Grumman F8F Bearcat – “Auster Killer”

[zenrat]

Grumman F8F Bearcat – "Auster Killer"

Grumman F8F Bearcat - 16 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

On August 30th 1955 an unmanned Auster J-4 managed to take itself off from Bankstown Airport and head towards Sydney.  It was intercepted by a RAN Auster Autocar flown by Commander J. R. W. Groves with three other navy personnel on board which tailed it.  The RAAF sent up a CAC Wirraway piloted by Wing Commander D. R. Beattie with Squadron Leader Tom James in the rear observers seat armed with a Bren Gun.  Once the rogue Auster had passed over the city and was estimated to be five miles out at sea the RAAF attempted to shoot it down.
However, by this point it had climbed to over 10,000 feet and it was -5℃ in the open rear cockpit and after the second firing pass Squadron Leader James found his hands were too cold to reload the Bren Gun and were sticking to its metal parts.
And so the pilotless J-4 continued on its merry way.
At this point an RAAF Meteor piloted by Squadron Leader D Holdsworth arrived on the scene and the Wirraway and RAN Auster returned to base.  The Meteor made a firing pass from the rear, but after firing a few rounds its guns jammed.  Squadron Leader Holdsworth called for two more Meteors to intercept and was told they were on their way as were a pair of RAN Sea Furys.  He tried to upset the Auster into a dive with his jet wash but this tactic failed and so, awaiting the arrival of the next players he followed while the unmanned Auster continued on its merry way.
As it happened the Navy got there before the Air Force with Sea Furys from 805 Squadron flown by Lieutenants J.R. Bluett and Peter McNay the next to make the scene.  McNay lowered his flaps and closed to 100m to confirm there was no-one at the rogue Auster's controls before dropping back astern and firing a short burst with his Fury's cannons.  Bluett then carried out a beam on attack with the result that after firing fifteen rounds or so the Auster's cockpit burst into flame and it crashed into the sea.

Grumman F8F Bearcat - 1 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

This piece of Australian history was, in 1975 made into a movie.  The Auster Killers was directed by Ken Hannam and starred Jack Thompson, Barry Crocker, Gary McDonald, and Anne-Louise Lambert.  The movie's plot bore little resemblance to reality with the story being changed at the producers whim.  The Auster was now said to contain enough
"nitro" that it could level a large part of Sydney.  This was explained away as being due to it being en-route to a "Coober Pedy Gold Mine".  Gary McDonald played Holdsworth, the Meteor pilot as a Korean War veteran addicted to the Benzedrine he'd been prescribed to keep him flying in combat.  Rather than his guns jamming he was shown having the shakes and firing off all his ammo without making a single hit.  The two Sea Fury pilots, Bluett (played by Thompson) and McNay (Crocker) were written into a love triangle with a young Air Traffic Controller portrayed by Anne-Louise Lambert.  Jack Thompson also performed the theme song accompanied by Cold Chisel.  The song (Shoot down my Loves) was not a commercial success although there were rumours Thompson would join the Cold Chisel permanently (Jimmy Barnes was at the time out of the band performing as Bonn Scott's replacement in Fraternity).  Thankfully for Australian music lovers this did not occur (as anyone who, like me has seen Thompson "sing" live can attest).

Grumman F8F Bearcat - 8 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Due to a financing deal with the South Australian state government the movie was filmed in Adelaide.  This led to the city standing in for Sydney in the flying scenes with stock footage of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge unconvincingly edited in.
When it came to aircraft accuracy again suffered.  By 1955 there were no airworthy Sea Furys flying in either Australia or New Zealand.  Early plans were to use Hockney Treloar's Dartstang, swapping adhesive numerals between takes to represent the two Sea Fury's involved, but the project fell through (it never flew under Dart power) and after some frantic phoning around a pair of Grumman Bearcats were located, leased, hastily repainted In RAN FAA colours, and flown to Adelaide.
Both Austers were portrayed by Cessnas from a local flying club ("who wants to be in a movie?  We'll pay for your fuel!").  The final burning crash dive into the sea was filmed using crude wooden models doused with accelerant, set ablaze and catapulted in a high arc from a boat.  The idea being that the flames would obscure the fact it was a model.  They didn't.
When it came to finding a Meteor to film the producers approached the RAAF.  Already dubious about taking part in anything that made the Navy look good the airforce insisted on seeing a script before agreeing to help.  Stupidly the producers made the mistake of providing a copy of the real thing thus ensuring no official help was forthcoming.  Stock footage of RAF Canberras ("if you squint they sort of look like Meteors") was used instead, interspersed with unconvincing low angle shots of Gary McDonald seated in one of the Bearcat cockpits wrestling with the stick.
The Wirraway was played by a Wirraway.  In fact it was played by a Wirraway which while not being the same one that took part on the day, nearly was.  It was an aircraft posted to the same squadron at the same time which would have been there at the airfield.  So it could have been the one if it had happened to have been on the flightline that day.
Probably because it was the only accurately portrayed aircraft in the movie the fates conspired to see that most of the footage of the Wirraway ended up on the cutting room floor.

Grumman F8F Bearcat - 12 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

The movie was a minor box office success in Australia.  Probably due to its cast and Anne-Louise Lambert's completely gratuitous topless scene rather than any technical merits it might have had.  It can still be found occasionally on daytime TV and can always be watched on You Tube.
The aircraft shown is that shown in the movie as the one flown by Lt Bluett.  When the Bearcats were repainted the paintshop, in rare (for this movie) bid for accuracy made the markings the same size as the Sea Fury originals.  Unfortunately they failed to take into account the smaller size of the Grumman's fuselage which resulted in the rather cramped appearance.  The movie makers also got the aircraft confused as in reality Bluett flew 109 and McNay 107.

Grumman F8F Bearcat - 17 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

The Model
Monogram/Hasegawa Grumman F8F Bearcat.
Spinner knocked up from something I found in the spares box.
Vallejo acrylic paint.
Transfers by Red Roo.

While the events of August 30th are true, the rest is not.
https://nmafc.org.au/download/bosuns-call-march-14-auster-story.pdf

[NARSES2]

That's come out really well Fred.  I was wondering about the oversize roundels and now I know

Must admit I've never heard of this film and from your review I won't be digging it out in a hurry 

[comrade harps]

That movie sounds like a real Barry Crocker! 

Nice Beercat, too 

[Dizzyfugu]

Nice, and the RN paint scheme suits the Bearcat well, too. 

[Old Wombat]

Thank f_ck that movie never really happened!

You'd probably have more chance of making a (relatively) accurate version of the events now than you would have then.

Hugh Jackman as Bluett & Chris Hemsworth as McNay?


Nicely done, Fred!

[zenrat]

It would make for an interesting episode of Drunk History.

Thanks folks.

[Glenn Gilbertson]

Good one - I love the backstory!

[zenrat]

Thanks Glen.

[Leading Observer]

Nice one, and great back story to boot! Reminds me of my effort https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=43537.msg762613#msg762613

[zenrat]

Thanks LO.  I'd forgotten that.
I've previously used those markings on (IIRC) a Banshee.

I do have two Trumpeter Sea Furys in the stash.  Maybe one of them will get USN colours?

[DogfighterZen]

Looks very good, Fred.

[zenrat]

Thanks mate.