III stated that it would be very tiring to fly in anything but the smoothest conditions. I agree with this completely. In fact, if you are doing anything other than circuits, it would indeed require a lot of effort to fly. I now have a totally newfound respect for those men of 1915 and 1916 who flew these in combat. There’s one other small downside – the engine is lubricated by castor oil in a total loss system, meaning that most of what goes in, comes out. Much of this gets purged out from the left-hand side and as a result, the left wing ends up ‘wearing’ most of it. The aircraft therefore requires a thorough clean at the end of each flight – which so far has always taken substantially longer than the flight itself. www.tavas.com.au

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book briefs The Luftwaffe Over Brum – Birmingham’s Blitz From A Military Perspective, Steve Richards, illus, sbk, £19.95 – the product of immense research, this self-published work is a detailed account of all German air attacks on Birmingham and the surrounding area from 1916 to 1943. Most of it focuses on the World War Two years – the author’s accessible style relaying an immense amount of information, backed up by rarely seen images. It examines both the tactics of the attackers and the defences put in place to repel them. It offers a view of the human cost of the Blitz, listing all known fatalities from the region, as well as air crashes. The book is available from Amazon.

The Douglas B-18 and B-23 – America’s Forsaken Warriors, Dan Hagedorn Sr and Dan Hagedorn Jr, Crécy, 288pp, illus, hbk, £23.95 – the elusive B-18 and its even more obscure successor, the B-23, have rarely been written about. It was nevertheless an aircraft that pioneered airborne radar and anti-submarine warfare, and served in almost every theatre of World War Two, from Iceland to the Caribbean. This comprehensive study sets out to tell the true story of this somewhat maligned aircraft. It is an exhaustively researched and heavily illustrated book which aims to redress the balance and detail the ‘career’ of one of the war’s forgotten warriors. www.crecy.co.uk

Cold Warwww.grubstreet.co.uk Thunder

Classic Fighters are go

Phantom Boys, Richard Pike, Grub Street, 184pp, illus, £20 www.omaka.org.nz The latest in Grub Street’s Classic Fighters Omaka 2015 DVD, FlightPathTV, NZ$35 ‘Boys...’ series covers the potent (£14.50) plus p&p McDonnell Douglas Phantom, An impressive DVD has been released showing with author (and former highlights from this year’s Classic Fighters airshow at Phantom pilot) Richard Pike Omaka, New Zealand. The biennial event took place compiling 20 chapters detailing at Easter and has been captured by FlightPathTV for the exploits of pilots and those who weren’t able to be there. As always, the navigators from the RAF and event brought together a unique mix of vintage and Royal Navy. classic aircraft, including examples of those that As in previous volumes of this popular series, it is the participated in both world wars from both sides of human stories that give colour to the type’s service the conflict. One of the highlights is the display flown history. Some are humorous, some sad, but all capture by multiple Great War reproductions, many of them the pace and tension of what it was like to serve in a built in New Zealand. The sight of no fewer than eight Phantom squadron at the height of the Cold War. After Fokker Triplanes is certainly one of those ‘only at relatively brief service in the ground attack and strike Omaka’ moments. role in the UK and Germany, the adaptable jet became The airshow also welcomed the debut of a new Britain’s primary air defence type. It also served until Supermarine Spitfire XIV, enabling the organisers to 1978 aboard HMS Ark Royal and, following the liberation put on a series of flypasts featuring three Spitfires. of the Falkland Islands, provided air defence in the south The DVD is 75-minutes long and features creative onboard views, beautiful air-to-air footage and interviews Atlantic for many years. Stories from all these fields are with special guests, including Sir Tim Wallis and US warbird collector Kermit Weeks. Proceeds from its sale will vividly related – although an overview of the Phantom’s go towards the further development and expansion of the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre. service to put them into context would have been welcome. Well illustrated throughout, it’s a cracking read and is highly recommended. ANDREW THOMAS

Spitfire Metal Cufflinks

Notes from a bygone era

www.poppyshop.org.uk

The Royal British Legion has collaborated with TMB Art Metal of London to create a unique set of poppyshaped cufflinks made from metal extracted from Supermarine Spitfire IIa P7350. Recent restoration work on the fighter, which is operated by the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight at Coningsby, resulted in the removal of duralumin from the aircraft.

www.yorkshireairmuseum.org Air Transport Auxiliary Ferry Pilot’s Notes, Yorkshire Air Museum, £25 As FlyPast’s resident warbird ‘driver’, I found these ATA Ferry Pilot’s Notes absolutely fascinating. Reprinted by the Yorkshire Air Museum, the original notes were issued to the brave airmen and women of the Air Transport Auxiliary during World War Two. As the allied air forces operated such a wide and diverse fleet of aircraft (ATA pilots flew 147 types during the war) it clearly wouldn’t be possible for each pilot to be formally checked out on every type they might encounter. Instead, they would be cleared to fly different ‘classes’, and then expected to be able to fly every type in that class. Each aircraft’s notes contain all the pertinent information for that type and often the ‘flying particulars’. These include (for example) the importance of not opening the throttle fully when going around in a Westland Lysander until you’ve re-trimmed, or an admonition not to taxi fast over muddy ground in a Boulton Paul Defiant, because mud can clog the radiator. It’s a truly enthralling document. DAVE UNWIN

TMB Art Metal was subsequently able to obtain samples and create the new cufflinks. Cast in the shape of a poppy, the design of the products is based on a pressed flower found in the diary of a Great War soldier. Each set is different, thanks to the age and character of the material used. All cufflinks are supplied in high-quality wooden cases complete with illustrated certificates of provenance. They are exclusively available from the Royal British Legion Poppy Shop, with each set retailing for £99.99. Money raised will go directly to the charity, supporting the important work it does in providing care and support to all members of the British Armed Forces and their families.

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Green Leader Operation Gatling, Ian Pringle, Helion, 242pp, illus, hbk, £25 – In 1978, the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army shot down an airliner. In this fascinating two-part account, Ian Pringle describes the tragedy and the military response, a risky threephased revenge attack on guerrilla bases and infrastructure in Zambia. www.helion.co.uk

Polish Spitfire Aces, Wojtek Matusiak and Robert Grudzien, Osprey, 96pp, illus, sbk, £13.99 – the latest in this excellent series, this series presents comprehensive histories of Polish Spitfire units and individual pilots. From defending Britain in 1940 to ‘ops’ over the Mediterranean, this is a worthy tribute. www.ospreypublishing.com

page turners

Lightning every month

Pictorial Tribute www.keypublishing.com/shop

The latest calendar from artist Nic Brown’s studio is an unusual and eyecatching tribute to the English Electric Lightning. Nic’s style is to combine both photographic and digital graphic design to create stark, well-lit and evocative images. In this 13-month calendar, Nic has recreated famous moments in the ‘life’ of the twin-jet ‘Cold War’ warrior during its service with the RAF and around the world. Each scene commemorates a certain unit, location or event. For example, it includes an exciting study of a Royal Saudi Air Force F.53 firing rockets at a ground target, and an image showing Binbrook station commander Gp Capt John Spencer taking off during heavy rain in his personal aircraft, XR728. Several variants of Lightning are illustrated, set against the forces of nature and dramatic cloud backdrops. To purchase a copy of the 2016 calendar (priced £14.99) see the website above, or for more on Nic’s work go to: www.nbai.co.uk

Victory 1940-the Battle of Britain as Never Seen Before, John Dibbs and Tony Holmes, Key Publishing, hbk, illus, £19.99 The photographic work of John Dibbs is well known in these pages and elsewhere. In this superb book, he presents a compilation of his best work featuring aircraft that hail from or are representative of the Battle of Britain. Victory 1940 is a timely publication, recognising and paying tribute to the aviators of 75 years ago, and looking back on a famous campaign that proved pivotal to Allied success in Europe. Presented in hardback and lavishly illustrated with John’s evocative images and expert narrative by Tony Holmes, this publication offers a pictorial chronology of the conflict. It focuses on contemporary images of restored Battle of Britain warbirds, combined with previously unpublished archive material. The book features a foreword by Wg Cdr Tom Neil DFC* AFC, one of Churchill’s Few. To order your copy visit the website above or call 01780 480404. If you are a FlyPast subscriber you can claim £2 off your copy – call for more details.

www.falconairshop.co.uk

Pushing the boundaries www.crecy.co.uk

Blackbird goes for Gold www.sleddriver.com

A US publisher has launched a rare and highly collectible gift package for fans of the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. Named the SR-71 Blackbird First Flight Golden Anniversary Collection, it pairs two classic books about the Mach 3 jet with an etched bookclip detailed and plated in 24-carat gold, and on an official coin celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Blackbird’s first flight. This exclusive, polished gold finish commemorative coin features a three-dimensional planform of the jet, set in gold against a night sky, enamelled in the same shade of USAF Federal Standard dark indigo blue used on the aircraft. On the reverse, the coin commemorates the 50-year anniversary of the first SR-71 flight in 1964, along with an enamelled rendition of the shoulder patch earned by crew members. The books are special ‘Gold’ editions of the acclaimed Sled Driver and The Untouchables. Naturally, these exclusive packages – limited to 500 editions – are not cheap, retailing for around $550 (£349) each.

Testing To The Limits – British Test Pilots Since 1910 Vol 1, Ken Ellis, Crécy, 240pp, illus, hbk, £24.95 This truly lavish hardback book, the first of two volumes, brings together the stories of intrepid British test pilots, apparently fearless men who ventured into the unknown, sometimes paying the ultimate price. Written with typical verve and detail by FlyPast’s legendary Ken Ellis, this well-illustrated account is both a tribute to a band of elite aviators and a vibrant commentary on the failures and successes of the British aircraft industry. Reflecting on numerous courageous aviators in A-Z format, this first volume covers everyone from ‘Dizzy’ Addicott to Raymond Huxley, following a comprehensive, seven-chapter introduction. Ken provides biographies of famous names, such as ‘Roly’ Falk and Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, along with many others who celebrate the achievements of the less well remembered. In the 1930s and especially the heyday of the 1950s and 1960s, some test pilots (such as Roland Beamont) became household names, cementing Britain’s position as a world leader in aviation. Testing To The Limits presents the story of the nation’s aircraft industry, told by one of its leading historians, detailing everything from its turkeys to its triumphs. We’re already looking forward to Volume 2.

For Gallantry www.pen-and-sword.co.uk Airmen Behind The Medals, Graham Pitchfork, Pen & Sword, 234pp, illus, hbk, £19.99 The author of FlyPast’s well-regarded For Valor series of articles, Graham Pitchfork delves deeper into the stories behind airmen who won medals for gallantry. In the third volume of this fascinating and moving series, Graham describes the outstanding bravery of 21 men who served in the RAF and the Fleet Air Arm during World War Two. The accounts encompass most theatres of operation, various aircraft types and aircrew categories. The chapters also include accounts of the courage of those who served on the ground in support of flying operations. Among others are a brave sergeant in the RAF Regiment and an RAF doctor who cared for and inspired fellow prisoners in Japanese camps. Other chapters relate the valour of a Pathfinder pilot, a Hawker Typhoon wing leader and an air-sea rescue crewman. As ever, Graham brings the stories to life in vivid detail. November 2015 FLYPAST 121

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MARKETPLACE ANTIQUES

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ORIGINAL PAINTINGS by Kenneth McDonough 8 West Street, Dorking. Surrey RH4 1BL Open Sundays... 01306 883597

ACCOMMODATION HOLIDAY COTTAGE - in Lincolnshire near RAF Coningsby. Detached, sleeps 5, fully equipped, enclosed garden. Also available, fully equipped barn, sleeps 2. Tel: 01526 342 943. www.the4ge.co.uk

AVIATION BOOKS

Books

AVIATION BOOKS AND MAGAZINES Brian Cocks, 18 Woodgate, Helpston, Peterborough, PE6 7ED. 01733 252791 Email: [email protected] Catalogues Spring and Autum £1 (Europe £3, Other £5, Overseas airmail). Visitors by appointment. (Website www.aviationbookshouse.co.uk ). AVIATION BOOKS FOR SALE Free catalogues from Terry Smith, Balwyn, Freethorpe, Norwich, NR13 3LY Tel: 01493 700004, Email: [email protected] AVIATION BOOKS FOR SALE Catalogues from David G. Bancroft, ‘Little Orchard’, Court Road, Freshwater, Isle of Wight, PO40 9NU. Tel: 01983 759069. MAIL ORDER ONLY

EVENTS

CLOTHING PECARD LEATHER DRESSING, Ideal for conservation of leather flight clothing. Online ordering. www.antiqueleatherdressing.co.uk Tel: 01458 241816

FOR SALE

FOR SALE MR B LINGARD FOR SALE: Sopwith Camel propeller £1,500 Tel: 0121 4491910 MRS D WALL FOR SALE: Unframed mint Robert Taylor print, ‘Gathering Storm’. Artist proof 42/125 £350. Please contact Dee. Tel: 01353 610478 NEIL EVANS FOR SALE: Rare and extensive collection of military prints and originals. Contact: [email protected]

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122 FLYPAST Nov 2015

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COLOUR SLIDE AND B&W PHOTO COLLECTIONS WANTED Top prices paid - all other aviation related items considered, will collect. Contact Chris Tel: 0208 422 5899 Email: [email protected] AIRCRAFT-MILITARY PLASTIC KITS WANTED unmade, especially large collections, individually priced, cash paid, will collect. Tel: 02476 542196 F-4 PHANTOM AND TORNADO COCKPIT PARTS WANTED Instruments, ejection seats, panels, anything considered. Tel: 07711 524915 ALL PLASTIC MODEL KITS WANTED any quantity unmade & built especially large collections. Will collect and pay cash. Tel: 01202 976974 or 07901 890461 HARRIER PARTS WANTED for Historic aircraft restorations. FRS1 radar skirt, GR1 Nose Cone, Throttlebox, cockpit parts. Harrier GR3,5,7,9 parts. Anything considered! Tel: 07711524915

WANTED ALL MAKES OF UNMADE PLASTIC KITS PURCHASED Courier collections arranged for large quantities. Unit 8 Cedar Court, Halesfield 17, Telford, TF74PF Telephone: 01952 586457 Email: [email protected]

OLD WOODEN PROPELLERS in any condition. Tel: 07808 727939

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Military inspired mechanical wrist watches in limited edition series

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WARBIRDS THUNDER CITY 500

400

300

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IAN BLACK DESCRIBES THUNDER CITY’S CROSS-DESERT DEPLOYMENT TO NAMIBIA

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rdinarily, a pair of jet warplanes hurtling across a national border at low level would be a cause for defence systems to go on high alert. Not this time, the inbounds were not only friendly, they’d been invited. Cape Town-based Thunder City is back in action in typical dramatic style - for the first time ever operating out of its native South Africa. During early August two of the fleet deployed 700 miles (1,126km) to Hosea Kutako International Airport, west of Windhoek in the heart of Namibia. Sponsored by Trustco, the Namibian Airshow had been

a long time coming - it has been more than 20 years since an air event was last held there. Initial ‘under the radar’ preparations months beforehand had envisaged a Thunder City trio - Buccaneer, Hunter and Lightning. Sadly, time didn’t allow for the single-seat Lightning to be prepared for its long transit. (Although Thunder City has a fully operational two-seater, T.5 ZU-BBD, F.6 ZU-BEW would have been used with its over-wing tanks fitted to provide extended range.) Flying from Cape Town International, Thunder City’s owner Mike Beachy Head took Buccaneer S.2B ZU-BCR on its longest flight since it arrived in South Africa. Accompanying him was Ian Pringle who flew the

Below left

A self-portrait from the Buccaneer’s back seat.

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The view from the Buccaneer’s rear cockpit during a fast pass over the Hosea Kutako runway.

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former RAF ‘Black Arrows’ Hunter ZU-AUJ, the latter fitted with longrange ferry tanks.

HIGH-TECH TRANSIT

With a flight time of around 100 minutes the sortie was a chance to incorporate modern technology with heritage jets. Tablet devices and GPSs were the order of the day as Mike and Ian needed to navigate across the featureless moonscape of Namibia and the Kalahari Desert. Ground-based equipment was sent in a truck, which took nearly three

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days to cover the distance. As described in the last issue, the Buccaneer was a familiar shape in the skies of southern Africa in the late 1970s and early 1980s when the South African Air Force was fighting a counter-insurgency war. Across Africa, the Hunter had been the strike weapon of choice for Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Both the Buccaneer and the Hunter performed faultlessly in the challenging Namibian environment. With an elevation of 5,640ft (1,719m) above sea level

and midday temperatures in the high 20s˚C (80°F), both jets took the deployment with ease.

AFRICAN POTENTIAL

The show included participation by the Namibian Air Force, with Chinese-built NAMC K-8s and Shenyang F-7 jets. There was a stunning formation of a South African Airways Airbus A320 flanked on each wingtip by a pair of Harvards from the Eqstra Holdings-sponsored Flying Lions team. Piston-powered warbirds

Top to bottom

The rugged southern African terrain, en route to Windhoek from Cape Town. Hosea Kutako International Airport’s Runway 08, as seen from ZU-BCR’s cockpit. The view from the cockpit as the Buccaneer taxies to its parking slot at Hosea Kutako International Airport on July 30.

01/09/2015 17:15

WARBIRDS THUNDER CITY 500

Buccaneer S.2B ZUBCR taxying in at the airport.

400 attending included a P-51 Mustang and a T-28 Trojan. Despite this variety the Thunder City pair stole the show, at least until dusk! As the sun set the four-ship Flying Lions provided a spectacular after-dark finale to an exceptional day. Equipped with trusty navigation aids, the Buccaneer and the Hunter departed Namibia the following

day. The two jets were back in Cape Town by midday. The airshow was a resounding success, proving that Namibia can host a major event, and plans for another are already in the pipeline. It also showed that Thunder City is capable of operating away from base without problems. The future looks bright for South African jet warbirds! www.thundercity.com

300

200

The sun sets on Buccaneer S.2B ZUBCR at the Namibian Airshow on July 30. ALL IAN BLACK

Thunder City’s Hunter ZU-AUJ, which also made the long trip to Namibia.

“The airshow was a resounding success, proving that Namibia can host a major event, and plans for another are already in the pipeline”

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The Multinational Swing-Wing Fighter & Bomber The Tornado is a military success story through and through. Despite being over 40 years old this iconic type has been involved in many and varied campaigns – often as the ‘weapon of choice’ when a conflict erupts. It first flew in 1974 and continual upgrades have ensured it remains at the ‘tip of the spear’ in the air arms it serves. From the deserts of Iraq to protecting UK skies from longrange Soviet bombers, the Tornado has proved its worth as a formidable combat asset. This 100-page special, from the team behind Aviation News magazine, is a comprehensive guide to both the bomber and fighter variants, and the people who fly them.

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FINALS B-29 SUPERFORTRESS The recent renovations at IWM Duxford’s American Air Museum meant that many of its exhibits were temporarily relocated to various parts of the airfield (also see July issue). The aircraft are now being returned to the hangar, with the process likely to be complete by the time FlyPast is published. Among the static attractions on external display recently was Boeing B-29A Superfortress 44-61748 It’s Hawg Wild, seen here basking in summer sunshine on August 8. PETER ZABEK www. americanairmuseum.com

next

In next month’s extra-value issue we are giving away a FREE 2016 calendar featuring some of the most interesting aviation museums from around the world, plus Spotlight zooms in on a World War Two classic – the Westland Lysander. Don’t miss this special issue – it’s in the UK shops on November 1, or see page 26 for our latest money-saving subscription offers. * Overseas deliveries are likely to be after this date.

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