Gorn and Lost but not for ever - Abiding flying mysteries...

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Cacophonix
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Gorn and Lost but not for ever - Abiding flying mysteries...

#1 Post by Cacophonix » Tue Jan 02, 2018 12:06 pm

In the spirit of, foolish perhaps, hope that people might actually post aviation based content on this site I was interested to hear tell, via a poster on this site who knew him personally, about this chap, and thus I inivite comments on abiding mysteries of kindred characters, folks that simply vanished (for a while of forever) in the pursuit of honest or nefarious aviation related activity!

I had never heard of this chap until today and I am glad of the introduction to the story of John "Jeff" Hawke... (if the poster who knew this character wants to elucidate here, I would be delighted).

JeffHawke.JPG
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Nicknamed after the cartoon character Jeff Hawke Jeff Hawke Cartoon John "Jeff" Hawke appears to have been a real character and looking at the cartoon he fitted his moniker to a tee until he disappeared to be found strapped in his aircraft in the Aegean Sea some months after his disappearance.

John "Jeff" Hawke...

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http://www.users.waitrose.com/~g8jan/ht ... m%202.html

More photos and tell of Mr Hawke can be found here...

https://forum.keypublishing.com/showthr ... Jeff-Hawke


[bbvideo=560,315]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoYi8da6yD0[/bbvideo]

Illegal A/B-26 Invader sales

The need for a replacement for the Portugese bomber and close air support fleet in Africa during the Colonial War, composed of the PV-2 Harpoon and of the F-84G Thunderjet, led to the procurement by the Portuguese Air Force of a new bomber in the mid-sixties. But it would prove difficult to acquire new aircraft because of the United Nations arms embargo then in force against Portugal, so special methods had to be used. In late 1964, with the decision made to acquire the B-26 Invader a contact was established with an arms broker in order to try to obtain 20 B-26 Invader aircraft.

The arms dealer, Luber SA in Geneva, signed an agreement with Aero Associates of Arizona to supply 20 aircraft that would be refurbished by Hamilton Aircraft. The first B-26 would be delivered by 30 April 1965 and the last one by January 1966. Besides the aircraft, a lot of spare parts and accessories would also be included in the purchase.

It is not clear how the export licenses were obtained, but in May 1965 the first aircraft, piloted by John "Jeff" Hawke, was ferried from Tucson to Tancos, Portugal, through Rochester, Torbay, Canada, and Santa Maria, Azores. By August 1965, seven aircraft had already been delivered.

In September the U.S. Customs arrested Hawke and other people involved in the arms deal and prevented a C-46 transporting spare parts to Portugal from leaving the United States.

The way it entered the FAP inventory was to say the least, unorthodox, and its service was not only short but full of difficulties and incidents.

When in the mid-sixties the FAP realized the need to replace the bomber fleet being used in Africa, represented by the faithful but tired PV-2 and in some way by the F-84G Thunderjet, immediately arrived to the conclusion that the task would not be easy, mainly due to the United Nations arms embargo then in force against Portugal.

So it soon became apparent that "special ways" would have to be used to obtain the necessary aircraft. As the choice fell on the B-26 Invader, contact was established in late 1964 or early 65 with an arms broker in order to try to obtain 20 B-26. The succession of events that finally led to the arrival in Portugal of 7 B-26 is well told in the books "The War Business" and "Foreign Invaders", so we will only resume the story here.

Incidentally, it is a rather amusing fact that the writer (L.Tavares), although more or less aware of what was happening to the FAP in the sixties, only knew of the deal after reading (in the American Library in Lisbon), the report published in "The Saturday Evening Post" in the sixties.

Reverting to the facts, the search for aircraft started by Luber SA in Geneva (the arms dealer) ended with an agreement with Aero Associates of Arizona to supply 20 aircraft that would be refurbished by Hamilton Aircraft. The first aircraft should be delivered by April 30, 1965 and the last one by January 1966. A lot of spare parts and accessories would also be included.

Until today is not very well known the way that was used to obtain export licenses but in May 1965 the first aircraft piloted by John Hawke ( who received 3,000 USD for each flight), was ferried from Tucson to Tancos in Portugal through Rochester, Torbay (Canada), and Santa Maria (Açores). As soon as he arrived in Tancos, the pilot was immediately transported to Lisbon Airport to take the first plane back to the USA.
John Hawke was a colorful type as he already had in his logbook of RAF pilot, a chase of an U-2 that had over flown Cyprus when he was based there... In 1968 he participated in the filming of the movie "The Battle of Britain" piloting the B-25 used as the camera ship, and finally some years later disappeared without trace when flying over the Mediterranean.

Some sources say that when he was delivering the second aircraft he was forced to land in Washington, and almost arrested, but when mentioning the code name "Sparrow" was immediately released. By August 1965, When the seventh aircraft had already been delivered, the US Customs finally went into action and in September Hawke and other people involved were arrested in Florida.


Read the full story here http://napoleon130.tripod.com/id817.html

I like the cut of Mr Hawkes jib and I am sorry that he went west.

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Re: Gorn and Lost but not for ever - Abiding flying mysteries...

#2 Post by Cacophonix » Wed Jan 03, 2018 12:32 pm

Having watched that excellent documentary (posted above) on the ferry flight of Hawke's 'squadron' of B-25's over the Atlantic, it becomes clear that for all his swashbuckling and eccentric, not to say seat of the pants operational procedures, he was a very good pilot, leader, organiser and supplier of the relevant skillsets to the film industry as this article implies...

I do suggest that anybody who has ever flown a prop aircraft over any distance over water watch that YouTube video link. It is one of the best documentaries of its kind I have seen. I note the name Tom Reilly who was relevant in the original post on TRABB that sparked this offshoot here.

To film the all-colour aerial sequences for the movie it was obvious that a special flying camera platform would be required. It had to be one which would be fast enough to be able to keep up with the fighters, and yet be large enough to ably accommodate the Panavision cameras of the film unit.

The producers turned to John 'Jeff' Hawke, who had previously been associated with a number of aviation films. Hawke was a former Royal Air Force Flight Lieutenant, who at one stage was involved in the abortive restoration to flying condition of Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2 Black Six at RAF Wattisham in the 1960s, he was also one of the Mosquito pilots during the filming of 633 Squadron.

During the mid to late 1960s 'Jeff' Hawke was President of an American-based company called Euramericair, which just happened to have recently acquired from Panama, at a reported cost of $11 ,500, a North American B-25 Mitchell twin-engined bomber, 44-31508 (N6578D). Built as a B-25J-30-NJ, the aircraft was delivered to the United States Army Air Force in June 1945. Post-war it was modified by the Hughes Corporation to TB-25K status. Demobbed from the military it passed through several civilian owners until taken on strength by Euramericair. For the purpose of the Battle of Britain's air to air filming work the Mitchell was much modified. In November 1967 the B-25 flew out of Florida bound for the UK. The Atlantic crossing took a total of 22 hours to complete, and after its an'ival in Britain work started on the many modifications to turn the former bomber into a flying film studio.

The two waist gun positions were removed and camera mounts were bolted into place. The bomber's tail gun position was taken out and replaced with an open tail and wind deflector arrangement, which enabled a Panavision camera to be mounted out in the open, aft of the aircraft's fins and rudders. The mid-upper gun turret was taken out and replaced with a large Perspex blister, under which the film's aerial director would sit during shooting of the aerial combat sequences, as Hamish Mahaddie remembered: Directing the dogfights like Sir John Barbarolli, conductor of the Halle Orchestra. This was the nerve centre of the aircraft, and the aerial director had a communications system, which enabled him to speak to the pilots of the Mitchell as well as (via the B-25 crew) to the pilots of the aircraft that were to be filmed. He also sat in front of a bank of television monitors, linked to each of the cameras in the Mitchell, so that he could see the images being captured on film.

The monitors were wired up to videotape machines, which gave an instant playback facility. This, in theory, was an ideal situation as it gave the director the ability to re-shoot the scene during the same aerial sortie, without recourse to landing, re-briefing and taking off again. This could save the Aerial Unit considerable amounts of money, a commodity which became increasingly critical as the filming schedule progressed during the summer of 1968. In practise, this system did not work quite how the film-makers had envisaged it!

By far the most recognisable modification to the B-25 was the nose glazing. The standard framed bomb aimer's position had been removed and was replaced with a specially mounted hemispherical Plexiglas bubble, giving a 180 degree coverage for the Panavision camera mounted inside the nose compartment. Final modification to the aircraft involved a retracting double-jointed arm with a remote control camera fitted to the end. This arrangement could be lowered out ofthe bomb bay, with a 360-degree coverage. While this last 'mod' would have undoubtedly captured some spectacular footage, it is not known ifit was actually used during the filming. These extensive modifications to the B-25 took three months to complete, at an estimated cost of $75,000.

Complimenting all of the sophisticated equipment inside the Mitchell was an exterior paint scheme, which earned the aircraft its nickname of 'The Psychedelic Monster'. So that the different formations of Heinkels, Messerschmitts, Hurricanes and Spitfires could easily identify where the aerial director wanted them positioned, the B-25 was painted in a very distinctive set of colours. The forward fuselage and nose was finished in natural metal, with a white section which carried the film logo, plus the legend 'Euramericair associated with Visionair Intnl'. The port side of the bomber's rear fuselage was coloured red; the starboard was painted green. These colours were carried through to the aircraft's twin tail fins. Engine cowlings were white and the remainder of the nacelles were yellow. Most distinctive of all were the wings, which were painted with a series of black and white chord-wise stripes. While the Mitchell's colour scheme was certainly different, the logic behind the markings worked like a dream. The aircraft was highly visible in the sky, which made it easy for the vintage fighters and bombers to home in on the cameras.

Flying the Mitchell, along with Hawke, for the filming sequences was well known American warbird pilot Duane Egli. Manning the cameras were two of the world's best aerial cameramen, Skeets Kelly and John Jordan. Sadly both of these two experts in their field were killed while participating in airborne filming after the Battle of Britain had been completed. Kelly died in the midair collision of an SE.5A replica and the helicopter cameraship during the filming of the 1971 film Zeppelin. John Jordan had earlier diced with death during the shooting of the James Bond film You Only Live Twice, in which the lower part of one of his legs was severed by a helicopter rotor blade. During the shooting of the war film Catch 22 in 1970 Jordan fell out of the rear turret of the B-25 cameraship (NI203). Battle of Britain stands as a lasting testament to the airborne camera skills of Kelly and Jordan.

The Psychedelic Monster was utilised both in Spain, where it weaved among the mass formations of Messerschmitts and Heinkels, and back in the UK where its cameras captured the bulk of the aerial dogfights. Hawke and Egli managed to put the aircraft exactly where the director wanted it, whether it be slowed right down almost on the point of stall so that large numbers of HeinkeIs could roar over the top of the camera-equipped tail turret, or guiding the Messerschmitts, Spitfires and Hurricanes up through the UK's bad summer weather in search of some sunshine for the cameras.

Certain guidelines were laid down for the Mitchell's use as a flying camera platform. A Spitfire Productions memo from Director Guy Hamilton dated March 25, 1968, states: B-25 On A Parallel Course With The Planes. There are only two scenes in the film when the formations are riding steadily along prior to engagements by the RAF No more time than necessary should be devoted to these three of four cuts, because we are after combat material. In every instance, from the RAF viewpoint, combat material will commence with an eye-line of the enemy - either below us or above us and very distant. The B-25 now comes into its own. What will give the material a sense of speed and movement is the closing rate in between the camera and the formation. Wherever possible the camera plane should veer off-bank or turn so as to bring the tail camera into play.

Jeff Hawke and Duane Egli flew the Mitchell for some 300 hours during the filming schedule in order to capture the 40 minutes-worth of spectacular formation and dogfight sequences seen in the final print of the movie.

In late 1969 the bomber, its work on the film completed, returned to the USA, where it lapsed into dereliction at Caldwell Airport, New Jersey. Subject of several legal arguments as to its ownership, the Mitchell was eventually acquired by Atlas Aircraft, who sold it in March 1975 to Ten Plus One Inc. The B-25 's sojourn with this owner was short, as in 1977 it was sold to Tom Reilly at Orlando in Florida. By then the Mitchell was in need of total restoration, which Reilly undertook to his usual thorough standard.

Rebuilt to stock B-25J configuration, Tom Reilly operated the bomber on the airshow circuit painted as 'Chapter XI', selling the aircraft to the B-25th Bomber Group Inc at Pompano Beach, Florida, in February 1979. Sold again in 1994 to Dan Powell at Boerne in Texas, the aircraft is currently airworthy and is operated as 'Lucky Lady'.

Over the years a handful of B-25 Mitchells have been used as aerial cameraships in the UK. N76l4C, now on static display inside the American Air Museum at Duxford, was utilised for air to air filming in a British Overseas Airways Corporation promotions film involving a Boeing 747 'Jumbo Jet' during 1970. N9089Z was the camera platform for the film 633 Squadron in 1964, actually appearing on screen in pseudo RAF markings as an agent-dropping aircraft. It is currently in storage at North Weald Airfield.

N1042B, a former well known platform with Tallmantz Aviation in the USA, was flown across the Atlantic in 1988 and used by Aces High Ltd as the cameraship during the filming of the controversial television series Piece of Cake. The following year the bomber was used as the main flying camera platform for the cinema production of Memphis Belle. It returned to the USA during 1996.

While all of these Mitchells have played an important part in small and large screen epics, N6578D, the Psychedelic Monster, was the most modified of the whole bunch and was undoubtedly the one with the most outlandish colour scheme!


http://www.daveswarbirds.com/bob/book/book5.htm

That pilots and film crews literally lived and died for the film industry is borne out in that piece and despite the use of CGI, the toll continues today vide. 'American Made' Aerostar Crash

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Re: Gorn and Lost but not for ever - Abiding flying mysteries...

#3 Post by ExSp33db1rd » Thu Jan 04, 2018 1:07 am

(if the poster who knew this character wants to elucidate here, I would be delighted).


Caco and I, for various reasons, have had an exchange of P.M.'s regarding John Hawke, and he suggests that I repeat what I recall here.

I joined the RAF with John Hawke, we called him "Corny", due to his accent and origin, and he is remembered to this day as "Corny" by myself and the colleagues from that era with whom I have kept in touch. The moniker "Jeff" came later, dountless as a result of the similarity of his exploits to the character of the Jeff Hawke strip cartoon of the time.

We started RAF training at the end of 1955, initially the OCTU at RAF Kirton in Lindsey, in Lincolnshire, and even then he was a "rebel", although he managed to satisfy the requirements necessary to pass out as an Acting Pilot Officer, and go on to flying training, but he pushed the limits, like leaving camp at night to shag some local girl in the bushes ! One "Rosie" comes to mind !

We then sailed Cunard to Canada, to be trained by the RCAF under the then NATO agreement, initially on Harvards in Ontario, then the single engine jet trainer, the Lockheed T-33 at RCAF MacDonald, near Winnipeg, Manitoba. There he had an incident that would have killed me ! The T-bird had an electric elevator trim system, and we were trained that in the event of an electrical malfunction, i.e. runaway trim, the first action was to pull the circuit breaker, inconveniently situated in the sidewall slightly behind ones' seat. We were persuaded to practice being able to locate that "blind", e.g. by feel alone, especially as we did in fact fly at night, too.

One day Corny experienced a runaway stabiliser trim just as he approached the threshold for landing, the aircraft reared nose up, and I'm sure I would have been killed in the resultant stall/crash, but Corny threw the aircraft into a 90 deg banked turn, applied full power and just went around in circles until he had pulled the circuit breaker and was able to complete the alternate drill - details of which I forget, then he successfully landed. ( and doubtless changed his underwear ! )

He had been accepted on a Permanent Commission, so whereas I and other colleagues parted ways with him on return to England we kept tenuous contact. He went on to continue squadron training and RAF service, where he was given the nickname "Jeff" Hawke, tho' I have a recollection that he was "respectfully asked to resign" due to various activities with regard to unauthorised low flying, ie. beating up Station H.Q. but I can't recall the detail now, so won't malign the departed !

Early in my subsequent airline career I landed at Prestwick one morning ex-USA, and picked up the local Rag, which bore a photo of a young woman and the headline .. Is this the woman who is going to navigate a Messerschmidt to America for her husband ? The "husband" was Corny, and that wasn't the "wife" I had seen him get married to at a wedding ceremony a few years earlier ! The article continued with the fact that they were in Prestwick getting ready to fly acrosss the Atlantic to the USA.

I managed to track him down, and he told me that he was ferrying a pair of ME 108's, the two seat training version of the ME 109, to the States for reasons that I now forget, but I think connected to Hollywood. He was flying one and a cameraman the other but they had been delayed in Prestwick with a mechanical problem needing some part only available from some obscure factory in France, but that had now arrived and they hoped to leave that afternoon. He made no mention of the "wife" - whom I didn't meet !

Later the next day I watched 2 ME 108's set off in formation into the setting sun, destination Reykyavik, Greenland, Goose Bay etc.

A few weeks later I got a letter from Corny advising me that he had made Goose Bay, but his cameraman had ditched some 40 nm East of Goose Bay, lost the aircraft but no one died. He had delivered his Messerschmidt to Harry Saltzman for Hollywood use, but not sure that that was the original reason for the crossing ?

Next, I saw the BBC TV News showing another newspaper front page - the Daily Wail ? - with the headine .. " Is this the man smuggling bombers to Portugal "? and a picture of Corny. Naturally I bought the paper that day and learned that he had been engaged by the CIA to attend to B-25's around the USA. The CIA located them, he was quoted as saying, and gave him a fistful of money to get them serviceable and fly them to Portugal for the Portuguese to use against the rebels of the time in Angola. The US Gov't couldn't be seen to be supporting the Port. Gov't. so got "a civilian" to do it. He apparently flew them single handed across the Atlantic, but US/Canadian ATC refused to give him departure clearance from Gander etc. as the Radio/Nav. equipment was not up to the necessary standard, i.e. I was flying as a licensed Flight Navigator at the time, a necessity to file a flight plan for an Atlantic crossing, Astro capability and Loran were a basic necessity as well.

Consequently he flew to a still French owned island, St. Pierre, off Newfoundland, and the French didn't bother about Atlantic ATC protocol from their "territory", and once airborne he didn't bother with any further radio comms. advising of his actions, and I guess he was the only traffic flying at low level so he wasn't really a problem to the scheduled, ATC controlled airline traffic.

Apparently he got 5 across and then flying up the East Coast to St. Pierre one day, he found himself near Washington, so deviated to fly low over the White House and take a picture. He was immediately jumped by a pair of F-100's and ended up in the USAF St. Andrews Air Force Base lock-up.

The CIA had given him a code word "Sparrow" - Hawke being his surname ! - and he squawked this a few times to no avail as the CIA could not admit to what he had been doing on their behalf, so disowned him. There then entered someone called "The Count" onto the scene, and my knowledge is incomplete at that point, tho' "The Count" got him released without further discipline, but the CIA, having disowned him couldn't then claim that the B-25 was theirs - so he ended up owning his own B-25 !

He flew the B-25 to England and based it at Bovingdon, initially, and he was eventually engaged to use it as a camera platform for the filming of The Battle of Britain, and other adventures as detailed elsewhere.

Corny rang me and offered me a ride, and to my eternal regret I didn't take him up on the offer.

Next I heard was when he disappeared into the Adriatic /Aegean region off Italy, ostensibly delivering an aircaft to the Middle East. There is some suggestion that he had been sabotaged, having upset some gun running Baron, but I guess there will always be a conspiracy theory, tho' a report that the aircraft had been painted with some sort of Anti-radar paint, and wasn't on the original flight planned route, might lend some credence to that theory ?

As frequently described, a colourful character, for whom "Elf an' Safety " had no meaning ! I feel honoured to have been so close to him in those early days, it would close a chapter to know of the reasons for his ultimate demise.

ExS.

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Re: Gorn and Lost but not for ever - Abiding flying mysteries...

#4 Post by Boac » Thu Jan 04, 2018 8:29 am

Thanks for that, ex. A truly amazing and 'enterprising' character.

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Re: Gorn and Lost but not for ever - Abiding flying mysteries...

#5 Post by limeygal » Fri Jan 05, 2018 3:57 pm

Great posts. Thanks guys :-bd

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Re: Gorn and Lost but not for ever - Abiding flying mysteries...

#6 Post by Cacophonix » Fri May 25, 2018 7:31 pm

The AAIB report on John "Jeff" "Corny" Hawke's crash in Piper Aztec G-OESX. It appears that Mr Hawke was not certified in the UK with a current licence at the date and time of the accident and that his Medical for his US Commercial licence had expired.
AAIB Bulletin No: 8/94

Aircraft Type and Registration: Piper PA-23-250 Aztec E, G-OESX

No & Type of Engines: 2 Lycoming 10-540-C4B5 piston engines

Year of Manufacture:1973

Date & Time (UTC):c21 November 1991, timing uncertain

Location: In the sea off Porto Levante, Gulf of Venice

Type of Flight:: Private

Persons on Board: Crew - I Passengers - None

Injuries: Crew - Fatal Passengers - N/A

Nature of Damage: Aircraft destroyed

Commander's Licence: No current UK licence

Commander's Age: 54 years

Commander's Flying Experience: NK

Information Source:
Ref: EW/A91/12/1 Category: 1.2

Investigation by the Italian authorities, assisted by AAIB

Wreckage from the aircraft was recovered by a fishing boat from Chioggia on 27 December 1991, some 12.8 miles south east of the harbour. The pilot was identified with the aid of documentation recovered, and an investigation was initiated by the Italian authorities. It also transpired that the main door from the aircraft had previously been recovered on 18 December by another fishing boat. Subsequent sea searches by the Italian Navy took some 24 days and recovered more than 90% of the wreckage.

The pilot had carried out his flying training with the Royal Air Force, and had been qualified on fast jet types. He left the RAF in 1963. He held a UK Private Pilot's Licence which lapsed in 1973. He also held an FAA Commercial Pilot's Licence (USA), valid for single and multi-engined landplanes, and was type-rated on the North American B-25. His latest recorded medical examination for this licence was a 'Class One', which was carried out in May 1980.

The aircraft was based at Shoreham Airport, and had been hired by the pilot from its owner. Both men boarded the aircraft for a flight to France. It was flight planned IFR from Southampton to Nice, departing at 0751 hrs on 21 November 1991. It diverted en route, and landed at Cannes Airport at 1131 hrs. There, the owner left the aircraft and returned on a scheduled flight to the UK.

The pilot refuelled the aircraft to full tanks, and departed Cannes at 1318 hrs on a VFR flight with the declared destination of La Ferte Alais, near Paris; no flight plan was filed. The final radio communication with the aircraft occurred at 1320 hrs, and the aircraft was not positively located again until the recovery of the wreckage.

The aircraft's transponder was found to have been switched off at the time of the accident but from deductions about the aircraft's speed and probable flight routing, estimates were made about the possible time of entry into Italian airspace. The recordings of primary radar stations were replayed, and an unidentified aircraft was located on the recording at 1424:38 hrs, some 34 miles north of Pisa, routing towards Chioggia. It followed a fairly tortuous route across the Appennine Range, and finally disappeared from radar at 1507:55 hrs in the vicinity of Loreo, some 16.5 nm south west of Chioggia.

An unidentified target then reappeared heading east at 1737:46 hrs, some 12.9 nm west of Chioggia VOR. The ground speed of the target was increasing as though the aircraft was accelerating after takeoff. The investigation concluded that the aircraft must have landed at some location, possibly the small grass airstrip at Ca Negra, near Chioggia. The final radar return in this sequence occurred at 1739: 12 hrs, at a distance of some 19 nm west of the determined impact location, giving an estimated time for the accident of 1748 hrs.

The VOR receivers in the aircraft were recovered and found tuned to frequencies close to those of Chioggia and Pula VOR stations. The investigation concluded that the aircraft was probably bound for a destination in Istria, Yugoslavia, the most likely being Pula.

Examination of the wreckage concluded that the aircraft impacted the water intact, at a fairly steep angle of descent, under power, but with the right main landing gear extended. The right engine and right side instrument panel were not recovered.

The weather conditions were such that at the estimated time of the accident the surface wind was 0300/10 kt, visibility greater than 10 km, moderate rain, with 7/8 stratocumulus cloudbase 3,000 feet; the temperature was IOOC, QNH 1009 mb. The aircraft's altimeters were found to be set to 1011 mb and 1009 mb. It was dark at the estimated time of the accident.

It was the view of the Italian investigation that the accident was caused by a combination of factors, these being the failure of the right main landing gear to retract, the weather conditions and the darkness. The possibilities of collision or explosion were categorically excluded. Some form of incapacitation of the pilot could not, however, be ruled out.
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Re: Gorn and Lost but not for ever - Abiding flying mysteries...

#7 Post by Cacophonix » Fri May 25, 2018 8:06 pm

Can't believe I didn't post this link to story of the ferry flight of the B-25 Mitchell's across the Atlantic.



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Re: Gorn and Lost but not for ever - Abiding flying mysteries...

#8 Post by Cacophonix » Sat May 26, 2018 5:15 pm

It seems if there was a lame duck or an aircraft with a dodgy radial then Mr Hawks was your man to ferry it! Here is another fascinating account of a DC3 ferry flight from Argentina to Ireland by the redoubtable Mr Hawke!

http://www.aviationinmalta.com/CivilGen ... fault.aspx

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Re: Gorn and Lost but not for ever - Abiding flying mysteries...

#9 Post by Cacophonix » Sat Jun 16, 2018 5:34 am

As noted elsewhere on the forum in researching Mr Hawke's adventurous, not to say buccaneering, life I have noted the network that drew kindred spirits such as Australian American Gregory Board and Mr Hawke together. Some of Mr Board's exploits can be read about in Martin Caidin's slightly overwrought but highly enjoyable 'Everything but the Flak'.

Board is probably best remembered for his role in providing three B-17s for The War Lover in 1961. Board was a "Vice-President" of American Compressed Steel Corporation and its subsidiary, Aero American, that sold the three B-17s to Columbia Pictures through John Crewdson. Board also ran his own company, Aero Associates, from Ryan Field near Tucson, Arizona. In 1965, Board hired Hawke to try and deliver twenty B-26 Invaders to Portugal for use in its African colonial wars. This, despite a U.N. embargo against arms sales to Portugal. Hawke actually did deliver seven Invaders before the U.S. shut the operation down, resulting in the arrest of Hawke and the attempted arrest of Board, who fled the U.S. with, allegedly, most of the money from the deal. In the subsequent trial of Hawke, he thinly claimed CIA involvement but was acquited anyway.
https://forum.keypublishing.com/showthr ... gory-Board
9905240.jpg
9905240.jpg (45.63 KiB) Viewed 3465 times
Greg Broad and John Crewdson flying the B-17

Board for his part fled the USA with the money gained in the B-26 imbroglio and eventually set up a ship charter company in the Carribbean that went bust when one of the Captain's absconded with his boat which was then seized by either the US authorities or a creditor. Moving on he ended up back in Australia where he prospered for a while back in aviation before dying in 2007.

I am currently reading Foreign Invaders by Dan Hagedorn and Leif Hellstom to get a better perspective on this era and Mr Hawke's role in the B-26 affair.

Board, with his wartime exploits in a Brewster Buffalo and colourful life, is a candidate, alongside Mr Hawke, for a biography of his own.


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Re: Gorn and Lost but not for ever - Abiding flying mysteries...

#10 Post by Slasher » Sat Jun 16, 2018 6:32 am

Good thread. Thanks!

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Re: Gorn and Lost but not for ever - Abiding flying mysteries...

#11 Post by CharlieOneSix » Sat Jun 16, 2018 11:15 am

Back in the mid/late 70's a Caribou sat abandoned at Shoreham. I seem to remember someone said it was Jeff Hawke's and that it had been destined for some African country. I have nothing to back that up though and have no idea what happened to it.

EDIT: T'internet is a wonderful thing - just found this photo and info. It was headed west, not to Africa:
.
caribou.JPG
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One of a pair of ex Tanzanian Air Force De Havilland (Canada) DHC-4 Caribous that passed through Shoreham in the late 1970's,

5H-MRS, ex 9001 arrived here in April 1978 but this second one, formerly 9002 and registered 5H-MRQ is seen sitting out on the grass while awaiting some attention. She had arrived on 1st November 1979 with an undercarriage issue and after an air-test, she finally departed on 31st May 1980 via Shannon to continue her ferry flight west.
The helicopter pilots' mantra: If it hasn't gone wrong then it's just about to...
https://www.glenbervie-weather.org

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Re: Gorn and Lost but not for ever - Abiding flying mysteries...

#12 Post by Cacophonix » Sun Jun 17, 2018 11:23 am

CharlieOneSix wrote:
Sat Jun 16, 2018 11:15 am
Back in the mid/late 70's a Caribou sat abandoned at Shoreham. I seem to remember someone said it was Jeff Hawke's and that it had been destined for some African country. I have nothing to back that up though and have no idea what happened to it.

EDIT: T'internet is a wonderful thing - just found this photo and info. It was headed west, not to Africa:
.
caribou.JPG

One of a pair of ex Tanzanian Air Force De Havilland (Canada) DHC-4 Caribous that passed through Shoreham in the late 1970's,

5H-MRS, ex 9001 arrived here in April 1978 but this second one, formerly 9002 and registered 5H-MRQ is seen sitting out on the grass while awaiting some attention. She had arrived on 1st November 1979 with an undercarriage issue and after an air-test, she finally departed on 31st May 1980 via Shannon to continue her ferry flight west.
Mr Hawke left a scattering of aircraft all over fields in the UK and elsewhere and many can be tracked through the wonder of the tinterweb and google as you say C16!

I do know that one of the B-25 's that he flew over for the filming of "Hanover Street" was left mouldering away at Shoreham until it was saved and now graces the US pavilion at Duxford!

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/b25regis ... 31171.html

b25-4431171.jpg
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b25-4431171-3.jpg
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History:
Delivered to U.S. Army Air Force as 44-31171, 19??.
- Stored at Davis Monthan AFB, AZ, October 1957.
Radio Corporation of America, New York, NY, 1958-1964.
- Registered as N7614C.
- Flying test laboratory, fitted with modified nose.
Flying W Productions, Medford, OR, 1966-1969.
John Hawke/Euramericar Inc, Fort Lauderdale, 1970-1976.
- Based at Luton, UK, April 1970.
- Used for films, fitted with camera nose.
Reported impounded at Dublin, Prestwick and Shoreham. Stored Shoreham, May 1974-1976
Imperial War Museum/American Air Museum, Duxford, England, October 1976-2015.
- Delivered by road, October 1976.
- Restored for static display, Duxford.
-- Fitted with B-25J nose.
- Displayed as USMC PBJ-1, 1996-2002.
Caco

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Re: Gorn and Lost but not for ever - Abiding flying mysteries...

#13 Post by Cacophonix » Sun Jun 24, 2018 7:29 pm

Just discovered that while Mr Hawke waited on business prior to the B-26 imbroglio with Greg Board he was making ends meet as encyclopaedia salesman. Give the man his due he was a man of many parts!

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Re: Gorn and Lost but not for ever - Abiding flying mysteries...

#14 Post by hawkerj96 » Sun Mar 17, 2019 3:57 pm

Hi guys/ girls,

John “Jeff” Hawke is my dad.

I’m searching the internet trying to get as much information on him as possible.

He died when I was 6 years old but I do have a few vivid memories of him.

I would love to chat to anyone that knew him or has any stories about him as I would like to construct a biography - most of his life reads like a film and he was an astoundingly interesting man.

Thanks for your help!
Rich

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Re: Gorn and Lost but not for ever - Abiding flying mysteries...

#15 Post by Cacophonix » Sun Mar 17, 2019 4:47 pm

hawkerj96 wrote:
Sun Mar 17, 2019 3:57 pm
Hi guys/ girls,

John “Jeff” Hawke is my dad.

I’m searching the internet trying to get as much information on him as possible.

He died when I was 6 years old but I do have a few vivid memories of him.

I would love to chat to anyone that knew him or has any stories about him as I would like to construct a biography - most of his life reads like a film and he was an astoundingly interesting man.

Thanks for your help!
Rich
hakwerj96

Welcome on board and am I am delighted that you are looking to work on your dad's biography. I must admit that I was fascinated by his illustrious history and was looking to create a Wikipedia entry for him and actually started to write it but there were so many gaps and the potential for errors so, that alongside the risk of perhaps causing pain or upset to his immediate family, I have left that project on hold.

I did not know him personally but as you will see ExSp33dB1rd knew him (see above) in the RAF and kept in contact with him on and off over the years.

I am kicking myself for not downloading the Channel 4 documentary on the B25 Mitchell as the video was pulled and I have struggled to purchase a licensed copy of the video "B-25 Mitchells do fly in IMC". The fact that the Mitchells ended up in Angola was of particular interest to me.

I wish you all the best in your endeavour and if there is any way I can help, even if it is just time spent sleuthing, I would be delighted to help as your dad's story is truly a film in the making and it deserves to be told.

Best Regards


Caco

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Re: Gorn and Lost but not for ever - Abiding flying mysteries...

#16 Post by Undried Plum » Sun Mar 17, 2019 6:15 pm

John Crewdson was my boss for a while. Excellent fellow.

He flew one of his B-25s over Greenland for 60 hours to film the backdrop of Strangelove.

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Re: Gorn and Lost but not for ever - Abiding flying mysteries...

#17 Post by Pontius Navigator » Sun Mar 17, 2019 6:25 pm

OK, here is one, more question really from the same colonial period.

A Super Connie arrived at Luqa with engine failure I think. A dark mysterious aircraft, it was parked on the civilian ramp probably around 1967-68. Maltese customs impounded aircraft and crew, rumour had it that it was a CIA arms shipment. The crew exited stage left and the aircraft abandoned. Then it wasn't there any more.

Info?

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Re: Gorn and Lost but not for ever - Abiding flying mysteries...

#18 Post by Pontius Navigator » Sun Mar 17, 2019 6:28 pm

Undried Plum wrote:
Sun Mar 17, 2019 6:15 pm
John Crewdson was my boss for a while. Excellent fellow
Interesting name. Where did he come from. I hale from the Lake District with CRUDESON/CREWDSON in my background.

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Re: Gorn and Lost but not for ever - Abiding flying mysteries...

#19 Post by Cacophonix » Sun Mar 17, 2019 6:44 pm

Undried Plum wrote:
Sun Mar 17, 2019 6:15 pm
John Crewdson was my boss for a while. Excellent fellow.

He flew one of his B-25s over Greenland for 60 hours to film the backdrop of Strangelove.

Martin Caidin wrote a very interesting book on the trans Atlantic delivery of B-17's with Greg Bond, John Crewdson et al for the filming of John Hersey's The War Lover back in the day. The book also briefly references John 'Jeff' Hawke. I purchased a copy last year.

Sadly John Crewdson died while undertaking seal counting in an Alouette helicopter G-AWAP.


https://www.gov.uk/aaib-reports/3-1985- ... -june-1983

Apprently the Jesus nut let go with fatal consequences for all four on board the aircraft.

8201766773_19a11caf4c_c.jpg
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Re: Gorn and Lost but not for ever - Abiding flying mysteries...

#20 Post by Cacophonix » Sun Mar 17, 2019 7:25 pm

Cacophonix wrote:
Sun Mar 17, 2019 4:47 pm

hakwerj96

Welcome on board and am I am delighted that you are looking to work on your dad's biography. I must admit that I was fascinated by his illustrious history and was looking to create a Wikipedia entry for him and actually started to write it but there were so many gaps and the potential for errors so, that alongside the risk of perhaps causing pain or upset to his immediate family, I have left that project on hold.

I did not know him personally but as you will see ExSp33dB1rd knew him (see above) in the RAF and kept in contact with him on and off over the years.

I am kicking myself for not downloading the Channel 4 documentary on the B25 Mitchell as the video was pulled and I have struggled to purchase a licensed copy of the video "B-25 Mitchells do fly in IMC". Correction - I also found that fact that B-26's ferried to Portugal in one of his escapades ended up in Angola to be of particular interest to me. Nothing to do with the Mitchell's.



I wish you all the best in your endeavour and if there is any way I can help, even if it is just time spent sleuthing, I would be delighted to help as your dad's story is truly a film in the making and it deserves to be told.

Best Regards


Caco
Angolan Air Force
The Angolan Air Force operated two B-26 from the six inherited from the Portuguese Air Force. Until then, these aircraft were operated by the Squadron 91 of the Portuguese Air Force in Angola, based at Luanda Air Base. When the independence of Angola in 1975, Portugal offered the aircraft to the new country.
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http://napoleon130.tripod.com/id817.html

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