Qantas – Aviation Historical Society of Australia

DerekB30/11/202327/12/2023

Outlook AHSA Newsletter November 2023

The November 2023 edition of Outlook / AHSA News was distributed to members recently. This edition can be read online in the viewer below....

1924 WGCDR Stanley James Goble and FLTLT Ivor Ewing McIntyre continued their around-Australia flight in Fairey IIID A10-3. With the rain coming down by the bucketful, it was impossible to refuel the aircraft and the takeoff from Sydney was delayed until 12.48 p.m. on the 7th. Bad weather was still hampering the fliers and ten minutes after takeoff the, compass burst again. Passing Newcastle, they flew at 500 feet, in a 50 knot gale from the east. Heavy rain forced them down to 50 feet where the sea was only just visible, and the flying conditions were making the Fairey almost uncontrollable. McIntyre endeavoured to make Port Stephens, but being shrouded in mist and rain and with islands in the vicinity, a landing there was too risky. A short break in the weather gave them a glimpse of the Myall River, where they immediately put down. The gale blew all night. It took several lines, anchors and an all-night watch to keep the aircraft on the river. Source: The First Round-Australia Flight, 1924 by Neville Parnell, AHSA Journal, vol 6, no 12, December 1965

1929 After a forced landing west of Wyndham, WA, Charles Kingsford Smith, Charles Ulm, Harold Litchfield and Tom McWilliams were stranded for an eighth day on 7 April 1929. Ulm recorded the following in his log: "I started to jack up the wheel by building huge mounds of stones on either side, placing a tree across them and under the axle, and digging the wheel out. Smithy returned from the fire and we finished it by noon. Literally I could not move any more. This has been Smithy's big day. He excelled himself. He has not stopped working all day making a friction wheel off which to run the generator and he finished it with a pen-knife only, in the blazing sun and tormented with flies. Then Smithy rigged the engine starter handle in the outer end of the axle, making with his knife wooden bearings. Then he and I took off the generator and Mac spent an hour wiring it up. For the extra distance of the wheel, Smithy mounted his little wooden drive of the generator, and we had a practice run. Mac, Smithy and Litchfield turning a 44 in. wheel and myself holding the generator on the wheel, making a friction drive. We generated nearly one half an amp. Loud cheers from old Mac; he says we can transmit, but the trouble is we can't keep it running more than 10 seconds at a time. So we worked for hours tonight winding the wheel while Mac sent out SOS and other signals. Our best hope is that some one picked us up and reported to VIS, for we receive VIS excellently here. Turn in to sleep. Dam these skitos." By 7 April three aircraft were searching for the Southern Cross, all of them de Havilland DH.50s owned by Western Australian Airways. Three other rescue aircraft were still enroute (Holden's DH.61 "Canberra", Anderson's Widgeon "Kookaburra" and Golburn Aero Club's Gipsy Moth flown by Matheson). James Woods continued searching from his base at Wyndham, flying for seven hours over country to the south-west of Drysdale. He proceeded down the coast in the direction of Admiralty Gulf, as far as his fuel would allow before returning. Eric Chater and his missing Western Australian Airways DH.50 were found by Bert Heath at Walcott Inlet Government cattle station (also reported as Munja or Avon Valley cattle station), where Chater had landed following engine trouble. The aircraft suffered minor damage in the landing. Heath continued onwards to Port George IV mission, where he dropped a series of messages and ascertained that the Southern Cross had definitely passed over the mission before it went missing, the first time that this had been confirmed. Les Holden in his DH.61 "Canberra" departed from Oodnadatta, SA and flew to Newcastle Waters, NT where they made an overnight stop. Anderson and Hitchcock in the "Kookaburra" departed from Marree, SA and headed for Alice Springs. They made progress northwards until a lock-nut on one of the tappet valves worked loose, forcing them to land at Algebuckina, SA just south of Oodnadatta. Hitchcock tightened the loose nut and they continued to Alice Springs for an overnight stop. At Alice Springs they received a telegram from the Director of Civil Aviation instructing them not to proceed further, but Anderson obviously ignored that instruction. He sent a telegram to John Cantor (providing his funding) back in Sydney with the message "Arrived here safely at five twenty five from Marree via Algebucknia where landed for hundred minutes make engine adjustments / Engine proving highly satisfactory / Think am out of headwind permanently / Secured large map of tomorrow's route also much valuable information endeavouring make non-stop here Wyndham if Smithy not found by tonight / Feel fairly confident Kookaburra will pick him up Thursday / Regards Keith Anderson." An eighth aircraft set out to join the search, another Gipsy Moth, piloted by Captain J. Tracey with Captain H. Jolly as observer, departed from Mascot airport in Sydney. The forced landing by the Southern Cross and its consequences became known as the "Coffee Royal" affair. Sources: Parnell, N. and Boughton, T., Flypast, A Record of Aviation in Australia, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1988; Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld), Mon 15 Apr 1929, Page 9, "LIEUTENANT ULM'S LOG"

2004 A Virgin Blue flight near Maroochydore received a TCAS alert over a possible conflict with a light aircraft on 7 April 2004. However, ATSB investigation found that procedures were followed. Source: Courier Mail, 10 April 2004, p. 9. ATSB Media Release 2004/10. via aph.gov.au website