Props & mags SEPTEMBER 2016

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN AVIATION MUSEUM

66 LIPSON STREET, PORT ADELAIDE P.O. BOX 150, PORT ADELAIDE, SA 5015. PHONE (08) 8240 1230

http://www.saam.org.au

PRESIDENT’S REPORT After many weeks of discussion, investigation and planning, the first sod of our new hangar will be turned on Wednesday 14th September. The heavy machinery will be on site then to begin work on the foundations.

The delay has been because we have approximately 1.5 metres of uncompacted fill in that area. To safeguard the foundations and the concrete slab, the soil will need to be treated to allow compaction to the standard the engineer and the certifier who will ultimately issue a certificate of occupancy require. This means the soil in half the area has to be dug up, mixed with suitable material, then re-laid in thicknesses of 200mm and compacted until the desired height is achieved. Then the process has to be repeated for the other half. This area will be a worksite and due to the heavy machinery involved, will be out of bounds to members. Safety is the

contractor’s number one concern and I ask that we respect their wishes and not have unauthorised persons getting in their way. It is pleasing to note that after many months of waiting due to council approvals, soil testing and investigating ways around our soil problems that we are finally under way. Obviously, a new time-line to completion will need to be drafted and once to hand, I will share it with you. The Orion is still on the cards but Defence Disposals, in their wisdom, have changed their mind on which aircraft to allocate to us. It seems that tail number 658 is no longer available and a new aircraft has been issued to us. The number unknown at this stage. Remember the upcoming Transport Festival is to be held on the 15th and 16th October. We expect large numbers of visitors over the week-end and would appreciate as many members as possible volunteering to help. If you haven’t already done so, please mark these dates in your diary and sign in on the duty roster. Pieter van Dyk President

Ahren’s temporary fence ready for start of construction

S.A.A.M. COMMITTEE

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MUSEUM PATRON: THE HON. ALEXANDER DOWNER

AC _______________

PRESIDENT PIETER VAN DYK

VICE PRESIDENT

DAVID BYRNE

TREASURER

JOHN HILLIER

SECRETARY MIKE MILLN

COLLECTION MANAGER

PAUL DAW

COLLECTION MANAGER – AIRCRAFT

WAYNNE LEE

MEMBERSHIP OFFICER ROD KOPP

WORKSHOP MANAGER

GRAHAM BELL

PUBLIC RELATIONS ROBIN De VORE

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DATES FOR YOUR DIARY …. SATURDAY 17th SEPTEMBER 10.30am History Group Meeting 12 noon B.B.Q. Lunch – Cost $5.00 1.00pm General Members Meeting EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING : TUESDAY 4th OCTOBER

NOTICE TO RECEPTION DESK STAFF GIFT VOUCHERS A new stock of Gift Vouchers are in an envelope in the safe. Note the vouchers can be used for the purchase of shop merchandise and/or door entry for any category of visitor(s). When selling a Gift Voucher, ensure the amount paid, your name and the date are entered legibly where indicated. When a Gift Voucher is surrendered, charge or refund any amount necessary according to the value of the voucher and the value of the merchandise/door entry being purchased. Do not use Gift Vouchers for F-111 Tours – please continue to use the F-111 Tour Vouchers also in the safe! Any questions – contact John Hillier or Mike Milln TESTRA MESSAGE BANK Effective immediately you need to enter a code when accessing the Telstra message bank on the Reception Desk phone. The code is in a notice in the wall behind the desk. Remember to check for messages at the beginning and towards the end of your shift, allowing enough time at the end of the day to action any messages you find. POWER POINT SAFETY PROTECTION IN PUBLIC AREAS IN THE MUSEUM Please keep a lookout for any unused power points in the public area that do not have child safety protectors plugged in. If you find an unprotected power point advise the Workshop Manager or leave a note in the diary in the Reception Area. A recent survey found 12 unprotected power points that had been attended to earlier. If you use a power point please remember to replace the protector after you have completed the task in hand. ADULT TOUR PRICE INCREASE Final reminder – the adult tour price increased from $6/head to $8 effective from 1 September. No other entry prices changed.

Mike Milln Secretary

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VALE THOMAS SHORT We were shocked and deeply saddened by the untimely death of our member Thomas Short on 4 September. Tom was born in England on 21 July 1951 and served in the RAF Volunteer Reserve Training Branch (UK Air Training Corps) from 1964 until he moved to New Zealand in late 1999. During his service with the Corps he was a Squadron Commander for 12 years when he moved to become a senior Wing Staff Officer commanding 10 Squadrons and managing the staff recruitment and selection for 40 Squadrons. On retirement from the role of ATC Director of Music he was granted permission to retain his rank of Squadron Leader in the RAFVR (T) for use in civilian life. In September 2008 Tom was employed by UniSA – School of Education as a Research Fellow and he joined the Australian Air League the following March when he was heavily involved in the transfer of the SA Wing from the Victoria Group where it was then managed. He was made Acting Federal Training Officer, maintaining his role as OC SA Wing. The Port Adelaide Squadron of the SA Wing meets at the Museum. The Australian Air League is a not-for-profit, civilian operated aviation youth organisation in Australia. Its objective is to encourage the spirit of aviation and air-mindedness in the youth of Australia, which has always fitted well with our objectives. Tom joined SAAM in 2009. In March 2012, Tom was promoted to the rank of Commissioner and was awarded the Federal Certificate of Merit. He played a pivotal role in the operations of the SA Wing of the League and will be sorely missed both by the League and ourselves.

VINTAGE TRANSPORT FESTIVAL - 15th and 16th OCTOBER Aviation Museum events include vintage engine runs on the hour; F-111 Cockpit viewing; demonstrations on A/C fabric work as well as metal work and restoration progress. Dependent on the weather – the Balloon. Additional attractions include Helicopter flights both days; Big Band on Sunday; Steam train will run between NRM and SAAM with rail stop of the Aviation Museum both days; RAAF Orion Flypast on Sunday; Monster truck rides both days; trading tables of vintage equipment; as well as the usual sausage sizzle, coffee van and cold drinks. Lots going on so we will need your help. We will also be rostering two people on for each day for bus/tour guides in conjunction with the NRM.

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LIBRARY BORROWING PROCEDURES The library borrowing procedures are as follows:

1) Who can borrow? - Financial members, friends of the museum, honorary, life and complimentary members.

2) What can be borrowed? – Books, DVDs and videos except those having a ‘Not to be borrowed’ label.

3) How long can you borrow for? – Return must be within six weeks from the date of borrowing.

4) What is the ‘Record of Items Borrowed Book’? – The Red-bound foolscap sized book kept on display on the desk in the library for members to record details of items borrowed and returned.

5) What does the borrower enter? – Borrowers are required to record their names legibly (i.e. print) and complete all columns up to and including the signature column. These include date, name of item, reference number, name and signature.

6) What is the return process? – Return the item back to the library and place it into the ‘Library Items Return Basket’. Legibly complete the remaining columns in the ‘Red Book’, including printing the name of a person witnessing the return, and have the witness sign. Library Staff will replace the items into stock and follow up borrowers who exceed the borrowing term.

It is the responsibility of all museum members to follow these procedures when borrowing and returning library items. If you need any further clarification of them, please speak to library staff.

LIBRARY ANNUAL AUDIT The IT Section recently completed the annual library audit undertaken to confirm the standards maintained and any areas for improvement. We now have a disappointingly long list of missing books, technical books, videos and DVDs. These items have been borrowed or removed from the library and not entered in the ‘Record of Items Borrowed Book’. If you have any of the missing items listed below please return them to the ‘Library Items Return Basket’ as soon as possible and no questions will be asked. Books (17) Number Title 2-3-018 ‘Over to You’ RAF Broadcast 1943 2-3-022 ‘The Challenge’ the development of aircraft over time 2-6-020 ‘Book of Aeroplanes’ History of Flight 3-6-011 ‘We Find and Destroy’ History of No 458 Squadron RAAF (Missing since 2008) 3-6-059 ‘Target Charlie’ Australia’s War in Vietnam (missing since 2013) 3-7-018 ‘RAAF Annual’ (missing since 2013) 3-7-025 ‘Unit Badges of the RAAF’ (Missing since 2008) 3-7-041 ’80 Years of the RAAF 1921 – 1981’ (Missing since 2013) 4-3-006 ‘Suicide Warfare’ Japanese Air Force 4-3-023 ‘Angels 22 – Self Portrait of a Fighter Pilot’ 4-4-049 ‘In Just Five Years – History of RAAF Nhill’ 5-2-036 ‘Head in the Clouds’ Stories of Air Hostesses 5-6-011 ‘Vampire, Macchi and Iroquois in Australian Service’ (missing since 2013) 5-6-012 ‘Wirraway, Boomerang & CA15 in Australian Service’ (Missing since 2013) 6-4-045 ‘The Last Battle’ Luftwaffe Pilot Story 6-8-029 ‘The Spitfire, Mustang and Kittyhawk in Australian Service’ 7-2-028 ‘Combat Legend F-16 Fighting Falcon’ (Missing since 2013) Cont;d...

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DVDs (7) Number Title 31-1-006 ‘Duxford Airshow 2000’ (Missing since 2014) 31-2-076 ‘Waddington International Airshow 2004’ 31-2-078 ‘Australian International Airshow 1992’ 31-4-044 ‘Hunters in the Sky’ Vol 3 (Missing since 2009) 31-6-018 ‘World War II In Colour – Vol 1’ 31-7-019 ‘Modern Military Aircraft Falcon Domain (missing since 2013) 32-6-105 ‘WWI Propellers Vol 1 & 2’ (Missing since 2013) VIDEOS (1) Number Title 32-6-100 ‘Moving to new museum site 2005’ SAAM (Missing since 2014) Technical Books (3) Number Title 43-1-039 ‘The Hobson Injection Carburettor’ 44-1-033 ‘Alcor Ekonomix EGT Indicator. Installation and Operating Instructions’

(Missing since 2014) 45-4-003 ‘College Gas Turbine Engine Operation’ (missing since 2014) Please assist the museum to locate the missing items. Nigel Daw Librarian

Alan Killmier OAM Alan Killmier’s at it again. He went off to the RAH a couple of weeks ago with a spot of pneumonia (we think he likes the nurses) and missed his OAM investiture at Government House as a result. Wife Rose rang Gov House to say he couldn’t make it and the Governor made a magnificent gesture by holding the ceremony at the hospital and staying for a glass of champagne. Here’s a photo of a very pleased Alan with His

Excellency the Honourable Hieu Van Le, Rose and yours truly. There’ll be no stopping those nurses now... Then earlier this week daughter Jaci, who works with Guide Dogs SA/NT, arranged for a special visitor who Alan looks happy to welcome … All the best Alan – don’t fret about missing the members’ meeting. You’ve done your bit and there’s always the next one. Mike Milln

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WING TIPS The fabric installation on the Cessna C1 tail feathers is now complete. All surfaces are covered and once the last of the finishing have been installed and now we will hoping for some nice still sunny Wednesdays and the spray coats will be done.

With the fuselage of the Cessna being etch primed and prepared for final coats we might sneak in and trial fit the tailplane , elevator and rudder to make sure we have all the bits in the right places and the right length bolts etc. While in the mood for spraying we might just carry on and finish the Sheppard wings and then install them onto the fuselage. With some REALLY good weather we might do the job on Saturday with the help of some members with

spray painting capabilities. The cockpit doors of the Sheppard that went missing years ago have been faithfully reproduced with the help of some original photos. They are wood frames, plywood skins and fabric covered. With the impending finish of the Sheppard, the Display Committee will have to find a space in the display hangar and a suspended position is probably not out of the question. Over and out Anson Crew

Right and Below - Cessna tailplane installed

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FAIREY BATTLE PORT TAILPLANE UPDATE…. 7th September 2016 As of this afternoon, the port tailplane lower skins have been trimmed back to suit the manufactured angle piece that will support the final leading edge that has now been approved for purchase by the Executive Committee. This latest 20 thousand inch T3 aircraft spec alloy material will hopefully allow us to obtain the correct bend and profile for the new leading edge whilst at the same time be strong enough to withstand the solid rivets that are required for authentic attachment to the various leading edge nose ribs. The lower skins have also had a trial fit this morning utilizing the original type stainless steel self-tapping screws and Reg has a blister from the screw driver to prove it! All is good. Of course, the screw-on lower skins are a final fit after the solid riveting on the top skin. (Blind panels last). These lower/upper skins are considerably thicker than original as we are trying to save the museum money by using the stock available but as a consequence, they needed some “persuasion” to meet the profile required. I have had to rely on my very good Italian stallion in the workshop, Tony, who has done a sterling job utilizing a very inadequate eight foot folder, very carefully to give me a very perfect lead in profile with no damage to the skins. Next Saturday, the 10th September, you will notice the top skin back in place as we are about to rivet up the many lateral and longitudinal stiffeners fitted to keep the thing truly authentic. Some people have commented that this is overkill, but I do not want to say it is finished and then someone notices that there are several lines of rivets missing when compared to the original! Seems to me that some folks have nothing else to fill their lives with, other than counting my rivet heads! So, those original rivet heads will be there but maybe a few millimeters out from the original skin? In the meanwhile, I have the very valued assistance of Laurie English and Peter Harris repairing and manufacturing several ribs for the starboard tailplane in readiness for the next one. We are nearly there on the port side, except elevator hinges, attach bolts, leading edge materials and a wing tip fettle. Talk later, Reg Marrett and Bluey Hindes 7

Port Tailplane in progress

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Here’s an interesting Caribou story you might not have heard before! Caribou in Red Cross markings for service in Portuguese Timor, 1975 When civil war erupted in Portuguese (East) Timor in August 1975, a DHC-4 Caribou (A4-140) was sent from No 38 Squadron to fly Red Cross personnel and supplies from Darwin. The aircraft subsequently shuttled refugees from Bacau back to Darwin, until the Australia Government halted the practice. On this day A4-140 was delivering supplies to Bacau when troops of the Timorese Democratic Union (UDT) panicked on hearing the evacuation flights had been stopped, and took over the aircraft. The crew was forced at gunpoint to take off with 54 people crammed on board the Caribou, instead of the maximum of 28 it was designed to carry. The aircraft wallowed towards Darwin at just 90 knots at an altitude of 1500 feet (457 metres), and when it landed had just 10 minutes fuel remaining. The soldiers surrendered peacefully, but A4-140 had become the first RAAF aircraft ever hijacked. [Air Force history item, courtesy of WGCDR Ian Gibson via Steve Nelson]

WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS….. Left John Docking Right Simon Ebert

Extract from an email received from our good friend John Roberts who has gone to the UK for a well earned holiday…. It’s a hard life John but someone has to do it! “Have a busy time this next couple of weeks am heading down to Cosford aircraft museum and catching up with some of my family weekly plus some friends l grew up with so there's plenty of pints of beer being checked out in the country pubs…” Left – scene from one of John’s walks

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SOUTH AUSTRALIAN AVIATION MUSEUM SIGNIFICANT AVIATOR PROFILES

WALTER HENRY SHIERS – A brief biography

Walter Henry "Wally" Shiers was born on 17 May 1889 at Norwood in SA and educated at Richmond Public School in Adelaide. He began working in a market garden in 1902 and learnt the basics of mechanical maintenance, but in 1904 his mother died so he went to live with a brother at Broken Hill and was employed at Broken Hill North Mine until December 1912. Shiers moved to NSW and from 1913 worked as an electrical contractor at Leeton in NSW. After the outbreak of the First World War he enlisted in the AIF at Liverpool on Easter Monday 9 April 1915, and embarked as Trooper in the 4th Light Horse Brigade Ammunition Reserves on the troop transport Vestalia on 22 June. Promoted to Driver, he served with the Australian Light Horse in Egypt until he was attached to No.1 Australian Flying Corps squadron in October 1916, before being taken on strength as 2nd Class Air Mechanic in March 1917 (it has been published that he was transferred to the AFC in July 1916, a probable confusion with his transfer to the Light Horse 1st Double Squadron at that time. These were units formed with dismounted Light Horsemen for protection of the Suez Canal). Remustered as Fitter and Turner, Shiers served with 1AFC throughout the war and was promoted to 1st Class Air Mechanic. Experience in the maintenance of the various aircraft types operated by the squadron included the single twin-engined Handley-Page 0/400 C9681 bomber allotted to the unit in time for the September opening of the final Allied offensive which culminated in the 31 October 1918 Armistice in the Middle East war zone. After the general Armistice on 11 November 1918 which brought the Great War to an end, Major Gen W. G. H. Salmond, the GOC RAF Middle East, and Brig Gen A. E. Borton, OIC RAF Palestine Brigade, left Cairo on 29 November 1918 in Handley Page 0/400 C9700 with

Captain Ross Smith as pilot and Sergeants J. M. Bennett and Acting Sergeant W. H. Shiers as mechanics. The plan was to explore the possibility of an air route from England to Australia, the first step being to fly to India. They reached Delhi on 12 December 1918 and then flew on to Calcutta, having completed one of the longest survey flights in the world up to that time.

Wally Shiers after the historic Vickers Vimy flight England-Australia in 1919

[Photo – SAAM Collection via Mike Milln]

Wally Shiers and Jim Bennett at work [Photo – from 14,000 through the Air, Ross Smith,

via Mike Milln] 9

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From Calcutta the party travelled by steamers through Singapore to the Thailand region. This took three months and in the meantime the 0/400 was wrecked back in India, so any plan to reach Australia was cancelled. For their part in the event Shiers and Bennett were awarded the Air Force Medal. Bennett and Shiers remained in India and were attached during July and August 1919 to No.31 Squadron RAF at Risalpur to supervise the rigging of their new Bristol Fighters. This was in the theatre of operations of the 3rd Afghan Campaign (War) which was waged from 6 May to 8 August 1919, and their attachment to the RAF squadron qualified both Australians to wear the India General Service Medal with Clasp “Afghanistan NWF 1919” (in 1927 Shiers requested confirmation of his right to wear the medal, and finally received the medal itself in 1935. Bennett presumably made no moves to obtain similar recognition before he was killed in 1922). They returned to England in September 1919, and the following month were granted permission to return to Australia as competitors in a machine entered in the England to Australia Aerial Flight.

Between 12 November and 10 December 1919 Wally Shiers and Jim Bennett flew as mechanics with the brothers Ross and Keith Smith in the Vickers Vimy G-EAOU on the £10,000 first England-Australia flight, for which the mechanics were each awarded a Bar to the AFM on 22 December 1919. Shiers was promoted to Sergeant on completion of the flight at Darwin and Bennett became Warrant Officer Class 1 at the same time, while both mechanics were granted the rank of Honorary Lieutenant in the AIF Reserve of Officers on 1 September 1920. The details of the historic flight have been so well documented in various publications that they require no repeating here. Later that same year Shiers operated a motor garage in Sydney and was elected to the committee of the Australian Flying Corps

Association. Sadly, in 1922 he was one of the Chief Mourners at the funeral in Adelaide of Sir Ross Smith, who was killed in England along with Jim Bennett in the crash of their Vickers Viking amphibian during preparation for a round-world flight. In 1925 Shiers engaged in a barnstorming endeavour with D. A. B. Smith, and in 1928 he joined the company Air Travel Ltd of R. M. King and G. N. Mills as well obtaining his “A” licence in 1929. The following year he again teamed up with Dave Smith in an attempt to fly from Australia to England in Smith’s Ryan B1 Monoplane VH-UIZ City of Sydney, which had been operated by New South Wales Airways Ltd of which Smith was a director. On 24 March 1930 the pair left Sydney for a planned start from Wyndham, but became lost and force landed in the Ord River area until found by a land party a week later. After long delays the Ryan was repaired on the spot and finally departed Wyndham to reach Singapore on 22 April, but another forced landing was made in Thailand which sufficiently damaged the Ryan for it to be shipped home, where it was repaired and used for barnstorming until sold to New England Airways on 3 October 1930. After his return from Thailand Shiers also went to New England Airways where he became Chief Engineer, and he stayed with the company until the Second World War, by which time it had become Airlines of Australia. During the war from 1939-45 he joined the parachute maker Light Aircraft Co. in Sydney, and was still an executive of the company until around 1960.

Shiers in the front cockpit of Vimy G-EAOU, Ross and Keith Smith behind and Jim Bennett in the rear

[Photo – SAAM collection, via Nigel Daw]

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In April 1958 Shiers was the only survivor at the dedication of a 1919 England-Australia memorial sculpture by John Dowie at Adelaide Airport which featured the Smith brothers, Jim Bennett and himself, and was displayed adjacent to the original Vickers Vimy that brought them fame. After the Second World War he lived in Sydney suffering deteriorating health until he returned in about 1965 to Adelaide, where on 2 June 1968 he died. Chas Schaedel History Group June 2016

Ryan B1 Monoplane used by Dave Smith and Wally Shiers in attempted Australia-England flight

[Photo – PD via Mike Milln]

A BLAST FROM THE PAST …. Courtesy Waynne Lee A younger Reg Lawrence and Jim Rogers at the delivery of C47 A65-114 on the 19 January 1992. Photo taken by me whilst on leave from Melbourne. My first foray into assisting the museum.