Obituary: Winston Brooke (Bill) Mackley

Bill Mackley at Wellington Airport in November 1970 on his last passenger flight.

DFC and Bar, pilot. Died aged 89.

A flight with Charles Kingsford Smith in his historic aircraft Southern Cross ignited a passion for flying in young Bill Mackley that lasted a lifetime.

His career began in the Civil Air Reserve, which prepared men for acceptance into the Royal New Zealand Air Force in the event of war.

When World War II broke out, Mackley was called up and began a pressure-cooker training programme at New Plymouth and Woodbourne.

He was sent to Britain in May 1940 and made his first Whitley bomber raid in a mission over Rotterdam.

In the next six months he made 27 operational sorties over Europe, and was awarded his first Distinguished Flying Cross for his attacks on such heavily defended targets as the cities of Hamburg, Berlin, Cologne and Bremen.

Late in 1942, Mackley returned to New Zealand for retraining on Catalina flying boats as a member of 6 Squadron.

He earned a bar to his DFC in January 1944 for rescuing 10 crew-members of an American B-24 Liberator bomber that had ditched in the sea.

Despite rough weather near the island of Ontong Java in the Solomon Islands, and damage to his own aircraft, Mackley managed a takeoff with 17 on board and landed safely back at base in Halavo in the Solomons.

 

His flying did not stop after the war. He piloted Sunderland flying boats on military and repatriation missions between New Zealand and Fiji.

Then in 1947, he transferred to 40 Squadron and flew DC3s on a heavy routine of South Pacific shuttle work.

In April 1947, the National Airways Corporation (NAC) was established and Bill Mackley flew Lockhead 10s, Electras and Lodestars.

He rose to become the Electra Fleet Captain, and retired shortly after his 55th birthday in 1970 when the Electras were withdrawn.

The Fleet Captain job also involved a desk position as Flight Safety Officer, a role in which he was well-qualified to set and supervise standards.

Mackley became involved with the Flight Safety Foundation as a contributing editor, presenting several papers on safety at aviation conferences.

He is survived by his wife, three sons and a daughter, six grandchildren and one great grandchild.