It is not every day you get to fly in a wholly Australian designed and built (post WW2) military t
rainer aircraft. This opportunity presented itself to me recently and I did not pass it up! In January 2018 I was in northern NSW at Ballina, so I booked a flight with Classic Aero Adventure Flights in their CAC-25 Winjeel. They have several flight options from which to choose, including aerobatic and more sedate missions. I chose their popular Coastal Reconnaissance, a non-aerobatic experience for up to three passengers at a time over the Byron Bay region. Interestingly, Classic Aero is owned and operated by the current CEO of the Australian Warbirds Association, Mark Awad.
Let us examine firstly the Winjeel trainer to understand its background. The Australian designed and built CAC Winjeel, was crafted from a 1948 RAAF requirement which sought a new basic trainer to replace the Tiger Moths and Wirraways then in service.
At that time, the Wirraway was the more advanced trainer type. The prototype CAC Winjeel first flew in 1951. A prolonged development and testing program found it to be a very stable aircraft making it virtually impossible to spin. This inability to spin meant it wasn’t meeting the specification which required the aircraft to be able to be spun in flight.
As a result the CAC team redesigned the tail to make it spin. This redesign delayed the aircraft entry into RAAF service until 1955 and the production line finished in 1957. By that time a total of 62 Winjeels were built.
The fleet was found mostly in trainer squadron and some Forward Air Control units up to 1995 when they were retired from RAAF service. Winjeels remained the RAAF basic trainer up to 1975 when they replaced by the CT-4s.
From then on, planes on early retirement found their way into the civil warbird scene. Since the 1980s many have become popular at airshows and flying displays. A handful also reside in museums around Australia.
Mark’s Winjeel is former RAAF A85-429. This was delivered from CAC to the RAAF in July 1956. It then spent the next 14 years operating out of RAAF Base East Sale in Victoria training new instructor pilots.
It was retired by the Royal Australian Air Force in 1969. It was then noted stored at RAAF Point Cook in 1970. By 1988 it had moved through various owners and was found stored at Lilydale Airfield. It then moved more owners until it was purchased by Mark from Gary Volkers in May 2004.
Mark had the aircraft restored over the next 2 years at Albury, NSW. Once restored back to flight status, the aircraft was then exported to the USA where Mark was living. For the next four years Mark flew 429 there adding a unique Australian flavour to the US warbird scene. Mark then moved to Australia in January 2010 and in doing so brought 429 with him where they both remain to this day operating out of from Ballina Airport.
Mark’s flying background and how he came to own the Winjeel is also interesting to learn about. Mark states “I took my first flying lessons in 1999 from John Wayne Airport in Orange County California and earned my private pilots license after a few months of training.
After a bit of consolidation I earned tailwheel and aerobatics endorsements, and from there I gained an instrument rating and then a commercial license. With its busy, complex airspace and plethora of airports, Southern California was an absolutely brilliant environment for learning to fly! “
“Over a handful of years I built up my experience with a goal of flying warbirds. I have had, as long as I can remember, a passion for and desire to fly ex-military types, particularly models with the iconic combination of a tailwheel and radial engine. During a visit to my wife’s family in Melbourne, I became acquainted and absolutely enamoured with the Winjeel.
Before long, we were proud owners of an example which we restored to airworthy condition over an 18-month period. We brought it up to the US as the first and (to-date) only example of its kind to ever grace the nation’s skies. Over a three-year period we thoroughly enjoyed flying it around the Southwestern states, visiting numerous air shows and fly-ins. “
“In 2009, we made the move to Australia, bringing the Winjeel back to its home. I have been operating it out of the Ballina-Byron Gateway Airport ever since, and absolutely love sharing this great example of RAAF history with the public through our business Classic Aero Adventure Flights.”
FLYING IN THE WINJEEL
With the aircraft and Mark’s history covered let now examine my flight experiences on what it like to fly aboard the Winjeel. After a thorough briefing, Mark and myself headed out to the plane.
Approaching the CAC Winjeel it looks solid and powerful, sitting high on its conventional undercarriage. This is an aircraft designed to obtain the best from its military students. The Pratt & Whitney 450 HP radial engine provides significant power and combined with the design, the CAC Winjeel is a pleasure to fly in.
One of the first things you notice when getting ready to climb in is the size of the cockpit. It is almost the size of the average family sedan car, with some Winjeels now configured to seat four people (the original Air Force configuration was with three seats).
Strapping in you find a 1950s era designed cockpit with side by side seating for the instructor and student pilot of the day. Wrapping around you is a 4 point safety harness to keep pilot and passenger restrained during flight.
The cockpit is well laid out so 2 pilots can see all the controls and systems needed to maintain flight operations. The primary set is found on the left hand side with the pilot, with less instrumentation installed on the right side.
The canopy is glass and Perspex constructed around a roll bar. This window setup enables the aircrew to open the cockpit windows while on the ground taxiing or to manually move the whole canopy back for better airflow. I found this was especially useful in humid summer time Ballina. The canopy roll bar provides protection in a roll over and has an emergency egress feature so you can escape via the side windows in such an incident.
Mark ran through the preflight checks, ensured all was safe and that I understood the emergency procedures. He then started the 450 hp Pratt and Whitney Wasp Junior engine, working through the checklist and once up and spinning we waited for the oil to warm up before proceeding to do further run ups near the runway.
The rotating propeller now provided some additional cooling air inside the cockpit. With the wind at 90 degrees to the runway we had to work out which way to depart. We eventually took our assigned departure heading and taxied to the threshold. After a final check and closing the canopy, Mark advanced to full throttle and the venerable trainer moved forward down the runway.
Within a few seconds we had rotated and were airborne climbing away from Ballina while beginning a watch for other traffic in the area. We then eventually turned northwards and headed up the coast to Byron Bay and the lighthouse.
While watching Mark fly the Winjeel, I used some of the time to look around the cockpit more and notice that the Winjeel has much leg room and head room for tall people like myself. Having such headroom I was easily able to move around and view the world outside. Passing beneath me was the lush green Byron Bay countryside which contrasted with the deep blue and aqua colours of the Pacific Ocean.
Looking down I noticed dolphins in a pod and surfers. Travelling inland we flew around the clouds and did some cloud surfing which was fun. Constant radio chatter made it obvious we weren’t the only ones up there.
Mark indicated the flight we were taking was a very popular one suited to those who wanted to share the experience with friends or family. However, some took up the thrilling Aerobatic Adventure option to experience the G forces.
We began the return approach back to Ballina and flew around and did climbing turns, which helped me to see a better overview of the general town area. We started the approach to land and I watched as Mark reduced the airspeed for finals and then dropped the flaps down a notch or so.
With the throaty roar of the Wasp Junior emitting the sound of aviation, we flew across Ballina and then landed very smoothly on the runway that we had departed from.
Having done this many times, Mark expertly and efficiently taxied to the hangar ramp and proceeded to shut the plane down. We both were feeling happy with the flight and glad it was done early in the day as the north coast humidity had begun to creep in.
Flying in the Winjeel is a fun experience for the non aviator and can enable many to experience what a genuine military training aircraft is like. If you are interested in joining Mark at Classic Aero for an absolutely unique warbird flight experience of your own, you can visit https://www.classicaero.com.au/ or https://www.facebook.com/ClassicAeroAdventureFlights/ for more information.
Down Under Aviation News 