The Temora Aviation Museum will be open throughout the holiday period except for Christmas Day (Sunday 25 December 2005), Boxing Day (Monday 26 December 2005)and New Years Day (Sunday 1 January 2006). If you are travelling through the Riverina over this period make a detour through Temora and visit our historic collection of aircraft here at the Museum. Our team of volunteers will be here to show visitors through and offer insight into the history of these magnificent aircraft.

All of us here at Temora Aviation Museum would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the success of the Museum and our Flying Days during 2005, we look forward to another successful year in 2006. Staff, crew and volunteers from Temora Aviation Museum would also like to wish all our newsletter subscribers a very happy and safe Christmas and rewarding New Year.

The next flying weekend here in Temora will be next year on January 28 and 29, 2006. We look forward to seeing you there!

The Museum’s online Gift Shop is a great way to buy all those aviation-orientated gifts for Christmas. New stock has recently been added to the range including items such as fluffy toys for the children and bear-collectors, as well as a range of model aeroplane kits including aircraft such as the Sabre, Douglas DC3, Vampire, Mustang and A-37B Dragonfly. Other items to interest the kids include money boxes, puzzles and a pencil holder. Additional items comprise of decorative china plates, a clock, key rings, cuff links, hat pins and DVDs.

Orders may be placed via the Museum’s website, otherwise call the Museum to place a phone or money order.

Annual passes are also a great gift idea for Christmas, especially for anyone that loves to visit the Museum regularly. They are an economical way to check out what is happening at all of our Flying Days, of which the Museum has 16 days planned for next year! The passes are valid for twelve months from the date of purchase.

Prices for annual passes are as follows: Adult: $40.00, Adult over 65 years: $30.00, Child (3-18 years): $20.00
They may be purchased over the phone, or by visiting the Museum.

Annual Inspection for the Canberra

At present, the Museum’s Canberra Bomber is occupying the majority of the engineering hangar as it undergoes its annual inspection.

The Canberra’s annual inspection involves many tasks involving an overall inspection of the structure of the aircraft to look for cracks, corrosion and damage. Both engines receive an inspection, which can take up to six hours to carry out. This is followed by a test run on the ground, up to full power, to ensure there are not any operational defects. The Canberra’s wheels are also removed, the brakes are inspected and the wheel bearings get new grease in the annual inspection process.

The engineers are currently conducting a detailed inspection of the tail of the Canberra. It involves the removal of the elevators and inspecting inside the tail plane for corrosion and cracks.

Hopefully the Canberra will be flying again for the January Flying Weekend.

A significant commitment to preserving historical military aircraft was made as the Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Geoff Shepherd signed an agreement with the Temora Aviation Museum during a ceremony at the museum on Saturday.

Under the agreement, co-signed by the Founder and President of the museum Mr David Lowy, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) will loan one of its historic aircraft to the Temora Aviation Museum (TAM).
The Sabre jet, flown throughout Australia and South East Asia by the RAAF will be restored to flying condition by TAM and will become a feature of their regular schedule of flying weekends, which are open to the public.
Following the establishment of the recently announced RAAF Heritage Advisory Council, the agreement represents a further move to ensure that important pieces of the RAAF’s heritage are not only preserved but made available to the Australian public.
Recognising the significance of the agreement, the Chief of Air Force commended the museum for the initiative and continued support. “This agreement will help safeguard an important piece of Australian aviation history”, Air Marshal Shepherd said. “Mr Lowy’s shared passion for aviation heritage and the expertise of the museum staff will go a long way to supporting the RAAF’s endeavours to keep Australian war history accessible to future generations”.
Flying Weekend

The last Flying Weekend for 2005 was a huge success with the combination of good weather and aircraft displays by the majority of the Museum’s aircraft as well as flying displays by many visiting aircraft.

The Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) played a big part in contributing to the success of the weekend, through the provision of four of their aircraft. We thank HARS for flying the Constellation, Catalina and two DC-3s to Temora to participate in our Flying Weekend.

The Museum is excited to announce that two more visiting aircraft are joining its ranks over the weekend. On both Saturday and Sunday, visitors will be able to view flying displays by Col Pays P-40E Kittyhawk, as well as the Catalina Flying Boat from the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS). It will be a big weekend for the Museum with the inclusion of so many visiting aircraft, the entirety now consisting of Matt Dennings Boomerang, HARSs Constellation, Catalina and two DC-3s as well as Col Pays Kittyhawk.

All these visiting aircraft, along with displays by the Museum vintage collection, will make for an exciting event. Aircraft from the Museums fleet that are planned to fly over the weekend are the Tiger Moth, Wirraway, Vampire, Hudson, Spitfire, Dragonfly and O-2A. The Meteor and Canberra will fly Saturday only and Tom Moon plans to do a spectacular aerobatic display in his Extra 300s both Saturday and Sunday.

Weather

Visitors can expect a predicted top of 30°c over the weekend. Thunderstorms are predicted, however traditionally these tend to hit late in the afternoon, and therefore are not likely to affect our flying display. The weather at present (Friday 25th) is 30°c and is warm and sunny.
The most accurate way to discover the current weather conditions in Temora is to visit the Museums website and click on the Visit Us and Weather link and to choose the Live Radar Picture for Temora and Surrounding Districts icon. This will show you any rainfall that may be in the region, as well as the direction it is heading.

So come along and discover what a Temora Aviation Museum Flying Day entails. The Museum will be open from 10.00 am. Hot and cold food and beverages are available for purchase throughout the day at the Museums ‘Mess Hall’ kiosk. The Museum advises to bring along a fold-up chair if you have one, otherwise stools are available for purchase at the Museum. Flying finishes around 3.00 pm followed by a Ramp Talk with the pilots.

The last Flying Days for 2005 are coming up this weekend! Guaranteed to be a big event, the majority of the Museums aircraft collection will be flying both days, along with visiting aircraft from the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS). The Super Constellation will be at the Museum both Saturday and Sunday, as well as Matt Dennings Boomerang from Toowoomba, Qld. HARS will have their two Ex-RAAF C-47s at the Museum for the Saturday only. For those that are interested in seeing the Canberra or Meteor fly, these aircraft will only be flown on Saturday. In general, the flying that happens on the Saturday of a Flying Weekend will be repeated with the same aircraft on the Sunday. Although, there are always a few exceptions to this rule, due to pilot availability and aircraft maintenance.

The Museum will open at 10.00 am, with flying beginning at 11.00 am both days. Hot and cold food and beverages are available for purchase throughout the day at the Museums ‘Mess Hall’ kiosk. Flying finishes around 3.00 pm followed by a Ramp Talk. This allows visitors to get up close to the aircraft and talk to the pilots. Bring the whole family along for some great weekend entertainment!

Photoshoot of Hudson and Ryan

Film Producer Keith Webb came to Temora in late October for a photoshoot of the Hudson and Ryan above the fields of Temora. With the consistent rain Temora has been receiving lately, the paddocks were a lovely green, which created the perfect backdrop for the video and photographs, taken from the Museums Wirraway and Cessna 0-2A. The Hudson was chosen for this photoshoot to capture its new paint scheme in flight. Museum Crew Members Doug Hamilton and Gordon Glynn flew the Hudson. Gordon and Doug dressed for the occasion in a mix of vintage and replica WWII pilot outfits and headgear. Fellow Museum Crew Member Lars Larson, joined the team by flying the Ryan for the photoshoot.

New Storyboard Display

A new storyboard display has been hung in the exhibition area at the Museum. It features aircraft that have been used by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) since they began flying from ships at sea in 1917. The display has been chronicled from the earliest flown aircraft to the most recent aircraft, currently flown by the RAN. The extensive use of aircraft photographs featured in the display are sure to impress Museum visitors.

The November 26 & 27 Flying Weekend is shaping up to be a big event.
The majority of the Museum’s aircraft will be flying including the Tiger Moth, Spitfire, Hudson, Wirraway, Vampire and Dragonfly. Spectators can also expect to see a mind-blowing aerobatic display by Sydney accountant Tom Moon, in his Extra 300s.

Canberra City Band

The Canberra City Band is a non-profit community organisation that have played at many of the major civic occasions in Canberra including the annual Canberra Festival, Australia Day ceremonies and Floriade flower show. They will be making their melodic appearance at the Museum on Sunday November 27.

Visiting Aircraft

The Flying Weekend will include several visiting aircraft. The Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) will be bringing their majestic Super Constellation. HARS’ Super Constellation VH-EAG is the militarised version of Lockheed’s famous range of Constellation aircraft, which revolutionised air transport during the late 1940′s and 1950′s. It is similar to the Super Constellations used by Qantas during this period as their main long range passenger aircraft, which pioneered their around-the-world service.

Super Constellation VH-EAG was involved in the United States Air Force from 1955, as well as with carrying-out service with Air National Guard in the United States during the 1970s. The aircraft was eventually relegated to storage in 1972, at Tucson Arizona. The aircraft was identified as a possible restoration project in 1991 after a thorough survey was taken of the airframe. The survey indicated that the airframe was very sound despite its lamentable condition. The restoration work commenced in May, 1992 at Pima Air & Space Museum, USA. The major difficulty in carrying out the restoration process for VH-EAG was the need for volunteers to continually travel to Tucson to carry out the work, this was time consuming and costly. However the assistance given by both organisations and the countless individuals in the USA and Australia eased the volunteers’ burden and made the restoration process a rewarding experience.
Temora Aviation Museum is looking forward to the Connie’s visit on 26 and 27 November.

HARS will also bring two ex-RAAF C-47s. They will be at the Museum on Saturday 26 only. We thank HARS for their involvement in our Flying Weekend and look forward to seeing their aircraft.

Matt Denning’s CA-13 Boomerang will also make an appearance at the November Flying Weekend. Matt is a regular Flying Day participant at Temora and we look forward to having him exhibit his historic work of art on November 26 & 27.

Matt made an appearance at Temora Aviation Museum a few weeks ago for a group of ex No. 83 Squadron members. They were thrilled to see the aircraft in all its glory once again. Matt’s Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation CA-13 Boomerang with RAAF serial number A46-122, served its entire service career with No. 83 Squadron RAAF and carried the code letters MH-R on its fuselage sides. MH was the squadron code for 83 SQN, whilst the individual letter R was assigned to this particular aircraft.

Make sure you don’t miss these historic aircraft in Temora. They will make a great end to the 2005 Museum Flying Days.

The Museum is pleased to announce the new flying dates for 2006, as follows:
Jan 28 & 29
March 4 & 5
April 15 & 16
June 10 & 11
August 5 & 6
September 16 & 17
November 4 & 5
Dec 2 & 3

Keep in mind, if you are seeking accommodation in Temora to book ahead as motel and hotel space is limited in town. If you find that Temora is booked out, there is the option of staying in a neighbouring town. Contact details for accommodation within Temora and neighbouring towns is available on our website

November Flying Days

The last Flying Weekend for 2005 is fast approaching on November 26 & 27. The Museums collection of aircraft are to be flying, with the inclusion of the Historical Aircraft Restoration Societys (HARS) Super Constellation and two C-47s. The Museum also looks forward to a visit by Matt Dennings Boomerang at the November Flying Weekend. Do not miss these historic aircraft in Temora!

The Temora Aviation Museum has recently taken delivery of three additional CAC built Sabre jets. These aircraft will be used in the restoration and long term operation of one airworthy example for the Temora Aviation Museum Collection.

The three aircraft, A94-942, 953 and 956, were disassembled by the Museum’s engineering staff and transported from Sydney to Temora where the final choice of the rebuild candidate will be made.

The Museum undertook the recovery of Sabre A94-909 from the USA a number of years ago together with a quantity of spares. This aircraft is in excellent condition , however it had been completely stripped of internal components in preparation for its planned rebuild in Florida. A94-909’s restoration has been on hold due to Temora Aviation Museum’s rapid expansion and building programme.

The Sabre rebuild will commence early in 2006 in a purpose built restoration facility following a complete examination of the three airframes and an inventory of the Museum’s spares holding.

Flying Weekend

Mark your calendars for the November flying weekend which is rapidly approaching. Bob De La Hunty, from the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society has indicated that they will be bringing two ex-RAAF C-47 Dakotas and the Super Constellation to make the November weekend a sensational way to finish the year. Be here on November 26th and 27th.

The October Flying Weekend resulted in two successful, action-packed days with great weather. The cloudless sky created the perfect blue backdrop for aircraft displays by the Tiger Moth, Ryan, Wirraway, Dragonfly, Hudson, Spitfire, Cessna 0-2, Canberra, Vampire and Tom Moon’s Extra.

Sundays schedule involved the inclusion of Matt Dennings CA-13 Boomerang. The Boomerang is an all-Australian designed and built aircraft of which there are only two of them still flying in the world (Matts being one!). Matt began his Boomerang restoration when he was 15 years old. In August 1975 he coerced his father Ray, to part with the princely sum of thirty dollars to acquire a dilapidated tube steel fuselage frame that constituted the remains of a Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) CA-13 Boomerang, subsequently identified as A46-122 (c/n. 945). The bones of this machine were recovered from the Oakey district in South East Queensland by an avid collector of aircraft artifacts, John Hill. From here on Matt initially set about restoring the aircraft to static condition, but then embarked into making it a fully operational aircraft. The rebuilding of the aircraft took 27 years – a feat of passion. In February 2003 Matt had the opportunity to fly his aircraft for the first time. Prior to this, it last flew in 1945. Matt continues to exhibit his aircraft for Temora Aviation Museum Flying Days and the Museum is fortunate to have his Boomerang on loan for the next few weeks, where it will be on display, so come and check it out.

Sydney Weekender

The Sydney Weekender Team filmed a segment for their show at the Museum on Friday and Saturday. Everyone at the Museum appreciated the effort that the team put into creating some great footage. We look forward to seeing it on air! The Temora Aviation Museum segment is due to screen on Sydney Weekender, Saturday 15 October 2005 at 5.30 pm on Channel Seven.

Kids Corner

The Museum trialled an area devoted entirely to children over the Flying Weekend. The area was called Kids Corner and it gave kids the opportunity to enter a colouring competition – the subject being the Spitfire. This proved very popular for children, as well as their parents (who enjoyed keeping the young ones entertained). Kids Corner will now continue over subsequent Flying Days with other activities also planned.

Changes to Flying Day Admission Prices

Flying Days admission prices will increase, starting at the November 26 & 27 2005 Flying Weekend.
Changes will be made to adults and senior prices, with children remaining the same.
Prices are as follows: adults – $15.00; adults over 65 – $10.00; children – $5.00.

The Museum is very excited to have the Sydney Weekender Team, including Mike Whitney, at the Saturday Flying Day. The team will be filming a story about what it is like to experience a Temora Aviation Museum Flying Day.

It is not the first time that Mike Whitney and the Sydney Weekender team have been to Temora, they last visited back in 2003. The difference, this time around, is that they will be here to specifically document a Flying Day.

Mike considers one of his favourite moments working for the program being his last visit to the Museum, where he had the chance to fly in the fully restored De Havilland Vampire fighter jet. “The pilot opened the throttle and sent the Vampire vertical,” he says, “It was such a blast – the whole time I was thinking – I’ve got the best job in the world.”

Otherwise, come along tomorrow to be part of the Flying Day crowd for Channel Seven Sydney Weekender program!

The weather forecast is predicting some great weather for the weekend. To date, the forecast expects a sunny weekend with tops of 24 and 25 degrees. So remember to wear your sun protection.

Opening hours on the Flying Weekend are from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm, with flying beginning at 11.00 am and finishing around 3.00 pm.
Food and beverages are available both days at the Museum’s Mess Hall. All proceeds made at the Mess Hall go towards local charities.

Temora Aviation Museum will be hosting a spectacular flying event this weekend. Visitors can expect to see the majority of the Museums collection flying, including aircraft such as the Spitfire, Tiger Moth, Dragonfly, Hudson, Canberra and the Meteor.

The Temora Aviation Museum Engineering team have been working hard to prepare the Museums aircraft in time for the Flying Weekend. In particular, the Vampire and the Dragonfly have required the rectification of minor fuel leaks, which has involved obtaining a replacement fuel tank for the Vampire and the purchase of special seals from the USA for one of the J-85 engines fitted to the Dragonfly. Museum friend and fellow Vampire owner Judy Pay, generously assisted by providing a surplus fuel tank for the Vampire.

Another aircraft from the Museums collection, which has also undergone recent maintenance, is the Ryan. An annual inspection was performed on the aircraft, which involved the disassembly of the engine to carry out a valve grind, as well as the installation of new rings in each cylinder of the Supercharged Menasco Pirate engine.

Sunday of the Flying Weekend will see the addition of Matt Dennings CA-13 Boomerang from Toowoomba, Queensland. The restoration of this rare, historic fighter has been a personal life-long commitment for Matt, and the Museum is always thrilled to have Matt and his Boomerang partake in Flying Weekends. The Museum is also fortunate to have the Boomerang on loan for several weeks following the Flying Weekend.

The Museum holds flying over both Saturday and Sunday with gates opening at 10.00 am. Flying begins at 11.00 am and finishes around 3.00 pm, with the closure of the Museum at 4.00 pm.
Food and beverages are available all day from the Museums Canteen, the Mess Hall. All proceeds made from the sale of items at the Mess Hall go towards local charities.

For visitors that will be travelling to Temora and are wondering what to pack or wear, an up-to-date weather forecast is available through our website.

Sabres Galore

Exciting new additions to the Museum involve the acquisition of 3 more Sabre aircraft. For the enthusiasts, the serial numbers for these aircraft are: A94-942, A94-956 and A94-953. These extra aircraft will greatly benefit the Museum in providing easy access to parts for restoration and the long-term operation of a CAC Sabre.

The Jet Flyers Association of NSW descended on Temora last weekend to participate in the 2005 Model Jet Championships. Members arrived on Friday to set up and test their aircraft, with the main event being held over the Saturday and Sunday. President of the Association, Jason Starkey, was pleased with the attendance of around 50 pilots with their colourful, turbine powered model jets over the weekend.

A lot of time, money and effort is poured into these aircraft to make them as lifelike as possible. Most are constructed from kits, although some models are built from scratch, based on photographs taken of a real aircraft at three different angles. Moulds to make the model aircraft are fashioned from either carved foam with the use of fibreglass to construct the aircraft, or by using wooden ribs and formers and then covering it all to create the final result.

Different models which flew at the Championships included F.15s, Eurofighters, Mig 15s, Vampires, F.16s, a Viper Jet, A4 Skyhawk and a Lightning.

The Museum would like to thank the local Fire Brigade members that volunteered their time to operate the Museum’s food venue, the Mess Hall, over the three days.

A successful weekend was had by all at the Museums August Flying Weekend, which was held on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28. All Flying displays were co-ordinated smoothly with a cloudless blue sky for the backdrop.

The Royal Australian Air Force Roulette Aerobatic Team proved to be a big draw card for visitors on the Sunday, when they performed their fantastic synchronised flying routines. We thank the Roulettes for attending our Flying Day and we look forward to them returning to Temora again.

Two other big attractions to the Museums Flying Weekend were Col Pays P-40E Kittyhawk and CAC Mustang. To continue the 60th anniversary celebrations that were held to commemorate the end of WWII in Canberra, these two aircraft, along with the Spitfire, put on a special World War II tribute by flying one after the other in the skies above Temora.

The Museums next Flying Weekend will fall on the weekend of 1-2 October. The Museum looks forward to seeing you there.

More action is expected at the Museum on September 9-11 when the Jet Flyers Association of New South Wales will meet for their annual Model Jet Championships for 2005. The event will be held over three days, Friday 9, Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 September at Temora Aviation Museum.

The Model Jet Flyers Association claims to have the best jet pilots in Australia running turbine powered scale jets. Pilots come from all over the country to visit Temora to partake in this three day event. The high speed display, at 200 kph plus, promises precision aerobatics. Model aircraft that you are likely to see will range from the usual sport jet to the scale jets such as the F.18, MIG 15, F.15, F.86, Vampire, Euro Fighter, Saab Vigen and many more.

Friday will be a set-up and test fly day, with Saturday and Sunday being the main event days. Flying will begin at 10.00 am until 4.30 pm on Friday, with Saturday and Sunday’s times being 9.30 am until 4.30 pm.
Entry to the event is through the Museum at Museum admission prices:
$10 for adults; $7.50 people aged over 65; and $5 for children (3-18 yrs).

Full canteen facilities will be provided all days, which will be run by the local Fire Brigade within the Museum’s Mess Hall.

Its not long now until the Museums August Flying Weekend on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28. According to the weather forecast from Weatherzone – Australias leading weather resource – Temora can expect cool mornings, clearing to fine both days, with tops of 21°c and 22°c. To visit the Weatherzone website or to find out more about the weather at Temora visit our weather page.

Both days are expected to be crammed with flying entertainment from both the Museums collection and visiting aircraft. Aircraft on the flying program include the only flying Spitfire in Australia, the speedy A37B Dragonfly, the graceful Tiger Moth, the only flying Gloster Meteor F.8, the only Australian built Vampire flying in Australia, the impressive Canberra, and the newly painted Lockheed Hudson. If you missed out on seeing the Hudson in its new paint scheme when it visited the VP Day Air Pageant in Canberra recently, come and see it up close this weekend.

Visiting the Museum for the weekend will be Col Pays magnificent Packard Merlin powered CAC Mustang as well as his P-40E Kittyhawk, painted in Bobby Gibbes Desert Scheme.

The RAAF Roulettes will also be attending this weekend, although they will appear on the Sunday only. The Roulettes are a popular attraction due to their skilled formation aerobatic routines. The Roulettes are based at East Sale Victoria and currently fly the Pilatus PC-9/A training aircraft. It is a single-engined, low-wing, tandem, two-seat aircraft with the most advanced cockpit of any trainer flying in Australia. The Roulette pilots will be available for a short period of time to sign autographs and answer your questions.

The Museum opens at 10.00 am with flying beginning at 11.00 am. Flying finishes around 3.00 pm with the Museum closing at 4.00 pm on both days.
Hot and cold food and beverages are available all weekend from the Museum’s Mess Hall.

Flying Days involve a mix of music, commentary, engines, aerobatics and the aroma of jet fuel. The day is ended with a ramp talk in which visitors have the opportunity to get close to the aircraft to take photos or to ask the pilots questions.
Bring the whole family along to the August 27 & 28 Flying Weekend to watch these historic aircraft take to the skies.

VP Day Celebrations at Canberra

Seven aircraft from the Temora Aviation Museums collection flew to Canberra over the weekend to participate in the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II – Victory in the Pacific (VP Day) August 15. The celebrations and exhibits were held over three days on the shore of Lake Burley Griffin and were themed as a Salute to Veterans. The Museums participation was concentrated mainly within Sundays events, where we were fortunate to have sunny weather. For those of you that visited the VP Day celebrations in Canberra but were unable to see the Museums aircraft up close, check them out at Temora Aviation Museums Flying Weekend on August 27 and 28.

The Museums promotion stand was taken to Canberra and it proved to be a popular attraction. Likewise, a busy time was had by the Museums engineering team, whom spent most of their time frantically fuelling and preparing the Museums aircraft, ready for flight above Lake Burley Griffin. We would like to thank Museum Crew member and aircraft historian Peter Anderson for the fantastic job he did with providing commentary throughout the event.

The Museum was also fortunate to have an F-111 visit briefly in the afternoon of Saturday 13. The F-111 flew with the Museums Canberra and Hudson for a formation practice in preparation for Sundays display.

Flying Weekend

The Museum continues its celebration of VP Day with our next Flying Weekend which will occur on August 27 and 28. Visitors can expect to see history come alive as the Museums fleet take to the skies above the Museum. The Museum is also pleased to announce that Col Pay is bringing his magnificent P-40E Kittyhawk and CAC Mustang for the weekend. Cols P-40E is painted in the colours of RAAF 3 Squadrons desert camouflage scheme. The aircraft carries the markings of Bobby Gibbes AM WG CMR DSO DFC* and is complete with a replica of the original nose art.

Another attraction to this coming Flying Weekend will be the attendance of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Roulette Aerobatic Team on the Sunday only. The Roulettes are always a popular attraction due to their skilled manoeuvres in synchronisation. The Museum looks forward to their involvement.

Museum Flying Days involve interesting commentary, interviews with the pilots and a selection of background music. Visitors can get up close to the aircraft and pilots during the ramp talk session, which occurs at the end of the day. This opportunity can be used to ask the pilots any questions, obtain autographs or get close photographic shots of the aircraft.