41-2159
|
|
17JAN42 |
Received
by USAAF. (Source: 4)
|
18APR42 |
Received
Long Beach Fighter Command. (Source: 4)
|
25APR42 |
Received
Lowry (8th PRS).
(Source: 4)
|
25MAY42 |
Received
Dallas. (Source: 4)
|
19JUN42 |
Received
Lowry. (Source: 4)
|
23JUN42 |
Received
Sacramento Air Depot.
(Source: 4)
|
06JUL42 |
Received
San Francisco (Port of Embarkation). (Source: 4)
|
15JUL42 |
Allotted
SUMAC (Fifth Air Force SWPA) (Source: 4)
|
12AUG42 |
Received
at CAC, Melbourne. (Source: 8)
|
25AUG42 |
Diverted
to Australia. (Source: 4)
|
A55-2
|
|
04SEP42 |
Received
at 1AD, Laverton, Vic. The Form E/E88 for A55-2 does not record any
previous identity. (Source: 7)
|
03OCT42 |
Flt
Lt Talberg, Flt Lt Sinnott and Flt Lt Lawrie received their twin endorsements
in Oxford AS311 prior to converting to the Lightning. (Source: 2)
|
05OCT42 |
Solo
flight by Flt Lt Talberg 30min. Flt Lt Talberg. (His first Lightning
flight. Presumably ex Laverton.) (Source: 2)
|
06OCT42 |
Photography
(no details) 1hr 45min Flt Lt Talberg. (Probably photographic training
ex Laverton) (Source: 2)
|
16OCT42 |
Issued
to 1PRU ex 1AD.
(Source: 7)
|
26OCT42 |
R/T
test 1hr. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2)
|
27OCT42 |
Aircraft
test 30min. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2)
|
28OCT42 |
Laverton-Mildura
2hr 20min. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2)
|
30OCT42 |
Mildura-Alice
Springs 4hr. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2)
|
30OCT42 |
Alice
Springs-Batchelor 3hr 55min. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2)
|
30OCT42 |
Batchelor-Hughes
20min. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2)
|
02NOV42 |
Melville
Island-Darwin-Hughes 2hr 10min. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2)
|
03NOV42 |
Photo
Recce Tanimbar Island 3hr 15min. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2)
|
10-19NOV42 |
Between
these dates, 1PRU recorded only 5 operational flights by Lightnings
A55-1 and A55-2. (Source: 5)
|
19NOV42 |
Photo
Recce Dilli and Atamboea 5hr. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2)
|
20NOV42 |
Crashed
2 miles west of Livingstone, N.T. The following report on the accident
is drawn from NAA Series A9845 Item 7127491.
"On the morning of 20th November, 1942, Flight Lieutenant A.T.
Cridland (424) was instructed by Squadron Leader L.W. Law (144) to
carry out an engine test on aircraft A55-2. The test was to be at
all heights up to 30,000 feet, R/T contact was to be maintained throughout
the flight.
The aircraft took off at 1030/K hours. At approximately 1150 hours,
No. 3944 Flight Sergeant R.W. Blanch saw the aircraft circling the
aerodrome at approximately 5,000 feet with the starboard airscrew
fully feathered. While across wind on the second circuit the flaps
and undercarriage were lowered. Apparently the pilot misjudged the
approach, because when only a few hundred feet up he put on engine
and turned to the west of Hughes. At approximately 1210 hours, two
miles west of Livingstone, the aircraft crashed and burnt, killing
the pilot.
An examination of the aircraft by Squadron Leader L.W. Law revealed
the following:-
(a) |
Both
throttles were in full open position. (As the starboard engine
was feathered it is obvious that the engine was switched off
and throttle opening would not effect the engine.) |
(b) |
Both
airscrews were in fully fine position. (See note to (a).) |
(c) |
Both
coolant gill levers were in full open position. |
(d) |
The
flap lever was in the neutral position; the flaps being either
up or down. The flaps themselves appear to have been in the
up position at the time of the crash, but the undercarriage
was down. |
(e) |
The
Turbo supercharger rotor on the starboard engine had completely
disintegrated. No trace of any of the 142 buckets could be found.
The starboard wing was scored where the rotor buckets had struck
it in several places. As the rotor has a speed of 21,300 R.P.M.
at altitude, the buckets on the circumference are travelling
at approximately 700 feet per second. |
(f) |
The
aircraft crashed vertically into the ground. |
(g) |
No
major part of the airframe or engines is salvageable although
some component parts of the engines may be salvaged. |
The
report concludes with details of the pilot and states that Flight
Lieutenant Cridland was buried at the Berrimah Military Cemetry
on 20th November 1942.
|
24NOV42 |
Received
1RSU.
(Source: 7)
|
18DEC42 |
Converted
to components by 1RSU.
(Source: 7)
|
31OCT44 |
Condemned
by Fifth Air Force, Brisbane.
(Source: 4)
|
09JAN45 |
Struck
off.
(Source: 4)
|