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High-flier
in the world of aviation
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FLTLT
Vic Pearson (navigator) and CPL Randy Green (pilot) discuss
their night flying mission in front of their Mk 41 A52 DH
Mosquito at Alice Springs in1949.
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The
Tiger Moth, the first aircraft the Royal Australian Air
Force ordered from de Havilland, operated at Point Cook
from 1939.
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HdH
and the ADF
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Some of the most well-known and important military
aircraft in Australian history have been built by the
companies that today make up HdH. These include the
Boomerang fighter, Beaufighter, Tiger Moth, Dragon,
Mosquito and Mustang.
Today, the ADF remains one of the company’s biggest
customers. Among its current military activities are:
Manufacture of fins for the Sea Sparrow Missile
Manufacture of centre and outer composite flaps for
the C-130J
Manufacture of composite trailing edge flaps for the
F/A-18E/F
Production of horizontal stabilisers, tailplanes, speedbrakes,
flaps and stores pylons for the Hawk 127
Manufacture and support for the installation of eight
structural modification kits for the AEW&C program.
The company is responsible for the structural and systems
components on the Wedgetail, including the main radar
antenna fairing, tailcone, wingtips and ventral fins. |
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When
Randall Green joined No. 1 Flying Training Course in the late 1940s,
he probably could not have foreseen that he would end up test flying
more than 100 military and civil aircraft, let alone setting up
the Singaporean Air Force.
Before that, Randall – who retired as a Squadron Leader –
was twice seconded from the Royal Australian Air Force to Hawker
de Havilland (HdH) at Fisherman’s Bend and became the company’s
Chief Test Pilot in 1961.
His is just one of the thousands of stories of people associated
with HdH (a subsidiary of the Boeing company) during its 75-year
history, but one which has particular resonance for the RAAF Museum
at Point Cook, which has used this year’s anniversary as a
prompt for a new special exhibition.
A Journey of Flight: 75 Years of Australian Aerospace was developed
in partnership with HdH and pays tribute to the thousands of Australian
men and women who have been associated with the local aviation industry.
Australia has a lengthy history in aircraft and aircraft component
production through three major companies – de Havilland (1927),
Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC, 1936) and Government Aircraft
Factories (GAF, 1939), which have been consolidated under the HdH
name. Combined, the companies have supplied more than 4000 aircraft
for the Australian Defence Force.
RAAF Museum Curator Brad Owen said that the local aeronautical industry
had been a major contributor to Australian aviation heritage.
“The largest exhibition piece on display is a winglet for a
737-800 aircraft. After this exhibition closes, this part will be
shipped to the US to be incorporated into a production aircraft,”
Mr Owen said.
Randall Green said that he had many experiences that were a testament
to the innovative and flexible approach of HdH.
“During the 1960s, a Dakota aircraft which had been modified
so that it had a long nose and radar, was used to train six Navy
observers at once. There were scores of these sort of things that
the company turned their hand to,” he said.
“We trained crews for the Antarctic expeditions, put a Dakota
on skis and tested a rocket-assisted take-off system for the aircraft.
This was a heavily modified aircraft, prepared largely by Hawker
de Havilland. I don’t know of another aircraft company that
could have taken on such a wide variety of tasks at that time.
“In 1969, [they] won a worldwide contract to set up the Singaporean
Air Force and I went to spearhead that. There were about 100 people
in the initial team and, under the Hawker de Havilland banner, we
set up our own medical system and housing scheme. At one stage,
families were arriving at the rate of two a week.”
Today, HdH’s activities include the manufacture of aircraft
components for Airbus, Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Bombardier, as
well as repair of components for civil and military customers and
a variety of engineering and research activities.
The Museum’s special exhibition is one of a series of activities
HdH has planned for its 75th anniversary. The company is hosting
a celebratory cocktail function at which Mr Green has been invited
to speak. No doubt he will mention that he, too,was born in 1927.
“It was a very good year,” he said.
A Journey of Flight is open from Tuesday to Sunday between 10am-3pm
and weekends and public holidays from 10am-5pm (closed Christmas
Day) until March 3, 2003. Admission is free.
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