Mustangs at Maralinga
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There were no duals so we all had to launch unassisted for that first flight.
A bit apprehensive especially with a heavy load on board ?
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Imagine climbing into a Mustang for the first time with no training on type and then pulling the ferry flight off !
Same with the single seat Vampire. Wonderful days at tax payers expense. Of course we paid tax too...
Silly Old Git
Now surely somebody out there in PPrune land like Tinnpis, Fantom, Gaunty, FDTK, Dog One, Binos etc could add to the Phantom Mustang story.
The late John Lindsay told me the story after my CPL flight test.
The late John Lindsay told me the story after my CPL flight test.
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aseanaero
How does it feel?
Launching into the dark as a No 2 in a formation of 4 was daunting enough. Mistakenly I had selected my nav lights to dim instead of bright and No 3 had trouble following me through the cloud cover.
Most apprehension was the expectation of combat and a huge underconfidence with my air to air capabilities. I could manoeuvre the Mustang to its limits and dog fight to win occasionally with the best survivors of WW2 but air to air tactics were very elementary and yet to be learned.
The Mustang was a delight to fly having well harmonised control feel and optimum stick force/g. But every change of flight condition needed an adjustment of rudder trim and this was a real nuisance particularly wnen delivering ordinance.
Familiarity soon enabled one to sense speed and dive angle and all the other variables to enable the skillful pilot to fire or release as though 'firing from the hip' as the saying goes. One ends up feeling such an aircraft as an extension of one's nervous system. I expect a bird would have similar feelings.
Enjoyable in those days was the challenge to one's judgement in flying the WW2 buzz approach and landing designed to get multiple aircraft on the ground in the shortest time in the presence of enemy threat. This manoeuvre sought to preserve an aircraft's total energy at a maximum until the very last moments of a landing approach. It started with a high speed low approach to the intended touch down point at which the throttle was pulled back to the stop followed by a loop on its side at about 45 degrees aiming to roll wings level at the right speed just before touch down and all of that without needing engine power. One's judgement in the lazy loop involved adjustments to g to get the speed back below gear and flap extension limits and continuing to bleed off speed for the roll to level and immediate touch down.
How does it feel?
Launching into the dark as a No 2 in a formation of 4 was daunting enough. Mistakenly I had selected my nav lights to dim instead of bright and No 3 had trouble following me through the cloud cover.
Most apprehension was the expectation of combat and a huge underconfidence with my air to air capabilities. I could manoeuvre the Mustang to its limits and dog fight to win occasionally with the best survivors of WW2 but air to air tactics were very elementary and yet to be learned.
The Mustang was a delight to fly having well harmonised control feel and optimum stick force/g. But every change of flight condition needed an adjustment of rudder trim and this was a real nuisance particularly wnen delivering ordinance.
Familiarity soon enabled one to sense speed and dive angle and all the other variables to enable the skillful pilot to fire or release as though 'firing from the hip' as the saying goes. One ends up feeling such an aircraft as an extension of one's nervous system. I expect a bird would have similar feelings.
Enjoyable in those days was the challenge to one's judgement in flying the WW2 buzz approach and landing designed to get multiple aircraft on the ground in the shortest time in the presence of enemy threat. This manoeuvre sought to preserve an aircraft's total energy at a maximum until the very last moments of a landing approach. It started with a high speed low approach to the intended touch down point at which the throttle was pulled back to the stop followed by a loop on its side at about 45 degrees aiming to roll wings level at the right speed just before touch down and all of that without needing engine power. One's judgement in the lazy loop involved adjustments to g to get the speed back below gear and flap extension limits and continuing to bleed off speed for the roll to level and immediate touch down.
Now surely somebody out there in PPRuNe land like Tinnpis, Fantom, Gaunty, FDTK, Dog One, Binos etc could add to the Phantom Mustang story
Story goes that the cow/sheep cocky owner was not averse to cranking it over occassionally and doing a few high speed taxis up and down his runway - but I have never heard any stories about it flying in mysterious circumstances.
Dr
Man Bilong Balus long PNG
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The story of the 'phantom' aircraft that I first heard back around 1970 had it as being a Spitfire.
Went to an 'open day' at Parafield when still at school and I remember speaking to a chap who claimed to know who it was and where it was.
Of course he refused to tell me!
Went to an 'open day' at Parafield when still at school and I remember speaking to a chap who claimed to know who it was and where it was.
Of course he refused to tell me!
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Then there was the legend of the 'secret underground bunker' somewhere near Woomera or Alice full of old warbirds as a strategic reserve which was the supposed base of the 'SA phantom' , this was told by a guy in the Parafield flying club who was very p**sed and got a bit upset when there was a chorus of "bull**it" by the listeners.
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Enjoyable in those days was the challenge to one's judgement in flying the WW2 buzz approach and landing designed to get multiple aircraft on the ground in the shortest time in the presence of enemy threat. This manoeuvre sought to preserve an aircraft's total energy at a maximum until the very last moments of a landing approach. It started with a high speed low approach to the intended touch down point at which the throttle was pulled back to the stop followed by a loop on its side at about 45 degrees aiming to roll wings level at the right speed just before touch down and all of that without needing engine power. One's judgement in the lazy loop involved adjustments to g to get the speed back below gear and flap extension limits and continuing to bleed off speed for the roll to level and immediate touch down.
... as long as your not doing it for real if a bad guy is in pursuit
'Way back in my learning days in the mid '60's, at BK, I had heard a story about a Spitfire in the northern part of SA, which was supposed to sit off an Electra's wing for a while, then 'buzz off'....Fact or fiction?? Who would know?
The 'follow up' story was that the then DCA sent an Aero Commander to have a look, and it is supposed to have formated on it for a short time before simply flying away from it - and the Ac couldn't go fast enough to catch it - or so the story of the time went.....
About the same time, there was also a story about someone in QLD who had one, and used to run it up occasionally, but didn't actually fly it....maybe just 'reminiscing'...
Is that the one Col bought I wonder??
Good for the 'romance' of aviation in OZ....
Anybody else got one 'stashed away'...??
Some stories are simply amazing. When I first came over to WA to instruct at a small country town, there was a very well known 'collector' who had a hangar with quite a few DH-82 mainplanes, 'brand new' engines etc (All war surplus) and would not sell them.
Don't know what he was waiting for, but eventually I had the pleasure of flying one reconstruction, VH-AZA, and endorsing a couple of local pilots - one of whom had been flying one for 'years'.....
Such was 'the bush'.
Lovely times....
(Apols for the drift... but, maybe, just maybe, there are other 'war surplus' acft tucked away in someone's farm shed...??)
Cheers
The 'follow up' story was that the then DCA sent an Aero Commander to have a look, and it is supposed to have formated on it for a short time before simply flying away from it - and the Ac couldn't go fast enough to catch it - or so the story of the time went.....
About the same time, there was also a story about someone in QLD who had one, and used to run it up occasionally, but didn't actually fly it....maybe just 'reminiscing'...
Is that the one Col bought I wonder??
Good for the 'romance' of aviation in OZ....
Anybody else got one 'stashed away'...??
Some stories are simply amazing. When I first came over to WA to instruct at a small country town, there was a very well known 'collector' who had a hangar with quite a few DH-82 mainplanes, 'brand new' engines etc (All war surplus) and would not sell them.
Don't know what he was waiting for, but eventually I had the pleasure of flying one reconstruction, VH-AZA, and endorsing a couple of local pilots - one of whom had been flying one for 'years'.....
Such was 'the bush'.
Lovely times....
(Apols for the drift... but, maybe, just maybe, there are other 'war surplus' acft tucked away in someone's farm shed...??)
Cheers
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We all bag CASA but we really need to be thankful of a group of pilots on the inside with open minds that really love avaition and made the whole Australian warbird movement possible by lobbying the beast from the inside and made changes to allow warbirds to legally fly , they can even do joyflights now , that's progress !
If you look back to the 50's, 60's and 70's all these old warbirds could be purchased relatively cheaply (compared with today's prices) but you couldn't legally fly them, I have to say if I lived in a remote area and had a flying hot rod in the barn I'd be tempted to take it out for the occassional flight also.
A candidate for the "phantom" could be Alec Wilson's Mark VIII Spitfire that has been on Frome Downs station in northen SA for years. If you know the Wilson's they are a bunch of real characters and wouldn't surprise me if it occassionally took to the air.
If you look back to the 50's, 60's and 70's all these old warbirds could be purchased relatively cheaply (compared with today's prices) but you couldn't legally fly them, I have to say if I lived in a remote area and had a flying hot rod in the barn I'd be tempted to take it out for the occassional flight also.
A candidate for the "phantom" could be Alec Wilson's Mark VIII Spitfire that has been on Frome Downs station in northen SA for years. If you know the Wilson's they are a bunch of real characters and wouldn't surprise me if it occassionally took to the air.
Last edited by aseanaero; 5th Mar 2009 at 00:45.
Silly Old Git
In the sixties one John" McDonald a one time NAC employee, allegedly tore past an NAC Viscount in his restored kiwi P-51D
Prospector if yer watching, see Paul Rowes old Bedford loader by the fence?
Prospector if yer watching, see Paul Rowes old Bedford loader by the fence?
I saw a picture of a mustang at the Reno air races, with a painting of a boxing kangaroo on the gear-door. This was surely the same P-51 that Tony recovered.
warbirdregistry.org - A Warbirds Resource Group Site - North American P-51 Mustang
(I wish I had had a camera to take a picture of the Merlin - it was so bent that fuel was running like a tap from the ruptured wings, and the props had bent forward........then there was the bent gear, and cracked wheels, and corrugated skin, and......!!) Today 08:00
Then there was the legend of the 'secret underground bunker' somewhere near Woomera or Alice full of old warbirds as a strategic reserve which was the supposed base of the 'SA phantom' , this was told by a guy in the Parafield flying club who was very p**sed and got a bit upset when there was a chorus of "bull**it" by the listeners.
I think I might have been there that night.
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27MD388VH-ZPYVAlec Wilson, SAAustraliaRestoration
Alec had a brief appearance on the big screen in Croc Dundee II , he was one of the bad guys, look for the biggest belt buckle in the film haha
Aaagh yes
The drunk reference should have given it away
The drunk reference should have given it away
Last edited by Peter Fanelli; 5th Mar 2009 at 03:38. Reason: To escape the wrath of the spelling police
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Peter Fanelli -
Some years ago I shared a pint with a chap who was employed as a pilot with the company that owned the aforementioned Merlin. He claimed that the beast was repaired and returned to service.
I was astonished - still am!
Some years ago I shared a pint with a chap who was employed as a pilot with the company that owned the aforementioned Merlin. He claimed that the beast was repaired and returned to service.
I was astonished - still am!
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Story also goes that there is a cave in the Blue Mountains that have numerous boxes of merlins, a/c, jeeps and other assorted military stores.
A group of bods from the RAAF were in the planning process to aquire the items with the use of a Chinook but were stopped.
Reason being the Govt didn't want to pay for items, if they stay in the cave, they don't legally own them therefore no payment needed.
I wonder
A group of bods from the RAAF were in the planning process to aquire the items with the use of a Chinook but were stopped.
Reason being the Govt didn't want to pay for items, if they stay in the cave, they don't legally own them therefore no payment needed.
I wonder