been a big year for Temora Aviation Museum with visits here from RAAF F/A-18 Hornets, the RAAF Roulettes and many friends with their warbird aircraft. The most notable event was the attendance of the Australian Prime Minister and the acquisition and loan of more historic aircraft. Staff, Volunteers and Crew from the Temora Aviation Museum would like to thank everyone that visited the Museum throughout the year. Your support is always appreciated as it helps to keep our vintage aircraft flying.

Opening hours throughout the holiday period remain 10 am to 4 pm daily, except for closure on Christmas Day (Monday 25 December 2006), Boxing Day (Tuesday 26 December 2006 ) and New Years Day (Monday 1 January 2007). We will be doing some flying on December 27th, 28th & and 29th. These days are not our normal flying days and we will not have a published programme. They are merely days for some of our pilots to do some additional training and currency flying. If you are travelling through the Riverina over the holiday season check out the Museum’s collection of historic aircraft. Our team of Volunteers will be here to show visitors through and offer insight into their background.

The Temora Aviation Museum would like to wish all our newsletter subscribers a fabulous Christmas and a very safe and happy new year. Due to administration staff taking holidays, newsletters will cease temporarily until late January.

The next flying weekend for Temora Aviation Museum will be February 17 and 18, 2007. We look forward to seeing you there!

Visitors that attended the final Flying Weekend for 2006 were thrilled with a surprise visit from an F/A-18 Hornet. The Hornet appeared in the sky around midday on Saturday and performed several passes for the crowd before landing. The aircraft and its pilot remained in Temora until Sunday afternoon when it once again showed its dexterity on Sunday afternoon with a few passes, before departing for its home base at 77 Squadron Williamtown, NSW. It is a great idea to attend all of our flying days as you never know what surprise guests we may have.

Along with the Hornet, visitors viewed aerobatic and handling displays by Museum aircraft including the Tiger Moth, Ryan, Wirraway, Boomerang, Spitfires Mk VIII & Mk XVI, Vampire, Canberra, Meteor, Dragonfly, Cessnas 01, 02 & A37B, and Tom Moon’s aerobatic aircraft – the Extra 300s.

Do you still need to purchase Christmas Gifts for that special someone? Our website contains an online gift shop of aviation gifts and museum. We ship orders out within 24 hours of receiving them and payments are secure.

We are busy planning our flying programmes for next year to make them new and exciting. The next Flying Weekend is on the 17 & 18 February, so start planning your visit to Temora Aviation Museum’s Flying Days now!

The Win the Flight of your Life Raffle was drawn on the Sunday December 3rd. The raffle has been raising money over the past eight months for Temora local resident Charlie McCrae. Charlie was seriously injured in a horse-riding accident in November 2005, and ever since, hardworking volunteers have endeavoured to make his rehabilitation a little easier by helping fund a wheelchair accessible home for him to live in. We thank everyone that has contributed towards the raffle.
The winners for the raffle were:
1st prize flight in the A37B Dragonfly: Mark Welke
2nd prize flight in the Extra 300L: Graham Mulchachy
3rd prize flight in the Trojan: David Patton
Congratulations to the winners!

The last chance to see our aircraft fly in 2006 is this weekend December 2nd and 3rd. We are looking forward to a big weekend filled with plenty of excitement.

Aerobatic and handling displays will be performed by the Museum’s aircraft including the Tiger Moth, Ryan, Wirraway, Boomerang, Spitfire Mk VIII, Spitfire Mk XVI, Canberra, Vampire, Meteor, Tom Moons Extra, and more.

Visitors on Saturday who purchase the Temora Aviation Museum Warbirds DVD receive an entry into a draw to win a ride in the Museum’s Wirraway. Even if you already own a copy of the DVD, it is sure to make a great Christmas present.

On Sunday we are planning to fly both of our Spitfires – Mk XVI and Mk VIII together. This is a rare event and something you will never forget.

Keep the Museum’s Online Merchandise in mind while you are shopping this Christmas. We stock a large range of aviation-themed gifts for people of all ages. Place your order online and we will ship within 48hrs direct to you – no crowded stores or full parking lots

The annual inspection of the Museum¹s newly acquired Boomerang is nearing completion. The Temora Aviation Museum Engineering team have been working on this aircraft for the past week to ensure that it is ready to fly on December 2nd and 3rd.

An inspection of the Boomerang is made up of many different elements. These include checking the airframe eg. Making sure all grease points on the undercarriage system are lubricated; checking the fuselage and internal structure for damage and corrosion and checking that the cable systems are functioning correctly; the tail unit is inspected for signs of cracks, wear and security of its attachment points, with similar inspections carried out on the wings; looking over the cockpit eg. checking correct operation of the canopy and rudder pedal; checking flight controls for free movement; inspecting the fuel system for signs of leakage; checking instruments for correct operation and inspecting the electrical systems to make sure batteries, circuit breakers and switches are working correctly.

The engine is given an oil change, the spark plugs are removed and cleaned and the whole engine is inspected for damage and corrosion. It is given a full power run on the ground to make sure it is operating correctly.

The November Flying Weekend was a success with great weather and superb flying displays.

The Flying displays involved most of the Museum’s aircraft including the Tiger Moth, Ryan, Wirraway, Boomerang, Hudson, Spitfires Mk VIII & Mk XVI, Canberra, Meteor, Vampire, Dragonfly, O2-A and Tom Moon’s Extra 300s. Unfortunately, the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society’s Lockheed Neptune and C-47 Dakota were unable to visit Temora due to unsavoury weather at Albion Park, where they are situated. They plan on scheduling another visit sometime in the near future.

The Canberra City Band made an appearance on the Sunday, and played their lively music to the visitors that day. Thanks again to the band for supporting our event.

The last Flying Weekend for the year is only 3 weeks away. It falls on the 2nd and 3rd of December. So start organising your visit to Temora now!

NEW EMPLOYEE

The Museum is pleased to announce that its most recent addition to staff is Mitchell Liebich. Mitch will undertake an apprenticeship in the area of aircraft engineering. We look forward to Mitch’s help and wish him well in his chosen career

Museum aircraft flying displays will take place this Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th November, commencing at 11.00 am and continuing until approximately 3.00 pm on both days. The Museum opens at 10.00 am and closes again at 4.00 pm.

The majority of the Museum’s collection is expected to fly this weekend, including aircraft such as the Spitfire, Meteor, Hudson, Wirraway, Tiger Moth, Dragonfly, Boomerang, Canberra and Vampire.

We are also anticipating a first-time visit to the Museum from the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society’s (HARS) Lockheed Neptune P2V-7 A89-273. The Neptune is a long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft. This particular aircraft was built at Lockheed’s Burbank plant in California, USA at a cost of $818,452.33. It arrived in Townsville, NT Australia on the 10th March 1962, where it was allocated to No. 10 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force. During its years of service it logged a total of 5476 flying hours. It is 28 metres in length, with a 37.7 metre wing span, making it an imposing machine. It can reach a maximum speed of 664 km/h. Neptune A89-273 is the only former RAAF Lockheed Neptune flying in Australia and is maintained, operated and crewed by members of HARS.

HARS will also bring their C-47 Dakota to Temora, and this aircraft, along with the Neptune will be displayed on Saturday only. HARS’ members will be happy to show visitors through the aircraft and ask for a gold coin donation in return.

CANBERRA CITY BAND

The leading community band organisation from Canberra, ACT, Canberra City Band, will make themselves heard on Sunday 5th November of the Flying Weekend, where they will perform for visitors at the Museum.

The Canberra City Band have performed at many major functions including Australia Day ceremonies, Anzac Day Parades and the Floriade Flower Show, as well as visiting the Museum last year, where they were a huge hit with our visitors.

VISITOR INFORMATION

The entry admission for a Flying Weekend is $15 for adults, $10 for persons aged over 65 yrs and $5 for children (3-18 years). Food and drinks are available for purchase over the weekend, although visitors are welcome to bring their own.

Visitors will find picnic tables and some grandstand seating available, although this seating can be limited, so we advise to bring along a light fold-up chair if you have one. Alternatively, chairs are available for purchase at the Museum’s giftshop.

Four of the Museum’s aircraft will fly to Richmond, NSW this Friday (20th) to participate in the Defence Force Air Show to be held over Saturday and Sunday, 21 and 22 October 2006.

The Air Show will be held at Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Richmond in NSW and will feature a variety of exhibitions and ground displays. The flying program will feature some of Australia’s best vintage warbirds through to jets and helicopters in service with the Australian Defence Force.

The Air Show will be celebrating 90 years of flying from RAAF Base Richmond and 85 years since the establishment of the Royal Australian Air Force. It will be the biggest Air Show to be held at Richmond since the Bicentennial in 1988.

Aircraft that will be attending from the Museum’s collection are the Vampire, Meteor, Canberra and Spitfire Mk VIII. It is a rare opportunity to get these four vintage aircraft together at an air show away from Temora Aviation Museum. So come along and bring the family to witness the unique event.

This weekend will see the Model Jet Flyers Association of NSW visit the Temora Aviation Museum again to hold their Annual Model Jet Championships. Friday 6 October will consist of set-up and pilot registration, along with general flying practice going throughout the day.

Saturday and Sunday 7 & 8 October will consist of general flying with a few competitions thrown in throughout the day. Examples of the categories for entering the competitions will include:
Target speed which involves reaching either 200 km/h or 250 km/h without the use of remote to know how fast the aircraft is going;
Best of Show – the best crowd pleaser;
Best Sport and Best Scale jet – judged on appearance; and
Best Landing.

The weather is predicted to be quite warm over the weekend, so as you plan your visit to the Museum remember to bring along sun protection. The Museum opens at 10 am and closes at 4 pm both days, with flying being consistent throughout those times. Admission is $10 for adults, $7.50 for adults aged over 65 yrs and $5.00 for children (3-18 yrs). Food and refreshments will also be available from the Museum’s canteen, the ‘Mess Hall’.

So come along to check out some amazing miniature jet action over the coming weekend!

September 16 2006 will go down in the history of Temora Aviation Museum as the day the Prime Minister of Australia The Honorable John Howard MP attended a Flying Day and officiated at a ceremony to celebrate the Museum’s achievements during its first five years and open the new 05/23 runway.

The Prime Minister arrived at 10.45am and was given a personal tour of the Museum taking time to say hello to many visitors along the way. The Prime Minister spoke with many WWII Veterans and gathered with them for photos in front of the Spitfire. The weather was perfect, allowing the ceremony to take place out on the Museum tarmac with a magical backdrop including the Lockheed Hudson, Mk XVI Spitfire, Boomerang, Tigermoth and Wirraway. A choir of children made up of students from the five Temora Shire schools performed the National Anthem followed by speeches by Temora Shire Council Mayor Nigel Judd, Museum President and Founder David Lowy AM and The Prime Minister of Australia, The Honorable John Howard MP.

In his speech David shared with everyone:
“The Temora Aviation Museum represents many things to me, at it’s most basic level it’s the fulfilment of a boyhood dream; ever since I was a kid I was passionate about flying and anything to do with aviation. I have to thank my mother Shirley Lowy, who is sitting here in front here for that. When I was about five years old we lived on a steep hill in Dover Heights in Sydney just near the cliffs fronting the Pacific Ocean, ideal conditions for a prevailing up draught particularly in summer; my mother bought me a small balsawood glider and every afternoon after school Mum would take me to the top of the hill where I would throw the glider into the air and watch it glide all the way down the hill, I’d be there for hours, sometimes till dark mesmerized watching this glider float through the air; ever since then I’ve wanted to fly and aviation has been part of me so Mum you were the start of what we see today”.

The Prime Minister stated:
“Very importantly indeed, most importantly, I acknowledge the presence of veterans of WWII, of the war in Korea and in Vietnam because today more than anything else is a salute to that remarkable band of men who did so much for all of us in the darker days of WWII, anybody who has any recall of WWII will remember that extraordinary remark of Winston Churchill that never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few and the men gathered here today, the returned airmen are gathered here today are part of that great tradition that was honoured in that evocative and forever remembered phrase.
Can I also say on behalf of all of you of how much we are in the debt of David Lowy, his wife and all of the others who have poured so much energy and enthusiasm into this aviation museum.”

A commemorative plaque was unveiled and the RAAF Roulettes surprised Museum visitors by arriving into their aerobatic display.

A highlight of the day was the debut of the new Mk XVI Spitfire TB863 and a formation display of the Museum’s two Spitfires flown by Steve Death and Guy Bourke. Also in the program were two Mustangs and Col Pay’s P-40 Kittyhawk

Special visitors included Veterans from RAAF 457 and 453 Squadrons including Russell Leith who actually flew the Museum’s Mk XVI Spitfire on operational missions in Europe during WWII. Spitfire TB 863’s former owner Sir Tim Wallis traveled from Wanaka NZ to see the historic Australian debut

Temora Aviation Museum will celebrate its fifth anniversary and opening of the recently completed 2000 metre runway on September 16 in a special ceremony to be attended by World War II veteran pilots.

The 5th anniversary celebrations will be marked by the opening of the 05/23 runway, which was a joint project between the Museum, the Temora Shire Council and the Federal Government Regional Solutions Program. The runway is one of only three public runways built in NSW in recent history (including Sydney’s third runway)

A highlight of the day will be the first public flight in Australia of an ex RAAF MK XVI Spitfire which saw combat during World War II. It was flown in battle by one of the veterans attending on the day, Pilot Officer Russell ‘Rusty’ Leith AM DFC. The Museum also has a Spitfire MK VIII & both aircraft will fly in formation for what is believed to be the first Spitfire formation flight in Australia since the 1940’s.

The celebrations will include a flying demonstration featuring the Museum’s Gloster Meteor F.8 Fighter and Hudson Bomber, both aircraft are the only example of their type still flying any where in the world. The Roulettes, the elite aerobatic display team of the Royal Australian Air Force consisting of six Pilatus PC-9/As will also be in attendance.

In addition to the Twelve World War II veterans, including members of the RAAF 453 & 457 Squadrons there will be also be a number of former RAAF Pilots who flew in Korea & Vietnam participating in the celebrations.

The excitement will continue on sunday with even more flying displays. So bring the whole family to Temora Aviation Museum for an action packed weekend.

The exhaust pipes on the Packard built Rolls Royce Merlin engine are still warm following the initial test flight of Temora Aviation Museum’s new Supermarine Mk XVI Spitfire TB863. Steve Death arrived at the Museum yesterday afternoon to get ready for todays test flight. His preparation included a short flight in the Mk VIII Spitfire and reviewing the test flight schedule with Chief Engineer Peter Pring-Shambler.

With the ink barely dry on the Certificate of Airworthiness Steve climbed into the cockpit this afternoon, pressed the starter button and smiled as the Merlin came to life.

Steve stated: “It was a pleasure to fly such a nice airplane. The Mk XVI performed extremely well and is remarkably similar to our other Spitfire, the Mk VIII. The Museum engineering team did an excellent job reassembling the aircraft and that was made evident when the test flight schedule was completed without a single defect being noted. I can’t wait for Museum visitors to see the new Spitfire on September 16th and 17th”

The Museum is planning to fly both Spitfires in formation at our next Flying Weekend. It will be a huge event with the RAAF Roulettes, Mustang, Boomerang and more.

 The Temora Aviation Museum is excited to announce that an airworthy Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation Boomerang has been acquired as part of the collection.

The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) Boomerang is a single seat fighter aircraft powered by a 1,200 hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830-S3C4G Twin Wasp 14 cylinder twin row radial engine.

Built in response to Australia’s urgent need for fighter aircraft in WWII, the Boomerang utilised the design principles and construction techniques of the Wirraway. From official approval by the Government to proceed with the Boomerang production to the time of the first official flight was a little over sixteen weeks, a remarkable achievement by world standards.

To this day the Boomerang remains the only fully Australian designed and built fighter aircraft to see production. A total of 249 Boomerangs were built between 1942 and 1945.

Boomerang VH-MHR was meticulously restored by previous owner Matt Denning of Queensland, who began the project as a teenager – completing it 27 years later. The restored aircraft flew for the first time on 14 February 2003 and has been a popular participant at many airshows since.

Matt Denning stated that “I couldn’t think of a better home for the Boomerang to go to. The Temora Aviation Museum is so professionally run and managed, is proudly Australian in its presentation of our aviation heritage, and is located in a region far from the corrosive effects of the coastline. I’ve had a terrific run with the operation of the Boomerang since its first post-restoration flight 3 1/2 years ago, keeping it flying for more than double the time that this aircraft was operated by the RAAF. The Boomerang can continue to honour for many generations to come the Australian men and women from the WWII era who designed, built, maintained and flew this significant product of Australian ingenuity and resourcefulness”.

Temora Aviation Museum Chief Executive Kenny Love stated “The Museum is extremely fortunate to be able to acquire the Boomerang. The aircraft is in excellent condition and it is a testament to the time and effort that Matt devoted to the project. The Boomerang will be maintained in flying condition and will continue to serve as a tribute to all Veterans who worked and fought to defend Australia during WWII. I can’t wait to see it flying in formation with our two Spitfires, Lockheed Hudson and Wirraway on our September Flying Weekend. Matt will be able to continue his association with the Boomerang and fly the aircraft during Museum displays”.

The next Temora Aviation Museum flying weekend is rapidly approaching with all staff preparing for what promises to be another spectacular round of displays.

The aircraft engineering team have been re-assembling the Spitfire Mk XVI which will fly on September 16 & 17 in formation with the Museum’s Spitfire Mk VIII. This will be a truly unique event. It is believed that Australia has not seen a formation of Spitfires in the sky since the late 1940’s.

On the September Flying Weekend Temora Aviation Museum and Temora Shire Council will celebrate the achievements of the Museum during its first five years and mark the official opening on runway 05 / 23 at Temora Aerodrome.

The Royal Australian Air Force is supporting this momentous weekend by sending the Roulettes Formation Aerobatic Team on Saturday 16th September. The Roulettes have participated in the flying at Temora before and always put on a amazing show.

So prepare now for a visit to the Temora Aviation Museum’s September Flying Weekend, so that you don’t miss out on this historic occasion.

Six Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18 Hornets from 77 Squadron at Williamtown descended upon the Temora Aerodrome to participate in the record breaking flying days on August 5 & 6. Two F/A-18’s arrived on Friday with another four aircraft arriving straight into their spectacular four ship formation display on Saturday. Squadron Leader Paul Simmons demonstrated the awesome power, noise, speed and manoeuvrability of this modern frontline fighter/attack aircraft as he pulled over 7g and reached speeds of 550 knots during a solo display. One Hornet was kept on static display over the entire weekend so that all visitors had an opportunity to view it up close. 77 Squadron personnel were on hand to answer any questions while defence recruiting answered questions regarding career opportunities in Australia’s Defence Forces. On the way to Kalgoorlie Captain Bob De La Hunty and the HARS team overflew the Museum providing visitors with an opportunity to see the Constellation in flight. Two HARS C47 aircraft landed at Temora participating in the show. The co-pilot in one of the C47’s was Museum Volunteer Fred Kell. Chief of Air Force Air Marshall Geoff Shepherd AO, was able to join us over the weekend and had this to say: “What a great day. I was pleased to have been able to attend and see our RAAF F/A-18 aircraft first hand in their support of the Museum’s Flying Weekend.” Also contributing to the weekend flying programme was a Boomerang, Col Pay’s Kittyhawk and a Mustang. Ted Sly, ex-WWII Spitfire pilot and author, launched the new edition of his book The Luck of the Draw and was autographing copies, which were on sale over the weekend. The Luck of the Draw highlights Ted’s life during and after World War II and features many photos from Ted’s personal collection of Australian Spitfire Operations. This book is available from our online gift shop. The Museum also hosted members from the Sydney Jet Flyers Association NSW, who exhibited a number of their turbine-powered scaled model jets for display. These jets attracted much interest over the weekend, and were a small example of a much larger contingency of model jets that will be flying at Temora on the weekend of 7 & 8 October. An update of this will be published closer to the event.

A reminder that Temora Aviation Museum is expecting Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) F/A-18 Hornets at our Flying Days this weekend. Coming to Temora from RAAF 77 Squadron based at RAAF Base Williamtown, NSW it is planned that the Hornets will fly on both Saturday and Sunday. Four Hornets will conduct a formation aerial display and Squadron Leader Paul Simmons will conduct a solo, high energy aerobatics routine. Throughout both days one F/A-18 will be on static display allowing Museum visitors the rare opportunity to take an up-close look at this RAAF frontline fighter aircraft. Due to the high possibility of time changes we do not normally publish our flying schedule however – subject to change – we are able to inform our visitors that flying runs from 11am to 3pm with the Spitfire scheduled in the first half and Hornets scheduled in the later half of the programme.

Visitors can expect to see an action packed programme with aircraft from the Museum collection airborne including the Tiger Moth, Wirraway, Canberra, Meteor, Vampire, Dragonfly and Spitfire. We are anticipating a huge weekend with the inclusion of visiting aircraft such as a P-51 Mustang, P-40 Kittyhawk and a WWII Boomerang.

The weather forecast for the weekend is fantastic – Mostly Sunny with temperatures of 16 to 17 degrees. We recommend visitors dress in layers as the mornings can be very cool.

The weekend is planned to be a spectacular event that will entertain visitors of all ages. Come along and bring the family to Temora Aviation Museum’s special flying weekend on the 5th and 6th of August 2006. The Museum will be open from 10.00 am, flying begins at 11.00 am.