Panel of Warrior VH-SFK (photo: Marcus Dale)

Welcome to the February 2007 edition of Schofields News. There are the usual plus some new features - President's Notes by Mike Allsop, Ask the CFI by Pat Watson, X-File X071 (S.M.92) by Anthony Coleiro, Theory Courses Overview Session by Mike Allsop, Schoies Australian Outback Tour 2007 by Sheri Crawshaw, Some WW1 Aviation History by Peter Blackbourn, Crosswind Operations by Pat Watson, Miscellaneous Titbits by Latrodectus, Tassie Tourists Return by Mike Allsop, and The Last Word from Latrodectus. As well, there's the usual administrivia that you've come to expect. So, read on and enjoy!

Mike Allsop

A happy New Year to you all even if a bit belated. I was part of the Tassie flyaway over the Christmas New Year break and missed extending the compliments of the season to all.

It is interesting to see the growing popularity
of the Jabiru J-160 as a training aircraft in GA

Savoia-Marchetti S.M.92

Developed in parallel with the Savoia-Marchetti S.M.91 (File X065 August 2006), the S.M.92 was developed to fill the same multi-role specification. The S.M.92 aircraft retained the same booms and wings except this time the central crew pod was removed and the crew housed in tandem in the port boom. This arrangement saved on weight and drag.

Anthony Coleiro

• Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft - Orbis Publication
• The Complete Book of Fighters - William Green Gordon Swanborough
• War Planes of the Second World War - Fighters Volume Two - William Green

Mike Allsop

At Schofields we are very keen to provide our members with a comprehensive programme of training and refresher activity to help build up and retain our flying skills and knowledge. We are putting together a programme of courses throughout the year under the direction of our CFI, Pat Watson, and there is sure to be something for everyone, as they say.

1. Basic Aeronautical Knowledge (for new pilots)
2. PPL Theory (for those moving from GFPT to PPL)
3. CPL Theory and Air Transport Pilot Licence Theory (for those looking towards an aviation career)
4. AFR Refreshers (for those who would like to brush up prior to their Biennial Aeroplane Flight Review)
5. Night VFR
6. Private Instrument Rating (En-route, SID, STAR and Holding)
7. Private Instrument Rating (Arrivals and Approaches)
8. Command Instrument Rating
9. GPS for en-route navigation (VFR, NVFR and IFR) and GNSS / RNAV Approaches
10. Aerobatics
11. Formation Flying
12. Instructor Rating

Your Flyaway Subcommittee is putting the finishing touches on our 2007 Flyaway. This year, we're going to visit Central Australia to spend fifteen magical days discovering the Australian Outback. Check out this itinerary!

• Contact Nelson Crawshaw at the Club on 9773-3611
• Provide the names and contact details for travellers
• Pay a $100 deposit per person
• Book your aircraft

For Christmas we stayed at my brother-in-law Andrew's place in Brisbane. He is ex RAAF and amongst other things we generally talk military aviation. He told me of his grandfather who had served in the Royal Flying Corp during WW1 and about some of his adventures. I thought I would share these with our members and the attached story is from Andrew.

My Grandfather, Alfred Walters, was born in 1897, and joined the British Army in 1914, on the day war was declared.
DH-4 fighter/bomber He was not yet 18, but in those days, identity documents were rather rudimentary. He served in France in the infantry (King's Royal Rifles), but was always interested in things mechanical, and transferred to the newly formed Royal Flying Corps not long afterwards. I can remember him telling me that as an infantry soldier he thought the Flying Corps troops seemed to live a pretty good life compared with being in the trenches.

After initial training as an observer/gunner/bomber, he joined 55 SQN, which had been formed in 1916 as a Training Squadron with Avros and B.E.2C's. In early 1917, it was equipped with DH-4's, which although originally designed as a fighter was also used as a bomber and for reconnaissance, in preparation for an active service role. They deployed to France in February 1917, with the "Chronicles of 55 SQN" recording 55 found itself in that wonderfully chaotic state through which every squadron passes before proceeding overseas. There is the collecting of personal from all parts of the British Isles, "obtaining" mobilisation stores, and generally getting into the confused state of excitement to which the only solution is "to proceed forthwith"... Formal introduction into a service squadron occurred on 6 March 1917 when No. 55 Squadron went to France.

The Squadron gained a dog called Roger during their time in France, and my grandfather told me how the dog would accompany them on some missions, and try and crawl down to the aircraft tail to hide when they were attacked. Roger was also kidnapped by another squadron, and a major exercise involving a six ship deployment with ground support from motorcyles with sidecars was mounted to recover him.

Alf kept a logbook of sorts, with detailed instructions of how to operate and strip the guns etc, but also details of some of his flights. Their bombing missions were opposed by the German fighter aircraft, and by late 1917, when 55 SQN had relocated to Ochey. The German opposition included the well known Baron von Richtofen and his Flying Circus, and Alf's 'logbook' records that on his mission to bomb Courtrai in October 1917, 'attacked by circus of 26 machines, Pearce and Osborne wounded'


...attacked by circus of 26 machines, Pearce and Osborne wounded... That same month, a 55 SQN patrol of 9 aircraft, with Alf flying with a Canadian Captain as pilot, was attacked by about 30 aircraft led by Baron von Richtofen. My grandfather shot down one aircraft, but while doing this was attacked from the rear by another. The gunfire hit both occupants, with the pilot hit in the head and losing consciousness. Alf was saved by his seat and the long leather coat he was wearing. His pilot had insisted on teaching him the rudiments of flying, so he climbed over from his seat and sat on top of the pilot, regaining control of the aircraft. He was able to find a cloud to evade their attackers, and returned to British territory. As the pilot was badly wounded, he landed the aircraft in a paddock adjoining the field hospital. The pilot recovered, and Alf was awarded a Military Medal for saving the pilot and aircraft.

55 SQN aircrew were highly decorated for their efforts, with about 60 medals awarded, a mighty effort for a single unit.

Patrick Watson

Over the next few newsletters, I intend analysing crosswind operations, "mythbusting" some hoary chestnuts and including an article "Crosswinds for Dummies". Consider these situations:

...a strong crosswind
blowing from the south...

"The pilot is on final approach to Bankstown's Runway 29 left, there is a strong crosswind blowing from the south. He is having difficulty maintaining track along the extended runway centreline. It seems every time he has the aeroplane aligned with the runway, the wind blows him off and he has to make a major heading change in order to regain what he considers to be the normal track to the runway threshold.

"He is now on short final and it is time to transition to the flare and land.

"The wind again is pushing him to the right of the runway and he is having to turn left to remain within the runway limits. He touches down, a lot harder than normal in gusty conditions.

"The aeroplane immediately heads further left. The pilot acting instinctively, rolls the ailerons right to try and stop the turn and steer the aeroplane onto and along the runway centreline.

"A gust of wind gets under the left wing which is already raised due to the aileron control.
(That's more like it!) The left wing lifts higher - in fact - lifts the left mainwheel off the runway. This seems to further exacerbate the problem and causes the aeroplane to steer even further to the left.

"The panicking pilot

"On another day a pilot is departing from a runway in strong, gusty crosswind conditions.
Even large airliners are not immune! As she (just to show I'm not sexist) accelerates down the runway with the ailerons neutral as normal, initially everything appears to be normal. A sudden gust causes the aeroplane to "skip" sideways. The tyres screech and the nose turns into wind. The gust abates, the aircraft settles, the pilot uses ailerons to "steer" the aeroplane back on the runway. The ailerons have no effect.

Another gust lifts the aeroplane and causes it to turn further left. The pilot pulls back on the control column to force the aeroplane into the air. The stall warning is blaring."

"Here luck plays a part. If the luck is good, the aeroplane will be able to stagger into the air, get out of ground effect and gradually accelerate away. If the luck is bad, the gust will abate, the aeroplane will stall and degenerate into a stall/spin, and all the subsequent injuries and damage.

"On another bad luck situation, the pilot has managed to stagger into the air with the stall warning blaring. The crosswind is blowing the aircraft towards the trees at the side of the runway (like Wedderburn or Hoxton Park). The pilot knows that if she tries to turn with the stall warning sounding, it will exacerbate the stall.

It's really her bad luck day, because just above the treeline, the wind direction suddenly veers and becomes a tailwind. The aeroplane immediately stalls and crashes into the trees."

• Have you ever experienced any of these events? Even to a lesser extent than described above?
• Can you analyse why these various events occurred? Can you describe what should have been done - and when - in order to prevent the accidents as I have described them?
• Do you know how the controls should be placed while taxiing in windy conditions?
• Do you know how the controls should be placed - and how much control should be used - during take-off and landing in croswwind?
• Do you know how to calculate crosswind component - or how to assess crosswind by looking at the windsock?

Mike Allsop

Over a 2 week period from Boxing Day, about 50 members and friends/partners took part in the Great Schoies Tassie Flyway. This entailed 18 aircraft including the majority of the Club's fleet and a number of member-owned aircraft. All returned safely on schedule full of tales of fantastic scenery, great flying and good company. We stayed 2 nights most places, allowing good travel and relaxation time along with various organized tours along the way. In subsequent newsletters we will post some day by day highlights of the tour for your enjoyment, and to encourage you to join us some time in one of our flyaway holidays.

The Schoies Tassie Flyaway crowd gathers for a group photo