Post by planeimages on Sept 9, 2006 13:22:49 GMT 12
Here is my submission which has Australian and NZ connections:
The LJW-6 Codock flying over Melbourne.
During the late 1940s and 1950s I used to wonder about the aeroplanes which stood in Penfolds Minchinbury vineyard west of Sydney.
The Codock was very distinctively displayed in the vineyard with its nose almost buried in the vines and its tail in the air. A black-lettered sign on the silver wings exhorted motorists: “Don’t Crash, Get (take/drink) Penfolds”. Such a slogan would give modern road safety and aviation authorities apoplexy!
My research finds that the Codock was displayed at Minchinbury during the later 1940s through to the late 1950s. If anyone has any accurate recollections about the Codock and other aircraft displayed on the site I would be be very pleased to hear from them.
In 1933, for a fee of £3,700 Sir Charles Kingsford Smith commissioned former RAAF Wng Cdr Lawrence James Wackett Bsc. (later Sir Lawrence), to design and build a 6-7 seat airliner for use in his proposed New Zealand line.
Wackett had resigned his commission in protest over the ill-advised closure of the RAAF Experimental Station at Randwick in 1930. With some of the ex-Randwick equipment and staff Wackett established an aircraft and aero-engined small boat design office on the remote Cockatoo Island Dockyard on the Parramatta River off the Balmain peninsular.
In this most unlikely place L.J.Wackett conceived and built the one-off LJW-6, a twin-engined, high wing monoplane to suit “Smithy’s” requirements.
Named the Codock, a contraction of the name of its birthplace and given the radio call-sign VH-URP, it was an ungainly high-wing monoplane with a pair of long, fixed main undercarriage legs, not unlike the Short Scion featured in Aero No.11.
Wackett intended the power to be supplied by a pair of air-cooled de Havilland Gipsy Major engines of about 110hp (87kw).But, ever the wheeler-dealer, Kingsford Smith obtained two potentially more powerful 160hp (118kw) Napier Javelin engines at a “good” price which were mounted in ugly nacelles above the wings. This arrangement would have done nothing towards the establishment of a desirable centre of gravity and one look at the layout suggests that the thrust/drag and lift/weight moment couples must have required large elevator-trim adjustments during power changes.
Sir Charles had flown from Lympne, near Dover, to Wyndham, Western Australia in October 1933 in just over 7 days in a Javelin-engined Percival Gull 4 (Miss Southern Cross G-ACJV/VH-CKS) and may have established connections with the UK Napier works.
“Smithy” test flew the Codock at Mascot on its maiden flight on 6 March 1934 and, declaring his dislike for its control response, requested some modifications. Notably, he delegated further flights to Sqn Ldr T.W. “Tiny” White who flew the Codock to Melbourne and several provincial towns in Victoria.
Aside from the Codock’s unpleasant flight characteristics the inverted, six-cylinder, overhead camshaft Napiers were intended to operate on relatively high octane fuel which was not available in Australia at that time. Substitution of the local Vacuum Oil’s 87 octane brew caused the high-compression motors to suffer from combustion chamber detonation. The explosions literally blew the heads from the cylinders resulting in catastrophic mid-air failures. Several forced landings ensued, including one at Wollongong which damaged the aircraft, and these incidents did nothing to encourage occupants’ confidence.
Smithy disposed of the troublesome Codock and, after passing through a number of fledgling airlines’ hands, one of which intended to fly the Codock between Sydney and Narromine, the airframe was purchased for £75 by the College of Civil Aviation for static instructional use. It then was only a short step to Minchinbury where the Codock ended its days, gradually being reduced to components by vandals. My recent research was unsuccessful in locating any remains in the yard nearby.
Another development, the proposed four-engined “Corella” airliner, never emerged past the design stage on Wackett’s Cockatoo Island drawing boards.
Lawrence Wackett went on to join the Tugan Aircraft Company in Cook Street Mascot and built a pair of 7-seat, light utility LJW-7 Gannets based on the Codock but powered by de Havilland 200hp (148kw) Gipsy Six engines. Subsequently Tugan was absorbed by Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation in 1936 with Lawrence Wackett being appointed General Manager and an additional six aircraft were designated as Wackett Gannets.
The latter six were used by the RAAF for aerial photographic, communication and survey duties. At least one was used in the search for survivors of the sinking of HMAS Sydney in 1941. In early 1942 the two remaining RAAF Gannets were converted to air-ambulances and operated by No.2 Ambulance Unit based in Queensland. They were accompanied by two of the four RAAF de Havilland DH.83 Fox Moth biplanes, one DH.94 Moth Minor low wing monoplane (one of 42 listed as having been used in RAAF service), four Lockheed Hudsons and six DH.84 Dragon biplanes including A34-19 which was involved in a fatal crash at Kingaroy on 17 September 1943.
At the close of Pacific hostilities only two RAAF Gannets survived. The type disappeared from active service when A14-3 and A14-7 were converted to components at Archerfield on 21 February 1946.
Of the two original civilian-registered Gannets, one achieved fame by becoming the first Australian-designed and built aircraft to fly overseas. On charter to the Sydney Daily Telegraph, the Gannet was flown to New Guinea to convey staff to cover the eruptions of the Tavurvur and Vulcan volcanoes and the subsequent tsunami which, together, killed 507 people in Rabaul 1937. One Gannet also pranged at Gosford NSW.
Gannet A14-3 became the first Australian-built military aircraft to fly internationally to the opening of the Singapore naval base in 1938. The pilots were Air Cdr Richard Williams KBE, CB, DSO (later AM, Sir) and leading WW1 pilot, Sqn Ldr (later AVM) A.L.Walters.
The other private Gannet provided sterling service in the heroic evacuations of Rabaul in the face of Japanese invasion in 1941/42.
The LJW-6 Codock flying over Melbourne.
During the late 1940s and 1950s I used to wonder about the aeroplanes which stood in Penfolds Minchinbury vineyard west of Sydney.
The Codock was very distinctively displayed in the vineyard with its nose almost buried in the vines and its tail in the air. A black-lettered sign on the silver wings exhorted motorists: “Don’t Crash, Get (take/drink) Penfolds”. Such a slogan would give modern road safety and aviation authorities apoplexy!
My research finds that the Codock was displayed at Minchinbury during the later 1940s through to the late 1950s. If anyone has any accurate recollections about the Codock and other aircraft displayed on the site I would be be very pleased to hear from them.
In 1933, for a fee of £3,700 Sir Charles Kingsford Smith commissioned former RAAF Wng Cdr Lawrence James Wackett Bsc. (later Sir Lawrence), to design and build a 6-7 seat airliner for use in his proposed New Zealand line.
Wackett had resigned his commission in protest over the ill-advised closure of the RAAF Experimental Station at Randwick in 1930. With some of the ex-Randwick equipment and staff Wackett established an aircraft and aero-engined small boat design office on the remote Cockatoo Island Dockyard on the Parramatta River off the Balmain peninsular.
In this most unlikely place L.J.Wackett conceived and built the one-off LJW-6, a twin-engined, high wing monoplane to suit “Smithy’s” requirements.
Named the Codock, a contraction of the name of its birthplace and given the radio call-sign VH-URP, it was an ungainly high-wing monoplane with a pair of long, fixed main undercarriage legs, not unlike the Short Scion featured in Aero No.11.
Wackett intended the power to be supplied by a pair of air-cooled de Havilland Gipsy Major engines of about 110hp (87kw).But, ever the wheeler-dealer, Kingsford Smith obtained two potentially more powerful 160hp (118kw) Napier Javelin engines at a “good” price which were mounted in ugly nacelles above the wings. This arrangement would have done nothing towards the establishment of a desirable centre of gravity and one look at the layout suggests that the thrust/drag and lift/weight moment couples must have required large elevator-trim adjustments during power changes.
Sir Charles had flown from Lympne, near Dover, to Wyndham, Western Australia in October 1933 in just over 7 days in a Javelin-engined Percival Gull 4 (Miss Southern Cross G-ACJV/VH-CKS) and may have established connections with the UK Napier works.
“Smithy” test flew the Codock at Mascot on its maiden flight on 6 March 1934 and, declaring his dislike for its control response, requested some modifications. Notably, he delegated further flights to Sqn Ldr T.W. “Tiny” White who flew the Codock to Melbourne and several provincial towns in Victoria.
Aside from the Codock’s unpleasant flight characteristics the inverted, six-cylinder, overhead camshaft Napiers were intended to operate on relatively high octane fuel which was not available in Australia at that time. Substitution of the local Vacuum Oil’s 87 octane brew caused the high-compression motors to suffer from combustion chamber detonation. The explosions literally blew the heads from the cylinders resulting in catastrophic mid-air failures. Several forced landings ensued, including one at Wollongong which damaged the aircraft, and these incidents did nothing to encourage occupants’ confidence.
Smithy disposed of the troublesome Codock and, after passing through a number of fledgling airlines’ hands, one of which intended to fly the Codock between Sydney and Narromine, the airframe was purchased for £75 by the College of Civil Aviation for static instructional use. It then was only a short step to Minchinbury where the Codock ended its days, gradually being reduced to components by vandals. My recent research was unsuccessful in locating any remains in the yard nearby.
Another development, the proposed four-engined “Corella” airliner, never emerged past the design stage on Wackett’s Cockatoo Island drawing boards.
Lawrence Wackett went on to join the Tugan Aircraft Company in Cook Street Mascot and built a pair of 7-seat, light utility LJW-7 Gannets based on the Codock but powered by de Havilland 200hp (148kw) Gipsy Six engines. Subsequently Tugan was absorbed by Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation in 1936 with Lawrence Wackett being appointed General Manager and an additional six aircraft were designated as Wackett Gannets.
The latter six were used by the RAAF for aerial photographic, communication and survey duties. At least one was used in the search for survivors of the sinking of HMAS Sydney in 1941. In early 1942 the two remaining RAAF Gannets were converted to air-ambulances and operated by No.2 Ambulance Unit based in Queensland. They were accompanied by two of the four RAAF de Havilland DH.83 Fox Moth biplanes, one DH.94 Moth Minor low wing monoplane (one of 42 listed as having been used in RAAF service), four Lockheed Hudsons and six DH.84 Dragon biplanes including A34-19 which was involved in a fatal crash at Kingaroy on 17 September 1943.
At the close of Pacific hostilities only two RAAF Gannets survived. The type disappeared from active service when A14-3 and A14-7 were converted to components at Archerfield on 21 February 1946.
Of the two original civilian-registered Gannets, one achieved fame by becoming the first Australian-designed and built aircraft to fly overseas. On charter to the Sydney Daily Telegraph, the Gannet was flown to New Guinea to convey staff to cover the eruptions of the Tavurvur and Vulcan volcanoes and the subsequent tsunami which, together, killed 507 people in Rabaul 1937. One Gannet also pranged at Gosford NSW.
Gannet A14-3 became the first Australian-built military aircraft to fly internationally to the opening of the Singapore naval base in 1938. The pilots were Air Cdr Richard Williams KBE, CB, DSO (later AM, Sir) and leading WW1 pilot, Sqn Ldr (later AVM) A.L.Walters.
The other private Gannet provided sterling service in the heroic evacuations of Rabaul in the face of Japanese invasion in 1941/42.