Temora Aviation Museum

Darren was born in Canada in 1961. He joined the Canadian Air Force in 1980, receiving his Pilot’s wings in 1982. He was assigned as a Jet Instructor on the Canadair Tutor and after almost five years in that position he was posted to Canada’s Lead-in-fighter, the CF-5. He was then posted to the CF-18 Operational Conversion Unit.
Once fully qualified as a F-18 fighter pilot, Darren was posted to 421 Sqn in West Germany for a three year tour with NATO. The operational base where he worked was only 20 minutes flying time to the enemies’ borders.

Darren was then posted back to Canada to become an F-18 Instructor, where he trained fledgling fighter pilots for 2 1/2 years. He was then selected to be an Air Liaison Officer to the Army Brigade Commander.

Darren and his family immigrated to Australia in 1996 due to a shortage of F-18 Fighter Pilots in Australia. He joined the RAAF, initially serving with 76 Sqn in Williamtown as a Lead-in Fighter instructor on the MB-326 Macchi. One year later he was posted back to flying F-18s operationally with 77 Sqn in Williamtown. While there he was able to conduct exercises in New Zealand with A-4 Skyhawks and fight against the Mig-29 aircraft of Malaysia.

Darren left the RAAF in December 1999 to take up his current employment flying business jets. He displays the Vampire, Meteor, Canberra, A37B Dragonfly and RAAF Sabre.

Guy has always loved old aeroplanes especially those of the World War II vintage. An avid collector of aviation memorabilia and a Boeing 767 Captain for QANTAS, Guy has flown over 40 different aircraft types including Mustang, Vampire, Wirraway, Harvard, T-28 and Winjeel.

With over 12,000 hours flying time, Guy has flown more than 100 aerobatic displays including some with the Southern Knights. He has instructed on warbird aircraft and conducted formation, aerobatic and tailwheel training.

Guy is a regular here at the Museum flying our Spitfires, Wirraway, Tiger Moth , Hudson and Ryan.

Steve Death has been an Agricultural pilot since 1983 and has accumulated over 13,700 hours in aircraft such as Wirraway, Harvard, Mustang, Trojan, Firefly, Kittyhawk, Sea Fury, Fiat G59, Boomerang and Beech 18. He has flown in many airshows across Australia in his Trojan and with the Harvard formation team, Southern Knights.

Steve is also a Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer.

Steve regularly supports the Museum's Showcase Days by performing Aerobatic displays in his T-28 Trojan and flying the Museum Spitfires, Hudson, Wirraway, Ryan and Tiger Moth.

As a boy, David was passionate about building model airplanes and flying gliders from a nearby cliff. After establishing his career, he fulfilled his dream by learning to fly.

David has been a regular airshow performer since 1992, and was the Australian Aerobatic Champion in 1998. He was selected as a member of the Australian Aerobatic Team to represent Australia at the 1996 and 1998 World Aerobatic Championships, however was unable to compete due to business commitments.

David pilots the Museum's Tiger Moth, Wirraway, Ryan, Spitfires and A37B Dragonflys. David also holds several business jet type ratings including Gulfstream V, Challenger 604 and Learjet.

In 1974 Roger obtained his flying license and joined the RAAF as a Navigator on C-130 Hercules. In 1979 he was selected for Air Force Pilot training and posted first to Williamtown then Malaysia flying the Mirage. Subsequent postings saw Roger fly the Macchi, F/A 18 Hornet and Winjeel.

Civilian flying renewed his interest in older aircraft with experience gained in Winjeels, MiG 15 and T-28 Trojans.

After 21 years in the RAAF, Roger went to work for British Aerospace as a flying instructor to the Saudi Arabia Air Force.
Roger has logged over 8,000 flying hours and joined the Museum team in December 2001. He flies the Tiger Moth, Wirraway and Cessna O-2A.

David Robson is a career aviator having been nurtured on balsa wood, dope and tissue paper. David's first solo flight was in the de Havilland Chipmunk shortly after his seventeenth birthday.

His first job was as a junior draughtsman at the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation in Melbourne. It was during this time he learned to fly Chipmunks at the Royal Victorian Aeroclub. Joining the Royal Australian Air Force in 1965 he served twenty one years as a fighter pilot and a test pilot. David has logged over 1,000 hours on Mirages and 500 hours on Sabres. In 1972, he completed the Empire Test Pilots' course at Boscombe Down flying everything from gliders to Hunters, Canberras, Lightnings and Argosies.

David completed a tour of Vietnam with the United States Air Force as a Forward Air Controller in support of the First Australian Taskforce. In Vietnam David flew 240 missions in the Cessna O-2A conducting over 80 strikes.

Temora Historic Flight Club is proud to have David display the Cessna O-2A for Aircraft Showcase Days.

Bruce retired as an Air Commodore from the RAAF in 2000 after a career, which spanned 35 years and culminated with his posting to East Timor as the Air Component Commander of INTERFET.

Bruce's Air Force career was largely as a single seat, single engine fighter pilot flying the Sabre and Mirage. A Forward Air Controller during the Vietnam Conflict, Bruce flew OV-10A Bronco aircraft in South Vietnam in support of the US Army 23rd Infantry Division. While an instructor at Williamtown NSW in 1976, he and his student were forced to eject from a dual Mirage after an undercarriage failure.

Bruce flies the Museum's Vampire and A37B Dragonfly.

My flying career started as a second year RAAF Academy Cadet when I did 25 hours of Winjeel flying at Point Cook, including some solo flying. While undertaking Aeronautical Engineering studies in Sydney I completed my resticted and unrestricted licenses at Bankstown and Hoxton Park on Cherokee 140s and Sundowners. In 1978/9 I then completed the full Air Force flying training course on CT4s at Point Cook and Macchi Jets at Pearce. This was followed by an operational tour on Canberras at 2SQN Amberley.

My civilian flying commenced in 1974 and has covered about 60 types with many vintage aircraft and different types of tail-draggers in the mix. For many years I also flew a number of different light twins up to Chieftan size out of Canberra and Newcastle. One highlight of my flying was doing 80 hours in the RAAF Museum Tiger Moth in 16 days in an air race that went half way around Australia in 1984. I continue to enjoy flying my own Thorp T18 and Auster J1B.