Whilstling death down under

[sabredriver]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA7azWmFkGQ

Now you see and heare why the Aussie CAC boomerang fighter was at times called whistling death also.. many times ive heard the PW engine scream wailing.. must of struck terror into the bloody Japanese i say

[mrhenniger]

Very nice!

Mike

[Nathan]

Cool. I always wanted to know what a Boomerang sounded like. Now I know!

Thanks,
Nathan

[Nathan]

Why does it Whislte like that?

[JDK]

The whistle isn't anything to do with the engine, I'm told, but the four gun-ports and two cannon barrels. The gunports work like whistling across an open bottle top - I'll post a pic, shortly.

[JDK]

Something you'll only see in Australia:



The Spitfire was restored by Col Pay in the 80s, the Hudson by Malcolm Long, and the Boomerang by Matt Denning. All part of Temora Aviation Museum now.

www.aviationmuseum.com.au



Matt in the Boomer. His father bought him the frame as a teenager, and he spent his life's spare time rebuilding it.



Note the gun ports are on the upper part of the leading edge, and remember your 'theory of lift', coupled with quality time with empty beer bottles. That's where the whistle comes from.

Cheers

[Connery]

Nice pics and video of a really unique aircraft, but isn't "whistling death" what the Japanese called the Corsair?

[JDK]

Nice pics and video of a really unique aircraft, but isn't "whistling death" what the Japanese called the Corsair?

No - wellll.... It's what some Allied journalists wanted us to believe the Japanese called the Corsair. There's no evidence that the 'Whistling Death' or 'Whispering Death' (also attributed to the Bristol Beaufighter) were terms ever used by the Japanese; while they certainly exist in Allied propaganda.

Discussed here, among other naming myths. http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=65650

'Boomer' is the term I've head for the Boomerang, as well as 'thank God, what kept you?'

[Nathan]

That Boomerang can sure turn tight too! It'd sure give the P-40 a run for its money.

[rwdfresno]

That Hudson looks cool with that Boulton Paul turret.

[Nathan]

I agree. I've always had a soft spot for the Hudson. I love early war aircraft. Now that Lady Lodstar C-60. Is that equivalant to the Hudson bomber? Just the cargo version of it?

[Mudge]

Boulton-Paul brings a thought to mind. The B-P Defiant was one of my favorites during WWII. It just looked so cool with that turret behind the greenhouse. I thought it was a real "killer" a/c.

Didn't find out til long after that it was, for all intents and purposes, a POS as far as dogfighting went.

Mudge the disillusioned

Last edited by Mudge on Sat May 05, 2007 12:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[JDK]

That Boomerang can sure turn tight too! It'd sure give the P-40 a run for its money.

Maybe. The P-40 was what we had when we needed it, and much as I like the Boomer, it was the P-40 that defended Australia and blunted the Japanese advance at Darwin.

One record that doesn't get mentioned is a record the Boomer has of being one of the few W.W.II fighters that never shot down an enemy aircraft...

That said, it was used for target marking, and there were a lot of allied forces who were grateful to see a Boomer setting up the Japanese forces for punishment.

That Hudson looks cool with that Boulton Paul turret.

Some turret shots (the Hudson's previous scheme).







The cockpit:

I agree. I've always had a soft spot for the Hudson. I love early war aircraft.

Me too. It's possibly the most under-appreciated W.W.II Allied bomber, with significant records and achievements, yet continually overlooked in favour of later, more 'glamorous' W.W.II aircraft.

RAAF Hudsons fired the first shots and made the first attacks against Japanese aggression in the Pacific war, just a few hours before Pearl Harbor. Can't get earlier than that from a Pacific perspective. An RAF Hudson made the first kill of Britain's air war, shooting down a Dornier Do-18 in 1939 - first in twice over...

Yet today, of the less than a dozen survivors, there are still Hudsons in store or on display outside, weathering, one flyer in the world (in Australia) despite being used by the RAF, RCAF, RNZAF, Dutch NEI, US air forces, civil operators worldwide, Chinese, Japanese, and so on. Used from the Arctic circle to south of New Zealand and right around the globe.

Now that Lady Lodstar C-60. Is that equivalant to the Hudson bomber? Just the cargo version of it?

Lockheed twins -
* Lockheed L-10 Electra
* Lockheed Model 12 Electra Junior
* Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra / Lockheed Hudson, maritime patrol/bomber
* Lockheed Lodestar
* PV-1 Ventura and PV-2 Harpoon, Maritime patrol/bombers
* P2V Neptune, maritime patrol

Hope that's of interest.

[Dave Homewood]

Connery said:

Nice pics and video of a really unique aircraft, but isn't "whistling death" what the Japanese called the Corsair?

The RAAF Boomerangs would drop soke on a target and in the RNZAF were known as 'Smokey Joes'. After dropping the smoke, a squadron of our RNZAF Corsairs would follow dive-bombing the target. ANZAC co-operation at its best again. And a lot of whistling death all at once.

Nathan said:

I agree. I've always had a soft spot for the Hudson. I love early war aircraft. Now that Lady Lodstar C-60. Is that equivalant to the Hudson bomber? Just the cargo version of it?

I am a huge fan of the hudson, it's one of my favourite twin-engined bombers. The Lodestar was a later design and is more akin to the Ventura. However there was a cargo version of the Hudson (used by the RNZAF in the form of converted ex-bombers, designated the C-63. One or two of the surviving Hudsons in NZ were converted to C-63 status and then back to GR bombers for display.

JDK wrote:

It's possibly the most under-appreciated W.W.II Allied bomber, with significant records and achievements, yet continually overlooked in favour of later, more 'glamorous' W.W.II aircraft.

RAAF Hudsons fired the first shots and made the first attacks against Japanese aggression in the Pacific war, just a few hours before Pearl Harbor. Can't get earlier than that from a Pacific perspective. An RAF Hudson made the first kill of Britain's air war, shooting down a Dornier Do-18 in 1939 - first in twice over...

Another first for the Hudson is it is the first RNZAF type to see combat operations in the Pacific.

Yet today, of the less than a dozen survivors, there are still Hudsons in store or on display outside, weathering, one flyer in the world (in Australia) despite being used by the RAF, RCAF, RNZAF, Dutch NEI, US air forces, civil operators worldwide, Chinese, Japanese, and so on. Used from the Arctic circle to south of New Zealand and right around the globe.

If you want to see the best restored Hudsons in the world, they'd be the Temora one in James' photos, and NZ2013 at the RNZAF Museum which is pristine but a non-flyer. There are three more currently being restored to static in NZ - NZ2031 at the Museum of Transport and Technology was restored in the 1970's and has been on display but without its wings due to space. Over the ensuing 30+ years it has gathered dust and had a bit of damage. I was told it is planned this will be re-restored to better condition and reunited with its wings to go into the new building they plan to add to their complex soon.

NZ2039 is under longterm restoration at Ferrymead, Christchurch. And another, formerly with the famous John Smith collection at Mapua is now under restoration to static condition at Wakefield with Bill Reid, who's also rebuilding an Anson Mk 1 which should be flying soon.

All the New Zealand Hudsons are undercover apart from a small fuselage section at the Ohakea Museum which is due to close in a week's time permanently so that will probably gointo storage indoors at Wigram or Weedons.