Tee Emm
23rd May 2010, 09:48
Pprune Godzone readers may recall the recently published ATSB report on the Cessna 210 crash in WA where the pilot lost control at night en-route on a charter. The investigation revealed low suction to the gyroscopic flight instruments possibly causing sluggish operation - although the electrically driven turn coordinator was serviceable. Loss of gyroscopic flight instruments (artificial horizon and directional gyro) is a pilot’s nightmare if in IMC or at night. One has to be real current on instrument flying skills to survive.
The following cut and paste story from a local Canberra newspaper will I am sure be of great interest in this regard. The pilot concerned was in cloud when he penetrated a thunderstorm in a De Havilland Mosquito fighter bomber of the RAAF. The gyroscopic flight instruments in the Mosquito consisted of one artificial horizon and directional gyro, the toppling limits being a mere 55 degrees angle of bank - and one turn and slip indicator - sometimes known in those days as a bat and ball. It was also suction operated. Please forgive if I include the newspaper story but after reading about this pilot you will understand why. And by the way, the pilot in the story was my flight commander circa 1956 when the RAAF had a training base at Uranquinty near Wagga. We flew Tiger Moths, Wirraways and Winjeels. Story in his own words (edited for brevity) as follows:
FLYING THE MEMORY – An ANZAC Day Profile
Unpredictable weather and unexpected landings, dive-bombing and the enemy under fire, beheadings, helicopter engine failures, famous friends and missing prime ministers – the life of Leigh “Laddie” Hindley has certainly been an adventurous one. Carmen McIntosh spoke with the World War Two and Vietnam War veteran about his self described “exciting and dangerous” life.
Following just 12 months of training as a fighter pilot the 19 year old Mr Hindley was sent to war in PNG to fly P-40 Kittyhawks. "The time was 1943-44, the Japanese had just about been annihilated as far as their pilots were concerned. We did dive bombing and strafing pretty well all the time. We had six 0.5 calibre machine guns on the aircraft firing forward and we were able to attack the Japanese on the ground wherever they were situated. There were a lot of losses and I was hit three times. We had our problems with the Japanese because we knew that if we were captured we were going to be beheaded.
Several of us discussed it and decided that we used to carry a 0.38 revolver on our waist with every flight we went out and I think we all agreed that if we had the opportunity we would fire at the Japanese every bullet except one and put the last one through our own head. Despite this pact, two of the friends were among five squadron pilots captured by the Japanese. Four were beheaded and the fifth killed by Japanese experiments with cyanide gas".
Following his return from the war Laddie got married and did a five year electrical course before rejoining the RAAF in 1951. He joined a Mosquito squadron and served on exchange with the Royal Air Force in Singapore and Malaya doing low level photography on movements of communist terrorist camps. "It was semi-secret and we photographed again from 25,000 feet the Thailand Burmese border".
He recalled one of his most terrifying experiences. "I was coming back from Bangkok to Butterworth (Malaysia) in the Mosquito, myself and the navigator, at 25,000 ft. I have had bad weather in my life but I’d never had anything like this – all the blind flying instruments had toppled. I would say I was within three or four seconds of telling the navigator to jump with his parachute. I would have gone straight after him, but I just happened to get out of a little bit of turbulence, shocking turbulence, and got control again and got through. When I landed the aircraft was practically stripped of paint".
In 1954, Laddie Hindley completed a flying instructors course and then trained pilot recruits at Uranquinty NSW, through to their final stage of being awarded their wings. Then he was sent to USA to learn to fly helicopters and it was within these six months that Laddie made a close and rather famous friend. The chap that he shared a desk with was Kris Kristofferson. Then, Kristofferson never showed any inclination to sing or play music or anything back then. He told Laddie he was going to be sent to New Guinea and he rang up and asked what Laddie what he thought about New Guinea and "I said to him do you want me to tell you the truth. And so Kris told the company he was with that he wasn’t going to go to New Guinea and they sacked him. And that’s when he went down to Memphis and started with Johnny Cash and those people".
Returning to Australia, Laddie was soon called for service in South Vietnam. It was from this service he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery. "Our speciality was working with the Australian SAS – we used two aircraft and sometimes three carrying the SAS troops. They would fly at tree top level and another aircraft would sit up the top at 2000 feet and do the navigation. That way there was less chance of getting hit by bullets from below". He also played a part in the famous battle of Long Tan. "That meant we went in at night to bring out the dead and wounded. We made our descent into the landing area which wasn’t much bigger than a double tennis court by four Army chaps holding torches up in the four corners of the area. I went out the next morning to have a look at the battle area and there were parts of bodies 20 and 30 feet up in the trees from where the artillery hit them".
Retiring from the RAAF in 1968, Laddie Hindley entered the commercial aviation world flying various types of helicopters for mineral and oil companies. He spent 12 years at the Ok Tedi deposits "as we put the drills together, bringing the drills in by helicopter piece by piece. It was dangerous work at 6500 feet".
Laddie Hindley DFC, now 84, lives with his wife at the Goodwin Retirement Village in Ainslie, Canberra. While he will march in the Anzac Parade it will be without his 16 medals which were stolen from his home last month. A humble Mr Hindley said the day was about remembering others. “I think more than anything just meeting friends and associates” he said.
……………………………………………………………………………………..
Laddie Hindley is featured in the book “Airmen I have met: Their Stories” by Derrick Rolland and available in most local libraries. It is a book well worth reading.
Cent.
The following cut and paste story from a local Canberra newspaper will I am sure be of great interest in this regard. The pilot concerned was in cloud when he penetrated a thunderstorm in a De Havilland Mosquito fighter bomber of the RAAF. The gyroscopic flight instruments in the Mosquito consisted of one artificial horizon and directional gyro, the toppling limits being a mere 55 degrees angle of bank - and one turn and slip indicator - sometimes known in those days as a bat and ball. It was also suction operated. Please forgive if I include the newspaper story but after reading about this pilot you will understand why. And by the way, the pilot in the story was my flight commander circa 1956 when the RAAF had a training base at Uranquinty near Wagga. We flew Tiger Moths, Wirraways and Winjeels. Story in his own words (edited for brevity) as follows:
FLYING THE MEMORY – An ANZAC Day Profile
Unpredictable weather and unexpected landings, dive-bombing and the enemy under fire, beheadings, helicopter engine failures, famous friends and missing prime ministers – the life of Leigh “Laddie” Hindley has certainly been an adventurous one. Carmen McIntosh spoke with the World War Two and Vietnam War veteran about his self described “exciting and dangerous” life.
Following just 12 months of training as a fighter pilot the 19 year old Mr Hindley was sent to war in PNG to fly P-40 Kittyhawks. "The time was 1943-44, the Japanese had just about been annihilated as far as their pilots were concerned. We did dive bombing and strafing pretty well all the time. We had six 0.5 calibre machine guns on the aircraft firing forward and we were able to attack the Japanese on the ground wherever they were situated. There were a lot of losses and I was hit three times. We had our problems with the Japanese because we knew that if we were captured we were going to be beheaded.
Several of us discussed it and decided that we used to carry a 0.38 revolver on our waist with every flight we went out and I think we all agreed that if we had the opportunity we would fire at the Japanese every bullet except one and put the last one through our own head. Despite this pact, two of the friends were among five squadron pilots captured by the Japanese. Four were beheaded and the fifth killed by Japanese experiments with cyanide gas".
Following his return from the war Laddie got married and did a five year electrical course before rejoining the RAAF in 1951. He joined a Mosquito squadron and served on exchange with the Royal Air Force in Singapore and Malaya doing low level photography on movements of communist terrorist camps. "It was semi-secret and we photographed again from 25,000 feet the Thailand Burmese border".
He recalled one of his most terrifying experiences. "I was coming back from Bangkok to Butterworth (Malaysia) in the Mosquito, myself and the navigator, at 25,000 ft. I have had bad weather in my life but I’d never had anything like this – all the blind flying instruments had toppled. I would say I was within three or four seconds of telling the navigator to jump with his parachute. I would have gone straight after him, but I just happened to get out of a little bit of turbulence, shocking turbulence, and got control again and got through. When I landed the aircraft was practically stripped of paint".
In 1954, Laddie Hindley completed a flying instructors course and then trained pilot recruits at Uranquinty NSW, through to their final stage of being awarded their wings. Then he was sent to USA to learn to fly helicopters and it was within these six months that Laddie made a close and rather famous friend. The chap that he shared a desk with was Kris Kristofferson. Then, Kristofferson never showed any inclination to sing or play music or anything back then. He told Laddie he was going to be sent to New Guinea and he rang up and asked what Laddie what he thought about New Guinea and "I said to him do you want me to tell you the truth. And so Kris told the company he was with that he wasn’t going to go to New Guinea and they sacked him. And that’s when he went down to Memphis and started with Johnny Cash and those people".
Returning to Australia, Laddie was soon called for service in South Vietnam. It was from this service he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery. "Our speciality was working with the Australian SAS – we used two aircraft and sometimes three carrying the SAS troops. They would fly at tree top level and another aircraft would sit up the top at 2000 feet and do the navigation. That way there was less chance of getting hit by bullets from below". He also played a part in the famous battle of Long Tan. "That meant we went in at night to bring out the dead and wounded. We made our descent into the landing area which wasn’t much bigger than a double tennis court by four Army chaps holding torches up in the four corners of the area. I went out the next morning to have a look at the battle area and there were parts of bodies 20 and 30 feet up in the trees from where the artillery hit them".
Retiring from the RAAF in 1968, Laddie Hindley entered the commercial aviation world flying various types of helicopters for mineral and oil companies. He spent 12 years at the Ok Tedi deposits "as we put the drills together, bringing the drills in by helicopter piece by piece. It was dangerous work at 6500 feet".
Laddie Hindley DFC, now 84, lives with his wife at the Goodwin Retirement Village in Ainslie, Canberra. While he will march in the Anzac Parade it will be without his 16 medals which were stolen from his home last month. A humble Mr Hindley said the day was about remembering others. “I think more than anything just meeting friends and associates” he said.
……………………………………………………………………………………..
Laddie Hindley is featured in the book “Airmen I have met: Their Stories” by Derrick Rolland and available in most local libraries. It is a book well worth reading.
Cent.