When two training planes took off from Forest Hill near Wagga Wagga during a training exercise in 1940, few could have imaged only one pilot would land both aircraft after a mid-air collision.
The military twin-engine Avro Ansons, with pilot Jack Hansen and observer Hugh Fraser in one and pilot Leonard Fuller and observer Ian Sinclair in the other, set off on September 29 for a cross country flight and were to return to Forest Hill.
Benalla historian John Barry said the two aircraft were 300 metres off Brocklesby near Albury when they were told to make a banking turn.
As they did so they lost sight of the other plane and the two planes pancaked, he said.
Mr Barry said the pilot of the bottom plane was injured as the planes locked together.
The propeller of one of the engines on the top plane came through the cockpit and injured him so he bailed out.
His gunner bailed out and the top plane’s gunner also bailed out, so we’ve got one fellow left on board the top plane.
The men parachuted to safety.
The remaining pilot, leading aircraftman Leonard Fuller, moved the controls of his plane and realised that although his engine had stopped, the engine of the bottom plane was still working.
“He must have been a curious sort of chap,” Mr Barry said.
The planes locked were going in a lazy circle and he found that using the flaps and the ailerons of the top plane he could fly both planes.
Mr Barry said while he couldn’t control the speed of the plane and Fuller started looking around for somewhere to land.
He saw a farmhouse and there was a landing site nearby 6 kilometres outside Brocklesby, so he put both planes down.
Mr Barry said it was amazing he was able to land both planes, which were later repaired.
“He said afterwards when he was interviewed [he said] that he thought it was a pretty rough old landing, but it was better than the ones he been doing the day before.”
Mr Barry said the feat made headlines around the world and Fuller was promoted to sergeant.
