Leopard Moth and Miles Falcon still at Lilydale?
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Leopard Moth and Miles Falcon still at Lilydale?
For some years there has been a Leopard Moth and a Miles Falcon hangared at Lilydale aerodrome. They belong to Keith Hatfield. Neither aircraft have flown for years. I don't know if they have regular engine runs but probably not. Any Pprune readers know what plans there are for these two rare and probably valuable historic aircraft?
Yes they are still there! and Colonel Hatfield is still alive and kicking too! There must be a few people from Casey floating around PPruneland. I posted some other berwick photos in the photos thread a while ago. Here are some photos of UUL and AAT i took recently.
both Keith and Elsa are both doing well! Elsa was recently in the half time parade on the anzac day football match at the mcg.
old acro were you there when these pictures were taken?
old acro were you there when these pictures were taken?
Is that Arthur Schutt in the two top photos? If I recall correctly, Arthur bought AAT before the war and used it for charter. When I worked for Arthur from 58 to 61 it was sitting at the back of the maintenance hangar minus the port wing( I think it was the Port).
Emeritus.
Emeritus.
There is some chance I'm the one that you can just see the top of a head on the bottom right photo. I was still at school then. As I recall the Miles Falcon was advertised in " The Age" which had a classified section for aircraft in Saturday's edition. I recall daydreaming about buying it. I think it sold for about the same amount of money I was planning to spend on a car. This might have been $500.
As I recall, it came to Berwick on a permit to fly and was in sad shape. I vaguely recall something about wood rot - possibly in a spar. I recall it being in the maintenance hangar for years and years, but it may have also spent some time tied down in the front row near the hangar. Alongside a couple of Fuji's if I remember right. This would have been 1974 - 1976??
Is that Dave Squirrell in the blue T shirt?
This was about the same time that Pete Murphy & Jacqui Walker flew a new Cessna 411 back from the states for Arlene Robb's father. I remember it beating up the airfield (sorry, I think it was a missed approach). Arlene soloed at 16 and got in the local paper. I soled the week after I turned 17 due to weather and didn't. Bill Campbell-Hicks was MC at the wings night that I got my Groupair wings. I had a flying lesson with him the next day and he looked less than perfect. Where have the old learned instructors gone?
My office now looks out over the threshold to runway 12 (is that correct?). I think I'm pretty much where the old dirt bike circuit was. There's not much traffic anymore. Just Gunter's chopper.
As I recall, it came to Berwick on a permit to fly and was in sad shape. I vaguely recall something about wood rot - possibly in a spar. I recall it being in the maintenance hangar for years and years, but it may have also spent some time tied down in the front row near the hangar. Alongside a couple of Fuji's if I remember right. This would have been 1974 - 1976??
Is that Dave Squirrell in the blue T shirt?
This was about the same time that Pete Murphy & Jacqui Walker flew a new Cessna 411 back from the states for Arlene Robb's father. I remember it beating up the airfield (sorry, I think it was a missed approach). Arlene soloed at 16 and got in the local paper. I soled the week after I turned 17 due to weather and didn't. Bill Campbell-Hicks was MC at the wings night that I got my Groupair wings. I had a flying lesson with him the next day and he looked less than perfect. Where have the old learned instructors gone?
My office now looks out over the threshold to runway 12 (is that correct?). I think I'm pretty much where the old dirt bike circuit was. There's not much traffic anymore. Just Gunter's chopper.
Emeritus,
Yes that is Arthur Schutt. the photos were taken sometime in 1978 a bit before i arrived at casey. My grand father had been mates with schutty since before the war when schutty used to do joyriding, "suckerbashing" as grandpa used to say at fairs and country race meetings around western Queensland. The miles falcon Arthur Schutt was most associated with and famous for was not AAT but AAS
Some pictures of Arthur Schutt and AAS taken in 1938. The G. Hatfield standing next to him is my grandfathers older brother Garnet. AAT at the time was owned by the RQAC. AAS was damaged somewhere on landing (halls creek ??? i have the details but they are all boxed up in storage at the moment) bad enough that they couldn't fly it out. So they left the aircraft with the intention of recovering it. Meanwhile the local aborigines used to hunt by setting fire to the grass and unfortunately there wasn't much left of AAS when they returned to recover it a short time later.
Here is a picture of a young LK Hatfield about to go flying in Miles Hawk AAH at Clermont 1937.
Yes that is Arthur Schutt. the photos were taken sometime in 1978 a bit before i arrived at casey. My grand father had been mates with schutty since before the war when schutty used to do joyriding, "suckerbashing" as grandpa used to say at fairs and country race meetings around western Queensland. The miles falcon Arthur Schutt was most associated with and famous for was not AAT but AAS
Some pictures of Arthur Schutt and AAS taken in 1938. The G. Hatfield standing next to him is my grandfathers older brother Garnet. AAT at the time was owned by the RQAC. AAS was damaged somewhere on landing (halls creek ??? i have the details but they are all boxed up in storage at the moment) bad enough that they couldn't fly it out. So they left the aircraft with the intention of recovering it. Meanwhile the local aborigines used to hunt by setting fire to the grass and unfortunately there wasn't much left of AAS when they returned to recover it a short time later.
Here is a picture of a young LK Hatfield about to go flying in Miles Hawk AAH at Clermont 1937.
AAT was Taken over by the RAAF during WW2 for communications use. It was purchased from disposals by Sam Hecker from Temora who then sold it on to Arthur Schutt who by that time had a large flying school/charter operation at YMMB. One of his pilots ground looped it and put it through the fence smashing the port wing i guess sometime around 1958 which is when you would have seen it in the back of the hangar at YMMB. Schutty sold it to a young engineer who rebuilt the wing and got it flying again.
Here is a picture of my grandfather inspecting the aircraft at Archerfield prior to purchase in 1977. The figure $4500 comes to mind but that was before my time. I think it had been sitting outside in the humid Queensland weather for a while and was in worse shape than it must have looked.
They ferried the aircraft down to casey and my grandfather invited Schutty over from YMMB to come display it at an airshow that was being held at Casey, which was when the above photos were taken. It went into the workshop for an inspection on the following monday and didnt fly again until David Squirrel took it on a test flight after a complete rebuild in 1990. UUL and AAT were used in a abc mini series about the 1934 England to Australia air race, AAT was painted to represent Harold Brooks's Falcon G-ACTM and UUL was painted to represent VH UQO Jimmy Melrose's Puss Moth
Here is a picture of my grandfather inspecting the aircraft at Archerfield prior to purchase in 1977. The figure $4500 comes to mind but that was before my time. I think it had been sitting outside in the humid Queensland weather for a while and was in worse shape than it must have looked.
They ferried the aircraft down to casey and my grandfather invited Schutty over from YMMB to come display it at an airshow that was being held at Casey, which was when the above photos were taken. It went into the workshop for an inspection on the following monday and didnt fly again until David Squirrel took it on a test flight after a complete rebuild in 1990. UUL and AAT were used in a abc mini series about the 1934 England to Australia air race, AAT was painted to represent Harold Brooks's Falcon G-ACTM and UUL was painted to represent VH UQO Jimmy Melrose's Puss Moth
As I recall, it came to Berwick on a permit to fly and was in sad shape. I vaguely recall something about wood rot - possibly in a spar. I recall it being in the maintenance hangar for years and years, but it may have also spent some time tied down in the front row near the hangar. Alongside a couple of Fuji's if I remember right. This would have been 1974 - 1976??
The wood wasn't rotten but i think much of the glue had perished by this time. They pulled the structure to pieces and re glued everything. It turned into fairly large project spanning several engineers. I dont think he would have ever left it out side, certainly not in the time ive been around them.
Is that Dave Squirrell in the blue T shirt?
This was about the same time that Pete Murphy & Jacqui Walker flew a new Cessna 411 back from the states for Arlene Robb's father. I remember it beating up the airfield (sorry, I think it was a missed approach). Arlene soloed at 16 and got in the local paper. I soled the week after I turned 17 due to weather and didn't. Bill Campbell-Hicks was MC at the wings night that I got my Groupair wings. I had a flying lesson with him the next day and he looked less than perfect.
Bill C-H had quit flying when i met him. He had had an extraordinary career as a pilot starting pre war when he ran away from home in canada age 16 to go fly tri motors in south america.
Where have the old learned instructors gone?
but i have been fortunate to have flown with some of them in the past. I guess it's a different world now.
My office now looks out over the threshold to runway 12 (is that correct?). I think I'm pretty much where the old dirt bike circuit was. There's not much traffic anymore. Just Gunter's chopper.
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Guys – I don't mean to butt in. I just wanted to say how very much I enjoy this thread and how great it is to see there are some folk who still manage to find and delight in the spirit of Australian aviation. More please and tanks.
Back to my knitting – right......
Back to my knitting – right......
Got photos somewhere of AAT at Redo. I started going there in 1974 and the Miles was parked next to the toilet block then. John Young told me a bit of it's history...long forgotten:-(...One day around 1978 three old guys in overalls showed up, checked the oil, removed some rubbish, pulled the prop through a couple of times, started her up and flew off into the distance. After sitting in the weather for so long...thought they were pretty brave.
I'm sure the Miles Falcon was advertised for less than $4,500. In 1978 I was a uni student and it sold for an amount I could ave raised. I'd be surprised if it was more than $1,500.
The Leopard Moth as green then and lived ( wings folded) in the maintenance hangar. I was struck by its polished wood in the interior. I think there were 3 Tigers on the airfield plus a Gyosy Moth. In Lady Casey's hangar was her Cessna 180 and, I think, a disassembled Percival Proctor. The fist Tiger I flew was Albert Mulhauser's red one. I also flew with Albert in his Pitts. He was a bit like the pinball wizard, he seemed to fly entirely by feel. He drove a fairlane that I'll swear didn't have a straight panel.
I recall Dragon's. but I can't recall if one was based there. The first Rapide I saw flew in for the air show and I thought it was one of the most elegant aircraft I had ever seen.
The heyday was the air show for the 60th anniversary of the Gypsy Moth ( I still have the T-shirt $ calendar) then the wonderful parties of he Royal and Ancient Berwick Aero Club. I believe that the core if that group still meet.
Cnl Hatfield had his office in the little glass fronted building an was an intimidating form to a school kid. I learned to fly with Bill Cambpbell Hicks, Pete Murphy, Reg Ross and Alan Baskett. I followed Alan to Essendon where he was one of the first schools to operate after it was opened up to GA. After that I went to Coldstream, where Tony Smith was a young grade 3 instructor.
I don't know if its just me, but there just don't seem to be many career instructors of this calibre any more.
The Leopard Moth as green then and lived ( wings folded) in the maintenance hangar. I was struck by its polished wood in the interior. I think there were 3 Tigers on the airfield plus a Gyosy Moth. In Lady Casey's hangar was her Cessna 180 and, I think, a disassembled Percival Proctor. The fist Tiger I flew was Albert Mulhauser's red one. I also flew with Albert in his Pitts. He was a bit like the pinball wizard, he seemed to fly entirely by feel. He drove a fairlane that I'll swear didn't have a straight panel.
I recall Dragon's. but I can't recall if one was based there. The first Rapide I saw flew in for the air show and I thought it was one of the most elegant aircraft I had ever seen.
The heyday was the air show for the 60th anniversary of the Gypsy Moth ( I still have the T-shirt $ calendar) then the wonderful parties of he Royal and Ancient Berwick Aero Club. I believe that the core if that group still meet.
Cnl Hatfield had his office in the little glass fronted building an was an intimidating form to a school kid. I learned to fly with Bill Cambpbell Hicks, Pete Murphy, Reg Ross and Alan Baskett. I followed Alan to Essendon where he was one of the first schools to operate after it was opened up to GA. After that I went to Coldstream, where Tony Smith was a young grade 3 instructor.
I don't know if its just me, but there just don't seem to be many career instructors of this calibre any more.
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Fantastic stuff, I really was born 30 years late 
What are the other aircraft in the hangar, Stallsandspins? A Gipsy Moth? What's the blue tail attached to?
Looks like the kind of hangar I could spend quite a while crawling around!
Yes they are still there! and Colonel Hatfield is still alive and kicking too! There must be a few people from Casey floating around PPruneland. I posted some other berwick photos in the photos thread a while ago. Here are some photos of UUL and AAT i took recently.
Looks like the kind of hangar I could spend quite a while crawling around!
S n S...
Thanks for that info. Did not realise there were two Falcons and age does not help in matters of long ago.
Whilst learning to fly I worked at Schutts as general dogsbody. I was even junior to the apprentices.
One of my duties was making out the invoices and the forms had a logo of the Falcon showing the reg.
The a/c as I recall was purchased around 60/61 by a LAME from Tas who I presume made another wing.
When I got my CPL I started to do some flying in the 175 RFJ mainly "suckerbashing" as we called it. Quite lucrative...charter rates were 12 quid an hour or 2/6 per mile whereas joyriding would return up to 36 quid/ hour on occasions.
Operations were much more relaxed in those days. We enjoyed good relations with the ATC guys....Bob Oldfield,Charlie Stewart and Charlie Hyatt.
Anyone know if they are still around? Would be well and truly retired by now.
Did my CPL theory at RMIT with an Alan Hatfield....any relation?
Emeritus
Thanks for that info. Did not realise there were two Falcons and age does not help in matters of long ago.
Whilst learning to fly I worked at Schutts as general dogsbody. I was even junior to the apprentices.
One of my duties was making out the invoices and the forms had a logo of the Falcon showing the reg.
The a/c as I recall was purchased around 60/61 by a LAME from Tas who I presume made another wing.
When I got my CPL I started to do some flying in the 175 RFJ mainly "suckerbashing" as we called it. Quite lucrative...charter rates were 12 quid an hour or 2/6 per mile whereas joyriding would return up to 36 quid/ hour on occasions.
Operations were much more relaxed in those days. We enjoyed good relations with the ATC guys....Bob Oldfield,Charlie Stewart and Charlie Hyatt.
Anyone know if they are still around? Would be well and truly retired by now.
Did my CPL theory at RMIT with an Alan Hatfield....any relation?
Emeritus
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Ah, fond memories ... I was in and out of Casey quite regularly during the early to mid 70s with parachuting at Pakenham .. the drop planes were left at Casey during the week. Did my initial twin endorsement there on the old Apache with HH.
Keith I got to know quite well .. lovely chap. Doubt he would recall me after all these years.
Keith I got to know quite well .. lovely chap. Doubt he would recall me after all these years.
