"The Past, the Present and the Future"
Issued by the Department of Aircraft Production, February 1946

 
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THE PAST, THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE
By the Department of Aircraft Production.
 
The Past: The Wirraway - the first completely Australian-made aircraft.  
The Past
The Wirraway - the first completely Australian-made aircraft
 

Australian industry has travelled far from the days when, following the Great War 1914-1918, the pioneer aircraft builders in this country set up their modest workshops in which to construct the early types of wooden-framed, fabric­covered aircraft which were then regarded as wonders of scientific achievement.

It was not until 1935, however, that the first really consequential move was made by the Commonwealth Government in developing this important industry. In that year, a conference was convened by the Government to consider the means that should be adopted for establishing the production of at least portion of Australia's requirements of aircraft and engines.The outcome of that conference was the formation in 1936 of the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation Pry. Ltd. by a group of Australia's leading industrial organisations.The Company established a factory at Fishermen's Bend,Melbourne, and began the manufacture of low-wing monoplanes of all-metal construction based on designs supplied by North American Aviation Inc. and of aero engines to the designs of the Pratt & Whitney Corporation.

On March 27, 1939, the Company's first aircraft-named the "Wirraway"-- made its first flight, powered with an Australian-made Pratt & Whitney single row Wasp engine. Concurrently. De Havilland Aircraft Pty. Ltd., which was formed in Australia in 1928 as a sales and servicing organisation, was enlarging the scope of its manufacturing activities. Since 1930, the Company had been making wings at Mascot aerodrome for several types of De Havilland aircraft of which the engines, fuselages and other parts were imported from England. By 1939, complete airframes were being manufactured by the Company locally, but the engines and metal fittings were still being imported, until the outbreak of war, with ifs greatly increased demand for aircraft, made it desirable-and practicable from the financial viewpoint-for the local manufacture of engines and metal fittings to be undertaken.
 
The Present
 
The Present: Beaufighters were constantly in the new from Bouganville to Borneo
 
Beaufighters were constantly in the news from Bouganville to Borneo.
 

In 1939, also, the first steps were taken by the Commonwealth Government, in accordance with the recommendation of the United Kingdom Air Mission, to set up facilities for the production of Beaufort bomber and other types of operational aircraft. These establishments have since become known as the Beaufort Division workshops of the Department of Aircraft Production.

The promised Governmental aircraft factories comprised the only section of the Australian aircraft industry, which at the outbreak of war in September 1939, was being developed for the production of other than trainer aircraft.The Tiger Moths, which the De Havilland Company was manufacturing, and the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporations Wirraway's were destined to play a vital part in the Australian section of the Empire Air Training Scheme that was developed later for the training of air-crews.   1941, there had been delivered to the R.A.A.F. no fewer than 1204 Australian-made trainer aircraft - 449 Wirraway's, 675 Tiger Moths and 80 Wackett Trainers - together with the first seven Beaufort bombers.

The swift surge southward of the Japanese early in 1942 and their success in overwhelming the forces arrayed against them brought home forcibly to the Australian people that the role of their fighting forces was suddenly changed from that of crusaders ready to fight in the cause of democracy in any part of the world - their immediate task became the defence of their homeland and their immediate weakness was seen to be the lack of combat aircraft.
 
The DAP Beaufort
 
When the Japanese struck at Pearl Harbour in December, it was promptly decided by the Government that trainer 'plane production would be terminated and that all that all available capacity would be concentrated on the manufacture of operational types of aircraft to supplement  whatever supplies could be obtained from U.S.A. or England, concurrently with the expansion of production facilities and of capacity for the repair and overhaul of engines and airframes.
 
The Tudor military transport - now in Production - is the successor of the Lincoln Heavy Bomber.  
The Future
The Tudor military transport - now in Production - is the successor of the Lincoln Heavy Bomber.  
 

Within six months, deliveries of Beaufort aircraft had reached 20 a month; the Wackett Trainer and the Wirraway programmes had been completed at 200 and 620 aircraft respectively; Tiger Moths were practically completed to a total of 1035; the first Boomerang interceptor-fighter and De Havilland "Dragon" transport and trainer aircraft were practically ready for delivery., and preliminary arrangements were being made for manufacturing Mosquito aircraft. In addition to the development of production in the aircraft factories, several annexes were established and conducted, usually by private enterprise on behalf of the Government, for the manufacture of retractable landing gear, propellers, engines, engine electrical accessories and gun turrets.

When hostilities in the Pacific ceased on August 15, 1945, the Australian aircraft factories had delivered approximately 3,500 aircraft of nine different types - Beauforts, Beaufighters, Mosquitos, Mustangs, Boomerangs, Wirraways, Wacketts, Tiger Moths and Dragons - and were developing the manufacture of Lincoln heavy bombers and Tudor transports. Three types of aero engine - twin row Wasp, single row Wasp and Gipsy Major - had also been manufactured in quantities to a total of nearly 3,000, and production of Rolls-Royce Merlin engines was in hand.

Although the scope of the activities of the R.A.A.F. in peace cannot be determined until the nature of the organisation necessary for ensuring international peace has been decided upon by the United Nations, if is the policy of the Government to maintain in existence an aircraft manufacturing organisation capable of meeting the likely R.A.A.F. requirements and of being rapidly expanded in any future emergency.

To this end, the production of Beaufighters in the Government workshops has been terminated, and the Lincoln and Tudor projects will be handled in the workshops located in Victoria, enabling the New South Wales and South Australian establishments to be closed. The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation and De Havilland Aircraft Pty. Ltd. are proceeding with the manufacture of Mustang and Mosquito aircraft respectively, but at a greatly reduced rate of production in each case. Arrangements for the manufacture of Rolls-Royce Merlin engines by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation in the Government engine factory at Lidcombe, N.S.W., are also being proceeded with.
 
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