De Havilland Vampire trainer A79-637 continues to make progress back to Flight status under a team of engineers led by Terry Wilson.  Fuselage painting work is now complete and our recent work has concentrated on the wing fuel cells, cell bays, and associated fuel piping.  When the wing tank work is complete, the wings will be fitted. Work has also started on the engine fuel hoses and also with our test and proof rig so that we will be able to check and calibrate the engine burners which are fitted to the Goblin jet engine.

Manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company Inc. at Santa Monica and delivered to the U.S.A.A.F. on 14/5/1945 seeing war service as 44-9126. The only difference with this aircraft from the other types was that it had a different fuel tank arrangement whereby the cabin tanks were replaced by collapsible bag tanks in the wing. Whilst in service with the U.S.A.A.F. and later with the U.S.A.F. aircraft was mainly used to transport cargo and troops when required. In December 1971 aircraft was withdrawn from service and placed in storage at Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. Purchased by Dross Metals Inc. at auction on 13/11/1975.

A reprieve from the ultimate fate of scrapping came when it was sold to Transglobal Inc., which was based at Fort Lauderdale in Florida on 5/10/1978 and registered N9013V. Sold to Flying Fish of Indiana on 7/9/1979. Leased to Tiger Leasing of Pompano on 7/1/1980. Due to some infraction of the law the Sheriff of Hardee County on 22/1/1980 seized this aircraft. Sold to Carolina Aircraft Corporation on 14/7/1980. Ownership of aircraft was transferred to Florida Aircraft Leasing Corporation on 1/10/1980. Later withdrawn from service and placed in storage at Fort Lauderdale in Florida.

Sold to Thomas F Mach on 24/1/1981. It was to be further involved in trouble as the Bahaman Authorities seized the aircraft at Nassau for smuggling during April 1981. Sold to Force International Enterprises in November 1983. Resold to Lynch Air Tankers, which was based at Billings in Montana on 14/6/1984. Ownership of aircraft transferred to Lynch Air Cargo Inc., when the company was renamed on 28/3/1986.

Purchased by Pacific Air Freighters Pty. Ltd, which was based at Archerfield Airport and ferried to Australia from Montana and known to have routed via Chino, Hilo and Majuro. On arrival at Majuro aircraft was delayed for a few days with a mechanical defect, which needed to be rectified before the ferry flight continued via Honiara, and Cairns and arrived at Archerfield on 16/6/1995. The ferry flight was under the command of Captain G Layton one of the co-owners of the company.

Initially this aircraft operated in Australia under the American registration. Its first revenue earning service for the company was flown on 30/9/1995 when it flew general freight from Brisbane to Noumea. Reregistered VH-PAF to the company on 31/1/1996. Its first revenue earning flight for the company under the Australian registration was flown on 16/2/1996 when it carried freight from Eagle Farm to Honiara. Whilst in service with the company aircraft mainly used for cargo charters to the Pacific Islands.

Over the weekend of the 10th and 11th of August this aircraft was a visitor to Essendon Airport to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Airport. Whilst at Essendon it put on a spirited display and the crew of the aircraft allowed interested people the opportunity of seeing over the aircraft and also asking questions.

On 14/10/1996 aircraft commenced a long term lease to Goroka Air Services of Papua New Guinea however on 25/12/1996 it returned to Australia after operating in New Guinea for only three months and refuelled at Cairns on the way down to Brisbane. After arrival at Brisbane aircraft has remained static with a security guard being its constant companion. Aircraft was advertised for sale by tender in March 1997.

Sold at auction on 22/5/1997 at Archerfield to Airfreighters International P/L, which was based at Palm Beach and registered to the company on 13/10/1997. Departed Archerfield for its new home at Lismore on 29/6/1997 and on arrival was parked there. Even though Air Freighters International owns this aircraft it still operates under the name of Pacific Air Freighters.

On 15/9/2000 this aircraft was chartered by Ansett Australia Cargo and departed Brisbane for Darwin carrying a consignment of general freight. After arrival at Darwin it was chartered by the United Nations and carried fright to Dili. Returned to Darwin and departed for Cairns on route to Brisbane on 23/9/2000. Over the 23rd and 24th of October aircraft was chartered by Pacific Air Express to operate a Brisbane – Honiara – Brisbane flight carrying a load of tuna on the return flight and again chartered by Pacific Air Express to operate a further charter to Honiara and return to Brisbane.

In October 2001 noted at Archerfield Airport but on 2/12/2001 noted at Bankstown Airport with Trans Australia Airlines on the left hand side of the fuselage only for a film.

Still in service with the company as a freighter in 2004 carrying freight within Australia and also to Fiji, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu when required. Withdrawn from service and noted parked at Archerfield in February 2005 for sale.

Grumman’s design (model G-89) was for a large high-wing monoplane with twin Wright Cyclone radial engines and its first flight was 4 December 1952, and production aircraft entered service, with VS-26, in February 1954. Follow-on versions included the WF Tracer and TF Trader, which became the E-1 Tracer and C-1 Trader in the rationalization of 1962. The S-2 carried the nickname ‘Stoof’ (S-two-F) throughout its military career.

Grumman produced 1,185 Trackers. Another 99 aircraft carrying the CS2F designation were manufactured in Canada under license by de Havilland Canada. US built versions of the Tracker were sold to various nations, including Australia, Japan and Taiwan.

The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) operated 2 Squadrons of S-2E and S-2G variants from 1967 until 1984. VS-816 Squadron, although based at Nowra, frequently embarked upon the Majestic class aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne, CVS-21, as part of the 21st Carrier Air Group whenever that ship was deployed. VC-851 Squadron was formed at HMAS Albatross, Nowra as a land-based training squadron.

During about 20 years of operation of the Tracker, the RAN lost only one S-2 during aircraft operations due to an accident at sea. However, in the mid 1970s a deliberately lit fire in a hangar at Nowra destroyed or badly damaged a large proportion of the RAN’s complement of Trackers. These were subsequently replaced with ex-USN aircraft. The replacement aircraft were all S-2Gs, including the original aircraft modified by the USN to that status. This saw the introduction of AQA7 acoustic gear into RAN service and all RAN operational Trackers were subsequently modified to this standard. The AQA7 significantly enhanced the RAN’s ASW capability.

Unlike the Fairey Gannet which it replaced in RAN service, the Grumman Tracker was a somewhat more conventional aircraft capable of both detecting and attacking enemy submarines. As an all-weather carrier borne aircraft, the Tracker could also operate well beyond the range of the RAAF’s land-based Neptune and Orion maritime patrol aircraft.

Trackers could also work in conjunction with Naval helicopters like the Wessex that were equipped with dipping sonars, capable of detecting submarines. The Tracker’s ASW fit included sonobuoy ejector  tubes, with sixteen built into the rear of each engine nacelle and firing straight out the back; a 70 million candlepower searchlight mounted on the right wing; an APS-38 search radar in a retractable ventral ‘dustbin’ radome, behind the weapons bay; and a retractable ASQ-10 magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) boom in the tail. Its long wings and powerful engines allowed it to operate from small carriers and short airfields.

The wings were folded hydraulically and a small tail wheel was fitted at the rear to act as a bumper on carrier landings. Flaps, slots and spoilers further enhanced this short take-off capability while the large rudder allowed it to fly on one engine.

Land based Trackers, operating from Broome (WA) and Darwin (NT) were also used for coastal surveillance in the 1980s to help detect illegal immigrants and smuggling operations.  Sea Sprite and Seahawk helicopters have been acquired, since the Trackers were retired in the mid-1980s, to maintain the RAN’s anti-submarine warfare capability.

Our Grumman Tracker S-2G 851was delivered on 5 April 1977 and was withdrawn from service on 12 August 1984. It was sold to Qantas on 2 February 1990 as a training aid. It was acquired by HARS in  2006. It will be rebuilt to flying condition.

Grumman S-2G tracker 851

Aircraft Specifications

Grumman Tracker

Length 13.26 m  |  43 ft 6 in

Wing Span 22.12 m  |  72 ft 7 in

Height 5.33 m  |  17 ft 6 in

Empty Weight 8,310 kg  |  18,315 lbs

Loaded 10,630 kg  |  23,435 lbs

Maximum Take Off Weight 11,860 kg  |  26,147 lbs

Maximum Speed 450 km/h  |  280 mph

Cruise Speed 240 km/h  |  150 mph

Maximum Range 2,170 kms  |  1,350 mls

Service Ceiling 6,700 m  |  22,000 ft

Engines

2 x Wright R-1820-82WA radial engines- 1,525 hp (kW) each

Armament

2 x homing torpedoes, depth charges, or mines in the bomb bay

6 x underwing hardpoints for torpedoes, depth charges, or rockets

Originally named the ‘Spider Crab’, the aircraft was entirely a de Havilland project, exploiting the company’s extensive experience in using moulded plywood for aircraft construction, as used in the Mosquito bomber. It was the last time composite wood and metal construction was used in high performance military aircraft. It had conventional straight mid-wings and a single jet engine placed in an egg-shaped, aluminium surfaced fuselage exhausting in a straight line. To reduce the losses caused by a long jetpipe the designers used the distinctive tail with twin booms.

The prototype LZ584G had its maiden test flight on 20 September 1943 from Hatfield, England. The production Vampire Mk1 did not fly until April 1945. Although eagerlytaken into service by the RAF, it was still being developed at war’s end, consequently the Vampire never saw combat in World War 2.

Under special arrangement with Australia, de Havilland built 80 single seat aircraft at their Bankstown factory. The first Australian built aircraft flew in June 1949. The single seat aircraft were powered by Rolls Royce Nene engines, built under license by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation in Melbourne. These were the first jet engines built in Australia and were reclassified as Vampire FB.Mk 30s. The aircraft was developed initially as a single seat fighter but was subsequently developed into a night fighter, fighter/bomber and trainer versions. A total of 3,987 were built world-wide between 1943 and 1961.

In 1962 the Central Flying School RAAF was responsible for producing the RAAFs aerobatic display teams. The first formed was a team of four, called the ‘Red Sales’, flying de Havilland Vampire jet aircraft. A second team, the ‘Telstars’ was formed in 1963 also flying Vampires.

Vampire A79-665 was used by the Telstars and was restored by 25 Squadron at RAAF Pearce and became part of the now defunct West Australian Museum of Aviation. It was sold for $20,000 in 1994 and was subsequently purchased by HARS.

De havilland T-35A Vampire A-79-665 VH-FJW

Aircraft Specifications

Length 9.37 m |  30 ft 9 in

Wing Span 11.6 m  |  38 ft

Height 1.88 m  |  6 ft 2 in

Empty Weight 3,300 kg  |  7,270 lbs

Maximum Take Off Weight 5,618 kg  |  12,385 lbs

Maximum Speed 860 km/h  |  530 mph

Maximum Range 1,755 kms  |  1,090 mls

Service Ceiling 12,000 m  |  40,000 ft

Engines

Power Plant De Havilland Goblin 2 turbojet

Power Plant Weight 6.3 kg  |  1,420 lbs

Armament

Guns 4 x 20 mm (0.787 in) Hispano Mk. V cannon

Rockets 8 x 76 mm (3 in) rockets

Bombs 2 x 455 kg (1,000 lb) bombs

In 1987 a representative from HARS attended a conference held in Tahiti and contact was made with the French Embassy in respect to obtaining a French Neptune. Upon arrival at Tahiti-FAAA (Papeete’s International Airport) three were sighted, one partially burnt, one stripped of its engines and the other (147566) appeared to be intact. These three Neptune aircraft were all that remained of Escardrille 12. An inspection of Neptune 566 revealed that although some instruments were missing, the aircraft was in sound condition and its tanks still contained 2000 lbs of fuel. The aircraft was located in an area that could easily be described as a swamp, into which it was slowly sinking.

The original intention was to acquire and dismantle the aircraft as a source of spare parts for the Society’s other Neptune (273), however after viewing the documentation, the decision was made to restore the aircraft to flying condition in Tahiti and fly it back to Australia. It had flown a total of 2,430 hours and was considered to be in excellent condition as the aircraft had been extensively overhauled just prior to being de-commissioned in 1983.

After further negotiations the title was transfered to HARS. There were a number of trips to Tahiti before Neptune 566 was finally made ready by HARS members for the ferry flight to Australia in July 1989. Neptune 566 was placed on the Australian civil register as VH-LRR, and after a number of public appearances at air shows, was positioned to Tamworth for storage and care. In September 1999 the aircraft was ferried from Tamworth to Bankstown and than in January 2003 it was flown to the new HARS base at the Illawarra Regional Airport where the overhaul work continues pending return to full flying status.

Lockheed Neptune P2V-7 (566)

Aircraft Specifications

Purpose Long range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft

Length 28 m  |  91 ft 8 in

Wing Span 37.7 m  |  103 ft 10 in

Height 8.5 m  |  28 ft

Wing Area 92.9 sq m  |  1,000 sq ft

Maximum Take Off Weight 36,240 kg  |  79,895 lbs

Empty Weight 22,650 kg  |  49,935 lbs

Maximum Speed 664 km/h  |  410 mph (375 kt)

Cruise Speed 302 km/h  |  188 mph (175 kt)

Initial Climb Rate 536 m/min  |  1,760 ft/min

Maximum Range 5930 kms  |  3685 nm

Service Ceiling 11,750 mm |  38,550 ft

Crew |  Total 10 aircrew

Search Light |  70 million candlepower located on the starboard  wingtip

Radar & Other Electronics |  Main radar housed in large ventral dome. Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD) located in the (Stinger) glass fibre tail boom

Armament |  Two .05 in (12.7 mm) machine guns in dorsal turret, provision for underwing rockets and up to 8,000 lbs (3628 kg) of bombs, torpedoes, depth charges or mines.

Equipped for day and night torpedo attack, mine laying, mast level bombing and photo reconnaissance. The Aircraft can carry a variey of equipment for use against ships and submarines.

Engines

2 Wright compound 18 cylinder R3350-32W air-cooled radial piston engines

•  Maximum Power 2,610 kw  |  3,500 hp

•  Displacement 55 ltr |  3350 cu in

•  Propellors 4 blade (steel), constant speed, full feathering, reversible.

2 Westinghouse J34-WE turbo jet engines

•  Thrust 1,542 kg  |  3,400 lb