Props & mags

SEPTEMBER 2017

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 There were two major events occurring close together to report this month: firstly the arrival of Kiowa A17-010, and secondly the Official Opening of our new display hangar. David Byrne and Waynne Lee flew up to Brisbane to coordinate the Kiowa acquisition at Damascus Barracks on Friday 25 August. Murray Fox, our old friend who did such a great job transporting the Caribou for us, had an uncharacteristic mechanical failure on the way up, but he arranged an alternative carrier for us and it all went without a hitch. The truck arrived at SAAM on Monday and Waynne Lee and Walter Hill soon had the airframe, tail-boom, rotors and various other parts safely unloaded and in the new hangar. Waynne took loads of photos in Brisbane and Mike Milln more when it arrived, many of which are posted on our Facebook page, so if you haven’t seen them already, take a look. Better still – make a point of coming into the museum to see the aircraft on display in the new hangar!

Waynne has already got the tail-boom and vertical stabiliser on and – as you can see in the photos – it’s already a fine exhibit. The Official Opening did us all credit and I want to thank all involved in its organisation, particularly David Byrne and John Hillier who coordinated the guest list and invitations, John Roberts for general coordination and arranging the food and Jean Kopp who made the curtain (which someone unkindly called the netball skirt!) for the plaque and worked tirelessly in the kitchen.. Cont’d

Kiowa A17-010 in the new display hangar 29 Aug 2017

Senator David Fawcett speaking to assembled members and guests before opening the new hangar

S.A.A.M. COMMITTEE

_____________

MUSEUM PATRON: THE HON. ALEXANDER DOWNER

AC _______________

PRESIDENT PIETER VAN DYK

VICE PRESIDENT

DAVID BYRNE

TREASURER

JOHN HILLIER

SECRETARY MIKE MILLN

COLLECTION

MANAGER – AIRCRAFT WAYNNE LEE

MEMBERSHIP OFFICER

ROD KOPP

WORKSHOP MANAGER GRAHAM BELL

PUBLIC RELATIONS

JOHN ROBERTS

TOURS MANAGER JOHN JEFFERSON

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DATES FOR YOUR DIARY …. SATURDAY 16th SEPTEMBER 2017 10.30am History Group Meeting 12 noon B.B.Q. LUNCH .. COST $5 1pm GENERAL MEMBERS MEETING EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING : TUESDAY 3rd OCTOBER

About 90 invited guests and members were on hand for the ceremony and buffet lunch including Senator David Fawcett who made a fine speech then drew the curtain to reveal a commemorative plaque on the hangar wall. Mayor Gary Johanson also made a stirring speech and said all the right things about what a worthy cause we are for those in a position to make donations! There were many other important guests too, including Roger Lang, who afterwards sat in the Caribou he had donated so generously towards; Bob Ahrens, whose company carried out such an efficient and trouble-free construction project; Air Commodore Vincent (Joe) Lervasi; and Jim Whalley to name just a few.

The hangar opened! Senator Fawcett with Jean’s skirt in hand...

Member and ex-Caribou pilot Steve Nelson with Senator Fawcett and Mayor Johanson in the Caribou cockpit after the opening

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There is one more important piece of news to report: the wheels are in motion for our AP-3C Orion A09-756 acquisition. The Australian Government has received the necessary US approval to sell the aircraft to us and we expect to be signing a Deed of Agreement for that very shortly. Once we’ve been invoiced and paid the bill we will be discussing a collection timetable with Defence. Defence has indicated that the aircraft’s demilitarisation is complete and the removal of the wings and tail fin etc is planned at Edinburgh for 20 November to 20 December, so when those dates are confirmed we will be able to schedule the movement of the aircraft to SAAM. I will keep you posted! Pieter van Dyk PRESIDENT

F-111 Cockpit Canopy Most of you are aware that Air Force Heritage directed us, and all the other recipients of F-111 aircraft, to cease allowing any cockpit entry from 11 August. Some of you may not be aware that the directive was a result of suspected failure of the bottom bracket on the pilot’s canopy on aircraft A8-111 displayed in the A ustra l i an Aviation Heritage Centre of the Northern Territory (the Darwin Museum). We immediately complied of course, but were afraid the Air Force Static Display Support Section’s investigation might be a long one and have big impacts on our F-111 Tour Program. Fortunately it wasn’t and it didn’t. GPCAPT Pete Norford, Director of Air Force Heritage, kept us meticulously informed of the investigation’s progress and on 21 August he was able to inform us that we could open the cockpit again. The investigation proved that the fuselage mounting bracket on the Darwin aircraft was undamaged and it was the strut locking barrel end-piece that had detached from the barrel and shattered. Since all the other museums’ aircraft other than Darwin andEvans Head had had modified struts installed, we were given the OK to resume cockpit access. Darwin and Evans Head will have to wait a little longer until their struts are replaced. It was very gratifying to see Air Force Heritage demonstrate their awareness of the importance of cockpit access to museum tour programs, and they were prepared to put the resources into investigating and correcting the problem so promptly. It was also great to hear that the Deputy Chief of Air Force had agreed to and approved extension of the aircraft loans for another five years. RAAF Heritage runs a fantastic program and we are very grateful for it – acquisition of F-111 A8-134 was certainly a transformative event for our museum! Mike Milln

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WING TIPS TAKING A BREAK

With the sun poking its nose out after a long cold winter, some, not all, are taking a break from tasks at the museum. Some are visiting other hemispheres, some are going to not so far off peninsulas and some are just staying home. But we will be back, refreshed and raring to go. The Cessna wing attach brackets should be installed soon and the Sheppard cabane struts are nearing completion. The Sheppard wings have been washed, dried and cocooned in clean drop sheet plastic waiting for some warmer weather so that they can be painted and then fitted. With the Cessna and the Sheppard likely to be finished at the same time, the display people will have to relocate them both to the display area(s). Sometimes you get lucky! Rumour had it that there was a sheet of soft aluminium somewhere in the workshop and after a little detective work and some serious questioning we found it. We need it to complete the port wing root fairing on the Anson. Would you believe that it is 4 inches short of the required length but Reg and his tin basher mates can do an invisible joint, or so they tell us. Wait and see. Over and out Anson Crew

WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS…..

Denis Wooldridge of Harry Dickson of Jan Vermeer of Novar Gardens Vale Park Salisbury

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FAIREY BATTLE REPORT Rear Box Section Ribs Bob Rennie is continuing steady progress under the direction of Laurie English making the triangular rib sections that connect the rear wing spar to the rear of the main wing skin top surface. (I think that this is the starboard side)? Main Undercarriage

John Mudge and Alan Dixon have recently been trial fitting some very “second-hand” mudguard attach brackets to the recently restored starboard “fairy leg“. John should be ok working with “fairy legs” as he has just had his police clearance renewed! It is a well-guarded secret how he made the new mudguards but as you know he is a good all-rounder.

Tailplane Section Peter Harris wanted something to get his teeth into, so he continues work with the various tailplane fillet fairings. Bluey Hindes wanted me to give him some aircraft tips, so I gave him the starboard side tailplane wing tip to trim and rivet up that is now complete. The tail-cone/elevator fillet fairings are now finished and both elevators are now locked in the true neutral position to match with some very fetching and highly sophisticated red control locks. The go faster red paint was sponsored by Bluey Hindes who is a master connoisseur and purveyor of go-faster paint! I personally have had a win designing and trialling the infill bit for the elevator kick back. By the time you read this report, I am hoping that both sides are primed, screwed, riveted-up and fitted. It seems that the never ending tailplane story is coming to a final end. (Hooray). Not sure at this stage what is next, but there is a port fillet top wing fairing to be finished on the Anson that we have been requested to complete, but I am not sure if they can afford the transfer fee for both Bluey and I to fix?

John Zander, in John Mudge’s absence, and Allan Dixon contemplate a Fairey leg

Peter Harris demonstrates a tailplane fillet fairing

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I bet a lot of us have memories of the Pilots’ Strike of 1989. I remember having to use a Herc and a HS-748 to get to Canberra via Melbourne for a meeting. Should have driven! Here’s a snippet from Wing Commander Gibson on what it meant for the RAAF. Mike Milln

25 Aug 89 - Relief during airline pilots' strike

After an industrial dispute involving domestic airline pilots led to the shutting down of Australia’s civil air transport network, the Government responded by using the armed services - principally the Air Force - to help deal with the resulting chaos. From this day, civilian travellers were moved around the country by the RAAF, which used its Boeing 707 ex-commercial airliners, C-130 Hercules medium-lift transports and even HS-748 navigational trainers.

Although the public overwhelmingly accepted their experience of ‘RAAF Airlines’ as a novelty, Operation Immune placed a huge strain on the Service. The greatly increased hours being flown led to a greater maintenance load, with many teams being deployed around Australia to maintain aircraft away from their home bases. By the time the dispute was resolved and Air Force aircraft ceased to be involved on 15 December, the RAAF had flown 6,524 hours and carried 172,287 passengers.

WGCDR Ian Gibson via Steve Nelson

There is a rumour of a starboard fairy battle wing being brought down from on high for rebuild once space is available in the real men’s shed! (This is assuming that I will still be available subject to someone giving me a proper job?) Regards, Reginald John Marratt member #468

Tailcone/elevator fillet fairing

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... And some more interesting Caribou history ...

8 Aug 64 - Caribou flight joined Vietnam War T h r e e D H C - 4 Caribou Mk 1 aircraft on delivery to Australia were d i v e r t e d o n r e a c h i n g B u t t e r w o r t h , Malaysia, to equip RAAF Transport Fl ight Vietnam (RTFV) –– a new unit brought into e x i s t e n c e a t Butterworth on 20 July 1964. After taking over the new aircraft from their delivery crews, members of the RTFV flew into the airfield at the coastal city of Vung Tau, 60 kilometres south-east of the capital, Saigon, on this day to establish a RAAF presence in South Vietnam which would last until February 1972. After flying up to Saigon’s airport at Tan Son Nhut for an official welcome ceremony on 10 August, the crews began flying their first operational missions in the Vietnam War four days later. A second batch of three aircraft and the additional crews and ground staff to operate them reached Vung Tau by 29 August. On 1 June 1966, the RFTV was renamed No 35 Squadron. More on the RAAF in Vietnam is here: http://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/history/conflicts/australia-and-vietnam-war/australia-and-vietnam-war/royal-australian-air-force Image footnote: Corporal Keith Bosley ties in a load of four cows bound for Nha Trang. 35SQN carried a variety of freight around Vietnam. In 1962, under the auspices of the Australian aid program known as the Colombo Plan, the Australian Government provided cows for a dairy farm at Ben Cat in Bien Hoa Province. WGCDR Ian Gibson via Steve Nelson

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SOUTH AUSTRALIAN AVIATION MUSEUM SIGNIFICANT AVIATOR PROFILES

NOBLE (NOBBY) SYDNEY DOUGLAS BUCKLEY MBE

Nobby Buckley was born on the 26th December 1905. His father was Allan Frank Buckley and mother Elizabeth Kate (nee Douglas, which may explain part of Nobby’s name). He was one of eight siblings and other names included brothers Bright Frank Douglas, Bonnie Boy Douglas and Horatio Octavious Douglas; and sisters Merrie Joie Kitty Douglas and May Flor Muriel Aenone. Nobby’s father was born in Victoria in 1880. He was the son of Allan Knox Buckley, an Irishman from Ballriggan County Mead who migrated to Australia in the 1860s at the age of 17. Allan Frank Buckley was a businessman with farming interests.¹ In 1909 he was instrumental in setting up the suburb of Noble Park in Melbourne, which he named after Nobby with streets named after other family members.² Nobby was the second oldest son and from a young age displayed an adventurous spirit.³ After attending various primary schools, he was sent to Ivanhoe Grammar School where it was hoped his Uncle Syd (the headmaster) would instill a little self-discipline in him. He then attended West Melbourne Technical School and graduated as a mechanic and certified as a Babcocks and Wilcocks Steam boiler operator inclusive. In 1924 the family moved to South Australia and shortly after he left the home environment and toured the north and north west of the

state with a Nash van as a travelling motor mechanic. He spent three years at Wilgena Station with AJ and PA McBride and it was here he learned the business of water well drilling. He left there in 1928 and returned to Adelaide setting up a motor repair garage at Henley Beach. At the same time he took up speedway racing motorbikes, mostly BSA machines. He was the first to import a saddletank BSA 498cc racer and competed at Speedway Royal, Wayville and country tracks. With the advent of the depression he sold his business at Henley Beach and went bush as a full time water well driller and gradually worked his way back to the Adelaide Hills. He complimented his drilling as a consultant on ground waters with an above average success rate using a divining rod. He put the success of the divining rod down to the physics of magnetism. Using a wire rod he was able to sense the pull from the magnetic force created by running underground water, which created static electricity and, ergo, the magnetism. He continued his water drilling business on a part time basis until his death in 1981. Early Flying His first contact with aviation came as a grease monkey with ex WW1 Pilot W.F.E. Smith on a Farman Aircraft fitted with a Gnome LeRhone engine. This machine was used for barnstorming using Henley Beach and others as well as race tracks for landing fields. This machine was wrecked in a willi willi at the Burra racetrack. He later used DH9 aircraft for the same purpose and his favourite beach was Normanville. From time to time he worked with Bill Maddox and Keith Litchfield on the operation.⁴

N.S.D. Buckley [Photo SAAM collection]

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Nobby joined the Aero Club of South Australia on the 12th January 1934. His first flight was on the 6th October 1935 and his first solo, after 5 hours dual flight time, on the 18th November 1935.⁵ He achieved his ‘A’ licence on 29th November 1935 and his ‘B’ (Commercial) licence on the 18th May 1937. His occupation then was reported as “Boring Contractor”. ⁶

Nobby mainly flew Aero Club aircraft over the next couple of years and excerpts from his logbook reflect the flimsy nature of aircraft at the time. In less than 300 hours he recorded four forced landings in his log book: ‘26/12/35 forced landing Ballyaria’ ‘26/3/37 forced landing Kia Ora’ ‘10/10/37 Hillson Praga Essendon – Ballan forced down by fog’ and ‘29/1/38 dh 60 x VH UAR Forced landing (engine)’

Nobby Buckley’s ‘A’ Licence [Photo from document in SAAM Collection]

He also did formation-flying and aerobatics, and competed in the Club’s competitions and pageants. He won the WA Airways Cup (for an air race) on the 19th December 1936, the Ross Smith trophy the same year, and again in 1937. The Ross Smith trophy was awarded for various events (landing competitions, formation flying, airmanship, forced landings etc.) held monthly throughout the year. Many articles written about him in later years claimed he had won the Australian Aerobatics championship in 1935 but that is unlikely since Nobby only gained his licence in November that year. It is more likely he won a competition at one of the many pageants held around then, but it is unclear exactly when. One logbook entry states he flew a Miles Hawk to 17,000ft with the note that ‘the last 1000ft took 8 minutes’. There is no mention as to whether he had Oxygen on the flight!⁷ ⁸ Guinea Airways

Guinea Gold was formed in 1926. The company operated in New Guinea, using various types of aircraft, mainly for air freighting to support its gold mining operations. As a “No Liability” company it was prohibited from carrying passengers, so in October 1927, a separate air unit was formed, registered as “Guinea Airways Limited” with Adelaide as a base. It began operations on the Adelaide to Darwin route on the 22nd February 1937 with two Lockheed L10A Electra aircraft. The company also operated an Adelaide to Sydney service. Nobby’s logbook states that he started with Guinea Airways on 7th March 1938, when he had a total flight time of 238 hours. He mainly flew the Lockheed L10A Electra, but also operated the Messerschmitt Taifun (a single engine monoplane) and a Dragon Rapide on charter flights. It was in the Taifun that he had another three emergencies – two forced landings (one engine failure) and one landing gear failure: ‘8/3/39 messerschmitt taifun VH UZI Para – Cowell Landing gear fails’

‘22/3/39 Taifun VH UZI Para – Mt Eba engine failure ‘22/3/39 Taifun VH UZI Para – Mt Eba engine failure forced landing Virginia’ ‘13/6/39 Taifun UZI Parafield Forced landing’ He studied to become an aircraft engineer attaining C, D and X licences. He also studied and was licenced as a radio technician and second class 25wpm PMG morse operator. The purpose of these studies was Guinea Airways’ imminent embarkation on the Adelaide Darwin service and the need for a totally self contained maintenance unit on each flight.⁹

BFW 108b Messerschmitt Taifun, with Nobby as pilot [Photo courtesy State Library SA]

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His first airline flights were recorded as ‘Sydney return’ but never stated where from – possibly Cootamundra which was one of the stops on the Adelaide – Sydney service. In July 1938 this service was taken over by Ansett Airways Ltd. On the 10th January 1939 Nobby noted in his logbook ‘First solo as junior captain’, so then he was in the left seat.¹⁰ At that time Guinea Airways had ceased the Adelaide Sydney route and was concentrating on the Adelaide to Darwin service. On the 18th December 1939 Nobby was to operate the Darwin to Adelaide service. At 5:35 am (it was dark at this time), Lockheed 10A VH-UXI “Moresby” with Nobby in command left Darwin airport but suffered an engine failure and fire six minutes after takeoff. He turned back but was unable to maintain height and was forced to land into trees about a mile south of the aerodrome. The aircraft caught fire and Nobby and his First Officer, Ulrich Edgerton, evacuated the ten army passengers and baggage before it was completely burnt. One of the army personnel suffered a fractured skull and shock, and three others were admitted to hospital. A dramatic escape was made by an RAAF passenger who at the time of the crash was in the toilet at the rear of the aircraft. When the tail broke off he found himself in the toilet at the top of a tree. He opened the door and climbed down to safety.¹¹ The crew was praised for having landed the plane in the dark without loss of life. An OBE for Nobby was seriously contemplated for the episode but was opposed by the company on policy grounds. He did, however, receive a gold watch from his grateful passengers.¹² His logbook read:

In January 1939 Guinea Airways had lost its other Lockheed 10 in an accident near Katherine, unfortunately with the loss of all passengers and crew. The company managed to source two Lockheed L14s as replacements from Aer Lingus Teoranta in Ireland, which had ceased operations due to World War II. For the delivery flights to Australia, one of these aircraft was crewed by an English Captain, Dan Cameron, and Nobby was the first officer.

Nobby Buckley’s Aircraft Maintenance Engineer’s Licence [Photo of document in SAAM Collection]

Nobby’s logbook entry recording the 1939 crash - ‘18/12/39 Darwin – Accident L10 VH UXI Burnt completely after trying to make drome 20 mins.’

[Photo of document in SAAM Collection]

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During the flight tests in Ireland they discovered that the plane had a dangerous characteristic. At 7,000 feet with full flap, wheels down and in a full power stall the aircraft flipped on its back and went out of control. It wasn't until 2,000 feet before the aircraft was righted and brought under control once again. That model airplane later caused several crashes resulting in the deaths of many people. Both aircraft left Dublin on the 26th May 1940 and arrived at Parafield on the 9th June in a record flight time of 76 hours flying time and an elapsed time of 14 days. For aircraft of their type it was a remarkable achievement for a civil ferry flight in wartime conditions.¹³

Logbook entry for the delivery flight in 1940 [Photo from document in SAAM Collection]

VH UXI before and after the accident (Photo courtesy Ed Coates collection)

The list of incidents continued, with these noted in Nobby’s logbook: ‘2/2/40 L10 VH AAU Darwin – Parafield 12.05 hours Engine trouble at Daly w.’ and ‘12/12/41 L14 VH AEW Para Darwin 4.45 Undercarriage mishap Alice Springs’ In 1942 the company entered into a contract with the Commonwealth Government of Australia and the USA to operate US Army aircraft under charter. As a result Nobby joined the RAAF Reserve as a Flying Officer then was promoted to Flight Lieutenant. At the time of enlistment he was living at 18 Alpha Street, Kensington Park. He listed his sports as tennis, football and golf.¹⁴ He made many flights for the RAAF from Adelaide to Fenton Airfield, which was a heavy bomber base just south of Darwin, built in World War II. It was mainly used as a base for RAAF and USAAF Liberators mounting long range attacks against the Japanese and was the target of Japanese bombing in 1943.¹⁵ Nobby’s service as a reservist was terminated on the 1st July 1947. More incidents from his logbook: ‘5/9/43 Rapide VBN 5.20 Forced Land, nil fuel, 85 B.Hill ‘11/12/7/44 C50 CDK 20.25 AD-FTN Hydraulic Trouble’ ‘2.3.45 L14 AEW 4.40 Returned from 40 NW EBA Engine trouble’ ‘26/2/49 C 47 ANH ML-LT Brake failure 2.00’ ‘4/5/49 L14 VH-AEW K/COTE HYDRAULIC FAULT 1.35’ Guinea Airways also had an Auster J5B, which was used for small charter work, typically to destinations such as Wedge Island (near the entrance to the Spencer Gulf) and Kingscote. It was also used for dingo baiting.¹⁶ That involved dropping lumps of brisket fat laced with strychnine poison from an aircraft flying at low level – typically around 300ft altitude. Nobby logged many hours dingo baiting, often over several days at a time over a fourteen year period.¹⁷ The company was also contracted to perform an 18-month scintillometer survey of South Australia’s uranium bearing country, which was carried out in a Fairchild Argus II.

In June 1946 Nobby was appointed Chief Pilot of Guinea Airways. He remained in that position until Guinea Airways ceased operations at the beginning 1960 and became Airlines of South Australia. He was then appointed Operations Manager, in which role he continued until mid 1960 when Ansett re-organised the management structure. He made a note in his logbook: ‘retired as chief pilot 1.6.60’ Nobby continued his airline flying after the formation of Airlines of South Australia to destinations mainly in regional South Australia, such as Ceduna, Port Lincoln, King Island (Tasmania) and Woomera. He recorded only one incident between 1949 and 1974, which was an engine failure in a DC3: ‘17/7/1958 DC3 VH ANW WRA (Engine out) 1.00 if 2.30 day 2.00 night’

On the 21st June 1965 he had his last flight with Airlines of South Australia. This was interesting in that it terminated at a destination noted in his logbook as Mirricata. Mirricata would likely be Miricata Station, which is located 640km north northwest of Adelaide (near Coober Pedy). The following day he logged the flight from Mirricata to Adelaide as passenger with the Chief Pilot as Pilot in Command. Research shows that on the previous day South Australia experienced particularly bad weather, so it is likely his flight, which was supposed to return to Adelaide, had diverted to Mirricata and remained overnight due to weather. Australian Air Pilots Association In 1947 Nobby was elected as President of the Australian Air Pilots Association, which was the forerunner of what is now the Australian Federation of Air Pilots. He was unpopular in the role. The book A Federation of Pilots - the Story of an Australian Air Pilots’ Union noted he served his Presidency in a cautious, autocratic and paternalistic fashion and described him as follows: Buckley seemed to be one of the pre-war trained pilots experiencing problems adjusting to new safer flying procedures and resented the demise of pilot autonomy brought about by the new regulations. ‘Rules and regulations governing the flight of aircraft’ were necessary, he claimed, ‘but only as a basis for the pilot’s guidance’. He wanted to take a cautious approach to negotiations at a time when a new generation of young pilots was becoming increasingly militant, and he negotiated with the companies without recourse to his Executive or the membership. This caused him to lose the confidence of the rank and file and the support of his own AFAP branch in South Australia. He eventually resigned as president in October 1950.¹⁸

Royal Aero Club of South Australia Nobby had a long association with the Royal Aero Club of South Australia. He had done his initial training with the club as described above. He was appointed to a casual committee vacancy in 1937, and was elected president in 1952. He served as President from 1952 to 1953 (one year) and from 1954 to 1957 (three years). Nobby was involved in many of the club’s activities in the early days, piloting aerobatics displays and formation flying at airshows and, as mentioned earlier, getting involved with club competitions. At the committee level Nobby was appointed chief marshal of an air pageant, which was to be held in March 1950. It was to be in collaboration with the Royal Australian Air Force, but due to the promised Vampire jet and helicopter not being available, the Club deferred the show until September, when it was a huge success.

His approach to the Club presidency was much the same as to his presidency of the Australian Air Pilots Association. He again tended to run the committee as a one-man show, which was tolerated or perhaps even initially welcomed because there was an awareness that the Club, like many volunteer organizations, needed strong leadership. Towards the end of his presidency, the minutes of the Committee meetings reported he clashed openly with other personalities on the committee, mostly about the conduct of the committee and constitutional issues. In 1957 it was discovered that Bill Shinn, who was the Club’s manager at the time, had fiddled the books to the tune of several thousand pounds. He admitted the offence and the club agreed to keep the incident quiet provided he repaid the debt (which he eventually did). Bill was a friend of Nobby’s and Nobby’s support of him throughout the incident again caused much angst among the committee and was the primary cause of him losing the presidency. At the Annual General Meeting in October 1957 there were three ‘retirees’ up for re-election, as required by the constitution, one of them being Nobby. Prior to the meeting he had circulated a letter to members outlining his contribution to the club over the previous twenty years. In it, as part of his bid for re-election, he said, “some members of this club for reasons best known themselves have, I am advised, decided it is time Buckley was moved out.” Nobby was not re-elected. Though he left the presidency on this sour note, he was well remembered for his 20-year contribution to the club and was made an Honorary Life Member in recognition of it. He had nothing more to do with club affairs from that point.¹⁹

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Vickers Vimy In 1919, four months after the war, the Australian government announced it would give a £10,000 prize for the first successful flight from England to Australia by an Australian crew in not more than thirty days. Six crews took part and the winning team was the Adelaide brothers Ross and Keith Smith and their mechanics James Bennett and Wally Shiers. They flew a Vickers Vimy two engine former bomber,²⁰ which was donated to the Australian Government after the race and eventually placed in the Australian War Memorial when it opened in 1941. By 1953 the memorial was running out of space and, since the Vimy had no wartime history, they needed to find somewhere else to move it. In 1955 while Nobby was still the president of the Club, he took leadership, with the Club’s endorsement, of an attempt to have the Vimy moved to Adelaide. He formed the Sir Ross and Sir Keith Smith Memorial Committee to lobby politicians and approach donors for funds, and after a lot of political process the proposal to move the aircraft to Adelaide was agreed. The display, in a building built by public subscription, was opened at Adelaide airport on the 27th April 1958. Nobby counted his involvement as being one of the crowning achievements of his life.²¹

Redex Air Trial In 1954 the one (and only) Redex Air Trial was held. The Redex Company was formed in the UK in 1922 to manufacture fuel additives. The company first sponsored a road trial in Australia in 1953, known as the Redex Trial, which was very successful with 192 cars taking part in the 10,000km event. In 1954 the event was over 15,000km with 246 cars competing, and there was an Air Trial as well over a route Sydney – Brisbane – Darwin - Alice Spring – Adelaide - Wagga Wagga - Sydney. Some 15 aircraft competed and Guinea Airways entered its Auster J5B VH–ADS with Nobby as pilot. The race was not without controversy with several of the competitors involved in accidents and incidents. Nobby,

on one leg of the race, had not factored in the wind strength and seemed likely to run out of fuel. He landed on a road in front of a vehicle and managed to get sufficient fuel for the rest of the flight from the surprised motorist.²²On the leg to Adelaide his engine quit and he had to make an unplanned landing at Port Pirie. It transpired that there was water in his fuel system (which was probably due to heavy rain overnight at Alice Springs). At the end of the race Nobby was placed third, but some of the other competitors filed protests. They believed the winner had been flying at 120kts instead of his stated handicap of 102kts. As for Nobby, one protester believed he should have checked his fuel for contamination

prior to departure and that while he was cleaning out his fuel system on the ground ‘some engine adjustments were made’.²³ In the end Bill

Murrell was pronounced winner and Nobby was awarded second place.²⁴ Avis Air Charter After he retired from ASA in 1965, Nobby took on the role of manager of Avis Air Charter based at Adelaide, which involved flying duties as well. The company was set up by the Avis car, truck and trailer rental company to take

Nobby refueling at Wagga Wagga during the REDEX trial [Photo courtesy Bob Neate collection]

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advantage of the boom in General Aviation.²⁵ It operated charter flights in light single and twin-engine aircraft mainly throughout South Australia. He finished in this position on the 5th November 1969 after a period of four years and noted in his logbook: ‘5/11/69 end of avis air charter’.

Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Vimy Flight The following month he was involved in the commemoration of the 1919 Vimy flight from England to Australia. The 1919 flight was the first to carry mail over that route. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Great Britain, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Indonesia, Portuguese Timor and Australia released commemorative stamps. The Australian Air Mail Society chartered TAA’s DC-3, VH AEQ, to carry the mail from Singapore to Melbourne over the Vimy’s route. The crew was Captain D. Gillespie, Captain N. Buckley and Navigator D. George. A passenger on the flight was Reg Williams who had flown the Blackburn Kangaroo as co pilot in the 1919 air race. Nobby’s wife Jessica was the Hostess for fifteen philatalists carried on the flight.²⁶ The flight was reported in the press as having operated on the same dates as the Vimy a hundred years later, and it did land Darwin on the 10th December as did the Vimy. However, unlike the Smiths who took over four months to reach Melbourne from Darwin, Nobby’s re-enactment landed in Melbourne on the 14th December.²⁷

After the commemorative flight, Nobby worked for a company called Associated Air Charters based at Parafield flying light twin and single engine aircraft on charter operations. An interesting logbook entry at about this time:

Nobby’s logbook recording the 1969 Commemoration of the Centenary of the Vimy flight (Photo of document in SAAM Collection)

Commemorative mail with Nobby’s signature vertically bottom right

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Awards In April 1974 Nobby became an Upper Freeman of the Guild of Air Pilots and Navigators (now the Honourable Company of Air Pilots) and became a Liveryman of the Company in May 1979. He would have gained the Freedom of the City of London at some time between these two dates, as a requirement of a Liveryman of the Company. The freedom of the City is granted on personal application (to the City) with the support of the Company.²⁸ ²⁹ On the 14th June 1980, Nobby was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for ‘service to aviation’.³⁰ Nobby afterwards stated: “I look upon it as a great honor but I have always had a lot of support from a lot of people. They must take some of the honor too”. Personal Life Nobby had two marriages. His first wife was Hilda Crump whom he married in 1926, and they had three children, two girls and a boy. His second wife, Jessica Ormond, he met in Darwin in 1940. Jessica was a nursing sister at Darwin and looked after Nobby following his accident in the Lockheed L10A. They had three children, two boys and a girl. I spoke with Nobby’s son John, who told me Nobby was ‘complicated, gregarious and a great educator as a father’ and that he was not aware of Nobby’s first family until later in life. At the time there was a stigma to divorce and remarriage. John was very fond of his father who was ‘absent a lot due to his multiple commitments’ . Nobby took up scuba diving with the British Sub Aqua Club of Adelaide in 1970 at the age of 65. The same year his mother passed away and his logbook states:

The Department of Civil Aviation had tried to take Nobby’s Commercial Pilot’s licence at age 65. Nobby fought this on the basis that he was still medically fit. The DCA relented but at age 70 they were not so flexible and his commercial flying days were over.³¹ His last recorded flight was on the 14th August 1980:

FEB 22/23 NAVAJO REM AD-SPILSBY AD – NUDISTS 1.35

Excerpt from Nobby’s logbook “EKB buried at sea Glenelg” [Photo – document from SAAM Collection]

Excerpt from Nobby’s logbook recording his last flight [Photo – from document in SAAM’s Collection]

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He had logged 22,938.15 hours, though, interestingly, he maintained that in addition to these, he had not recorded 3,000 hours. It is not clear exactly where and when the missing hours were flown. Noble Sydney Douglas Buckley died on the 21st June 1981 at age 75. He spent the day of his death scuba diving with other BSA members off the coast of Adelaide and after returning home died peacefully in his sleep.³² Summary Nobby was certainly a significant South Australian aviator. In view of the parlous state of aviation at the time he flew, particularly during the earlier years, the caliber of the people involved, like Nobby, is easily understandable. The logbook entries above are proof of the sort of mettle Nobby possessed. He certainly had the flying skills required to survive this period. When Nobby’s name is mentioned to those who knew him, their reactions are varied. His family was very fond and proud of their father. Some colleagues from the South Australian Aviation Museum who had known and worked with him described him as a delightful man with a great sense of humour. Those who had known him from his aero club days, however, tended to be not so flattering. Overall, Nobby was incredibly energetic and would take on anything – he wanted to be involved in every committee he could. He was always keen to promote aviation and to this end would give talks to various clubs (sometimes in full uniform) and he also wrote articles for the local newspapers. Though he was a controversial character who polarised opinion so that he had detractors as well as supporters, there is no doubt he contributed significantly to aviation, particularly in South Australia. Paul Divett South Australian Aviation Museum Inc. History Group January 2017 References_____________________________________________________________________________ ¹A brief outline of the life of Capt. Noble (Nobby) Buckley MBE, VHD Buckley ²A History of the city of Springvale, Hibbins, Gillian M. (1984). ³Destiny at Woorongboolong, Potts, Bronwyn ⁴Email from John Buckley ( Nobby’s son) ⁵Logbook N.S.D. Buckley ⁶Wing Tips The story of The Royal Aero Club of South Australia Book 1: 1919-1941, Mike Milln, Avonmore Books 2011 ⁷Logbook N.S.D. Buckley ⁸SAAM Trophy Collection ⁹Email from John Buckley (Nobby’s son). ¹⁰Logbook N.S.D. Buckley ¹¹The Advertiser, 15 Dec 1969 ¹²Interview with John Buckley (Nobby’s son), Date ?? ¹³An Iconic Airline The History of Airlines of South Australia, Jim Evans and Nigel Daw, 2012 ¹⁴National Archives of Australia

¹⁵ Website accessed 12/11/2016 http://www.pacificwrecks.com/airfields/australia/fenton/index.html ¹⁶In South Australia Dingoes and hybrids are ‘proclaimed’ pests under the Animal and Plant Control Board (Agricultural Protection and Other Purposes) Act (1986) in the sheep zone south of the Dog Fence. Dingoes must be controlled in this zone and they can only be kept in authorised zoos and wildlife parks. North of the Dog Fence, the dingo is regarded as a legitimate wildlife species and although unprotected is afforded a level of protection by the South Australian Dingo Policy which imposes restrictions on dingo control beyond a 35 kilometre baited buffer zone north of the Dog Fence. PDF accessed 12th November 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20080913072502/http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/wildlife/programs/pdf/dingo_management.pdf ¹⁷The Advertiser 14th Jan 1981 ¹⁸A Federation of Pilots - The story of an Australian Air Pilots’ Union, Mary Sheehan and Sonia Jennings, Melbourne University Publishing, 2010. ¹⁹Royal Aero Club of South Australia meeting minutes. ²⁰Website accessed 22nd November 21, 2016 https://www.awm.gov.au/blog/2008/02/13/the-1919-air-race/ ²¹Wing Tips - The story of the Royal Aero Club of South Australia Book II, Mike Milln, Draft December 2016 ²²The Advertiser (Adelaide 1931-1954) 1 Oct 1954 page 19 ²³The Mail (Adelaide 1912-1954) SAT 14 Aug 1954 page 3 ²⁴The Mercury (Hobart Tas 1860-1954) Wed 18th Aug 1954 page 30 ²⁵Aircraft, March 1968 page 17. ²⁶Website accessed December 5, 2016 http://picclick.com.au/1969-50th-Anniversary-First-Air-Mail-Flight-171735583712.html ²⁷The Advertiser, 15 December 1969

²⁸Before the Company was established in 1929, the future status of air pilots and air navigators was very much in doubt. The small group of commercial pilots who formed the "Guild" were virtually responsible for ensuring that their successors enjoyed a professional status, and one of the Company's objectives has been to foster and improve that standing. From the beginning the Company was modelled on the lines of the old City Guilds and Livery Companies and its constitution and by-laws reflect that foundation, although its activities and work is very much contemporary.

The Company became a Livery Company of the City of London in 1956: a rarely bestowed mark of distinction. This was a great factor in increasing not only the influence of the Company, the 81st Livery Company to be formed in 800 years, but of the entire profession of pilot and navigator in the United Kingdom and overseas. In 2014, it received a further mark of distinction in being granted a Royal Charter in the name of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots.

²⁹Email from Assistant to the Clerk; The Honourable Company of Air Pilots Nov 30 2016 ³⁰Supplement to The London Gazette, 14th June 1980 ³¹Interview with Nobby’s son, John Buckley, December 2016 ³²Information provided by Catherine Buckley, Nobby’s daughter, email 8 Jan 2017