# help with info on the boomerang



## MAV_406 (Apr 26, 2007)

i have heard alot of good and bad things about the boomerang but they were from bad sources. can you guys give me some pics and info on it. Thanks in advance.


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## Heinz (Apr 26, 2007)

Well the engine was underpowered but she was very manouverable.

heres some detail pictures..












this link will give you a good amount of info,
CAC CA-12 Boomerang Cockpit, Engine and Fuselage Details by Brett Green


theres a fair bit out there. I've got some books i could scan some stuff if your interested...

cheers heinz


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## Wildcat (Apr 26, 2007)

As a fighter the Boomerang was lacking with it's slow speed and altitude performance, however at low level, it performed well with excellent manoeuvrability, good climb rate, decent range and good armament. It was at low level that the Boomerang excelled in its role of army co-op/ ground attack. It was ideal for zipping in and around valleys and mountains marking targets with either smoke or tracer fire for other a/c. In this role it gained an excellent reputation in what was dangerous work.

*powerplant* P&W 1200hp twin wasp
*Armament* 2x 20mm cannon, 4x .303 machine guns
*Normal gross weight* 7699lb
*service ceiling* 34 000ft
*normal range* 930 miles
*max range (with drop tank)* 1600 miles
*max speed - sea level* 277mph
*max speed - 7 400ft* 302mph
*max speed - 15 500ft* 305mph
*max speed - 27 000ft* 270mph
*max speed - 30 000ft* 260mph
*cruising speed (15 000ft)* 190mph
*cruising speed (10 000ft)* 175mph
*climb rate (7368lb)* 2 940ft/min
*climb rate (7699lb)* 2 150ft/min
*time to climb to 10000ft* 4min
*time to climb to 15000ft* 6.4min
*time to climb to 20000ft* 9.2min
*time to climb to 25000ft* 13.2min
*time to climb to 30000ft* 19.9min
*total built* 250 in 4 varients


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## Heinz (Apr 26, 2007)

Nice Wildcat!

As per usual top information and great shots!


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## Wurger (Apr 26, 2007)

Great stuff there.
Do you have any decent cut away of the Boomerang?


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## Heinz (Apr 26, 2007)

Heres a link for a tech drawing
http://membres.lycos.fr/wings2/3vues/ca12_3v.jpg

I've got this someone on my comp think.....


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## Heinz (Apr 26, 2007)

and a good shot of the frame work, ( this is not far from me )


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## Heinz (Apr 26, 2007)

done some more digging and searching........


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## Heinz (Apr 26, 2007)

Heres another good link


more recent shots of the airworthy Boomerangs around


Clyde North Aeronautical Preservation Group - CNAPG.


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## Wildcat (Apr 26, 2007)

Some clips

_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy47Z12Lsw4_

_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA7azWmFkGQ_


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## Heinz (Apr 26, 2007)

Nice vids........

I think the first one is at Tyabb literally about 5 mins from my house. I was there if it is......


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## Watanbe (Apr 26, 2007)

Boomerangs are so cool haha. They have character. I believe they were a failure as a fighter, but supporting troops in a ground attack role they were highly effective.

How about this question, what was a better plane the Wirraway or Boomerang?


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## Heinz (Apr 26, 2007)

Boomerang clearly

The wirraway was a rather dangerous plane, infact I was reading a book recently and not one of the Australian pilots who trained with them had a good word to say. Some tended to seize in flight and for whatever reason they decided to make the rudder pedals further foward than in the texan so Shorter pilots needed wooden blocks to reach them


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## Wildcat (Apr 26, 2007)

Watanbe said:


> How about this question, what was a better plane the Wirraway or Boomerang?



Bit hard to compare, both a/c performed well and won praise in the army co-op/ ground attack role however both were unsuitable in the fighter role. Wirraway's were blown out of the sky at Rabaul by superior enemy forces, something the Boomerangs did not come up agains't. When some of the Wirraway sqn's converted to Boomerangs in New Guinea some of the pilots were displeased as they preferred the Wirraway, in fact 5 sqn retained a few Wirraway's which fought along side their Boomerangs because they were more suited to some tasks ie arty spotting, recon etc.
The Wirrawy also has the distinction of training the many thousands of RAAF aircrew, something the Boomerang obviously did not do.


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## Wurger (Apr 26, 2007)

Guys,I've found there some more interesting infos on RAAF equipment,Thanks a lot. for both drawings and infos.




Heinz said:


> Shorter pilots needed wooden blocks to reach them



It remainds me one of pilots from my former squadron.He was short and when he was getting into Lim 6bis cockpit a technical crew had to set the rudder pedals closer and put a small pillow on its seat.


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## Thorlifter (Apr 26, 2007)

I just watched the video's and the Boomarang had a nice siren sound to it. Is that from the engine or the air flow?


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## Wildcat (Apr 28, 2007)

Air flow over the cannons. I agree it does sound cool.


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## Maharg (May 1, 2007)

One of the best. 

 

Matt Dennings 27 year CA-13 Boomerang A46-122 VH-MHR Suzy-Q restoration site.


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## Wildcat (May 1, 2007)

Yep, now owned by the Temora Aviation Museum. Apparently the other Boomer is to be placed in the Army Museum at Oakey, which is a shame.


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## Maharg (May 1, 2007)

Getti'n old like me. 

I have some feelers out for an accurate set of CAC drawings. I'll let youse know what I come up with.


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## Heinz (May 1, 2007)

Age is all in the mind!



That would sweet those drawings that is.


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## Grampa (May 1, 2007)

I whonder theoretical what whould the performance be if the Aussies got access of the 1700hp Wright R-2600 engines from the yanks or the 1770 hp Hercules VI from the Britt instead of the old 1200hp P&W?


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## Wildcat (May 1, 2007)

Grampa said:


> I whonder theoretical what whould the performance be if the Aussies got access of the 1700hp Wright R-2600 engines from the yanks or the 1770 hp Hercules VI from the Britt instead of the old 1200hp P&W?



CAC did propose 3 options to improve the Boomerangs performance. one was to fit an exhaust driven turbo cahrger to the existing engine becoming the CA-14. The CA-14 did have improved performance over the standard Boomer with a max. speed of 269mph at sea level and 348mph at 28 200ft. The rate of climb at sea level was similar to the standard Boomers at 2 150ft/m however at 28 600ft the rate of climb was 1 180ft/m which was 65% better then the standard types.
The 2nd option was to fit the R-2000 engine with cooling fan and turbo charger. This version was called the CA-14A and though built never flew because of component failures in the engine. The project was then canned.
The 3rd option was to fit the R-2600 engine however this never materialised because the Americans seemed reluctant to proved the engines.
These cancellations eventually gave way to the development of the CA-15 which is linked back to the Boomerang. See http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/aircraft-requests/ca-15-a-6505.html


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## MAV_406 (May 2, 2007)

with the wirraway i heard that the pilots under six foot had to put blocks on the pedals!


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## Heinz (May 2, 2007)

MAV_406 said:


> with the wirraway i heard that the pilots under six foot had to put blocks on the pedals!



Yup!


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## Maharg (May 3, 2007)

It must be Xmas.  I found this when I got home today.

Hi Graham,
I have located my copies of what are the best Boomerang drawings available
at the moment, drawn by the late Zbigniew Luranc. These cover the general
arrangement of the CA-12, CA-13 and CA-19, accurately depict the dimensions
and camouflage. There are a few notes on the drawings about minor
inaccuracies. Also included are details on camouflage and markings, colours,
engine, fuselage structure, stencil data a CAC cutaway drawing.

If you would be so kind as to forward your mailing address I shall send you
copies of the drawings.

Hopefully, I should get them next week.


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## Wildcat (May 3, 2007)

Very cool!!


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## blu3y4 (Jun 23, 2007)

heres a pic of the wirraway and boomarang together at temora.

IMG_1284-1.jpg - Image - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

and a good link

British Aircraft of World War II - COMMONWEALTH BOOMERANG


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## Heinz (Jun 23, 2007)

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/warbird-displays/tyabb-airshow-2004-a-8483.html

some shots of the boomerang I took...... amongst a few mustangs and a spit


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## CraigO (Oct 16, 2007)

I have just seen on e of the temora displays and the sight of the boomerang in formation with the hudson was absolutely sensational. and the sound of the boomerang on a high speed pass as it rolled over was magnificant.

did anyone come up with a set of drawings for the boomerang? if they can be shared to me, i feel the need to create 

cheers 
Craig


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## Maharg (Oct 16, 2007)

G'day Craig, welcome to the forum. I have been looking for decent Boomer drawings for some time now, these are the best Freebies I have found so far, enjoy. 
I was going to post them in the Schematics area but....  

All the best.
Graham.


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## Heinz (Oct 16, 2007)

CraigO said:


> I have just seen on e of the temora displays and the sight of the boomerang in formation with the hudson was absolutely sensational. and the sound of the boomerang on a high speed pass as it rolled over was magnificant.
> 
> did anyone come up with a set of drawings for the boomerang? if they can be shared to me, i feel the need to create
> 
> ...



I was up there a few months back!

I didn't catch the air show weekend though. Worth going?
I'm considering taking a DC 3 up and back from Melbourne


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## Wildcat (Oct 16, 2007)

Welcome to the site Graig.

Thanks for the drawings Graham!!


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## CraigO (Oct 16, 2007)

Wow Graham they are exactly what the doctor ordered!!!!! sensational
the flying weekend at temora is just magnificant! the best airshow i have ever been to. you are able to sit basically right on the edge of the strip. the aircraft are started right infront of you ie probably no more than 15 meters away and then taxi out to take off. the display is designed to show the aircraft off well and they really do. for $15 entry fee its the best!!
the weekend my wife and i went there was a tigermoth, ryan ST1, boomerang, hudson, spitfire, avenger, cessna O2, wirraway, Meteor, vampire, canberra and dragonfly all giving displays. then after the displays were over they allowed the crowd onto the tarmac to look more closely at the aircraft.
ie you could almost touch them. absolutely outstanding!!!!
the displays were pretty similar on both days but we went for both. the boomerang and huson flying together is a unique experience as the hudson is the only flying example in the world. Hearing a spitfire start, taxi, takeoff, aerobat and land was something i will rememeber for a long time. i dont know how to post images here but 

thanks again and thanks for the welcome 

Craig


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## Maharg (Oct 17, 2007)

No worries fellas, glad I could help.


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## Wayne Little (Oct 17, 2007)

Wildcat, some GREAT pictures and info, (from Heinz as well) good stuff guys. Graham excellent drawings too.


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## CraigO (Dec 4, 2007)

Hi there Fellas i dont know if you are still interested but there is a company in OZ called kangaroo publications that carries a couple of books on the camo of the RAAF. have a look here
http://www.kookaburrapublications.com.au/

there is also a profile publications #178 on the commonwealth boomerang it is only a few pages so it is cheap. search for Francillon Rene J. the commonwealth boomerang (profile publications #178) and you should get it.

Cheers 

Craig


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## Wildcat (Dec 4, 2007)

Cool, thanks for the link Craig!


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## negoshi8or (Jul 5, 2008)

Hi there. Do you guys know the ABC stores here in Aus. used to sell a VHS of the Boomerang? "The Boomerang Story" was made in 1994 and details it's history, interviews with Boomerang Pilots, and reconstruction/restoration. It also has footage of Guido Zacculi?? restored "MH Y" Boomerang.

Let me know if you want any more info.


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## CraigO (Jul 6, 2008)

HI all
goven that great lead from negoshi8or, i just went off and did a bit more searching and magnavision have that same title on DVD. i only found one place in the west that sells it here is the link. 
Magna Pacific Videos - PAL Format, includes the Boomerang Story, Pacific Islands, Allies in the pacific, I, Claudius, Lest We Forget and many other exciting and interesting titles.


cheers all 

Craig


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## negoshi8or (Jul 8, 2008)

I called Magna Pacific today and unfortunately "The Boomerang Story" DVD was deleted from their catalogue a number of years ago. They didn't have any stock of it in their warehouse either


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## negoshi8or (Jul 10, 2008)

If you would like some more info on the Boomerang Story PM me


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## derekbu (Jan 8, 2010)

This information is very useful. The drawings are great. Does anyone have any more *dimension* data for the Boomerang? I'm looking for pages from the overhaul and maintenance manual showing *tubular framework dimensions*, fuselage stations, anything with dimensions. Also dimensioned drawings of the Twin Wasp... I'm researching for detailed CAD plans for the Boomerang (happy to share the final results with anyone who can help provide data). Also looking for info on the Wirraway, but I already have the full manual, and lots of measurements from an aircraft, so that's mostly covered.

Regards,
Derek


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## merlin (Jan 21, 2010)

To slightly off-thread!

As the Boomerang used many components of the wirraway as possible to speed development.

Does anyone know - especially any Australians - the itinerary of the team e.g. Lawrence Wackett etc., who in early 1936 conducted a fact finding mission to Europe and the US, looking for a design to replace the Demon.
I believe they left in Feb - but how, by sea or flying-boat for example, what route, which countries did they visit - e.g. when would they have been in Britain?


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## shay (Mar 15, 2011)

I used to own a copy of the Boomerang Story on VHS, sadly it seems to have disappeared and I do know that copies are available from various libraries. My search for footage has taken me to the National Film And Television Archive. They have in their collection 2 newsreel titles, one of which was used in "The Boomerang Story" It shows a 22 year old test pilot (Greg Board, complete with what looks like a white flying suit and white flying helmet) "wringing the neck" of a production Boomerang in 1943.

For me that was the highlight of the vid, because the flying shots of the restored Boomerang were not well filmed and rather sedate by comparison


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## wombat40 (Mar 18, 2011)

3 libraries in Australia have the "Boomerang Story" for loan to members. I think it may be ok if one was to get it copied onto DVD as it is no longer available and as far as I know there would be no copywrite infringement issues considering it has not been available for many years.


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## EDFN (Aug 10, 2012)

Thank you guys for the resources in this thread! 
I come from Germany and resources about aircraft from down under still are hard to get here. 
As a cardboard modeler I am in the process of refining an old kit from Poland that lacks seriously in many details. 

Regards, Martin


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