Outlook AHSA Newsletter August 2023

DerekB20/08/202311/03/2024

The August 2023 edition of Outlook / AHSA News was distributed to members recently.

This edition can be read online in the viewer below.

1924 WGCDR Stanley Goble and FLTLT Ivor McIntyre continued their around-Australia flight in Fairey IIID A10-3 on Wednesday 14 May 1924 (journey day 39). On the 14th Goble and McIntyre remained at Albany, as a depression in the weather arrived and the Fairey IIID had to be moved to a more sheltered spot. At this stage the main worry was that there had to be an off-shore wind at Israelite Bay; with an on-shore wind the seaplane might get caught in the surf and break up. 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

1942 Five aircraft* operated by KNLIM flew under the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Thursday 14th May 1942, as part of a test-flight before the aircraft were flown to Wagga Wagga and handed over to the USAAF. One of the pilots, Nicholas Dijkstra, recalled the incident as follows: "We were to make a short flight over Sydney for a final check of the aircraft. Some people of the ground staff suggested that it would be nice to come along for the short flight, so at the end close to fifty people, ground staff personnel, waiters and waitresses from the restaurant at the airport as well as kitchen staff, were taken on board ready for take off. Then one of the pilots suggested that we could do better than the two US Kittyhawks and all five planes fly in formation under the bridge. A KLM radio-operator, Joe Muller (who had previously been shot down at Carnot Bay, WA, with KLM Captain Ivan Smirnoff in the DC3 PK-AFV "Pelikaan") was asked to go to the control-tower to ask permission to fly under the bridge. Watching from the tarmac we could see Joe Muller talking to the personnel in the control-tower. After a few minutes he came out to the walkway alongside the tower, Joe Muller looked in our direction and then raised his thumb in what we took to be the 'OK' signal. And off we went." The five aircraft took off, buzzed the Dutch destroyer Tromp, and eventually took up formation approaching the bridge from the Sydney Heads. "Still in formation we flew under the bridge, pulled up, made a wide turn and then flew in single line again under the bridge and then returned to Kingsford Smith Airport. After we landed and taxied to the ramp, there was hell to pay! Anybody with some kind of authority was there. It then became clear that Joe Muller had not asked for permission to fly under the bridge. He explained to us that his thumbs-up signal only meant that the aircraft looked fine! The authorities did not have much to nail us down with, but we heard later that an order had been issued, forbidding to fly under the bridge and that anyone doing so, would be fined one hundred pounds ($200) for every person aboard." Source: 18th (NEI) Squadron Newsletter of July 1994 via Australia @ War website. *Some sources quote the late John Gyzemyter (Flight Engineer in one of the aircraft) who stated that three aircraft flew under the bridge, not all five. These included DC-2 PK-AFK, piloted by Captain Frans Van Breemen, DC-3 PK-ALW, piloted by Capt Peter Deenik and DC-5 PK-ADC, piloted by Captain Dirk Rab with John Gyzemyter as Flight Engineer.