The way we were - Ansett, TAA, Qantas
Fokker F.27 VH-FNQ
This aeroplane is with the Queensland Air Museum at Caloundra. Unfortunately it is missing its original Fokker data plate. It was probably removed circa 2007 when it was decided that the aeroplane (by then VH-WAN) would be parted out. In such a case one might hope to find the data plate with the aircraft records but it was not amongst the recently discovered Australian log books. Therefore it is likely that it was "souvenired" while the aircraft was parked at Tamworth 2001-2008. If anyone knows where it is QAM would be very pleased to get it back. No names, no pack drill.
As an aside, it is believed that this aeroplane is the longest serving aircraft of any type in Ansett ownership. It was delivered in 1966 and was owned by Ansett until close of business in 2001. Although leased out from 1989, it was owned by Ansett for its entire career.
As an aside, it is believed that this aeroplane is the longest serving aircraft of any type in Ansett ownership. It was delivered in 1966 and was owned by Ansett until close of business in 2001. Although leased out from 1989, it was owned by Ansett for its entire career.
Would have thought that the DC3 ABR would have laid claim to being the oldest a/c in the fleet.
Entered service with ANA in Oct 38 and became an Ansett a/c in 57/58 when they took over ANA and was still owned by AN when the company collapsed.
Emeritus
Entered service with ANA in Oct 38 and became an Ansett a/c in 57/58 when they took over ANA and was still owned by AN when the company collapsed.
Emeritus
Emeritus
Yes I too thought that ABR would hold the record but the numbers don't support it.
Technically ABR did not come into Ansett ownership until 21 October 1957 when Ansett took-over ANA. ABR operated its last commercial service on 27 December 1972 although the aircraft remained in Ansett ownership right up until close of business in 2001. That's 15 years in service. If you add its ANA service that brings it up to 34 years.
F.27 VH-FNQ was in service from 1966 to 2001 which is 35 years, all in Ansett ownership. The only other contender that I can think of is Sandringham VH-BRC but that was in service for a mere 22 years.
It surprised me too.
Rgds
Yes I too thought that ABR would hold the record but the numbers don't support it.
Technically ABR did not come into Ansett ownership until 21 October 1957 when Ansett took-over ANA. ABR operated its last commercial service on 27 December 1972 although the aircraft remained in Ansett ownership right up until close of business in 2001. That's 15 years in service. If you add its ANA service that brings it up to 34 years.
F.27 VH-FNQ was in service from 1966 to 2001 which is 35 years, all in Ansett ownership. The only other contender that I can think of is Sandringham VH-BRC but that was in service for a mere 22 years.
It surprised me too.
Rgds
The smell of the breakfast. The thud thud thud as you taxied out after overnighting in a winter Hobart. I was a junior burger in those days but it seems like only yesterday.
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Peter Korsman
Captain Peter Korsman passed away at 1000 this morning, 8 Sept. Known to so many of you, and in command of the above aircraft, many times, Peter was a Lancaster bomber pilot who made it home, despite being injured on more then one occasion. He then went on to become one of TAA's finest. A keen fisherman, Peter was known for turning up at Flt Ops with a bag full of fish, and some hapless crew would have to fly around with their fish all day, counting on the goodwill of the flight attendants to keep them cold. Funeral on the 17 Sept, probably in BNE. Will post details when they come to hand. RIP Peter, it was a pleasure to fly with you.
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The way we were - Ansett,TAA,QANTAS
Hi Centaurus,
would you remember the 34 Sqn VIP Viscount radio callsigns?
I have A6-435 as VM-NSL but I don't have A6-436.
Cheers.
Greg
would you remember the 34 Sqn VIP Viscount radio callsigns?
I have A6-435 as VM-NSL but I don't have A6-436.
Cheers.
Greg
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Those photos above......wow.
There's never been an aeroplane like my beloved 777....just wonderful.....do anything, anywhere.
BUT despite that......there's just NOTHING like those two, the 727 and the DC9. Such an absolute privilege to have much time in both front seats on each of the aircraft pictured. And of course being in my 30's when I got my command on the "9" then the 727, I knew it all. Sigh......
There's never been an aeroplane like my beloved 777....just wonderful.....do anything, anywhere.
BUT despite that......there's just NOTHING like those two, the 727 and the DC9. Such an absolute privilege to have much time in both front seats on each of the aircraft pictured. And of course being in my 30's when I got my command on the "9" then the 727, I knew it all. Sigh......
I have A6-435 as VM-NSL but I don't have A6-436.
..... nothing beats a 727 takeoff (especially off 05 at ADL full load to DRW).
Then as they turned one by one onto 05 and the big levers were moved, the roar was satisfying beyond clinical explanation as the caravan walls vibrated in sympathy and occasionally the crockery would rattle.
So fortunate to have lived in that era; you just can't explain that to kids these days.....
When the 727s and DC-9s went, plane spotting lost a lot of its magic. The ANx and TBx series were all well known and loved by us, especially TBK with its Central Australian colour scheme at one point.
Happily it escaped the furnace - these days it's outside an office building in Stilling, Denmark.
VH-TBK Boeing 727-276A
Old 60's Footage of Ansett-Ana L188 crew.
I was searching through youtube last night and came across this great video of Ansett-Ana in the 60's. For those of you who were around then it's a 20 minute story about a flight plan for a L188 flight. The Crew were: Capt. Kev McFadden , F/O Peter Smith and F/E Bill Fedricks. I had the pleasure of flying on the B7272 with these guys and they were great to be with. Kev McFadden was a very senior Capt , at one stage he was # 1 on the seniority list for quite a few years.
I did my B727 school in 1965 and flew with the most senior and " old timers " of aviation and heard some incredible stories about flying in the 30's from some of them. Wonderful aviators with truly great Airmanship.
Peter became a senior B727 Capt. and Bill was a very long time serving F/E.
It's a great video shot at Eagle Farm and shows the old DCA Flight Planning Buildings , the Ansett-Ana Igloo Terminal and of course the L188.
It sure brought back some very pleasant memories and I hope it does for some who were around then.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soGo4VwZ3Z8
I did my B727 school in 1965 and flew with the most senior and " old timers " of aviation and heard some incredible stories about flying in the 30's from some of them. Wonderful aviators with truly great Airmanship.
Peter became a senior B727 Capt. and Bill was a very long time serving F/E.
It's a great video shot at Eagle Farm and shows the old DCA Flight Planning Buildings , the Ansett-Ana Igloo Terminal and of course the L188.
It sure brought back some very pleasant memories and I hope it does for some who were around then.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soGo4VwZ3Z8
Excellent, twenty minutes well spent for me
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L188 FOOTAGE.
RodH, thanks for putting the YouTube link up. Never operated the L188 but had 10 years on the C130 (A-E & H models) and the L1011. Lockheed sure knew how to provide a good working invironment. The B707 and B747's were like dog kennels in comparison regarding room for tech crew.
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memories
Let me say from the outset, I am not nor have been a pilot but, as a 35 year veteran of Ansett, prior to the collapse I remember those ads. Thanks for the memories. It's a pleasure to be able to visit this site and read the posts.
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My "uncle" Ken "Boomer" Collins, a TN legend as some of the older gents in this location may recall loved the Leccy. Lockheed also asked him through TN top test how it would handle if props were placed into reverse in level cruise. TN agreed and Ken did too. Apparently it was interesting but not dangerous according to Ken, but this is a comment from a bloke who used to dive his Mustang to intercept V1 rocket bombs, get the wingtip under their stub wing and bank away thereby turning the bomb over and dumping it into the Channel.
It was a pilot's and FE's dream as he said.
My second ever flight as a spotty little Airline brat was SYD MEL on Tango Lima Charlie after a day in Sydney with my Dad who was a TN LAME.
Sat in the 1st class lounge at the rear.
Damned fine aeroplane is all I can think and after the pure grunt of Tango Juliet Alpha on my 1st ever flight that morning, I could still appreciate the refined class of the Electra. It made a nice sound all its own.
Best all
EWL
It was a pilot's and FE's dream as he said.
My second ever flight as a spotty little Airline brat was SYD MEL on Tango Lima Charlie after a day in Sydney with my Dad who was a TN LAME.
Sat in the 1st class lounge at the rear.
Damned fine aeroplane is all I can think and after the pure grunt of Tango Juliet Alpha on my 1st ever flight that morning, I could still appreciate the refined class of the Electra. It made a nice sound all its own.
Best all
EWL
Man Bilong Balus long PNG
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Slight thread drift
who used to dive his Mustang to intercept V1 rocket bombs, get the wingtip under their stub wing and bank away thereby turning the bomb over and dumping it into the Channel.
And the poor old Mustang would probably have been at 'War Emergency Power*' as well!
* 66" MAP and (I think) 3,000rpm.
As a student at a boarding school in Adelaide in the late 60's I'd occasionally hang around Adelaide Airport of a Sunday afternoon hoping to be shown through some of those aircraft. Will never forget being shown through an Electra (there were about four of us College Students if I remember correctly) by one of the "Hosties' and being given the rundown in the cockpit by one of the Pilots!
In the (possibly) regrettably unlikely event that the two people concerned are still with us, and perchance reading these pages; Thank you Sir and Ma'am!
Not a WW2 historian but the Mustang v V1 Bomb story caused me to have a deeper look on the internet.
I think you will find a lot of Mustangs intercepted the V1
"One hero of the V1 campaign was a Polish Warrant Officer pilot named Tadeusz Szymanski, who was on constant Diver duty during July 44 in his Mustang belonging to 316 Squadron at West Malling. One incident involved a frantic chase across Kent on the evening of July 12th, when he was out of ammunition and flew alongside to take a closer look.
"The thing was jerking along and the elevator was flapping with each vibration of the crude jet motor" he said. "I noticed that on the front of the bomb was a silly little propeller. It looked ridiculous. I decided to tip it off balance." Wing under wing, he tried to flip it over but it proved stubborn and just carried on. Szymanski was more stubborn and he made 11 more attempts but they both continued to fly on side by side. "I tried a different manoeuvre, this time hitting very hard with my wingtip as I went into a loop. When I recovered, I found to my dismay that it was still flying, but I had turned it upside-down!" Suddenly, the bomb went into a steep spin and plunged to the ground. Szymanski, more than pleased, sped off home to West Malling.
Szymanski went on to intercept many more V1's and his heroics earned him the admiration of the Polish leader General Sikorski. Later in life Tadek, as he was known, settled in Norwich with his family and became a printer. He died in February 1992.
What a courageous man!"
And from Wiki
"In daylight, V-1 chases were chaotic and often unsuccessful until a special defence zone was declared between London and the coast, in which only the fastest fighters were permitted. The first interception of a V-1 was by F/L J. G. Musgrave with a No. 605 Squadron RAF Mosquito night fighter on the night of 14/15 June 1944. Between June and 5 September 1944, a handful of 150 Wing Tempests shot down 638 flying bombs,[28] with No. 3 Squadron RAF alone claiming 305. One Tempest pilot, Squadron Leader Joseph Berry (501 Squadron), shot down 59 V-1s, the Belgian ace Squadron Leader Remy Van Lierde (164 Squadron) destroyed 44 (with a further nine shared) and W/C Roland Beamont (see above) destroyed 31.
The next most successful interceptors were the Mosquito (623 victories),[29] Spitfire XIV (303),[30] and Mustang (232). All other types combined added 158. Even though it was not fully operational, the jet-powered Gloster Meteor was rushed into service with No. 616 Squadron RAF to fight the V-1s. It had ample speed but its cannon were prone to jamming, and it shot down only 13 V-1s.[31]
In late 1944 a radar-equipped Vickers Wellington bomber was modified for use by the RAF's Fighter Interception Unit as an Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft.[32] Flying at an altitude of 4,000 feet (1,200 m) over the North Sea, it directed Mosquito fighters charged with intercepting He 111s from Dutch airbases that sought to launch V-1s from the air."
I think you will find a lot of Mustangs intercepted the V1
"One hero of the V1 campaign was a Polish Warrant Officer pilot named Tadeusz Szymanski, who was on constant Diver duty during July 44 in his Mustang belonging to 316 Squadron at West Malling. One incident involved a frantic chase across Kent on the evening of July 12th, when he was out of ammunition and flew alongside to take a closer look.
"The thing was jerking along and the elevator was flapping with each vibration of the crude jet motor" he said. "I noticed that on the front of the bomb was a silly little propeller. It looked ridiculous. I decided to tip it off balance." Wing under wing, he tried to flip it over but it proved stubborn and just carried on. Szymanski was more stubborn and he made 11 more attempts but they both continued to fly on side by side. "I tried a different manoeuvre, this time hitting very hard with my wingtip as I went into a loop. When I recovered, I found to my dismay that it was still flying, but I had turned it upside-down!" Suddenly, the bomb went into a steep spin and plunged to the ground. Szymanski, more than pleased, sped off home to West Malling.
Szymanski went on to intercept many more V1's and his heroics earned him the admiration of the Polish leader General Sikorski. Later in life Tadek, as he was known, settled in Norwich with his family and became a printer. He died in February 1992.
What a courageous man!"
And from Wiki
"In daylight, V-1 chases were chaotic and often unsuccessful until a special defence zone was declared between London and the coast, in which only the fastest fighters were permitted. The first interception of a V-1 was by F/L J. G. Musgrave with a No. 605 Squadron RAF Mosquito night fighter on the night of 14/15 June 1944. Between June and 5 September 1944, a handful of 150 Wing Tempests shot down 638 flying bombs,[28] with No. 3 Squadron RAF alone claiming 305. One Tempest pilot, Squadron Leader Joseph Berry (501 Squadron), shot down 59 V-1s, the Belgian ace Squadron Leader Remy Van Lierde (164 Squadron) destroyed 44 (with a further nine shared) and W/C Roland Beamont (see above) destroyed 31.
The next most successful interceptors were the Mosquito (623 victories),[29] Spitfire XIV (303),[30] and Mustang (232). All other types combined added 158. Even though it was not fully operational, the jet-powered Gloster Meteor was rushed into service with No. 616 Squadron RAF to fight the V-1s. It had ample speed but its cannon were prone to jamming, and it shot down only 13 V-1s.[31]
In late 1944 a radar-equipped Vickers Wellington bomber was modified for use by the RAF's Fighter Interception Unit as an Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft.[32] Flying at an altitude of 4,000 feet (1,200 m) over the North Sea, it directed Mosquito fighters charged with intercepting He 111s from Dutch airbases that sought to launch V-1s from the air."