Learned to fly initially at Kingsford Smith Flying School at Bankstown in March 1951. Used to hitch-hike from railway station to aerodrome with just enough money in pocket to pay for one hour of dual and a sandwich. Three years earlier in 1948, I did first flight which was in a Lockheed Hudson VH-SMK at Camden with Sydney Morning Herald Flying Services. The pilot was Captain Harry Purvis AFC who used to be Charles Kingsford Smith ("Smithy") chief engineer. At KSFS, underwent dual in Tiger Moths VH-BNM. ATY, AUO. Instructors in those days were Stan Birtus and Jan Kingma who were former wartime Polish Air Force. Each flight was around 50 minutes chock to chock. Could hardly understand the thick foreign accents of Kingma and Birtus shouting down through the Tiger Moth Gosport Tube primitive intercom system. I was worried that I was wasting my hard earned money. Then had Tas Dalton for one 45 minute trip. He said practically nothing and when he did, he sounded bored fartless. My morale slumped.
Next flight was saved by the bell by wonderful instructor Bill Burns who sent me on first solo 26 May 1951. By then I had 8 hours of dual. Bill was ex Hudson wartime pilot and then Qantas flight safety manager who liked to keep in flying touch at KSFS.
Ten years later, around 1961 I was RAAF Command Aero Club Liaison Officer, testing Air Training Corps Flying Scholarship cadets at Royal Aero club of NSW. I think Bill Lord was CFI then? Flight Lieutenant John Williams and later Flight Lieutenant Mike Matters (both former Sabre fighter pilots) were the local RAAF Aero Club Liaison Officers responsible for the ATC flying scholarship cadets at Bankstown.
Back in 1951, Bankstown was all-over grass field with many aircraft of different types taking off and landing in parallel 'lanes' on the aerodrome. ATC sat in small tower and used Aldis Lamp light signals. From the Tiger Moth you watched the tower for signal lights when on final. No radio. Wind direction via Signal Square adjacent to tower. You quickly learned to keep your head swiveling both on the ground and when airborne. All approaches in Tiger Moths were glide approaches. Side slip if too high or go-around. If you needed power on final you had stuffed it. After landing in your chosen lane you stopped. Then turn at 90 degrees to check nothing landing on top of you from short final. Watched for flashing green from ATC then taxi like the clappers across the parallel lanes using airmanship to get to the tarmac.
Highlight experience at Bankstown? Battle of Britain Air Force Week Display in September (?) with Mustangs dropping napalm on the aerodrome well away from spectators of course. Huge gouts of red flame and black smoke as napalm canisters hit the ground and exploded in rolling fire. Most impressive. Don't think CASA would allow that now.
Last edited by Centaurus; 19th Jul 2019 at 10:17.