A couple of yarns.
Lyall O'Donoghue Navy HS 748
I was in hospital (appendix op) when Tracy hit. I got to Nowra on 27th/28th of Dec I think and flew to Darwin soon after. Phil Landon was F.O.
and Peter Robottom (Bum Bum) was the navigator I think on the first flight We carried chainsaws and ladies underwear/cosmetics as best I can recall. I still had the stitches in from the appendix op and the seat-belt rubbed on them all the way to Darwin causing a bit of pain. I found the sick bay at Coonawarra to try to get some relief. They thought that I had escaped from Darwin General Hospital after Tracy and were going to lock me up! It took a bit of talking to convince them that I was the Skipper of one of the resue aircraft!! We left the next day with about 46 pax and only 20 or so seats!! We routed via Mt Isa, Brisbane, Sydney to Nowra. On the first leg they got up to quite a bit of mischief and Bum Bum was worried that they were going to open the emergency escape windows. (Post traumatic stress reaction I guess!) The only thing I could think to do was to send Bum Bum back with the message that we were having problems with one on the engines and that they should sit still etc. Then I briefly shutdown the number 2 engine - the 748 prop would rotate very slowly when feathered - and shook the aircraft around a bit and restarted number two donk. Bum Bum said they all went very pale and decided to go to sleep. No problems from them after that.
Apparently, one sailor and his girlfriend took up residence in the rear baggage compartment and "enjoyed" each others company immensely for most of the first leg!
Some days after the first rescue mission I went back again but details are very sketchy. By then I had had the stitches removed and it was a much more comfortable trip!
One last thing, on the first trip, Phil and I had to hand fly the aircraft the round trip as the auto-pilot was U/S. All shoulders to the wheel sort of thing.
Ron Green, FO of record breaking 747
We were, I believe, the second aircaft into Darwin for the evacuation airlift - the first being a Herc. flown by an old mate , Bill Fewster (Sqn. Ldr. at the time). Our aircraft was a B747-200B, registration VH-EBB flown by Ken Nicholson , myself, and crew.
We had told Darwin we could carry 750 pax. but ended up with (only) 694 as that was all there were at the time at the airport who wanted out. That flight was followed by another jumbo which carried slightly fewer - can't recall the number as I didn't record it.
Of interest is we were still 80 tonnes under max. TOW out of Darwin as we took round trip fuel from Sydney.
An interesting thing concerning the evacuation airlift was that 'the powers that be' brought in Allan Stretton (Brigadier) to run the operation, whilst right on the spot was Dave 'Crazy Horse' Hitchins who was the Group Captain Base Commander in Darwin - a former C.O. of 36 (Herc.) Sqn, and also the R.A.A.F Commander of the Dakota Sqn (I think it was 38 Sqn.) during the Berlin airlift. Dave had also been Senior Staff Officer (Air Transport) at Ops. Command, and the commander of the first flight into Iwakuni on cessation of WW2. During the entire Darwin op. he was never called - sat in his office and went over to each incoming aircraft, saying g'day and offering cups of tea ! - It was a great cup of tea too ! Sadly, Dave (who also painted extremely well but would not show his work publicly) left for the great hangar in the sky about 18 months ago. All who worked either for or with him held him in high regard.