Lawrence Wackett continued

Also in 1934 moved to the Tugan Aircraft Company and again some of his staff moved with him. Wackett was seconded to the RAAF in 1936 to lead a technical mission to Europe and the USA to evaluate aircraft types suitable for Australia's defence that could be built in Australia. The result was that the North American NA 16 was selected as the most  suitable aircraft.
Returning to Tugan Aircraft Lawrence Wackett developed the Cadock into a six/seven seat airliner and the updated design became the LJW& Gannet. The Gannet was the first of Wackett's aircraft to go into series production.
A new company, the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation purchased Tugan to provide an expertise base. Wackett became the General Manager of CAC when Tugan was purchased and his first project was to Modify the North American NA 16 to Australian conditions. This became the CAC Wirraway, the first aircraft to go into mass production in Australia. The Wirraway was often described as a Trainer, Fighter, Dive Bomber and not very good.
The RAAF issued a specification for a low winged monoplane with a tandem closed cockpit, full instrumentation and controls in both cockpits, and flyable solo from either cockpit. Maximum speed was to be at least 209kmh, endurance three and a half hours, and a rate of climb of 10 000 feet in eighteen minutes. The result was the CAC was the Wackett Trainer which flew for the first time In June 1940 as reported in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Unlike the Wirraway the Wackett Trainer is reported to have been a very good aircraft.
1941 was a year when Australia desperately needed fighters and Britain and the USA were to flat out trying to keep their own forces supplied that they had none to spare for Australia. On the 21st of December 1941 Lawrence Wackett and his chief designer

Fred David set about designing a new fighter aircraft, the Boomerang. It flew for the first time on the 29th of May 1942. This was the first pure fighter designed and built in Australia.
The Boomerang was not a great success. It was good at low level but above 10,000 ft was virtually useless as a fighter. It was slow in comparison with new fighters form overseas that where now becoming available to Australian Forces. Re-engined version where better and gave a marked increase in performance but could not keep up with overseas developments.
But it was found to be an excellent ground support aircraft. Working in pairs Boomerangs would come in fast and low with excellent low level ground hugging manoeuvrability to confirm targets and drop smoke bombs. Other aircraft and artillery would then bombard the target from a safer distance.
The Boomerang had found its niche. The biggest problem with using the Boomerang as a close support aircraft was landing it. It had a nasty habit of ground looping
1941 was also the year that Wackett's 1939 design for a bomber was resurrected. In 1939 the Woomera CA-4 bomber had been by-passed for the Bristol Beaufort, but with the embargo on Britain exporting aircraft parts the Australian Government was desperate for Beaufort alternative and ordered a prototype. It was a twin engined 3 crew multi role bomber.
When Japan entered the war in 1941 the Australia Government accepted the design before testing had been completed. An order to 105 Wommera's was placed in March 1942.
The prototype flew on September 19, 1941. Problems with the fuel tanks (designed as part of the wing) caused the Woomera to be unreliable and a mid air explosion that destroyed the prototype delayed the project until the Woomera II flew in 1944.
By this time Bristol Beaufighter and B-24 Liberator bombers where available and the project died. The production space set aside for the Woomera was switched to license built North American Mustangs, and the Beaufighter was built at the Department of Aircraft  Production, later to become the Government Aircraft Factory.                                                               Continued