H3: The Boomerang - Australia's Stop Gap Fighter

During Australia’s ‘Darkest Hour’ in early 1942, things were grim and getting worse. With ¾ of our combattroops in the Middle East and the other quarter lost in Singapore, the ledger was not much better for theNavy and RAAF. Fighter aircraft were almost non-existent in the RAAF inventory, apart from some P40Warhawks, originally intended for the Dutch in the Netherlands East Indies, falling fortuitously into our handsand with which we were able to (just!) defend Port Moresby.

With no options of supply in the immediate term, Australia set about building its own from availablecomponents. The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation CAC-12 Boomerang was authorised for production inFebruary 1942, and the prototype flew on 29 May that same year. AN amazing accomplishment in thecontext of contemporary procurement cycles!

Club Member and former RAAF F-18 test pilot, Jim Whalley owns and flies one of three airworthy Boomerangsin the world. What is remarkable about his…