VH-SFF ("A59-67") Wiff-Oh


Type: L-237 Ventura PV-1
MSN: 5378
Previous Identities: 33369 (USN BuNo)
2221 (RCAF)
N1590V
N159V
N159U
Owner: RAAF Museum, Point Cook, VIC.

History:

17JUL43 Brought on charge by Royal Canadian Air Force as 2221. Served with No 115 (BR) Sqn until late 1944.
11AUG50 Struck off charge by RCAF.
53 Disposed ex RCAF Vulcan ALTA.
01DEC53 To Universal Trading Corp, New York, NY as N1590V.
04DEC53 To Spartan Aircraft Co, Tulsa, OK for conversion to executive configuration.
10AUG55 First flight after executive conversion.
09MAR54 To Trade-Ayer Inc, Linden, NJ.
01JUL58 To Spartan Aircraft Co, Tulsa, OK.
NOV61 Re-registered N159V to Spartan Aircraft Co.
24AUG64 Re-registered N159U to Spartan Aircraft Co.
25FEB69 To Clark's Aerial Service, Brownfield, TX who modified the aircraft for aerial seeding.
07OCT77 To Brownfield Aerial Inc, Brownfield, TX.
15DEC77 To Aristera Co, Lubbock, TX.
02OCT78 To Juan D. Perez, Tampa, FL.
04OCT79
 Photographed at Fort Lauderdale.
26SEP83 To Hill Air Co Inc, Fort Lauderdale, FL.
02JUL85 To Jim Ricketts of Aero Nostalgia Inc, Stockton, CA. Aircraft had been stored in the open at Fort Lauderdale from 1979 to 1986.
26SEP86 Ferried from Fort Lauderdale to Stockton by John Crocker and Bob Love for restoration to military configuration for RAAF Museum in exchange for Canberra A84-229.
11NOV87 First post-restoration test flight crewed by Rob Poynton, Blaine Gardner and Peter Anderson.
11JUN88 Departed Oakland CA for Hawaii on delivery to Australia. Crewed by Rob Poynton, Jim Czerwinski and Peter Anderson. Turned back with navaid and fuel transfer problems. It was also found that the dorsal turret was causing buffeting so it was removed for shipping to Australia.
28JUN88 Departed Oakland for Hawaii crewed by Rob Poynton, Dave Spinelli and Peter Anderson.
02JUL88 Departed Honolulu for Majuro crewed by Rob Poynton, Graham Syphers and Peter Anderson.
05JUL88 Departed for Tarawa but returned to Majuro after cockpit escape hatch separated in flight.
10JUL88 Departed Majuro for Tarawa. After refuelling, the aircraft departed for Honiara.
11JUL88 Departed Honiara for Brisbane.
12JUL88 Departed Brisbane for Point Cook.
13JUL88 Registered VH-SFF to RAAF Museum, Point Cook, VIC. Operates in 13 Sqn markings with assumed serial A59-67, coded SF-F and named Wiff-Oh in tribute to the original Wiff-Oh A59-81 SF-D.
19NOV96 Belly landed in a field after double engine failure during an air show at RAAF Richmond, NSW. The aeroplane was subsequently trucked back to Point Cook for static restoration.
18JUN02 Struck off register as withdrawn from use.

 

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The presence of this aeroplane in Australia is due almost entirely to the dedication and personal commitment of Peter Anderson. This commitment involved personal sacrifice and expense, the latter extending even to the purchase of fuel for test flights.

Much of this history is drawn from Peter's in-depth coverage of the project which was first published in Warbirds Worldwide (Issues 3 & 9).



Issue Date Remarks
10 28DEC23
Added an image thanks to Maurice Austin.
9 02DEC20
Added two images thanks to Eric Allen. Image 1 Image 2
8 09FEB17
Added an image of the aircraft before restoration to military configuration. Thanks to Geoff Goodall.
7 16AUG16
Added an air-to-air image thanks to Bob Livingstone.
6 12JUL16
Added three images of the aircraft arriving at Point Cook. Thanks to Geoff Goodall.
Image 1 Image 2 Image 3
5 31MAR16
Added an image of the aircraft after its forced landing. Thanks to Eric Favelle. Refreshed page layout with no change to data.
4 01FEB05
Added two images from AUG88 thanks to Graham Mison.
3 28AUG02
Aircraft deleted from Australian Register

 
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