All posts by DerekB

The Wirraway ‘Newspaper War’

Between August 1935 and April 1938 a “battle” was waged between several newspapers, arguing about the merits of producing an American-designed aircraft in an Australian factory, for use by the Royal Australian Air Force.

Here’s an example of some of the negative headlines which appeared during this period:

Click on the link below to read my article in the Australia ICOMOS journal Historic Environment about the “newspaper war”:

Historic Environment Volume 33 Number 3 – 2021 The Wirraway ‘Newspaper War’

The problem with scale drawings of the CAC Wirraway

In my research for the detailed scale drawings of the Wirraway which will appear elsewhere on this site, I collected a wide range of scale drawings created by other draftsmen. The list below provides some details and comments about these drawings (the drawings are listed by publication date, with the earliest at the top).

Since the drawings are of course copyright material, I’ve included only a small snipped from each drawing, showing the nose of the aircraft.


Drawing by: Chuck Graham
Date published: 1966
Source: IPMS Newsletter
Comments: This drawing shows details for a Wirraway Mk II (produced under contract CA-5), in the markings of A20-103 (the aircraft now held at the Australian War Memorial collection).

This drawing was primarily intended to display the colours and markings of A20-103, but when checked against aircraft measurements, several dimensional inaccuracies are readily apparent:

  • Most noticeably, the engine cowl is drawn too long by 10.5″
  • The wing chord is drawn 2″ too long and the wing is shown 5″ too far forward
  • The wing is drawn around 3.5″ lower than its actual location
  • In the plan view the fairing between the wing and fuselage is shown becoming wider in a curve towards the trailing edge. The actual fairing follows a straight line parallel to the centre of the aircraft along the top skin of the wing centre section. The curved front section of this fairing is also drawn incorrectly where it meets the wheel housing.
  • In the plan view the walk-ways on the wing centre-section are shown as panel lines, but this is incorrect.

Drawing by: F. Pawlowicz
Date published: December 1973
Source: Aeromodeller magazine
Comments: This drawing shows details for the CA-1 Wirraway Mk I, in the markings of A20-10 (the aircraft now held at the Australian National Aviation Museum in Moorabbin). However the drawing shows A20-10 following an upgrade to the late-style oil cooler and carburettor air intake below the cowl (which became standard on the Mk III), so the drawing does not represent an “as-built” CA-1. The drawing was originally drafted at 1:24 scale (copies can still be purchased from Model Activity Press) and reproduced in the December 1973 magazine at 1:48 scale, accompanying descriptive text written by Joe Vella.

When checked against aircraft measurements, several inaccuracies appear on this drawing:

  • The tail-plane is drawn about 4″ lower than it’s actual location
  • The wing is drawn around 3″ lower than it’s actual location
  • The canopy rail is drawn around 3″ lower than it’s actual location
  • The angle of the windscreen is too “raked”, at 50° from vertical, wheras it should actually be 44.7° from vertical
  • The plan-view shows the fuselage bulging outwards between stations 27 and 106, but in reality the fuselage width is constant between these stations
  • The antenna mast is drawn 8″ too far forward
  • The fairing between the wing and fuselage is shown becoming wider in a curve towards the trailing edge. The actual fairing follows a straight line parallel to the centre of the aircraft along the top skin of the wing centre section. The curved front section of this fairing is also drawn incorrectly where it meets the wheel housing.
  • The walk-ways on the wing centre-section are shown as panel lines, but this is incorrect
  • The propeller is listed as a “3 bladed controllable speed metal propeller” but the propeller is in fact “controllable pitch” for constant speed operation
  • The configuration of bombs indicated in the scrap-view is incorrect. The larger bombs (500lb Semi Armour Piercing bombs) could only be mounted on the inner universal carriers on the outer wing panels (wheras they are shown mounted on the outer universal carrier positions).

Drawing by: Zbigniew Luranc
Date published: 1987
Source: Unknown
Comments: This drawing also shows the aircraft A20-10 following its cowling changes, so it is not representative of a CA-1 from the factory. The drawings were published in the magazine at 1:50 scale.

When checked against aircraft measurements, several inaccuracies can be seen on this drawing (many of which are the same as for the Pawlowicz drawing, leading to the conclusion that these drawings may have been traced from the Pawlowicz drawing):

  • The tail-plane is drawn about 4″ lower than it’s actual location
  • The wing is drawn around 3″ lower than it’s actual location
  • The canopy rail is drawn around 3″ lower than it’s actual location
  • The plan-view shows the fuselage bulging outwards between stations 27 and 106, but in reality the fuselage width is constant between these stations
  • The antenna mast is drawn 8″ too far forward
  • The configuration of bombs is incorrect. The larger bombs (227 kg / 500 lb Semi Armour Piercing bombs) could only be mounted on the inner universal carriers on the outer wing panels (wheras they are shown mounted on the outer carrier positions)

Drawing by: Perry Manley
Date published: 1989
Source: Published in the book T-6 Texan In Action by Larry Davis; Squadron/Signal Publications, Carrollton Texas, 1989
Comments: A port elevation is included in this book accompanying the chapter on the Wirraway and Boomerang.

When checked against aircraft measurements, several inaccuracies are obvious on this drawing:

  • The tail-plane is drawn about 4″ lower than it’s actual location
  • The wing is drawn around 3″ lower than it’s actual location, and the outer wing trailing edge is swept forward while the Wirraway trailing edge has no sweep
  • The canopy rail is drawn around 3″ lower than it’s actual location
  • The antenna mast is too tall
  • The engine cowl is drawn around 2″ too far forward, and the air intake is not the correct shape
  • The drawing appears to show a 2-bladed propellor, the diameter of which is too small

Drawing by: Alex Pedashenko
Date published: 1991
Source: Published in the book Wirraway, Boomerang and CA-15 In Australian Service by Stewart Wilson, Sydney, 1991
Comments: A 3-view drawing appears in Stewart Wilson’s book, but no draftsman is noted on the drawing. The drawing features the “signature” style of Alex Pedashenko (particularly the tufts of grass on the ground-planes), and Stewart indicated that he had received several drawings from Alex, hence it makes sense that Alex was the draftsman.

The drawing is listed as depicting the CA-3 and CA-9 aircraft (Mk II).

When checked against aircraft measurements, several inaccuracies appear on this drawing (many of which are the same as for the Pawlowicz drawing, leading to the conclusion that these drawings may have been traced from the Pawlowicz drawing):

  • The tail-plane is drawn about 3″ lower than it’s actual location
  • The thrust-line is drawn around 4″ higher than it’s actual location – this results in the entire cowling being around 4″ higher than it should be
  • The plan-view shows the fuselage bulging outwards between stations 27 and 106, but in reality the fuselage width is constant between these stations
  • The antenna mast is drawn 8″ too far forward

Drawing by: Colin Owers
Date published: 1992
Source: Aviation News magazine, September-October 1992
Comments: This drawing shows details for several different versions of the Wirraway, however the views are not labelled. The drawings were published in the magazine at 1:72 scale. The same drawings were published in Air Enthusiast 50, alongside Owers’ article about the Wirraway.

When checked against aircraft measurements, several inaccuracies appear on this drawing (many of which are the same as for the Pawlowicz drawing, leading to the conclusion that these drawings may have been traced from the Pawlowicz drawing):

  • The tail-plane is drawn about 4″ lower than it’s actual location
  • The wing is drawn around 3″ higher than it’s actual location
  • The canopy rail is drawn around 4″ lower than it’s actual location
  • The plan-view shows the fuselage bulging outwards between stations 27 and 106, but in reality the fuselage width is constant between these stations
  • Several features are shown on the starboard side of the fuselage which are not actually there (the fuselage is not symmetrical)
  • The underside view of the centre section and rear fuselage is not accurate
  • The antenna mast is drawn 8″ too far forward

Drawing by: Joe Vella
Date published: 1995
Source: Air Enthusiast magazine No. 61 Jan-Feb 1996
Comments: A small 3-view drawing by Joe Vella appeared alongside his article about the aircraft of CAC.

The drawing depicts the CA-16 aircraft (Mk III) and shows the differences to other versions.

When checked against aircraft measurements, several inaccuracies appear on this drawing (many of which are the same as for the Pawlowicz drawing, leading to the conclusion that these drawings may have been traced from the Pawlowicz drawing):

  • The tail-plane is drawn about 3″ lower than it’s actual location
  • The wing is drawn around 3″ lower than it’s actual location
  • The canopy rail is drawn around 3″ lower than it’s actual location
  • The antenna mast is drawn 8″ too far forward

Drawing by: Unknown
Date published: 1997
Source: Published in the book CAC Boomerang CAC Wirraway by Andre Zbigniewski and Jacek Nowicki; Wydawnictwo Militaria, Warsaw, 1997 (published in Polish)
Comments: This drawing (perhaps drafted by Zbigniew Luranc, or based on his drawing) shows the CA-1 ribbed fin skin, but the later style carburettor and oil cooler air intake below the cowl on the same profile, which is misleading unless the aircraft is a very early CA-1 aircraft which has been upgraded.

The drawing does however correctly show the different access panels and covers on the port fuselage side compared to the starboard side.

When checked against aircraft measurements, several inaccuracies appear on this drawing
(many of which are the same as for the Pawlowicz drawing, leading to the conclusion that these drawings may have been traced from the Pawlowicz drawing):

  • The engine, cowl and propeller have been drawn 4″ above their correct location; it appears the draftsman has laid the thrust-line over the fuselage centre-line (or reference line) when in fact the thrust-line is 4″ below the fuselage centre-line
  • The plan-view shows the fuselage bulging outwards between stations 27 and 106, but the actual fuselage width is constant between these stations
  • The antenna mast is drawn 8″ too far forward
  • The configuration of bombs is incorrect. The larger bombs (227 kg / 500 lb Semi Armour Piercing bombs) could only be mounted on the inner universal carriers on the outer wing panels (wheras they are shown mounted on the outer carrier positions)
  • The instument panel layout shown on the drawing is for the CAC Boomerang, not the Wirraway

Drawing by: Richard J. Caruana
Date published: November 2003
Source: Scale Aviation Modeller International magazine, Volume 9 Issue 11 November 2003
Comments: This drawing also shows details for several different versions of the Wirraway (Mk I, Mk II and Mk III) but again the views are not labelled. The drawings were published in the magazine at 1:48 scale.

When checked against aircraft measurements, several inaccuracies appear on this drawing (many of which are the same as for the Pawlowicz drawing, leading to the conclusion that these drawings may have been traced from the Pawlowicz drawing):

  • The tail-plane is drawn about 4″ lower than it’s actual location
  • The wing is drawn about 2″ lower than it’s actual location
  • The canopy rail is drawn around 3″ lower than it’s actual location
  • The plan-view shows the fuselage bulging outwards between stations 27 and 106, but in reality the fuselage width is constant between these stations
  • Several features are shown on the starboard side of the fuselage which are not actually there (the fuselage is not symmetrical)
  • The underside view is not accurate around the tail wheel, rear fuselage and engine oil cooler
  • The antenna mast is drawn 4″ too far forward

Wirraway batch numbers – Mark III aircraft

For reference purposes I’ve collated a list of production batch numbers for the CAC Wirraway aircraft delivered to the RAAF between July 1939 and July 1946. This page contains the batch numbers for Mark III Wirraways, which were delivered under the CA-16 production “contract”. A summary of Mark III production is given in the table below:

Wirraway type CAC Contract Number RAAF Contract Demand Ordering entity Order Number Quantity delivered CAC Constructor’s Numbers RAAF Serials
Mk III CA-16 D.A.P. 1007 DAP C.S.1800 135 1075 to 1209 A20-623 to 757

DAP = Department of Aircraft Production

Batch numbers
Wirraway Mark III production was planned in batches of 11 aircraft. But there was one exception:

  • The final batch of production, batch “N” consisted of only 3 aircraft to make up 135 aircraft

Batch numbers consisted of a letter for each batch followed by a number for each aircraft in that batch (e.g. A1, A2, A3, A4, etc)..The letters I, O, Q and V were generally not used as batch numbers, as they could be confused for numbers. The CA-16 contract started with batch “A”.

The definitive source for batch numbers is a ledger book kept by Mr Gordon Parker, Supervisor in the Sales Department, and one of CAC’s earliest employees from 1936. This book is now held in the collection of the Australian National Aviation Museum at Moorabbin Airport.

Unfortunately there are two discrepancies in the last 25 entries in the ledger. Firstly, Parker skipped batch “L” for A20-733 to A20-743 and went straight from “K” to “M”. We know that batch “L” was not skipped in reality, as two surviving data plates reclaimed from airframes at Tocumwal show L2 for A20-734 (c/n 1186) and M5 for A20-748 (c/n 1200). Secondly, Parker stopped recording batch numbers at A20-740, so the batch codes shown in the list below are “extrapolated”. The batch “M” extrapolation is supported by the evidence of the M5 batch number on the A20-748 data plate. This leaves a question as to the last three aircraft – were they N1, N2 and N3, or was batch M continued for three more aircraft, as M12, M13 and M14. I have postulated that a new batch “N” was commenced, since CAC did not expect to end production at 755 aircraft. There were many debates between CAC and DAP over how many aircraft to supply to the RAAF (the original order was for 150 aircraft, and another order had been received for 100 additional “Dive Bomber” aircraft planned as CA-20, but only 135 were delivered under the CA-16 order), so it is logical to presume that the last three aircraft were N1, N2 and N3.

During production, batch numbers were temporarily attached to the firewall and then the rudder (once the engine was mounted). These temporary numbers are sometimes visible in factory photos.

Constructor’s numbers
These were a sequence of numbers allocated to each aircraft in the sequence that they came off the line. Wirraways delivered under the CA-16 contract were given constructor’s numbers from 1075 to 1209.

RAAF stores number
All equipment in the RAAF was allocated a stores number for tracking and accounting purposes. Aircraft were tracked under the category “A” and each aircraft was given a specific number, Wirraway aircraft being allocated the category A20. These numbers are often referred to as the “serial number” of the aircraft in RAAF service.

Linking batch numbers, stores numbers and constructor’s numbers
Here are several photos showing Mark III Wirraways under construction, allowing us to link the batch codes to RAAF stores/serial numbers.

Below we can see a group of camouflaged Mark III Wirraways on the production line. Batch numbers visible include D10 (furthest away, on the left) and E1 to E5 (closest, on the right). In the original photograph, D11 is also visible, sitting between D10 and E1, but pointing tail-on to the camera, so its rudder cannot be seen. These aircraft are A20-665 to A20-671, as evidenced by the three-digit number after the two-digit batch codes. 

Figure 1: CAC Wirraway Mark II production showing batch numbers D10 to E5 (Lewis Family Collection, State Library of South Australia, ref  PRG 247/143/13 cropped)

Later in the CA-16 contract, below is a view of H8 (A20-707, c/n 1159) attached to the lifting sling. The batch label taped to the rudder showing H8-707 is repeated in the inset at lower right.

Figure 2: A view of H8 (A20-707) attached to the lifting sling (Australian National Aviation Museum)

The photo below shows late CA-16 production, with the aircraft now painted overall Trainer Yellow.  K7 (A20-728) is visible sitting on dolly wheels, and the rudder of K8 (A20-729) is visible behind the aircraft (shown enlarged in the inset at lower left).

Figure 3: Wirraway Mark III A20-728 on the production line (Australian National Aviation Museum)

The table below lists batch numbers and construction numbers for all Mark III Wirraway aircraft, delivered under the CA-16 contract. The batch numbers are transcribed from Gordon Parker’s delivery records (with the last 25 entries corrected), and have been cross-checked with photographic evidence (some of which is shown above) and several frames and ID tags held in museums or private collections.

CAC Contract Number CA- CAC Constructor’s Number RAAF Serial Batch Number
16 1075 A20-623 A1
16 1076 A20-624 A2
16 1077 A20-625 A3
16 1078 A20-626 A4
16 1079 A20-627 A5
16 1080 A20-628 A6
16 1081 A20-629 A7
16 1082 A20-630 A8
16 1083 A20-631 A9
16 1084 A20-632 A10
16 1085 A20-633 A11
16 1086 A20-634 B1
16 1087 A20-635 B2
16 1088 A20-636 B3
16 1089 A20-637 B4
16 1090 A20-638 B5
16 1091 A20-639 B6
16 1092 A20-640 B7
16 1093 A20-641 B8
16 1094 A20-642 B9
16 1095 A20-643 B10
16 1096 A20-644 B11
16 1097 A20-645 C1
16 1098 A20-646 C2
16 1099 A20-647 C3
16 1100 A20-648 C4
16 1101 A20-649 C5
16 1102 A20-650 C6
16 1103 A20-651 C7
16 1104 A20-652 C8
16 1105 A20-653 C9
16 1106 A20-654 C10
16 1107 A20-655 C11
16 1108 A20-656 D1
16 1109 A20-657 D2
16 1110 A20-658 D3
16 1111 A20-659 D4
16 1112 A20-660 D5
16 1113 A20-661 D6
16 1114 A20-662 D7
16 1115 A20-663 D8
16 1116 A20-664 D9
16 1117 A20-665 D10
16 1118 A20-666 D11
16 1119 A20-667 E1
16 1120 A20-668 E2
16 1121 A20-669 E3
16 1122 A20-670 E4
16 1123 A20-671 E5
16 1124 A20-672 E6
16 1125 A20-673 E7
16 1126 A20-674 E8
16 1127 A20-675 E9
16 1128 A20-676 E10
16 1129 A20-677 E11
16 1130 A20-678 F1
16 1131 A20-679 F2
16 1132 A20-680 F3
16 1133 A20-681 F4
16 1134 A20-682 F5
16 1135 A20-683 F6
16 1136 A20-684 F7
16 1137 A20-685 F8
16 1138 A20-686 F9
16 1139 A20-687 F10
16 1140 A20-688 F11
16 1141 A20-689 G1
16 1142 A20-690 G2
16 1143 A20-691 G3
16 1144 A20-692 G4
16 1145 A20-693 G5
16 1146 A20-694 G6
16 1147 A20-695 G7
16 1148 A20-696 G8
16 1149 A20-697 G9
16 1150 A20-698 G10
16 1151 A20-699 G11
16 1152 A20-700 H1
16 1153 A20-701 H2
16 1154 A20-702 H3
16 1155 A20-703 H4
16 1156 A20-704 H5
16 1157 A20-705 H6
16 1158 A20-706 H7
16 1159 A20-707 H8
16 1160 A20-708 H9
16 1161 A20-709 H10
16 1162 A20-710 H11
16 1163 A20-711 J1
16 1164 A20-712 J2
16 1165 A20-713 J3
16 1166 A20-714 J4
16 1167 A20-715 J5
16 1168 A20-716 J6
16 1169 A20-717 J7
16 1170 A20-718 J8
16 1171 A20-719 J9
16 1172 A20-720 J10
16 1173 A20-721 J11
16 1174 A20-722 K1
16 1175 A20-723 K2
16 1176 A20-724 K3
16 1177 A20-725 K4
16 1178 A20-726 K5
16 1179 A20-727 K6
16 1180 A20-728 K7
16 1181 A20-729 K8
16 1182 A20-730 K9
16 1183 A20-731 K10
16 1184 A20-732 K11
16 1185 A20-733 L1
16 1186 A20-734 L2
16 1187 A20-735 L3
16 1188 A20-736 L4
16 1189 A20-737 L5
16 1190 A20-738 L6
16 1191 A20-739 L7
16 1192 A20-740 L8
16 1193 A20-741 L9
16 1194 A20-742 L10
16 1195 A20-743 L11
16 1196 A20-744 M1
16 1197 A20-745 M2
16 1198 A20-746 M3
16 1199 A20-747 M4
16 1200 A20-748 M5
16 1201 A20-749 M6
16 1202 A20-750 M7
16 1203 A20-751 M8
16 1204 A20-752 M9
16 1205 A20-753 M10
16 1206 A20-754 M11
16 1207 A20-755 N1
16 1208 A20-756 N2
16 1209 A20-757 N3

I welcome feedback on the table above, with supporting evidence of any possible inaccuracies.

References:

Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation. Sales Department Aircraft Delivery Ledger; Kept by Gordon Parker. CAC Collection, Australian National Aviation Museum.

Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation. Aircraft Drawing Office Manual. Incorporating up to Amendment List No. 2, Melbourne, Australia, 1946.

Wirraway batch numbers – Mark II aircraft

For reference purposes I’ve collated a list of production batch numbers for the CAC Wirraway aircraft delivered to the RAAF between July 1939 and July 1946. This page contains the batch numbers for Mark II Wirraways, which were delivered under the CA-3, CA-5, CA-7, CA-8 and CA-9 production “contract” numbers. A summary of Mark II production is given in the table below:

Wirraway type CAC Contract Number RAAF Contract Demand Ordering entity Order Number Quantity delivered CAC Constructor’s Numbers RAAF Serials
Mk II CA-3 T.456 DCB (unknown) 60 41 to 100 A20-43 to 102
Mk II CA-5 T.562 DCB (unknown) 32 103 to 134 A20-103 to 134
Mk II CA-7 A.P.C.1 APC (unknown) 100 135 to 234 A20-135 to 234
Mk II CA-8 A.P.C.81 APC (unknown) 200 436 to 635 A20-235 to 434
Mk II CA-9 A.P.C.433 APC (unknown) 132 636 to 766 A20-435 to 565
Mk II CA-9 A.P.C.739 APC C.S.452 56 767 to 823 A20-566 to 622

DCB = Defence Contracts Board
APC = Aircraft Production Commission

Batch numbers
Wirraway production was generally planned in batches of 10 aircraft. But there were two exceptions:

  • At the end of the CA-5 contract, batch “Q” consisted of 12 aircraft, to make up the total of 32 aircraft delivered against this contract
  • At the end of the CA-9 contract, batch “W” consisted of only 8 aircraft, to make up the total of 188 aircraft delivered against this contract

Batch numbers consisted of a letter for each batch followed by a number for each aircraft in that batch (e.g. A1, A2, A3, A4, etc)..The letters I, O, Q and V were generally not used as batch numbers, as they could be confused for numbers.

Usually a new contract (such as CA-1, CA-2, etc) started with batch “A”. However the CA-5 contract started with batch “N” (following from the final CA-3 batch which was “M”)

The definitive source for batch numbers is a ledger book kept by Mr Gordon Parker, Supervisor in the Sales Department, and one of CAC’s earliest employees from 1936. This book is now held in the collection of the Australian National Aviation Museum at Moorabbin Airport. The list below is transcribed from the Parker list, and has been checked against photographic records as well as airframes and ID tags held in museums and private collections.

During production, batch numbers were temporarily attached to the firewall and then the rudder (once the engine was mounted). These temporary numbers are sometimes visible in factory photos.

Constructor’s numbers
These were a sequence of numbers allocated to each aircraft in the sequence that they came off the line. For example, Wirraways delivered under the CA-3 contract were given constructor’s numbers from 41 to 100.

RAAF stores number
All equipment in the RAAF was allocated a stores number for tracking and accounting purposes. Aircraft were tracked under the category “A” and each aircraft was given a specific number, Wirraway aircraft being allocated the category A20. These numbers are often referred to as the “serial number” of the aircraft in RAAF service.

Linking batch numbers, stores numbers and constructor’s numbers
Here are several photos showing Mark II Wirraways under construction, allowing us to link the batch codes to RAAF stores/serial numbers.

Mark II Wirraways commenced with the 41st aircraft, A20-44 (c/n 41) and in the photo below we see the last Mark I aircraft (A20-42, on the far side of the factory closest to the doors) and the first Mark II aircraft (furthest to the right, with G1 batch number on the rudder). Workers are pushing G4 in the foreground (A20-46).

Figure 1: CAC factory floor in mid February 1940, the point of changing from Mark I aircraft to Mark II aircraft (Australian War Memorial, ref 000626/06)

Early in CA-5 production the photo below shows six fins and rudders, from the left N8, with A20-110 also labelled, then N9 (batch label hidden) with its tail wheel on the ground, then N10 (batch label hidden), then P1 and P2 and finally P3 with its label hanging half-off. 

Figure 2: Early CA-5 production, showing the fins of N8 to P3, corresponding to A20-110 to A20-115 (Author’s collection)

The photo below shows a group of Wirraway aircraft under construction, late in the CA-9 contract, around March 1942. Batch numbers taped to the rudder of each aircraft are (from the left) P6-570, P5-569, P1-565, N9-563. These correspond to A20-570, A20-569, A20-565 and A20-563. Incidentally, these aircraft (the last 56 in the CA-9 contract) were originally intended for the RAF, but the War Cabinet decided to retain them in Australia. They were also delivered with two-bladed propellers, as De Havilland had run out of imported “spider” castings for three-bladed propellers.

Mark II Wirraways under construction (CA-9 contract)
Figure 3: Mark II Wirraways under construction for the CA-9 contract (Lewis Family Collection, State Library of South Australia, ref PRG 247/143/9, cropped)

The table below lists batch numbers and construction numbers for all Mark II Wirraway aircraft, delivered under the CA-3, CA-5, CA-7, CA-8 and CA-9 contracts. The batch numbers are transcribed from Gordon Parker’s delivery records, and have been cross-checked with photographic evidence (some of which is shown above) and several frames and ID tags held in museums or private collections.

CAC Contract Number CA- CAC Constructor’s Number RAAF Serial Batch Number
3 41 A20-43 G1
3 42 A20-44 G2
3 43 A20-45 G3
3 44 A20-46 G4
3 45 A20-47 G5
3 46 A20-48 G6
3 47 A20-49 G7
3 48 A20-50 G8
3 49 A20-51 G9
3 50 A20-52 G10
3 51 A20-53 H1
3 52 A20-54 H2
3 53 A20-55 H3
3 54 A20-56 H4
3 55 A20-57 H5
3 56 A20-58 H6
3 57 A20-59 H7
3 58 A20-60 H8
3 59 A20-61 H9
3 60 A20-62 H10
3 61 A20-63 J1
3 62 A20-64 J2
3 63 A20-65 J3
3 64 A20-66 J4
3 65 A20-67 J5
3 66 A20-68 J6
3 67 A20-69 J7
3 68 A20-70 J8
3 69 A20-71 J9
3 70 A20-72 J10
3 71 A20-73 K1
3 72 A20-74 K2
3 73 A20-75 K3
3 74 A20-76 K4
3 75 A20-77 K5
3 76 A20-78 K6
3 77 A20-79 K7
3 78 A20-80 K8
3 79 A20-81 K9
3 80 A20-82 K10
3 81 A20-83 L1
3 82 A20-84 L2
3 83 A20-85 L3
3 84 A20-86 L4
3 85 A20-87 L5
3 86 A20-88 L6
3 87 A20-89 L7
3 88 A20-90 L8
3 89 A20-91 L9
3 90 A20-92 L10
3 91 A20-93 M1
3 92 A20-94 M2
3 93 A20-95 M3
3 94 A20-96 M4
3 95 A20-97 M5
3 96 A20-98 M6
3 97 A20-99 M7
3 98 A20-100 M8
3 99 A20-101 M9
3 100 A20-102 M10
5 103 A20-103 N1
5 104 A20-104 N2
5 105 A20-105 N3
5 106 A20-106 N4
5 107 A20-107 N5
5 108 A20-108 N6
5 109 A20-109 N7
5 110 A20-110 N8
5 111 A20-111 N9
5 112 A20-112 N10
5 113 A20-113 P1
5 114 A20-114 P2
5 115 A20-115 P3
5 116 A20-116 P4
5 117 A20-117 P5
5 118 A20-118 P6
5 119 A20-119 P7
5 120 A20-120 P8
5 121 A20-121 P9
5 122 A20-122 P10
5 123 A20-123 Q1
5 124 A20-124 Q2
5 125 A20-125 Q3
5 126 A20-126 Q4
5 127 A20-127 Q5
5 128 A20-128 Q6
5 129 A20-129 Q7
5 130 A20-130 Q8
5 131 A20-131 Q9
5 132 A20-132 Q10
5 133 A20-133 Q11
5 134 A20-134 Q12
7 135 A20-135 A1
7 136 A20-136 A2
7 137 A20-137 A3
7 138 A20-138 A4
7 139 A20-139 A5
7 140 A20-140 A6
7 141 A20-141 A7
7 142 A20-142 A8
7 143 A20-143 A9
7 144 A20-144 A10
7 145 A20-145 B1
7 146 A20-146 B2
7 147 A20-147 B3
7 148 A20-148 B4
7 149 A20-149 B5
7 150 A20-150 B6
7 151 A20-151 B7
7 152 A20-152 B8
7 153 A20-153 B9
7 154 A20-154 B10
7 155 A20-155 C1
7 156 A20-156 C2
7 157 A20-157 C3
7 158 A20-158 C4
7 159 A20-159 C5
7 160 A20-160 C6
7 161 A20-161 C7
7 162 A20-162 C8
7 163 A20-163 C9
7 164 A20-164 C10
7 165 A20-165 D1
7 166 A20-166 D2
7 167 A20-167 D3
7 168 A20-168 D4
7 169 A20-169 D5
7 170 A20-170 D6
7 171 A20-171 D7
7 172 A20-172 D8
7 173 A20-173 D9
7 174 A20-174 D10
7 175 A20-175 E1
7 176 A20-176 E2
7 177 A20-177 E3
7 178 A20-178 E4
7 179 A20-179 E5
7 180 A20-180 E6
7 181 A20-181 E7
7 182 A20-182 E8
7 183 A20-183 E9
7 184 A20-184 E10
7 185 A20-185 F1
7 186 A20-186 F2
7 187 A20-187 F3
7 188 A20-188 F4
7 189 A20-189 F5
7 190 A20-190 F6
7 191 A20-191 F7
7 192 A20-192 F8
7 193 A20-193 F9
7 194 A20-194 F10
7 195 A20-195 G1
7 196 A20-196 G2
7 197 A20-197 G3
7 198 A20-198 G4
7 199 A20-199 G5
7 200 A20-200 G6
7 201 A20-201 G7
7 202 A20-202 G8
7 203 A20-203 G9
7 204 A20-204 G10
7 205 A20-205 H1
7 206 A20-206 H2
7 207 A20-207 H3
7 208 A20-208 H4
7 209 A20-209 H5
7 210 A20-210 H6
7 211 A20-211 H7
7 212 A20-212 H8
7 213 A20-213 H9
7 214 A20-214 H10
7 215 A20-215 J1
7 216 A20-216 J2
7 217 A20-217 J3
7 218 A20-218 J4
7 219 A20-219 J5
7 220 A20-220 J6
7 221 A20-221 J7
7 222 A20-222 J8
7 223 A20-223 J9
7 224 A20-224 J10
7 225 A20-225 K1
7 226 A20-226 K2
7 227 A20-227 K3
7 228 A20-228 K4
7 229 A20-229 K5
7 230 A20-230 K6
7 231 A20-231 K7
7 232 A20-232 K8
7 233 A20-233 K9
7 234 A20-234 K10
8 436 A20-235 A1
8 437 A20-236 A2
8 438 A20-237 A3
8 439 A20-238 A4
8 440 A20-239 A5
8 441 A20-240 A6
8 442 A20-241 A7
8 443 A20-242 A8
8 444 A20-243 A9
8 445 A20-244 A10
8 446 A20-245 B1
8 447 A20-246 B2
8 448 A20-247 B3
8 449 A20-248 B4
8 450 A20-249 B5
8 451 A20-250 B6
8 452 A20-251 B7
8 453 A20-252 B8
8 454 A20-253 B9
8 455 A20-254 B10
8 456 A20-255 C1
8 457 A20-256 C2
8 458 A20-257 C3
8 459 A20-258 C4
8 460 A20-259 C5
8 461 A20-260 C6
8 462 A20-261 C7
8 463 A20-262 C8
8 464 A20-263 C9
8 465 A20-264 C10
8 466 A20-265 D1
8 467 A20-266 D2
8 468 A20-267 D3
8 469 A20-268 D4
8 470 A20-269 D5
8 471 A20-270 D6
8 472 A20-271 D7
8 473 A20-272 D8
8 474 A20-273 D9
8 475 A20-274 D10
8 476 A20-275 E1
8 477 A20-276 E2
8 478 A20-277 E3
8 479 A20-278 E4
8 480 A20-279 E5
8 481 A20-280 E6
8 482 A20-281 E7
8 483 A20-282 E8
8 484 A20-283 E9
8 485 A20-284 E10
8 486 A20-285 F1
8 487 A20-286 F2
8 488 A20-287 F3
8 489 A20-288 F4
8 490 A20-289 F5
8 491 A20-290 F6
8 492 A20-291 F7
8 493 A20-292 F8
8 494 A20-293 F9
8 495 A20-294 F10
8 496 A20-295 G1
8 497 A20-296 G2
8 498 A20-297 G3
8 499 A20-298 G4
8 500 A20-299 G5
8 501 A20-300 G6
8 502 A20-301 G7
8 503 A20-302 G8
8 504 A20-303 G9
8 505 A20-304 G10
8 506 A20-305 H1
8 507 A20-306 H2
8 508 A20-307 H3
8 509 A20-308 H4
8 510 A20-309 H5
8 511 A20-310 H6
8 512 A20-311 H7
8 513 A20-312 H8
8 514 A20-313 H9
8 515 A20-314 H10
8 516 A20-315 J1
8 517 A20-316 J2
8 518 A20-317 J3
8 519 A20-318 J4
8 520 A20-319 J5
8 521 A20-320 J6
8 522 A20-321 J7
8 523 A20-322 J8
8 524 A20-323 J9
8 525 A20-324 J10
8 526 A20-325 K1
8 527 A20-326 K2
8 528 A20-327 K3
8 529 A20-328 K4
8 530 A20-329 K5
8 531 A20-330 K6
8 532 A20-331 K7
8 533 A20-332 K8
8 534 A20-333 K9
8 535 A20-334 K10
8 536 A20-335 L1
8 537 A20-336 L2
8 538 A20-337 L3
8 539 A20-338 L4
8 540 A20-339 L5
8 541 A20-340 L6
8 542 A20-341 L7
8 543 A20-342 L8
8 544 A20-343 L9
8 545 A20-344 L10
8 546 A20-345 M1
8 547 A20-346 M2
8 548 A20-347 M3
8 549 A20-348 M4
8 550 A20-349 M5
8 551 A20-350 M6
8 552 A20-351 M7
8 553 A20-352 M8
8 554 A20-353 M9
8 555 A20-354 M10
8 556 A20-355 N1
8 557 A20-356 N2
8 558 A20-357 N3
8 559 A20-358 N4
8 560 A20-359 N5
8 561 A20-360 N6
8 562 A20-361 N7
8 563 A20-362 N8
8 564 A20-363 N9
8 565 A20-364 N10
8 566 A20-365 P1
8 567 A20-366 P2
8 568 A20-367 P3
8 569 A20-368 P4
8 570 A20-369 P5
8 571 A20-370 P6
8 572 A20-371 P7
8 573 A20-372 P8
8 574 A20-373 P9
8 575 A20-374 P10
8 576 A20-375 R1
8 577 A20-376 R2
8 578 A20-377 R3
8 579 A20-378 R4
8 580 A20-379 R5
8 581 A20-380 R6
8 582 A20-381 R7
8 583 A20-382 R8
8 584 A20-383 R9
8 585 A20-384 R10
8 586 A20-385 S1
8 587 A20-386 S2
8 588 A20-387 S3
8 589 A20-388 S4
8 590 A20-389 S5
8 591 A20-390 S6
8 592 A20-391 S7
8 593 A20-392 S8
8 594 A20-393 S9
8 595 A20-394 S10
8 596 A20-395 T1
8 597 A20-396 T2
8 598 A20-397 T3
8 599 A20-398 T4
8 600 A20-399 T5
8 601 A20-400 T6
8 602 A20-401 T7
8 603 A20-402 T8
8 604 A20-403 T9
8 605 A20-404 T10
8 606 A20-405 U1
8 607 A20-406 U2
8 608 A20-407 U3
8 609 A20-408 U4
8 610 A20-409 U5
8 611 A20-410 U6
8 612 A20-411 U7
8 613 A20-412 U8
8 614 A20-413 U9
8 615 A20-414 U10
8 616 A20-415 W1
8 617 A20-416 W2
8 618 A20-417 W3
8 619 A20-418 W4
8 620 A20-419 W5
8 621 A20-420 W6
8 622 A20-421 W7
8 623 A20-422 W8
8 624 A20-423 W9
8 625 A20-424 W10
8 626 A20-425 X1
8 627 A20-426 X2
8 628 A20-427 X3
8 629 A20-428 X4
8 630 A20-429 X5
8 631 A20-430 X6
8 632 A20-431 X7
8 633 A20-432 X8
8 634 A20-433 X9
8 635 A20-434 X10
9 636 A20-435 A1
9 637 A20-436 A2
9 638 A20-437 A3
9 639 A20-438 A4
9 640 A20-439 A5
9 641 A20-440 A6
9 642 A20-441 A7
9 643 A20-442 A8
9 644 A20-443 A9
9 645 A20-444 A10
9 646 A20-445 B1
9 647 A20-446 B2
9 648 A20-447 B3
9 649 A20-448 B4
9 650 A20-449 B5
9 651 A20-450 B6
9 652 A20-451 B7
9 653 A20-452 B8
9 654 A20-453 B9
9 655 A20-454 B10
9 656 A20-455 C1
9 657 A20-456 C2
9 658 A20-457 C3
9 659 A20-458 C4
9 660 A20-459 C5
9 661 A20-460 C6
9 662 A20-461 C7
9 663 A20-462 C8
9 664 A20-463 C9
9 665 A20-464 C10
9 666 A20-465 D1
9 667 A20-466 D2
9 668 A20-467 D3
9 669 A20-468 D4
9 670 A20-469 D5
9 671 A20-470 D6
9 672 A20-471 D7
9 673 A20-472 D8
9 674 A20-473 D9
9 675 A20-474 D10
9 676 A20-475 E1
9 677 A20-476 E2
9 678 A20-477 E3
9 679 A20-478 E4
9 680 A20-479 E5
9 681 A20-480 E6
9 682 A20-481 E7
9 683 A20-482 E8
9 684 A20-483 E9
9 685 A20-484 E10
9 686 A20-485 F1
9 687 A20-486 F2
9 688 A20-487 F3
9 689 A20-488 F4
9 690 A20-489 F5
9 691 A20-490 F6
9 692 A20-491 F7
9 693 A20-492 F8
9 694 A20-493 F9
9 695 A20-494 F10
9 696 A20-495 G1
9 697 A20-496 G2
9 698 A20-497 G3
9 699 A20-498 G4
9 700 A20-499 G5
9 701 A20-500 G6
9 702 A20-501 G7
9 703 A20-502 G8
9 704 A20-503 G9
9 705 A20-504 G10
9 706 A20-505 H1
9 707 A20-506 H2
9 708 A20-507 H3
9 709 A20-508 H4
9 710 A20-509 H5
9 711 A20-510 H6
9 712 A20-511 H7
9 713 A20-512 H8
9 714 A20-513 H9
9 715 A20-514 H10
9 716 A20-515 J1
9 717 A20-516 J2
9 718 A20-517 J3
9 719 A20-518 J4
9 720 A20-519 J5
9 721 A20-520 J6
9 722 A20-521 J7
9 723 A20-522 J8
9 724 A20-523 J9
9 725 A20-524 J10
9 726 A20-525 K1
9 727 A20-526 K2
9 728 A20-527 K3
9 729 A20-528 K4
9 730 A20-529 K5
9 731 A20-530 K6
9 732 A20-531 K7
9 733 A20-532 K8
9 734 A20-533 K9
9 735 A20-534 K10
9 736 A20-535 L1
9 737 A20-536 L2
9 738 A20-537 L3
9 739 A20-538 L4
9 740 A20-539 L5
9 741 A20-540 L6
9 742 A20-541 L7
9 743 A20-542 L8
9 744 A20-543 L9
9 745 A20-544 L10
9 746 A20-545 M1
9 747 A20-546 M2
9 748 A20-547 M3
9 749 A20-548 M4
9 750 A20-549 M5
9 751 A20-550 M6
9 752 A20-551 M7
9 753 A20-552 M8
9 754 A20-553 M9
9 755 A20-554 M10
9 756 A20-555 N1
9 757 A20-556 N2
9 758 A20-557 N3
9 759 A20-558 N4
9 760 A20-559 N5
9 761 A20-560 N6
9 762 A20-561 N7
9 763 A20-562 N8
9 764 A20-563 N9
9 765 A20-564 N10
9 766 A20-565 P1
9 767 A20-566 P2
9 768 A20-567 P3
9 769 A20-568 P4
9 770 A20-569 P5
9 771 A20-570 P6
9 772 A20-571 P7
9 773 A20-572 P8
9 774 A20-573 P9
9 775 A20-574 P10
9 776 A20-575 R1
9 777 A20-576 R2
9 778 A20-577 R3
9 779 A20-578 R4
9 780 A20-579 R5
9 781 A20-580 R6
9 782 A20-581 R7
9 783 A20-582 R8
9 784 A20-583 R9
9 785 A20-584 R10
9 786 A20-585 S1
9 787 A20-586 S2
9 788 A20-587 S3
9 789 A20-588 S4
9 790 A20-589 S5
9 791 A20-590 S6
9 792 A20-591 S7
9 793 A20-592 S8
9 794 A20-593 S9
9 795 A20-594 S10
9 796 A20-595 T1
9 797 A20-596 T2
9 798 A20-597 T3
9 799 A20-598 T4
9 800 A20-599 T5
9 801 A20-600 T6
9 802 A20-601 T7
9 803 A20-602 T8
9 804 A20-603 T9
9 805 A20-604 T10
9 806 A20-605 U1
9 807 A20-606 U2
9 808 A20-607 U3
9 809 A20-608 U4
9 810 A20-609 U5
9 811 A20-610 U6
9 812 A20-611 U7
9 813 A20-612 U8
9 814 A20-613 U9
9 815 A20-614 U10
9 816 A20-615 W1
9 817 A20-616 W2
9 818 A20-617 W3
9 819 A20-618 W4
9 820 A20-619 W5
9 821 A20-620 W6
9 822 A20-621 W7
9 823 A20-622 W8

I welcome feedback on the table above, with supporting evidence of any possible inaccuracies.

References:

Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation. Sales Department Aircraft Delivery Ledger; Kept by Gordon Parker. CAC Collection, Australian National Aviation Museum.

Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation. Aircraft Drawing Office Manual. Incorporating up to Amendment List No. 2, Melbourne, Australia, 1946.

Wirraway batch numbers – Mark I aircraft

For reference purposes I’ve collated a list of production batch numbers for the CAC Wirraway aircraft delivered to the RAAF between July 1939 and July 1946. This page contains the batch numbers for Mark I Wirraways, which were delivered under the CA-1 production “contract” number. This contract number was an internal number used by CAC (similar to the accounting “charge number” system used by North American Aviation) and was not the actual contract number from the Defence Contracts Board.

Wirraway type CAC Contract Number RAAF Contract Demand Ordering entity Order Number Quantity delivered CAC Constructor’s Numbers RAAF Serials
Mk I CA-1 T.374 DCB (unknown) 40 1 to 40 A20-3 to A20-42

DCB = Defence Contracts Board

Batch numbers
During construction, each aircraft was given a batch number, for the ordering of parts and materials. Batch numbers consisted of a letter for each batch followed by a number for each aircraft in that batch (e.g. A1, A2, A3, A4, etc). Wirraway production was generally planned in batches of 10 aircraft. But there were exceptions, as it appears the first 10 aircraft were produced in two batches of five (more on that below).

The letters I, O, Q and V were generally not used as batch numbers, as they could be confused for numbers. Usually a new contract (such as CA-1, CA-2, etc) started with batch “A”.

The definitive source for batch numbers is a ledger book kept by Mr Gordon Parker, Supervisor in the Sales Department, and one of CAC’s earliest employees from 1936. This book is now held in the collection of the Australian National Aviation Museum at Moorabbin Airport.

During production, batch numbers were temporarily attached to the firewall and then the rudder (once the engine was mounted). These temporary numbers are sometimes visible in factory photos.

Constructor’s numbers
These were a sequence of numbers allocated to each aircraft in the sequence that they came off the line. For example, Wirraways delivered under the CA-1 contract were given constructor’s numbers from 1 to 40.

RAAF stores number
All equipment in the RAAF was allocated a stores number for tracking and accounting purposes. Aircraft were tracked under the category “A” and each aircraft was given a specific number, Wirraway aircraft being allocated the category A20. These numbers are often referred to as the “serial number” of the aircraft in RAAF service.

Linking batch numbers, stores numbers and constructor’s numbers
Here are several photos showing Mark I Wirraways under construction, allowing us to link the batch codes to RAAF stores/serial numbers.

The photo below (Figure 1) shows a group of fuselages under construction at the CAC factory. This is very early in the production (note the two Gannet aircraft near the hangar doors), and the batch number C2 can be seen attached to the firewall. Unfortunately no serial codes are evident, and so we can’t definitively connect this batch number to a serial number. But by tracing back from other aircraft in batch C (explained below), C2 would have been A20-9.

Figure 1: Early Wirraway Mark I production at CAC. Batch code C2 is visible on the firewall of this fuselage (Aircraft, August 1, 1939, p. 17)

Another photograph of early Wirraway production (Figure 2) shows A20-21 on the production line, with the batch number D9 on plaques attached to the firewall and also the rudder. The camouflaged Wirraway behind A20-21 has the batch number E1 on its firewall, corresponding to A20-23 which was the first aircraft delivered to the RAAF in camouflage.

Figure 2: Wirraway A20-21 on the production line, with batch code D9 visible on the firewall (RAAF Museum).

Taken immediately beside the photo above, Figure 3 below shows A20-20 on the production line, with its engine installed. The batch number on the rudder is not readable, due to the angle of the rudder. Immediately behind sits another silver-doped Wirraway with batch code D10 on the firewall (corresponding to A20-22, although the serial number is not visible in the photo), the last silver-doped Wirraway.

Figure 3: Wirraway A20-20 in final assembly at CAC (RAAF Museum)

Unfortunately Gordon Parker only started recording the batch numbers from H8 onwards (A20-60, well into the CA-3 contract). So we need to “reconstruct” the earlier batch numbers based on other evidence including:

  • Photograph above (Figure 1) shows D9 was A20-21 (c/n 19)
  • The  Clyde Engineering tag on A20-10 at the Australian National Aviation Museum reads “SERIAL 01/3124/C3”, linking batch number C3 to A20-10 (c/n 8)
  • A frame in a private collection which is identifiable as a CA-1 forward frame has  the original CAC identification tag which reads “Serial 01-3124-C2“, meaning that C2 was a CA-1 contract aircraft, most likely A20-9 (c/n 7) – see Figure 1 above

Counting back from D9 (A20-21, c/n 19) we can postulate that D1 was A20-13 (c/n 11). If we then assume that batch C was 5 aircraft, then C5 would be A20-12 (c/n 10) and C1 would be A20-8 (c/n 6). This fits with A20-10 (c/n 8) being C3. 

This then leaves the first five aircraft and two batch numbers, A and B. It is possible that the first five aircraft (which were assembled from imported components manufactured by NAA in California) were batch B and perhaps the two imported airframes (A20-1 and A20-2) were considered as batch A. But this is just speculation. Until further evidence can be found, I will describe the batch numbers of the first five aircraft as “unknown”.

Thus we can arrive at the table below showing the batch numbers for all Mark I Wirraway aircraft delivered under the CA-1 contract.

CAC Contract Number CA- CAC Constructor’s Number RAAF Serial Batch Number
1 1 A20-3 Unknown
1 2 A20-4 Unknown
1 3 A20-5 Unknown
1 4 A20-6 Unknown
1 5 A20-7 Unknown
1 6 A20-8 C1
1 7 A20-9 C2
1 8 A20-10 C3
1 9 A20-11 C4
1 10 A20-12 C5
1 11 A20-13 D1
1 12 A20-14 D2
1 13 A20-15 D3
1 14 A20-16 D4
1 15 A20-17 D5
1 16 A20-18 D6
1 17 A20-19 D7
1 18 A20-20 D8
1 19 A20-21 D9
1 20 A20-22 D10
1 21 A20-23 E1
1 22 A20-24 E2
1 23 A20-25 E3
1 24 A20-26 E4
1 25 A20-27 E5
1 26 A20-28 E6
1 27 A20-29 E7
1 28 A20-30 E8
1 29 A20-31 E9
1 30 A20-32 E10
1 31 A20-33 F1
1 32 A20-34 F2
1 33 A20-35 F3
1 34 A20-36 F4
1 35 A20-37 F5
1 36 A20-38 F6
1 37 A20-39 F7
1 38 A20-40 F8
1 39 A20-41 F9
1 40 A20-42 F10

I welcome feedback on the table above, with supporting evidence of any possible inaccuracies.

References:

Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation. Sales Department Aircraft Delivery Ledger; Kept by Gordon Parker. CAC Collection, Australian National Aviation Museum.

Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation. Aircraft Drawing Office Manual. Incorporating up to Amendment List No. 2, Melbourne, Australia, 1946.

The radical Wirraway procurement process

I’m currently working on a short presentation for the sold-out Aviation Cultures MkIV conference in November…

I’m going to be looking at the difference between the “procurement process” followed for the Wirraway and the process followed for other RAAF aircraft purchases up to that time.

Being the first non-British aircraft procured by the Air Board, the process followed for the Wirraway marked a radical transition…

Aviation Cultures Mk IV conference, November 2018

Boomerang batch numbers

Each Boomerang aircraft had three different identifiers…

Batch numbers
During construction, each aircraft was given a batch number, for the ordering of parts and materials. There were either 5, 10 or 20 aircraft in a production batch. Batch numbers consisted of a letter for each batch followed by a number for each aircraft in that batch (e.g. A1, A2, etc). The letters I, O and Q were not used as batch numbers, as they could be confused for numbers.

Usually a new contract (such as CA-1, CA-2, etc) started with batch “A”, but in the case of the Boomerang production this did not happen. Aircraft produced under the CA-12 contract started with batch “A”, under the CA-13 contract with batch “H” and under the CA-19 contract with batch “N”.

The definitive source for batch numbers is a ledger book filled out by Mr Gordon Parker, Supervisor in the Sales Department, and one of CAC’s earliest employees from 1936. This book is now held in the collection of the Australian National Aviation Museum at Moorabbin Airport. The list below has been transcribed from the Parker list, and also checked against photographic records and ID tags held in museums and private collections.

Batch numbers were usually taped to the firewall or the rudder (once the engine was mounted), and they are sometimes visible in factory photos.

Constructor’s numbers
These were a sequence of numbers allocated to each aircraft in the sequence that they came off the line. For example, Boomerangs delivered under the CA-12 contract were numbered from 824 to 928.

RAAF stores number
All equipment in the RAAF was allocated a stores number for tracking and accounting purposes. Aircraft were tracked under the category “A” and each aircraft was given a specific number, Boomerang aircraft being allocated the category A46.

Putting it all together
The photo below shows a Boomerang under construction. The batch number taped to the rudder is “D12-37”, this tells us the aircraft is the 12th aircraft in batch “D” (D12) and would be given the RAAF stores code A46-37. The aircraft was the 860th constructed by CAC (constructor’s number 860).
Photo from the Lewis Family Collection, State Library of South Australia (ref PRG 247/143/41).

The table below shows these numbers for all the CAC Bomerang aircraft, with batch numbers transcribed from Gordon Parker’s delivery records. Note that these batch numbers were current at the time the aircraft left the factory. During RAAF service, various parts could be changed during repairs, resulting in possible differences between batch numbers and stores numbers as listed below.

Contract CA- CAC Constructor’s No. RAAF Stores No. CAC Batch Number (from Parker list)
12 824 A46-1 A1
12 825 A46-2 A2
12 826 A46-3 A3
12 827 A46-4 A4
12 828 A46-5 A5
12 829 A46-6 B1
12 830 A46-7 B2
12 831 A46-8 B3
12 832 A46-9 B4
12 833 A46-10 B5
12 834 A46-11 B6
12 835 A46-12 B7
12 836 A46-13 B8
12 837 A46-14 B9
12 838 A46-15 B10
12 839 A46-16 C1
12 840 A46-17 C2
12 841 A46-18 C3
12 842 A46-19 C4
12 843 A46-20 C5
12 844 A46-21 C6
12 845 A46-22 C7
12 846 A46-23 C8
12 847 A46-24 C9
12 848 A46-25 C10
12 849 A46-26 D1
12 850 A46-27 D2
12 851 A46-28 D3
12 852 A46-29 D4
12 853 A46-30 D5
12 854 A46-31 D6
12 855 A46-32 D7
12 856 A46-33 D8
12 857 A46-34 D9
12 858 A46-35 D10
12 859 A46-36 D11
12 860 A46-37 D12
12 861 A46-38 D13
12 862 A46-39 D14
12 863 A46-40 D15
12 864 A46-41 D16
12 865 A46-42 D17
12 866 A46-43 D18
12 867 A46-44 D19
12 868 A46-45 D20
12 869 A46-46 E1
12 870 A46-47 E2
12 871 A46-48 E3
12 872 A46-49 E4
12 873 A46-50 E5
12 874 A46-51 E6
12 875 A46-52 E7
12 876 A46-53 E8
12 877 A46-54 E9
12 878 A46-55 E10
12 879 A46-56 E11
12 880 A46-57 E12
12 881 A46-58 E13
12 882 A46-59 E14
12 883 A46-60 E15
12 884 A46-61 E16
12 885 A46-62 E17
12 886 A46-63 E18
12 887 A46-64 E19
12 888 A46-65 E20
12 889 A46-66 F1
12 890 A46-67 F2
12 891 A46-68 F3
12 892 A46-69 F4
12 893 A46-70 F5
12 894 A46-71 F6
12 895 A46-72 F7
12 896 A46-73 F8
12 897 A46-74 F9
12 898 A46-75 F10
12 899 A46-76 F11
12 900 A46-77 F12
12 901 A46-78 F13
12 902 A46-79 F14
12 903 A46-80 F15
12 904 A46-81 F16
12 905 A46-82 F17
12 906 A46-83 F18
12 907 A46-84 F19
12 908 A46-85 F20
12 909 A46-86 G1
12 910 A46-87 G2
12 911 A46-88 G3
12 912 A46-89 G4
12 913 A46-90 G5
12 914 A46-91 G6
12 915 A46-92 G7
12 916 A46-93 G8
12 917 A46-94 G9
12 918 A46-95 G10
12 919 A46-96 G11
12 920 A46-97 G12
12 921 A46-98 G13
12 922 A46-99 G14
12 923 A46-100 G15
12 924 A46-101 G16
12 925 A46-102 G17
12 926 A46-103 G18
12 927 A46-104 G19
12 928 A46-105 G20
13 929 A46-106 H1
13 930 A46-107 H2
13 931 A46-108 H3
13 932 A46-109 H4
13 933 A46-110 H5
13 934 A46-111 H6
13 935 A46-112 H7
13 936 A46-113 H8
13 937 A46-114 H9
13 938 A46-115 H10
13 939 A46-116 H11
13 940 A46-117 H12
13 941 A46-118 H13
13 942 A46-119 H14
13 943 A46-120 H15
13 944 A46-121 H16
13 945 A46-122 H17
13 946 A46-123 H18
13 947 A46-124 H19
13 948 A46-125 H20
13 949 A46-126 J1
13 950 A46-127 J2
13 951 A46-128 J3
13 952 A46-129 J4
13 953 A46-130 J5
13 954 A46-131 J6
13 955 A46-132 J7
13 956 A46-133 J8
13 957 A46-134 J9
13 958 A46-135 J10
13 959 A46-136 J11
13 960 A46-137 J12
13 961 A46-138 J13
13 962 A46-139 J14
13 963 A46-140 J15
13 964 A46-141 J16
13 965 A46-142 J17
13 966 A46-143 J18
13 967 A46-144 J19
13 968 A46-145 J20
13 969 A46-146 K1
13 970 A46-147 K2
13 971 A46-148 K3
13 972 A46-149 K4
13 973 A46-150 K5
13 974 A46-151 K6
13 975 A46-152 K7
13 976 A46-153 K8
13 977 A46-154 K9
13 978 A46-155 K10
13 979 A46-156 K11
13 980 A46-157 K12
13 981 A46-158 K13
13 982 A46-159 K14
13 983 A46-160 K15
13 984 A46-161 K16
13 985 A46-162 K17
13 986 A46-163 K18
13 987 A46-164 K19
13 988 A46-165 K20
13 989 A46-166 L1
13 990 A46-167 L2
13 991 A46-168 L3
13 992 A46-169 L4
13 993 A46-170 L5
13 994 A46-171 L6
13 995 A46-172 L7
13 996 A46-173 L8
13 997 A46-174 L9
13 998 A46-175 L10
13 999 A46-176 L11
13 1000 A46-177 L12
13 1001 A46-178 L13
13 1002 A46-179 L14
13 1003 A46-180 L15
13 1004 A46-181 L16
13 1005 A46-182 L17
13 1006 A46-183 L18
13 1007 A46-184 L19
13 1008 A46-185 L20
13 1009 A46-186 M1
13 1010 A46-187 M2
13 1011 A46-188 M3
13 1012 A46-189 M4
13 1013 A46-190 M5
13 1014 A46-191 M6
13 1015 A46-192 M7
13 1016 A46-193 M8
13 1017 A46-194 M9
13 1018 A46-195 M10
13 1019 A46-196 M11
13 1020 A46-197 M12
13 1021 A46-198 M13
13 1022 A46-199 M14
13 1023 A46-200 M15
19 1024 A46-201 N1
19 1025 A46-202 N2
19 1026 A46-203 N3
19 1027 A46-204 N4
19 1028 A46-205 N5
19 1029 A46-206 N6
19 1030 A46-207 N7
19 1031 A46-208 N8
19 1032 A46-209 N9
19 1033 A46-210 N10
19 1034 A46-211 P1
19 1035 A46-212 P2
19 1036 A46-213 P3
19 1037 A46-214 P4
19 1038 A46-215 P5
19 1039 A46-216 P6
19 1040 A46-217 P7
19 1041 A46-218 P8
19 1042 A46-219 P9
19 1043 A46-220 P10
19 1044 A46-221 R1
19 1045 A46-222 R2
19 1046 A46-223 R3
19 1047 A46-224 R4
19 1048 A46-225 R5
19 1049 A46-226 R6
19 1050 A46-227 R7
19 1051 A46-228 R8
19 1052 A46-229 R9
19 1053 A46-230 R10
19 1055 A46-231 S1
19 1056 A46-232 S2
19 1057 A46-233 S3
19 1058 A46-234 S4
19 1059 A46-235 S5
19 1060 A46-236 S6
19 1061 A46-237 S7
19 1062 A46-238 S8
19 1063 A46-239 S9
19 1064 A46-240 S10
19 1065 A46-241 T1
19 1066 A46-242 T2
19 1067 A46-243 T3
19 1068 A46-244 T4
19 1069 A46-245 T5
19 1070 A46-246 T6
19 1071 A46-247 T7
19 1072 A46-248 T8
19 1073 A46-249 T9

Note that constructor’s number 1054 (between batches “R” and “S”) was most likely allocated to the sole CA-15 prototype.

References:

Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation. Sales Department Aircraft Delivery Ledger; Kept by Gordon Parker. CAC Collection, Australian National Aviation Museum.

Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation. Aircraft Drawing Office Manual. Incorporating up to Amendment List No. 2, Melbourne, Australia, 1946.

Where can I buy the Ceres book?

You can purchase the Ceres book here on my website, by clicking on the “Store” menu item above.

The Ceres book is also being distributed via range of online bookstores, particularly useful if you live outside Australia. Click on one of the links below to go to the respective website:

Amazon Australia

Amazon UK

Foyles UK

Waterstones UK

Book Depository UK

Amazon USA

Barnes & Noble USA

Amazon Germany

Amazon Italy

Amazon Japan

Wheelers Books Australia

Booktopia Australia

Ceres book now available

The new book describing the CAC Ceres agricultural aircraft is now available!

The Ceres agricultural aircraft was the first – and only – civil aircraft produced by Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) in Australia – a company which had previously produced hundreds of military aircraft including fighters such as the Boomerang, Mustang and Sabre, and trainers such as the Wirraway and Winjeel. Between 1959 and 1963 a total of only 21 Ceres aircraft were produced, but as a one-ton-load heavyweight crop duster the Ceres made its mark on aerial agriculture in Australia and New Zealand.

The result of more than 15 years of research by the author, this book tells for the first time how the CAC design team overcame unexpected problems during the development of their first civil aircraft. Developed from the pre-war Wirraway general purpose and training aircraft, the adaptation of the Wirraway engine and airframe to the dramatically different flight regime of crop dusting was not without problems. The book covers the fascinating history of the production and operation of the Ceres aircraft. To provide context for the design of the Ceres, the book covers the development of agricultural aviation in Australia and New Zealand, with a brief summary of the aircraft which were in use prior to the introduction of the Ceres. The individual history of each Ceres aircraft produced is covered, along with impressions of the aircraft from the perspective of numerous pilots and operators.

A little-known aspect of the Ceres story is how the unused stock of surplus Wirraway airframes purchased by CAC for Ceres production were eventually sold – ensuring the survival of dozens of Wirraway aircraft in the hands of private enthusiasts and museums. This was how the Ceres saved the Wirraway!

A full technical description of the aircraft is included, along with excerpts from the Operating Instructions and the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Manual. Many unpublished photographs and drawings are included. The three major versions of the aircraft are described in detail.

The book includes 8 full-colour profiles by renowned aviation artist Juanita Franzi, of Aero Illustrations.

256 pages, printed in high quality colour on matt paper.

597 photographs in colour and black & white.

ISBN 9780994571304

Table of contents:

Introduction      i
Chapter One    Background: Agricultural Aircraft in Australia and New Zealand    1
Chapter Two    Design, Testing and Development of the Ceres    23
Chapter Three    Production and Sales    71
Chapter Four    Operators: The Companies Who Flew the Ceres    87
Chapter Five    The Ceres Described    97
Chapter Six    Flying the Ceres    121
Chapter Seven    Individual Aircraft Histories    129
Appendix 1    Lineage: Ancestors of the Ceres    220
Appendix 2    Service Life and Operators     223
Appendix 3    Surplus Wirraways Purchased by CAC    225
Appendix 4    The Company Wirraway: CA9-763    227
Appendix 5    Ceres Service Bulletins and Modifications    229
Bibliography    234
Index    236

You can order the book from the author by clicking on “Store” above and selecting which version you would like to purchase.

You can also order the book from several online bookstores, including:

Wheelers books (search for ISBN 9780994571304)