A few inaccuracies there I think Centauraus. Doubt very much that Bruce Clarke ever flew Tony's Mustangs and definitely not with a canopy removed. He did know people who were flying them though. I doubt very much that Val Chapman flew one. He only flew his Ryan on the calmest of days. The Mustangs did not use glycol at Jerilderie as it was as you say in short supply. Water and Barr's Leaks was the go. The batteries were tractor batteries so no negative G manouevers. John Lindner did fly a circuit with Kurt Schenk in the rear with the aux fuel tank still fitted but the canopy would not close. John said that the noise was deafening. Tony had bought one aircraft from the RAAF at Tottenham ostensibly for scrap. Picked it up on a weekend, (asked that it be parked near the fence so "the crane could pick it up") and then flew it to Jerilderie. Neither of Tony's aircraft were in Queensland during his ownership but the aircraft that Col Pay acquired was from there. I don't think Tony had any engine failures or forced landings but one aircraft cracked something in the engine and the subsequent water/Barrs Leaks mixture on the windscreen did result in a difficult landing into the setting sun. Tony offered me one of them for $600 in 1966 and I had that sum on me, but RAAF experience made me believe that such machinery had to be inspected by half a dozen engineers before each flight and DCA were difficult about putting them on the register. One letter to me from DCA said "we do not know to what combat stresses they might have been subjected" My query as to how the aircraft differentiated between combat and non combat stresses was not answered.
Last edited by Bill Pike; 25th Aug 2017 at 05:34.
Reason: typo, addition