The Australian Codock

Thanks for that, GFR. Interesting, but sad to see it in such an undignified posture.

Laurence

This photo recently appeared on an Australian History group on Facebook – I believe it could be one of the last images of the Codock LJW-6 VH-URP when it was displayed as a promotional item in a vineyard at Minchinbury, New South Wales, Australia. The airframe was apparently damaged and disposed but no detailed record has emerged. The photo is undated and unattributed (probably from NSW State Archives) but well worth seeing. 

Thanks bruce. Excellent pictures

Laurence

So that’s what happened to the Codock – it collided with a bicycle!

http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/_DAMx/image/17/114/bcp_03093h.jpg

No doubt this is too late to be useful for your work, but for the record I have a photo of the Codock taken at Mascot airport in the late Thirties by my father. It’s at http://www.pubdata.com.au/raymitchell/misc.htm#codock.

Your photo labelled Desoutter Mk,II, is in fact an Aeronca C.3 🙂 Very interesting photos.

Cheers

John

Probably a bit late…

No doubt this is too late to be useful for your work, but for the record I have a photo of the Codock taken at Mascot airport in the late Thirties by my father. It’s at http://www.pubdata.com.au/raymitchell/misc.htm#codock.

Codock

The March-April 1975 (Vol. XVI No. 2) issue of the Aviation Historical Society of Australia Journal contains an article on the LJW6 Codock.
In addition, drawings of the Codock, produced by Sir Lawrence Wackett, can be found in the National Archives of Australia:
http://www.naa.gov.au/naaresources/Publications/research_guides/guides/dockyard/chapter04.htm
I have been told by staff there that the drawings are rather large and would be difficult to copy.

Tim

From history of Cockatoo Island:

“Although Cockatoo Island is mainly remembered for the construction of ships, former Wing Commander Lawrence Wackett (later Sir Lawrence) established a design office in 1934 after moving from the disbanded RAAF Experimental Station at Randwick. In this most unlikely place Wackett designed and built the Codock (VH-URP), a twin-engined, high wing monoplane to the requirements laid down by Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith. “Smithy’ wanted the aeroplane to service one of his airlines but the machine was unsuitable largely because its British Napier Javelin engines regularly detonated their cylinder heads in flight due to the use of low-octane petrol and a litany of such catastrophes did nothing to engender occupants’ confidence.

The only Codock built ended its days ingloriously mounted on a frame in a nose-down attitude in a field at Minchinbury beside the Great Western Highway exhorting motorists “Don’t crash, Get Penfolds” during the late 1940s-early 1950s until destroyed in a windstorm to be replaced by a mock up for some years until it was burned by vandals.
Such a slogan would give modern road safety authorities apoplexy!”

(Penfolds is an Australian wine company)

Check this out

Hi Laurence,

suggest you check the AHSA website for a new, epic book by Keith Meggs about the Codock and many others: http://www.ahsa.org.au/ and click on the link in the top right corner. Should be a great read and promises to be the (first) and last word on the subject.

Thanks for the information everyone. That link to the Ed Coates Collection is very useful.
Was it in fact bulit at Sydney? And is that Sydney where the photos you show were taken?
What happened to it when it was struck off I wonder.

Laurence

You could also search for the Tugan Gannet as Wackett left Cockatoo for Tugan and designed an identical aircraft called the Gannet.

John

Although obviously sharing a lot of design aspects, I think you will find the Gannet is a slightly larger aircraft than the Codock.

I think you will find the LJW6 Codock used 2 Gipsy Major 4 cylinder engines (edit: correction – thats two 6 cyl Napier Javelin engines) while the LJW7 Gannet used 2 Gipsy Six engines, effectively highwing monoplane equivalents to the DH84 Dragon and DH89 Dragon Rapide relationships.

regards

Mark Pilkington

Thanks for these Flyernzl, saved me a lot of hunting around.

John

Cockatoo Docks & Engineering LJW.6 Codock.

Photos and history here:
http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austu/vhurp.html

You could also search for the Tugan Gannet as Wackett left Cockatoo for Tugan and designed an identical aircraft called the Gannet.

John

It looks not unlike a Gipsy engined ( inverted Javelins)Scion. I do have a photo somewhere.

John