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AUSTER MK 9 WZ 706
RECOVERY IN THAILAND (1960)
Recently a recovery team drawn from 656 Light Aircraft Squadron
workshops took part in a most interesting and instructive venture to
Thailand to recover by air and road an Auster MK9 aircraft that had
made an exceptionally good landing on a newly laid track beside paddy
fields.
Unaware to the difficulties that might be
encountered and the information of the landing being somewhat brief the
O.C. workshops, Major W.H. Storey decided on a team of experienced
aircraft technicians led by Sgt. McLeod. Past experience of aircraft
recovery had taught us that no two incidences were of the same nature
and the round trip would involve some 750 miles, of which 100 would be
inside Thailand so off we went with everything, so we thought, to meet
any eventuality.
Unfortunately, we were only permitted to take one vehicle and that had
to be a 3 ton type, so we rigged it up with our own patented recovery
rig, to take the fuselage, special frames to take the mainplanes and an
undercarriage bogey so that the fuselage would fit into the vehicle
Then came ropes and slings, special tools, 24 hour ration packs, extra
fuel and water, and off we went.
That evening we made Taiping, had a couple of
hours sleep and then journeyed to Kroh a township situated on the
Malaya/Thailand border, where we were to meet the O.C. and A.S.M.
Penfold at midday. They had the chance to journey by air. At Kroh we
all were briefed on Thailand, had to remove all signs, badges and rank,
even our light blue berets, so it was back to jungle hats.
Because of extensive communist terrorist
activities in the Betong saliant area we were provided with an armed
Malayan Police force party of eight in their own Landrover and off we
traveled, through the Malayan border post for 5 miles where we came
across the Thai border post and immediately had another police party of
4 who joined our vehicle. At first these four policemen treated us
with suspicion but it didn’t take us long to make friends when
cigarettes, chocolate and biscuits
were given them. When it commenced to rain and the vehicle was open, we
shared our ponchos with them, which really bonded the alliance.
We had previously been warned that the road
left much to be desired and it didn’t take us long to realize it.
Anyway we covered the 50 miles in four hours, which we thought was fast
moving in the circumstances. When we arrived at the village nearest
the aircraft, the whole village turned out to see us and stare. After a
while we soon knew why, we were the first party of Britishers they had
seen.
At this stage the main problem was making
anyone understand us, so after being put in the police compound,
through the British soldiers sign language we got a certain amount of
understanding. The O.C. had given instructions for the remainder of the
team to get shelter for a sleep and commence preparing a meal, whilst
he and A.S.M. Penfold with the police escort and usual camp followers
commenced the journey by foot to the site of the aircraft. When they
got to a wide fast flowing
river it was obvious with the type of small ferry available that they
wouldn’t get the aircraft out by using the river. Evidently it was an
exciting experience crossing the river.
The pilot of the Auster had made an
exceptionally good precautionary landing with no apparent damage to the
aircraft. Coming to greet the party as if he was Doctor Livingstone
was S/Sgt. Boam, he had been helicoptered in the previous afternoon
with a couple of Malayan police guards and had never been so pleased to
see an English speaking person in all his life. Having assessed the
cause of the precautionary landing, (Loss of oil pressure due to lose
union,) and
decided on the best method of recovery the party made tracks back to
the police compound. By this time Sgt. McLeod and Cpls. Davison and
Burns had prepared a curry and rice meal and by candlelight everyone
got his first meal of that day. That evening everyone paid the one
street village a visit and the local cinema operator invited us all in
free to see a Thai film.
The next morning everyone was up early, may be
the wooden floor boards had “knots” in them, had a light breakfast and
with everyone carrying some item of recovery gear made tracks to the
aircraft. Evidently word had got around the village and surrounding
areas that we were about to work on the aircraft. They were set up
eating and drinking stalls and for miles around parties of local folk
were streaming in. Their side of it resembled a carnival with village
headman, police
and army officers and inevitably the hundreds of children. They all
sat intent whilst we proceeded to completely strip down the empennage,
remove the engine and mainplanes and by 0930 hours we were ready for
the helicopters to airlift the components out and across the river to
the school compound, which we had previously marked out as a L.Z.
Unfortunately, the two sycamores did not arrive until midday.
This type of operation was a new venture, as
indeed it was for us, so the Sycamore squadron commander and his senior
technical officer plus our squadron Commander, Lt.Colonel Creswell OBE, and 2 i/c Major Pritchard—Davies arrived to watch and suggest
ideas on the most practical way of doing this “Sky—recovery”.
The engine was no problem and with it slung
under the helicopter it went away beautifully. Unfortunately, the
mainplanes were a problem and to such an extent that eventually they
were manhandled out after numerous abortive attempts to get them fixed
under the helicopter. After a few experiments, and that meant removing
the complete undercarriage, we got the fuselage away and that was a
very imposing sight slung under the helicopter. Several more airlifts
across the river with
the empennage and our own equipment and the first part of the recovery
was completed. A final wave from the helicopter crew and we were on our
own again.
At the school compound we then proceeded to put
the bogey wheels on the fuselage, replace the engine and then, with
local help, the whole airframe into the 3 ton vehicle.
Next came the mainplanes into the frames, then the rest of the
aircraft, the tie down and we were ready for the road. By this time
it was dark so off back to eat and our hard wooden boards.
Early next morning we all boarded the 3 ton
vehicle, this time room was very restricted but nevertheless we made
Kroh five hours later, a meal at Kroh and we eventually made Kuala
Lumpur the next day, having staged at Taiping that evening. The O.C.
workshops and the A.S.M., who left us at Kroh to fly back to Kuala
Lumpur, had further experience when due to very bad weather had to land
on an oil palm estate and spend another night away from base. Plenty
was learnt
of this our first long distance recovery exercise with the assistance of
helicopters, and now we are considering making a lightweight cradle to
fix the mainplanes under a helicopter as only these caused the biggest
problem.
The full party taking part in this “exercise” were:
Major Storey, ASM Penlold, S/Sgt Boam, Sgt McLeod, Cpl's
Frost—Bridges, Burns, Davison, Pickhaver, Walker, L/Cpl. Corbett, and
Pte Barker our driver.
STOP PRESS: Since this report has been written the aircraft has had a successful air test after
a rebuild and Major inspection and is back in Squadron operational
service. WZ706 is also the subject in the Davis Shepherd painting of
the Auster in Malaya!
WZ706 was bought by Brig Folkes and others (inc the late Brig Tate) in about 1992 and was in the Museum of Army Flying by the time I got involved in Museum affairs around 2002. Prior to that Richard Folkes and others were rebuilding it until their engineer sadly passed away and it spent many hours in the glory hole of the store until moved out when the extension was in the offing. I helped move it up into one of the AAC hangars. Richard sold it in 2008 to Peter Gill of Annic Aviation, Whaley Bridge, High Peak who I understand is going to complete the restoration (now in final stages Jan 2011 - Ron Ward).
Peter Graham Trustee, MAF
Believed to be the First Major/recorded Loss since AAC formed. (Ron Ward 5/9/2010)
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updated 9th January 2011
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