|
|
Post by planecrazy on Sept 2, 2020 21:27:17 GMT 12
Going through some old pic's, Australian Warbirds all locally designed and built.  Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation Wirraway.  Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation Boomerang flown by Matt Denning who also restored this machine.  Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation Winjeel, replaced the Tiger Moth and Wirraway as trainers for the RAAF, in service 1955 until 1994, later used in the roll of forward air control. |
|
|
|
Post by davidd on Sept 23, 2020 8:32:00 GMT 12
Last caption, that would be role rather than roll, although I think Winjeels were reasonably good at the latter too!
David D
|
|
|
|
Post by scrooge on Sept 23, 2020 9:17:29 GMT 12
Any Nomads?
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 23, 2020 11:05:17 GMT 12
The Wirraway was designed by North American Aviation though.
|
|
|
|
Post by planecrazy on Sept 23, 2020 11:54:00 GMT 12
I stand corrected, should change the title to manufactured perhaps, I always thought they
used a NA 16 as a pattern and redesigned the Wirraway closely following the NA 16.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 23, 2020 12:06:05 GMT 12
Maybe I'm wrong but my reading of it some time back was the original Wirraways were NAA aircraft, then they licence built more, and eventually the design evolved a little for local conditions. I'm sure some of the Aussie will correct me if that is wrong.
|
|
|
|
Post by madmax on Sept 23, 2020 16:12:06 GMT 12
Correct Dave. The Wirraway was developed in Australia by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation from the NA32 and NA33 (known as the NA16-1A and NA16-2K in Australia) A total of 755 Wirraways were built
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 23, 2020 18:03:18 GMT 12
Thanks.
|
|
|
|
Post by vultee43 on Sept 23, 2020 19:48:59 GMT 12
Yes it was the basis Dave but the design was altered significantly for prototype and production aircraft. The empenage was completely redesigned, rear fuselage altered, engine geared differently and new air coolers, three bladed prop, redesigned front turtle deck, and most importantly a completely different outer wing which increased the roll rate by 13%. The only real full NA16 parts were the centre section, undercarriage, canopy and cockpit sections.
Using the same conclusions it would be safe to say the Boomerang is also a NA16, but in fact it has more commonality with the Wirraway from which it was obviously developed.
Like many I've been privileged enough to see all three side by side and whilst the lineage is there the differences are starck. According to several wartime Wirraway pilots the flying characteristics were as equally diparate. The Wirraway was a very tough aircraft to land and had some nasty vices (hence making it a good trainer). Having only flown a T6 I can't comment, but from comparing notes they seem chalk and cheese in some respects.
CAC and NAA were very close and shared designs and license production for many years. The penultimate was the Avon Sabre which was considered quite superior to the F86 variants.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 23, 2020 20:40:09 GMT 12
Okay, thanks for that. I take it back. I guess we can call it an Australian design based on the redevelopment of an NAA design. Much like the Airtrainer is a New Zealand design based on redeveloping the Aircruiser.
|
|
|
|
Post by vultee43 on Sept 23, 2020 21:16:22 GMT 12
Or Crowded House is an Aussie band 😉.
As an aside the late Guido Zuccoli fitted a set of Boomerang mainplanes to a T6. It went like a rocket apparently.
|
|
|
|
Post by saratoga on Sept 23, 2020 21:41:05 GMT 12
Just don't mention the Pavlova..oh damn..
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 23, 2020 22:07:13 GMT 12
Pavlova is German.
|
|
|
|
Post by errolmartyn on Sept 23, 2020 23:25:32 GMT 12
Actually she was Russian - the famous dancer Anna Pavlova after whom the desert is named. Errol |
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 23, 2020 23:27:43 GMT 12
Yep but the recipe came from Germany.  |
|
|
|
Post by shorty on Sept 24, 2020 8:51:34 GMT 12
Actually she was Russian - the famous dancer Anna Pavlova after whom the desert is named. Errol |
|
|
|
Post by Mustang51 on Sept 24, 2020 12:19:15 GMT 12
Maybe I'm wrong but my reading of it some time back was the original Wirraways were NAA aircraft, then they licence built more, and eventually the design evolved a little for local conditions. I'm sure some of the Aussie will correct me if that is wrong. Dave, I think you were getting mixed up here with the CAC built Mustangs. The CA-17 was actually a P.51D-1-NA. 100 Sets ( with c/ns) were delivered to Australia and the first 80 were 'constructed' as CA-17. The remaining 20 sets were allegedly utilised to set up the tooling etc. I am awaiting receipt of two CAC volumes right now from forthcoming publications and I shall dive in there first. |
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 24, 2020 12:25:35 GMT 12
Nope it was not Mustangs I was thinking of.
|
|
|
|
Post by aeromuzz on Sept 24, 2020 13:01:04 GMT 12
Or Crowded House is an Aussie band 😉. As much as Kiwis won't like it, Crowded House IS an Aussie band. Neil Finn even said so.... |
|
|
|
Post by baz62 on Sept 24, 2020 18:30:03 GMT 12
I seem to recall reading the Wirraway was based on the US NA designs but modified to suit, even using British hardware and electrical systems to, I understand, placate the British somewhat for not buying a British aeroplane. But could they have sent over a complete aeroplane to use to make jigs perhaps? We need James Kightly he'd put us straight! |
|
