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Post by corsair67 on Oct 20, 2008 16:58:44 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 20, 2008 18:15:48 GMT 12
Those are great photos Craig, it's so good to see it is well cared for and under cover. I note the coloour scheme now doesn't seem to have the VH-USU registration that it used to have. Was that removed because the replica took over the rego?
What does the 1985 signify? Is that when it was put indoors?
I've often wondered what sort of life this aircraft had when it was impressed into the RAAF in WWII, was it well cherished as an icon or just treated as any old plane? They made a film with it in the early 1940's from memory.
Has the (no longer) flying replica ever been taxied up and parked beside the glass for a photo shoot of the two together?
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Post by Peter Lewis on Oct 20, 2008 19:30:32 GMT 12
The Fokker's history is actually quite complex, from the summary by Ed Coates: " . . . was built in Amsterdam in 1927, bulk stripped and shipped to the USA where it was re-assembled by the American Fokker agents, the Atlantic Aircraft Corporation, in New Jersey.
It was purchased by George Hubert Wilkins, who, with the backing of the Detroit News, decided to undertake an Arctic (North Pole) expedition with it. It was christened "The Detroiter" (for obvious reasons) and was fitted with skis for this endeavor. At that time it carried the US civil registration N(C)1985. As was common in those days, the NC was implied and never painted on the aircraft.
Many aircraft merely carried the "C". "Southern Cross" had only the number (see the photograph). In the event an undercarriage failure led Wilkins to abandon the Fokker as his steed, and he carried out his historic Polar flights in a Lockheed Vega.
The Fokker was shipped to Seattle for repair by Boeing along with bits and pieces of Wilkins' other aircraft, a single-engine F.VIIa. There, the aviator Charles Kingsford Smith (later Sir Charles) and his colleague Charles Ulm purchased it for $3,000, and re-named it "Southern Cross" In June of 1928, Kingsford Smith, along with Ulm, Harry Lyon and James Warner departed San Francisco and, after pit stops in Hawaii, and Fiji, landed at Brisbane on the 9th of the month. Like Lindbergh before them, the crew became famous overnight.
From Brisbane the aircraft flew on to Sydney, where the heroes were welcomed by large crowds. Other trans-Australia flights followed, the aircraft having received the registration allocation of VH-USU by this time". So it flew the historic USA - Australia flight in 1928 as NC1985, and when the aircraft was placed on display at Brisbane Airport it was repainted in the markings it wore during that flight.  |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 20, 2008 23:41:22 GMT 12
I see, that makes sense.
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Post by oldfokker on Oct 21, 2008 17:30:18 GMT 12
Has the (no longer) flying replica ever been taxied up and parked beside the glass for a photo shoot of the two together? Long time WONZAF reader Dave - hope this first image (via E. Wixted) helps.  Cheers Mick |
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ron
Squadron Leader
Posts: 110
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Post by ron on Oct 21, 2008 17:41:45 GMT 12
Mick
Are you in the crowd? I'm there somewhere.
Cheers
Ron
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Post by oldfokker on Oct 21, 2008 17:51:26 GMT 12
No, missed the meeting of the Fokkers, Ron, as I was still in short pants then ! Although it looks like the usual Brisbane dress code in those days !  Mick |
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Post by corsair67 on Oct 21, 2008 17:54:22 GMT 12
Thanks for posting that classic image, oldfokker.  |
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Post by oldfokker on Oct 21, 2008 18:16:25 GMT 12
Thanks Craig - the cabin is goose-bump territory and the cockpit reeks of history ( and a few ghosts ! )  Mick |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 21, 2008 19:16:28 GMT 12
Fantastic to see the two aeroplanes together like that. Wow. Do you know the date of that?
Looks like a DC-3 and a Devon/Dove in the background too. It's interesting to see inside the Old Bus too. Thanks, and welcome to the forum.
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ron
Squadron Leader
Posts: 110
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Post by ron on Oct 21, 2008 21:23:36 GMT 12
Gents The "Old Bus" and the "New Bus" were photographed together at Brisbane, Eagle Farm on 18 Nov 1987. On this date, the original aeroplane was towed from the old airport to its present location opposite the International Terminal. This image shows the aeroplane coming out of its old display case. To save the original wheels and tyres they fitted Canberra nosewheels. www.adastron.com/squawkid/h1scross.htmRegards Ron |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 21, 2008 22:04:33 GMT 12
Thanks Ron. Great photo on your site there. It looks odd with those different wheels.
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Post by corsair67 on Oct 21, 2008 22:12:33 GMT 12
Wow, that is amazing to see the inside of the Old Bus. It's amazing to think it has survived all these years, especially when you take into account that she well and truly outlived her owners.
During the long distance flights, wasn't there a fuel tank located in the space behind Ulm and Smithy?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 22, 2008 17:29:40 GMT 12
I'm left wondering how on earth Smithy got out to the engine in flight, took oil from it and then put the oil into the other engine during one of the Tasman crossings. The interior photo doesn't indicate any handy hatches with which to do that.
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Post by planeimages on Oct 22, 2008 19:57:22 GMT 12
Smithy himself did not climb out to the engines. PG Taylor was the brave man. The horizontal strut gave him something to stand on. Because he was fairly short he could stand up and wedge his back against the wing and shuffle out to the engines on each side. He did 12 trips in all, that is 6 each side. It was either that or be fed to the sharks. But that doesn't take away any of the admiration of what he did to save the aircraft and the crew. There is a re-creation of how he did it on www.nma.gov.au/interactives/tlf/heroes/index.htmlIan Mackersey's great book on Smithy tells the gory details very well. |
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Post by planeimages on Oct 22, 2008 20:00:12 GMT 12
To Old Fokker, May I have a copy of the two Southern Crosses together at Bn and the interior shot please?
If this is possible could you email them to me please?: peter@finlays.com.au
Much appreciated
Peter
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Post by planeimages on Oct 22, 2008 20:11:25 GMT 12
Also glad to see that the old myth that the Southern Cross was a composite made from Herbert Wilkins' two Fokkers ; "Alaskan" and "Detroiter" has not surfaced. Although Wilkins did put the wing of one onto the other, the remains all ended up at Boeing at Seattle and the complete Fokker F.VIIb-3m was rebuilt and sold to Smithy.
The Detroiter and Southern Cross bear the same c/n.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 22, 2008 21:42:46 GMT 12
The Southern Cross got new wing 'parts' after Smithy taxied into the drain at Milson, NZ and crunched the wing tip.
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Post by flyjoe180 on Oct 23, 2008 9:00:53 GMT 12
Great photos of a great aeroplane. Cheers.
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Post by planeimages on Nov 17, 2008 19:11:23 GMT 12
Bill Taylor (and John Stannage on one occasion) climbed out of the open spaces behind the windscreen. For them to have climbed out of the cabin windows would have been impossible. One: the sliding plastic windows were far too small to let a man climb through, Two they would have had to climb past the wind-driven generators to reach the cross bar which braced the wing-mounted motors and three, the distance from the window to the strut is over 6 feet. Best of luck.
They had to clamber over the elevator control wires which ran right past the cockpit.
Smithy and his co-pilots normally exited the Southern Cross via the horizontal strut and landing gear, using the engine as a hand hold on the way.
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