CAC Mustang – Aviation Historical Society of Australia

DerekB27/04/202204/06/2023

The Aircraft Projects of Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation

This new book by author and AHSA member Joe Vella has just been published (April 2022). Joe began writing this book in 1983 when...

DerekB29/09/202027/12/2022

Australian-built Aircraft and the Industry (Vol 2) by Keith Meggs

The latest book released by author Keith Meggs Volume 2 of this encyclopaedic work (containing only one chapter, being chapter 15, spread across two...

1924 WGCDR Stanley Goble and FLTLT Ivor McIntyre continued their around-Australia flight in Fairey IIID A10-3 on Tuesday 13 May 1924 (journey day 38, flying day 16). On the 13th a start was made from Albany, heading for Israelite Bay at 11.42 am. Weather forecasts had indicated SW winds but these turned to a strong NE winds and in 52 minutes they had covered only 32 miles. It was decided to return to Albany and the same 32 miles were quickly covered in I8 minutes. Source: The First Round-Australia Flight, 1924 by Neville Parnell, AHSA Journal, vol 6, no 12, December 1965 and NAA: A9376, 92, Round Australia seaplane flight 1924 - Wing Commander Goble and Flight Lieutenant McIntyre

1943 Bristol Beaufighter Mk Ic A19-19 operated by 31 Squadron RAAF crashed near Darwin, NT on 13 May 1943. The aircraft failed to return from searchlight co-operation flight over Darwin after the pilot became lost. No trace of the aircraft was found until 19 May when Pilot FLGOFF J D Brannelly was rescued. The navigator SGT B W McGrath was killed. Sources: ADF-Serials; aviation-safety.net website

1974 Victa Airtourer 100 VH-BWF crashed near Whyalla, SA on 13 May 1974. The pilot spent most of the day before the crash at the Whyalla Airport and, at about 1730 hours, he adjourned to the club house of the local aero club. Examination of the wreckage indicated that the aircraft had dived steeply at high speed into soft ground and virtually disintegrated at impact. There was no evidence of any pre-impact structural failure, system malfunction or mechanical failure which could have contributed to the accident. The pilot's watch had stopped because of impact damage and indicated 4.25 hours. A comparison of the tachometer reading and the aircraft records indicated that the duration of the final flight was 25 minutes. It seems most likely that the accident occurred before first light on the morning of 13 May at which time light rain was falling from high overcast cloud and there was low cloud with a base of 1,000 to 1,500 feet. The pilot did not hold any instrument rating and was therefore restricted to flight in visual meteorological conditions by day. His log book indicated that he had no instrument flight time and that his night flying experience was limited to one dual flight of 15 minutes some nine months prior to the accident. Sources: ATSB; aviation-safety.net website