It is hard to believe that it’s Christmas time again and another year has passed. We have had many successes throughout the year, and this points towards better things to come.

2009’s highlights have included:
•   the Super Constellation visiting from HARS.
•   the progress on the RAAF Sabre, including the final assembly and ground runs.
•   winning two awards at the CountryLink Inland NSW Tourism Awards
•   the first flight of the Sabre.
•   a visit by the F/A-18 RAAF Hornets.
•   two model aircraft events by the NSW Scale Aircraft Society.
•   winning the Gold award for Heritage and Cultural Tourism at the NSW Tourism Awards at Sydney.
•   visiting aircraft which included Trojans, Harvards, Mustang, Kittyhawk, Avro Cadet, Auster, Boomerang, O-1 Birddog, Avengers and more.
•   sharing our wonderful Museum with thousands of visitors.

These highlights were overshadowed by the loss of our dear friend and Founding Governing Committee member Tom Moon early in the year. We are proud to announce that the Temora Shire Council has received the necessary approvals, and early next year will rename Menzies Street (the street that the Museum is located on) Tom Moon Avenue, in recognition of Tom’s contribution to the establishment and success of the Museum.

The Museum would not function without the hard work and dedication of our staff, our volunteers, and crew. We would also like to thank all of the aircraft owners and pilots who have brought their aircraft to participate in our Flying Displays.

Our opening hours throughout the holiday period remain 10 am to 4 pm daily, except for closure on Christmas Day (Friday 25 December 2009), Boxing Day (Saturday 26 December 2009) and New Years Day (Friday 1 January 2009). Make your way to the Riverina during the holiday season and visit the Temora Aviation Museum Aircraft Collection. Our team of dedicated volunteers will be here and happy to show visitors through, offering information on the aircraft and the Museum. Our next Flying Weekend will be 30 and 31 January 2010, so start making plans to visit us again then!

The Temora Aviation Museum would like to wish all our newsletter subscribers a wonderful Christmas and a very safe and happy New Year.

Christmas is just over a week away but there is still time to order the perfect gift from our online shop and have it delivered in time for Christmas. Many new items have been added to the range so if you are still searching for that ideal gift for someone special this Christmas – check it out! All orders made via our online shop are shipped within 24 hours of receiving them and payments are secure via verisign.

For the man in your family, there is a range of aeroplane paperweights which are magnetised allowing them to hold paper clips – they come in 5 different colours: turquoise, red, white, black and silver. Tin picture wall hangings feature various scenes and aircraft, including the Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane, Mustang and DC3, as well as Charles Kingsford Smith with his Southern Cross. They will add a true vintage feel to your home or office décor.

For the ladies we have camouflage oven mitts and shower caps in green or pink! The shower caps are 100% cotton with plastic lining. To match the oven mitts, you will also find camouflage tea-towels in green and an apron which is navy blue, and features our Museum logo and six Museum aircraft in silver and white – perfect for the BBQ.

OFFICIAL SABRE MERCHANDISE

2009 is the Year of the Sabre at Temora Aviation Museum and we have a fantastic range of Official Sabre Merchandise available for you this Christmas.The range includes hats, polo shirts, T-shirts, postcards, patches and pins.

CANBERRA STARTER CARTRIDGE

Get your very own Canberra Bomber starter cartridge and storage tin on our online gift shop. These cartridges have been used to start the Museum’s Canberra Bomber. The cartridges are ideal to make into a pen holder for your desk!

FREE ONLINE SHOP BONUS!

As a SPECIAL CHRISTMAS OFFER, all online orders over $50 placed before Christmas Day will receive a FREE ANNUAL PASS valued at $50! Just remember when ordering online to enter the person’s name the pass is to be made out to. This can be entered in the comments section under ‘additional details’. If you want to receive your order by Christmas you must place your order no later than Sunday night.

Check out the ‘Merchandise’ link to see what’s available at our online store.

FREE ANNUAL PASS…

Don’t forget our Christmas Special! You will receive a FREE ANNUAL PASS to the Temora Aviation Museum and its Flying Days when you purchase $50 or more from our range of aviation related giftware for men, women, and children on our website. We have a great variety of DVDs, books, caps, clothing, giftware, mugs, stickers, keyrings, backpacks, stubby holders, and more! Have a look at the range today to get the gift you want in time for Christmas.
Check out the shop now at the link: http://www.aviationmuseum.com.au/shop/

SPECTACULAR FLYING…

A unique and rare formation flight featuring our two Spitfires (the Mk VIII and the Mk XVI), Matt Hall’s P-51 Mustang and Alan Arthur’s P-40 Kittyhawk took place during the last Flying Weekend. It was a truly magnificent sight to see these four V-12 powered, World War II aircraft display together in the sky above the Temora Aviation Museum. The aircraft were flown by Temora Historic Flight Club (THFC) pilots Guy Bourke, and Doug Hamilton, as well as visiting Red Bull Air Race pilots Matt Hall and Nigel Lamb. The formation routine was performed during both Museum Flying Days and was a moving addition to the many other flights over the weekend.

To see a photo from the Flying Weekend, go to the 2009 Photo Galley page.

Two TBM-3 Grumman Avengers which are part of Steve Searle’s collection joined us from Queensland. Piloted by Paul Goard and Paul Bennet the Avengers were amazing to watch as their wings unfolded during the engine warm up, prior to taxiing out for display. Two visiting Harvards and the Museum’s Wirraway, created a spectacular three-ship aerobatic demonstration flown by Doug Hamilton, Steve Death and David Salter.

World famous Red Bull Air Race Pilots Nigel Lamb and Matt Hall were popular at Ramp Talk at the end of each day as they signed autographs and chatted to our visitors about their flying experiences. The next time Matt and Nigel fly together in Australia will be as competitors in the Red Bull Air Race World Series to be held in Perth during 2010.
Matt Hall’s Website http://www.matthallracing.com
Nigel Lamb’s Website http://www.nigellamb.com

The Canberra City Band played some fantastic period tunes at intervals during Sunday’s show, and visitors enjoyed their music highlighting that there is a lot more to the Museum than aircraft! We thank them for their participation and look forward to having them here at the Museum again.

FLIGHTPATH TV FILMING…

Last week Malcolm and Fletcher from Leading Edge Media joined us here at the Museum to film the Museum aircraft for an upcoming aviation series to be aired on international television. The aircraft which provided the focus of the filming was the Meteor, Cessna O-2A, Ryan and Cessna A-37B. We achieved some fantastic shots and the weather was perfect for air-to-air filming. We are looking forward to seeing the finished product and hopefully the series will go to air in Australia in the future.

The weather forecast this weekend is predicted to be sunny, warm and breezy with a top temperature of 26°c on Saturday, and a top of 20°c on Sunday, which is perfect weather for our final Flying Weekend for 2009, on the 28th and 29th of November.

Our top 5 attractions for this entire weekend are:

1.   Red Bull Air Race Competitors Nigel Lamb and Matt Hall will join forces to display the Spitfire Mk VIII and the P-51 Mustang.
2.   Two TBM Grumman Avengers, from Steve Searle’s collection are travelling down from Queensland to fly a formation display.
3.   World famous Breitling Fighters’ Pilot Nigel Lamb will lead a four-ship display of V-12 powered World War II aircraft, including the Spitfire Mk XVI, Spitfire Mk VIII, Alan Arthur’s P-40 Kittyhawk, and P-51 Mustang.
4.   A three-ship aerobatic demonstration including two Harvards, along with the Museum’s Wirraway. These aircraft will be flown over the two days by Doug Hamilton, Steve Death, Guy Bourke, and David Salter.
5.   A number of veterans from WWII, Korea, and Vietnam are attending our Flying Weekend and you will have the opportunity to hear some of their stories and meet them in person.

As for food and refreshments over the weekend, Fire Brigade Captain Greg Matthews and his team will be firing up the barbeque in the two Mess Halls at the Museum. All proceeds from the sale of all food and drink items go towards local charities, with the hardworking team already donating more than $215,000 back into the local community.

Gates open at 10:00 am and flying begins at 11:00 am both days. Flying will continue through until around 3:00 pm, where all the aircraft will be roped off on the ramp area so that Ramp Talk can begin. This is a great opportunity for visitors to get up close to the aircraft and talk to the pilots. The Museum closes at 4:00pm. Remember to bring along sun protection and a light fold-up chair if you have one. See you this weekend!

For further Flying Weekend information, click on the ‘Visitor Information’ link, and then ‘Flying Day Information’.

To pre-purchase tickets to the Museum/Flying Day, go to the homepage and click on the ‘Purchase Tickets’ link.

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS OFFER FOR ONLINE SHOP…

Visit our online shop to check out our great variety of DVDs, books, caps, clothing, and giftware. New items have been added which include travel mugs, cups, hip flasks, and more. There are only a few limited edition Sabre hats left, and they make the perfect gift.

We are offering a special Christmas promotion for all orders made between today and Christmas Day. If you spend $50 or more on merchandise from our online shop, we will give you a FREE ANNUAL PASS to the Temora Aviation Museum (including Flying Days) valued at $50.

Check out the shop now!

http://www.aviationmuseum.com.au/shop/

The last Flying Weekend for 2009 will take place this weekend on Saturday 28th & Sunday 29th of November, so make sure you are here! Visitors will witness some spectacular flying involving the Museum’s unique collection of ex-military aircraft, as well as the addition of some special visiting aircraft! There is planned to be 23 different machines flying during the weekend, which makes the last Flying Weekend for 2009 an event not to be missed.

Red Bull Air Race competitors Nigel Lamb and Matt Hall are both very excited to join us here at Temora Aviation Museum this weekend. Nigel has travelled from the UK to fly the Museum’s Spitfire and Matt is bringing his P-51 Mustang to join the flying display. This week Matt said, “I have had fun every time I’ve been to Temora and the people are great. I am really looking forward to meeting more and more fans at the Ramp Talk.” Nigel Lamb commented, “I am very excited to be participating in the next Flying Day. My first visit to Temora was before the Museum was built and my last was in 2001 to fly the Mk. Vlll Spitfire in its inaugural display with the Museum. Coincidently, I flew the Mk. XVl Spitfire’s last display in New Zealand at Wanaka in 2006, so it’ll be a special pleasure for me to see her in her new home with TAM.” The two pilots will be part of a unique four-ship formation during the weekend.

To check out a photo of Nigel taken today with Museum President David Lowy AM, visit the 2009 photo gallery page.

Amongst the visiting aircraft expected to take part this weekend are two World War II Grumman TBM-3 Avengers, owned by Queensland businessman Steve Searle. Steve has a passion for aviation, particularly propeller driven warbirds, and is looking forward to displaying his vintage aircraft at Temora Aviation Museum. Paul Bennet is one of the pilots to fly an Avenger at Temora this weekend. Paul is currently Australia’s Unlimited Aerobatic Champion, and has approximately 70 hours flying the TBM Grumman Avengers. Look out for Paul at Ramp Talk at the end of the day to ask him any questions you may have regarding aerobatics and aviation.

Other visiting aircraft joining us this weekend include a P-40 Kittyhawk, 3 x Harvards, Cessna O-1 Birddog, and T-28 Trojan. From the Museum’s collection, visitors will be able to see: 2 x Spitfires, Hudson, Ryan, Tiger Moth, Wirraway, Boomerang, Canberra, O-2, Meteor, Vampire, Sabre, and Dragonfly.

Make sure you listen out for the Canberra City Band on Sunday 29th, the popular band will be playing their period music at several intervals during the day.

Gates open at 10:00 am, with flying commencing at 11:00 am. Both days end with Ramp Talk, and the Museum closes at 4:00 pm. Food and refreshments will be available on site. And please remember to bring along a light fold-up chair as well as your sun protection.

Some links of interest (that can be pasted into your web address bar):

http://www.wirrawayaviationmuseum.com/

http://www.nigellamb.com

http://www.matthallracing.com

To pre-purchase your tickets to the November Flying Weekend click on the ‘Purchase Tickets Online’ link on the homepage.

For further information regarding Museum Flying Days, go to the ‘Visitor Information’ link on the website and click on ‘Flying Day Information’.

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS OFFER FOR ONLINE SHOP…

Visit our online shop to check out our great variety of DVDs, books, caps, clothing, and giftware. New items have been added which include travel mugs, cups, hip flasks, and more. There are only a few limited edition Sabre hats left, and they make the perfect gift.

We are offering a special Christmas promotion for all orders made between today and Christmas Day. If you spend $50 or more on merchandise from our online shop, we will give you a FREE ANNUAL PASS to the Temora Aviation Museum (including Flying Days) valued at $50.

To check out the online shop, click on the ‘Merchandise’ link on this website.

Temora Aviation Museum is thrilled with their success at the 2009 NSW Tourism Awards.

At a Gala Awards Dinner in Sydney last night the Museum took out the Gold Award for Best in Heritage and Cultural Tourism for the second year in a row. In his acceptance speech, Museum Chief Executive, Kenny Love said “This has been a year in which the Museum team has experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. The tragic loss of one of our founding Board Members in January followed by the success of returning the RAAF Sabre to flight has made for a challenging year.”

The Temora Aviation Museum also received a Bronze Award in the category of Best Tourist Attraction. Museum Founder, David Lowy said “I am very proud of the team at Temora. We have achieved great success this year. The Museum is about recognising the efforts of the men and women who served and fought in defence of Australia and it is our mission to ensure this part of our heritage and culture is never forgotten.”

The Temora Aviation Museum will now proceed to the National Awards and compete against Heritage and Cultural category winners from around Australia. The Australian Tourism Awards will be held in Tasmania in February.

The 28th & 29th of November are the last Flying Days for 2009, so don’t miss them! We have a jam-packed Flying Weekend planned, with plenty of action from Temora’s collection of ex-military aircraft, as well as some special visiting attractions! Two WWII Grumman TBM-3 Avengers, owned by Queensland businessman Steve Searle are scheduled to attend the Flying Weekend. Steve has a passion for aviation and especially propeller driven warbirds, and enjoys displaying them along the east coast of Australia including at Temora Aviation Museum Flying Weekends.

Australia’s current Unlimited Aerobatic Champion, Paul Bennet will fly one of the Avengers at Temora. Paul has approximately 70 hours flying the TBM Grumman Avengers, and is looking forward to putting it through its paces at the November Flying Weekend. To look at Steve Searle’s aviation museum website, paste this URL into your web address bar:

http://www.wirrawayaviationmuseum.com/

Red Bull Air Race legends Nigel Lamb and Matt Hall are coming to take part in the final Flying Weekend of the year. Nigel Lamb is traveling from the UK just to fly the Museum’s Spitfire throughout the weekend. Nigel said, “Aside from getting an update on developments at Temora Aviation Museum, It’ll be fantastic to participate in an event alongside Matt Hall rather than as a competitor in the Red Bull Air Race. Matt has had an exceptional debut year. To have finished third overall is a truly amazing result. Matt has set the bar very high and left many of us with plenty to do next year.”
To visit Nigel’s website, paste this URL into your web address bar: http://www.nigellamb.com

Matt Hall flew here during the Museum’s October Flying Weekend and enjoyed it so much that he is returning on the 28th and 29th of November to fly the WWII P-51 Mustang. It is planned that these two race pilots will fly in formation during the weekend displays. Both pilots were trained to fly military fighter jets before tackling Competition Aerobatics, Warbird flying and now Air Racing. Visitors to the Museum will have the opportunity to meet them during Ramp Talk which offers the occasion to see the aircraft up close, talk with the pilots and have autographs signed.
To see Matt’s website, paste this URL into your web address bar: http://www.matthallracing.com

The action packed flying displays planned for the 28th and 29th will also involve the world renowned vintage aircraft from Temora Aviation Museum including the RAAF CA-27 Sabre, Supermarine Spitfires Mk VIII and Mk XVI, CA-16 Wirraway, CA-13 Boomerang, Gloster Meteor F.8, and the Handley Page English Electric Canberra amongst many others!

On Sunday 29th our visitors will be treated to a guest appearance of the Canberra City Band as they perform period music at several intervals during the day. The Canberra City Band visits the Museum once a year to perform their popular arrangements for our visitors.

Make plans now to visit the last Flying Weekend for November! Gates open at 10:00 am, flying commences at 11:00 am and continues through until around 3:00 pm. Ramp Talk continues through until 4:00 pm, when the Museum closes. Food and refreshments will be available on site. And please remember to bring along a light fold-up chair as well as your sun protection.

Check out the cool new photos that have just been uploaded to the website on the Photo Gallery page.

To pre-purchase your tickets to the November Flying Weekend online, click on the ‘Purchase Tickets Online’ button on the homepage.

For further information regarding Museum Flying Days, click on the link ‘Flying Day information’ link within ‘Visitor Information’ link.

WISH US LUCK THIS THURSDAY NIGHT

As finalists in the NSW Tourism Awards, the Temora Aviation Museum hopes to secure a place this Thursday night at Darling Harbour, Sydney, where the winners of the 2009 NSW Tourism Awards will be announced. The Museum is a finalist in two categories: ‘Tourist Attractions’, and ‘Heritage and Cultural’.

We were fortunate to win Gold in one category last year, as well as receiving a Silver at the 2008 NSW Tourism Awards, and with fingers crossed we hope to have the same good luck again!

We’ll keep you updated…

GET IN NOW FOR CHRISTMAS!

Our online shop is an easy way to purchase gifts for Christmas, which is now only 5 weeks away (where has the year gone)!

Visit the online shop to see a great variety of DVDs, books, caps, clothing, and giftware. There are also new items added which include travel mugs, cups, hipflasks, and more. There are only a few limited edition Sabre hats left and they make the perfect gift.

Visit our online shop under the ‘Merchandise’ link to check out the products.

SCALE MODEL EVENT THIS WEEKEND
The Temora Aviation Museum is the host this weekend for the Scale Aircraft Society’s, Temora Invitational Scale Classic. The event will see 43 flying model aircraft competing in 4 different areas which are Master, Expert, Team and Flying.

Judging is conducted in two areas, flying aircraft and static aircraft. The flying component of the judging involves ten manouvers which must be performed in a prototypical manner, meaning in the same manner in which the original full scale aircraft would have performed the manouver. During the assessment of the static component of the judging, the officials will take a close look at the detail and how accurate the outline of the aircraft is, color and markings, surface texture, even the detail of rivet and panel placement and positioning.

Aside from the 43 flying examples of scale aircraft visitors will be able to view, up close, more static scale model aircraft including replicas of the Temora Aviation Museum owned Tiger Moth and Mk XVI Spitfire which has travelled all the way from Adelaide. If you have attended a Museum Flying Day before you will not be disappointed with this weekends show as our regular commentator Peter (Ando) Anderson is making the trek down from Sydney to provide informative commentary for this two day event.

President of the Scale Aircraft Society John Rolfe said “We are delighted with the interest shown from competitors who have travelled some distance to participate in this event and we are overjoyed with the weather forecast which currently predicts perfect flying conditions over the weekend.” When asked about the event, John replied with “I think that it is going to be a magnificent weekend at what I believe to be the best aviation museum in the world, assembling a model next to an original Mk VIII Spitfire, it does not get much better then that”.

So come on out to Temora and be impressed by these meticulously presented scale models and of course the entire aircraft collection at the Temora Aviation Museums will also be on display. Visitors will be treated to a lunch time aerobatic display from a 1/3 scale aircraft and two large ¼ scale Warbird models on both Saturday and Sunday. No need to bring your lunch as the Mess Hall is open for business right throughout the day serving up hot and cold food along with cool drinks and ice blocks.

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH PEOPLES CHOICE AWARD
Voting has opened for the 2009 NSW Tourism Awards People’s Choice Award and this year the Temora Aviation Museum is a finalist in two categories.

The Sunday Telegraph, Tourism Industry Council NSW and Tourism NSW are giving 98 lucky readers the opportunity to win their share of over $23,000 in prizes when they vote in the People’s Choice Award.

The People’s Choice Award is your opportunity to vote for your favourite NSW travel destination or tourist experience – that would be Temora Aviation Museum.

Entries are free and completed quickly online via the following link. http://dsc.dailytelegraph.news.com.au/m/dt.aspx?id=d8e6bba1eb&group=Daily+Telegraph&name=2009+People%27s+Choice+Awards
To enter, vote for your favourite finalist in any of the categories listed and enter your details to be in the draw to win.
Voting closes on the 15th November 2009 so encourage as many people as you can to vote for us in both the Tourist Attraction and the Tourism Experiences categories. – Thanks for your votes.

CHRISTMAS GIFTS ONLINE
With Christmas only 49 days away, it is time to buy gifts for that aviation lover on your list! Our online merchandise has something for everyone! We offer a wide range of aviation themed items including books, DVDs, clothing, caps, toys and giftware.

Our NEW range of Sabre merchandise has been extremely popular including T-shirts, sweatshirts, caps, polo shirts, cloth patches, books and postcards.

Visit the ‘Merchandise’ link on our website. We have that special Christmas gift you are looking for!

An awesome weekend of flying took place at Temora Aviation Museum over the 24th and 25th of October. Saturday’s weather was sunny and warm with blue skies scattered with white, puffy clouds, creating a pleasant scene to view the flying action.

Visiting aircraft that took to the skies over the weekend were Al Harding’s Auster, a Boomerang co-owned by Jim Whaley’s, Doug Hamilton’s Harvard, David and Carolyn Salter’s Harvard, Gordon Glynn’s O-1 Birddog, Steve Death’s Trojan and Matt Hall with the Mustang. These aircraft joined the Museum’s aircraft including the Tiger Moth, Boomerang, Vampire, Canberra, Meteor, Spitfires, and Dragonfly.

Visitors watched in awe as the aircraft joined for spectacular formation flights. Combinations such as two Harvards and Wirraway and early WWII aircraft like the Tiger Moth, Ryan, and Auster, and on Saturday the two Spitfires flew in formation. On Sunday the Mustang and Spitfire Mk VIII performed an exciting tail chase but the highlight of the weekend was watching a unique formation flight by the RAAF Sabre, CAC Mustang, and Temora Aviation Museum’s Meteor which involved aerobatics, lots of speed and an amazing kaleidoscope of sounds as the V-12 Merlin mixed with the Rolls Royce Derwent and Rolls Royce Avon. Red Bull Air Race pilot Matt Hall was a crowd favorite in the Mustang performing a brilliant aerial display, and taking time to sign autographs for his fans. We hope to see Matt return with the Mustang sometime again soon.

During Saturday’s show, visitors watched a different type of formation demonstration occur as the ‘Temora Tuggers’ debuted for 2009. The Tuggers consisted of three Temora Aviation Museum Engineers, who drove their aircraft tugs around the tarmac in a tightly choreographed formation routine.
Check the photo gallery, and October Flying Weekend link to see the ‘Tuggers’ at work!

The seasons Wheelies With Wings presentation was held during the lunchtime break on Saturday during which three program participants were presented with a certificate recognising completion of the course. Wheelies with Wings is a non profit organisation who’s purpose is to enable people with a physical disability the opportunity to experience freedom and achievement through flight. To understand more about Wheelies With Wings, or to make a donation which will assist others visit their website by pasting this URL into your web address bar:

http://www.wheelieswithwings.com.au/

The non stop flying activity will continue this weekend with Temora Aerodrome hosting the NSW Aerobatic Club State Championships. There is a wide range of aircraft scheduled to attend and it is certainly worth stopping by for a look if you are in the area.

The last Flying Weekend for the year is only four weeks away and we are already planning for what is promised to be an event you won’t want to miss. It will be held on the 28th and 29th of November 2009 so start planning your visit now!.

To pre-purchase Flying Weekend tickets online, go to the homepage and click on the link, ‘Purchase tickets online’.

For further information regarding Museum Flying Days visit the ‘Flying Day information’ page within the ‘Visitor Information’ link.

Temora will escape the wet weather that has settled on coastal parts of NSW this weekend, which means, Temora is THE place to be part of the action and excitement as Warbird aircraft take to the skies for the October 24th and 25th Flying Days. The RAAF Sabre will be flying, providing you with a great opportunity to witness the joint achievements of the Temora Aviation Museum and the RAAF in completing the restoration of the RAAF CA-27 Sabre. It is the perfect time to pack up the car, grab a hat and sunscreen for the family and make tracks to Temora. Check out the following link http://www.weather.com.au/nsw/temora for a full comprehensive weather forecast for this weekend. Temora Fire Brigade Captain Greg Matthews and his Team will be cooking in the Museum’s Mess Hall so there is no need to pack the picnic basket. All the profits from the Mess Hall are donated to local charities.

A spectacular lineup is planned for this weekend, including visiting aircraft such as the Mustang, a second Boomerang, an Auster, and T-28 Trojan. The flying program which is planned for your enjoyment includes:

SATURDAY
Tiger Moth, Ryan, Auster, Wirraway, Harvards, Spitfires (Mk VIII & Mk XVI), Cessna O-1, Cessna O-2A, Dragonfly, Boomerangs, Vampire, Meteor, Canberra, Sabre, Mustang.

SUNDAY
Harvards, Tiger Moth, Auster, Mustang, Spitfire Mk VIII, Boomerang, Cessna O-1, Trojan, Dragonfly, Vampire, Canberra, Meteor, Hudson, Boomerang, Sabre.

See Red Bull Air Race World Series third place winner, Matt Hall, who will be flying his WWII era Mustang. Also don’t miss the RAAF Sabre, which is scheduled to be flown both Saturday and Sunday by Temora Historic Flight Club pilot Darren Crabb, and RAAF Squadron Leader Paul Simmons. This is the best time of year for flying activity as the temperatures are mild and the bright blue skies make perfect conditions for taking excellent photos of the aircraft.

It will be a great weekend! We will see you here!

The Flying Weekend is just around the corner – Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th of October. Don’t miss this event as we are planning for most of the Museum’s historic aircraft collection to fly. This Flying Weekend also includes two Boomerangs, and a Mustang (flown by Red Bull Air Race World Series finalist Matt Hall). The RAAF Sabre is also on the program and will be flown by Darren Crabb and Squadron Leader Paul Simmons. This is the best time of year for flying activity as the temperatures are mild and the bright blue skies make perfect conditions for taking excellent photos of the aircraft. It will be a great weekend!

To pre-purchase Flying Weekend tickets online, click on the link on the homepage.

For further information regarding Museum Flying Days, click on the ‘Visitor Information’ link.

HUDSON ANNUAL INSPECTION

The Temora Aviation Museum Engineers are currently working on the Museum’s Lockheed Hudson as it undergoes its annual inspection. Our aim is to complete the inspection and have the Hudson serviceable for the next Flying Weekend, which is now only a week away on the 24th and 25th of October. Aircraft Engineers Andrew Bishop, Justin Anderson, and Phillip Bell have just completed an adjustment of the left-hand gear leg, along with servicing of the main landing oleos. The engineers are almost finished conducting the inspection of the Wright Cyclone R-1820 9 cylinder engines, with the engine’s valve clearance currently being checked and adjusted, as can be seen in the images of the Hudson with it’s engine cowling removed.

To see photos of the Hudson undergoing its annual inspection visit the 2009 Photo Gallery page.

SPARE AVON ENGINE UNDERWAY

Aircraft Engineer David Finch is continuing an engine corrosion repair on the spare Avon Mk 26 Engine. This engine will be repaired and returned to serviceable condition and kept in storage should it ever be required as a replacement for the current Avon engine in the newly restored RAAF Sabre.

David is currently conducting an inspection of replacement compressor blades for installation into the spare Avon engine, which includes a visual fluorescent penetrant inspection. When he has finalised this part of the process, he will concentrate on reassembling each compressor stage using replacement blades, where required. This will be followed by a static balance, with each stage then being reassembled and dynamically balanced to minimise any inherent vibration.

To see photos of David working on the spare Avon engine visit the 2009 Photo Gallery page.

SAMSUNG LAUNCHES ITS LATEST DIGITAL CAMERA AT TEMORA AVIATION MUSEUM

Last week, two corporate aircraft arrived at Temora Aviation Museum loaded with journalists who were participating in a product launch organised by Samsung. The new product was a dual LCD digital camera from Samsung and the Museum’s Display Hangar was the perfect place to host the launch. Each journalist was given a camera and encouraged to test it and take photos of themselves amongst the vintage aircraft. Plenty of pilot flightsuits and WWII accessories were supplied to assist members of the group that wanted to dress up for the photos! After lunch the group were entertained by a display flight by Museum President and Founder, David Lowy in the Museum’s A37B Dragonfly.

To see some images of the journalist’s day at Temora Aviation Museum visit the 2009 Photo Gallery page.

The next Flying Weekend is only 2 weeks away – on the 24th and 25th of October.
Red Bull Air Race competitor Matt Hall will be at Temora Aviation Museum in an Australian built CAC Mustang. Flown by Matt, the popular WWII era Mustang will take part in the October Flying program. Last weekend Matt finished his rookie year in the Red Bull Air Race World Championships on the podium winning 3rd place overall – an excellent result!

The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation built Mustang aircraft in Victoria under licence from North American Aviation in the USA. The American designation was P-51D. Historically, this aircraft is one of the greatest warplanes ever built and upon its introduction, proved to be one of the turning points in World War II. The decision to manufacture the Mustang in Australia was made during World War II as a result of the outstanding success achieved with the type as a long-range escort fighter on missions in Europe and the Pacific. It is suggested that the Mustang was the best all round fighter of the war. World War II finished before the Australian built Mustangs were completed. Australian Mustangs were used as part of the Japan Occupation Force and in combat during the Korean War. This particular Mustang is painted as A68-769, the personal aircraft of the Commanding Officer of No. 82 Squadron in Japan. The aircraft was subsequently transferred into No. 77 Squadron and was used in combat in Korea.

Mustang A68-769 is powered by a 12 cylinder Packard Merlin liquid cooled engine, and has the capability of reaching speeds of 925 km/h. Don’t miss Red Bull Air Race Champion Matt Hall flying the Mustang here at Temora during the 24th and 25th October Flying Weekend!

The newly restored RAAF Sabre will also fly again at the upcoming October Flying Weekend, so if you missed it last Flying Weekend you will see it fly again on the 24th and 25th of October. The Mustang and the Sabre will join the rest of the Museum’s historic aircraft collection for a great day out for all the family.

TWO BOOMERANGS ARE COMING BACK FOR THE FLYING WEEKEND

A second Boomerang owned by Jim Whalley and James Edwards will be coming over from South Australia to join in the October Flying Weekend. This aircraft’s restoration was recently completed by Matt Denning and it will be joining the Museum’s Boomerang in a historical formation flying display. Wearing RAAF No. 84 Squadron markings it made a brief stop at Temora in July before travelling to its new home in South Australia. Its owners Jim Whalley and James Edwards promised that this Boomerang would return and the October Flying Weekend is the time and place.

LINDSAY IS LEAVING

We are sad to report that Temora Aviation Museum’s Engineering Supervisor Lindsay Jordan is leaving us. Lindsay first started working on our Vampire at Bankstown in 1998 and commenced full time employment with Temora Aviation Museum Engineering at Temora in 2002. As an integral part of our team Lindsay quickly became a valuable source of aircraft knowledge and a friendly face around the Museum. Lindsay has decided to become a full time dad to his little guy Jett and move overseas with his family. We would like to wish the Jordan’s the best of luck for their future. We will certainly miss Lindsay here at the Museum.

To pre-purchase your tickets to the October Flying Weekend online, click on the ‘Purchase Tickets Online’ link on the homepage.

For further information regarding Museum Flying Days visit the ‘Flying Day Information’ link.

Terrific weather and blue skies set the scene for the annual model jet aircraft event, Jets over Temora 2009, which was held at Temora Aviation Museum over the weekend. Jason Starkey, President of the Jet Flyers Association of NSW, was pleased to see so many people visit the Museum to watch the scale model aircraft in full flight.

Over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday visitors were able to witness flying by model aircraft such as a F-86 Sabre, Cougar, MiG 15s, F/A-18 Hornets, F/A-15 Eagle, F-4 Phantom, and Eurofighters to name just a few.

Check out the 2009 photo gallery page to see photos from the model jet weekend.

FLYING WEEKEND NOT FAR OFF…

The 24th & 25th October Flying Weekend isn’t far away, and we’re very excited to announce that we will have a Mustang attending to participate in the flying program! It will be flown by Matt Hall, who has been in the news lately for his overall third position in the Red Bull Air Race World Championship’s.

Matt, who is a third generation pilot, a former RAAF Fighter Combat Instructor, international unlimited aerobatic competitor and the first Australian to be selected to compete in the Red Bull Air Race World Championship, was initially inspired by his first Red Bull Air Race World Championship experience as a spectator in 2004. Hall would never have guessed in his wildest dreams that just four short years later, he would become the first Australian ever to compete in the world’s largest spectator sporting event. Don’t miss Matt and his Mustang here at Temora during the 24th and 25th October Flying Weekend!

If you were missed the first public flight of the newly restored RAAF Sabre during the September Flying Weekend, then make sure you see it fly at the upcoming October Flying Weekend. The Sabre will be flown again by RAAF Squadron Leader Paul Simmons, as well as Temora Historic Flight Club’s Director of Flying Operations, Darren Crabb. The Sabre has proven to be incredibly popular with the many veterans who have either flown or worked on the aircraft in the past.

The Mustang and the Sabre will join the rest of the historic aircraft in the Museum collection to make for a very special Flying Weekend.

To pre-purchase your tickets to the October Flying Weekend click on the ‘purchase tickets online’ button on the homepage.

SABRE CLOTHING AND OTHER ITEMS NOW AVAILABLE

The Museum gift shop is well stocked with aviation books, clothing and giftware. In recent weeks we have received many new items with a Sabre theme. Some of the most popular new items include the Sabre T-Shirts and caps along with Stewart Wilson’s Sabre book. Check out these new items by clicking on the ‘merchandise’ link.

This weekend is the annual Jets over Temora 2009 event conducted by the Jet Flyers Association, and hosted by the Temora Aviation Museum. The Jet Flyers Association has been holding their annual event at Temora Aviation Museum for the past few years, and have enjoyed the clear air space and large open ramp area to present their radio controlled model aircraft to the public.

The event will commence on Friday 18th September and will consist of set-up and pilot registration for the entrants there will also be some flying practice occurring throughout the day. On Saturday and Sunday the event will feature amazing flying, with several competitions being held throughout the day for target speed, best scale model, and best sports model. Visitors will see the model versions of aircraft such as BA Hawks, F-4 Phantom, Eurofighters, MiG 15s, F/A-18’s, F/A-15’s, F-86 Sabre, and a Cougar, among others!

Make sure you don’t miss them! The Museum’s opening hours will be extended for this event and are between 9am and 4pm. Food and refreshments will be available for purchase from the Museum’s Mess Hall. Admission, which includes entry into the Museum as well as watching the model aircraft fly, is Adults: $10, Adults 65+ yrs: $7.50, Children: $5.00 (3-18 yrs).

Click on the link below to see some photos of the model jets:

http://www.aviationmuseum.com.au/news/JFA_SeptFW.cfm

SECOND AVON ENGINE BEGINS INSPECTION AND REPAIR PROCESS

A second Rolls Royce Avon Mk 26 engine is currently undergoing an inspection so that it will be available for use in the Sabre when needed. This particular engine was last overhauled, for the RAAF, in 1993 by Qantas.

Aircraft Engineer David Finch is currently disassembling the engine so that he can conduct a corrosion repair on the compressor section. This involves pulling all the compressor stages apart, and replacing damaged compressor blades. The engine will then be put back together and a static balance carried out on each individual stage. This will be followed by a dynamic balance on the compressor assembly.

Once these processes have been completed, the engine will be reassembled and then tested on the mobile engine test truck. After passing all running checks the engine will be subjected to an inhibiting procedure to ensure safe storage until the engine is needed for use.

See some photos of the Rolls Royce Avon Mk 26 in the links below:

http://www.aviationmuseum.com.au/news/AvonMk26a.cfm

http://www.aviationmuseum.com.au/news/AvonMk26b.cfm

TEMORA AVIATION MUSEUM WAS MENTIONED IN PARLIAMENTARY SPEECH

On our last Flying Weekend (September 5th & 6th) Mrs. Kay Hull MP, Federal Member for Riverina was a VIP Guest for Saturday’s Flying Day. Kay addressed Parliament on Wednesday September 9th and in her speech stated:
“It needs to be said that the museum would not have been a success but for three vital elements, including, first and foremost, the vision, passion, expertise and generosity of Sydney businessman David Lowy, the founder and president of the museum. Over a 10-year period he has contributed countless hours of his time in planning and executing the tasks that go with developing a world-class institution—with aviation safety in mind. In the museum’s first decade of operations he has donated more than $30 million to fund the purchase of the items in the collection, the buildings, the plant and equipment as well as the recurrent costs which provide for the specialist technical skills that are needed to maintain military aircraft. The museum employees 23 full-time staff and has an active apprentice program in order to educate the Australian public and the massive visitation to the museum about the need to respect aviation’s past and make its future safe.
Secondly, the unstinting efforts of the Temora community, including its municipal office bearers, have been critical. On each occasion that there is a flying day—and there are eight flying weekends per year— the staff of the museum swells from 23 full-time members to 70 or 80. The difference in numbers is due to the specially trained community volunteers, who manage to handle a crowd which exceeds the entire population of Temora. The museum attracts more than 40,000 visitors each year. They are given a consistent and complete education experience on aviation history and the need for aviation security now and in the future. The museum is a true community partnership. On flying days the food services are provided by the local volunteer fire brigade, with all of the profits being donated to local area charities. To date, approximately $200,000 has been raised and donated.
I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the work of the RAAF personnel who have so ably and readily assisted the museum. Take, for example, the most recent flying display. The Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Mark Binskin, was on hand to officiate at the first public flying of the recently restored Sabre jet fighter. I also acknowledge that my colleague in the Senate and senator for the ACT Senator Kate Lundy was in attendance. I welcomed her to the Riverina. The Sabre restoration was a joint RAAF-TAM effort which took more than three years. The RAAF technical experts assisted the TAM crew in the complete rebuilding of this aircraft. In addition, over the years RAAF personnel and others, as part of their recreational flying, have donated their time to pilot the museum’s aircraft and explain to the many aviation enthusiasts and the general public across Australia the critical requirements for aviation safety.”
For a complete transcript of Mrs. Hull’s speech click on the link below. The transcript can be found beneath the photos taken at the September Flying Weekend, 2009:
http://www.aviationmuseum.com.au/news/SabreLaunchWeekend.cfm

The Temora Aviation Museum’s Flying Weekend was one for the record books with beautiful weather and an action packed flying program. Nearly 8000 visitors were treated to a Fathers Day extravaganza with the day starting, as every Flying Day should, with a Tiger Moth display and ribbon cut followed by the Ryan, Harvards, Wirraway, Spitfire, P-40 Kittyhawk, Meteor, Canberra, Hudson, Boomerang, Vampire and more.

After more then 3 ½ years of restoration work by the Temora Aviation Museum Team the RAAF’s Rolls Royce Avon powered Sabre debuted with SQNLDR Paul Simmons at the controls on Saturday and Darren Crabb having a turn on Sunday. This special event was witnessed by many official guests including the Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Mark Binskin AM, Deputy Chief of Air Force, Air-Vice Marshal Geoff Brown AM and Air Commander Australia, Air-Vice Marshal Mark Skidmore.

The RAAF celebrated the occasion by bringing two F/A-18 Hornets from 2OCU (Operational Conversion Unit) at Williamtown. The display Hornet was piloted by Flight Lieutenant James ‘Akko’ Atkinson who conducted an incredible high energy, low level aerobatic display. Akko made sure he saved enough fuel so that on completion of the aerobatic display he was able to join up with the Sabre for a few formation passes providing a unique photo opportunity for our visitors. We would like to thank SQNLDR Steve Chappell and the hardworking team from 2OCU for coming to Temora and keeping the F/A-18 Hornets serviceable for display throughout the weekend. In the Display Hangar one F/A-18 was on static display all weekend, and the crew from 2OCU showed literally thousands of visitors a birds eye view of the cockpit of the Hornet – definitely an amazing opportunity. Reflecting on the Sabre debut Temora Aviation Museum Chief Engineer said “The weekend was a great success and was the culmination of three and half years of hard work by a dedicated engineering team whom I am very proud of”

In preparation for the debut of the Sabre, we designed a limited edition Sabre hat which was a huge hit on the weekend. On the edge of the bill it says “Return To Flight September 2009”. We still have some left and they are available for purchase online. Other new Sabre merchandise includes polo shirts, T-shirts, sweatshirts and cloth patches. Click on this link to take a look at the new Sabre Merchandise.

http://www.aviationmuseum.com.au/shop/category.cfm?cat=31

We have plenty more exciting events planned for the next few months including the Jet Flyers Association of NSW who will hold their annual scale jet model competition at the Museum on September 19th & 20th.

The photo opportunities were endless and we have uploaded some of our favorite shots for you to have a look at. Click on this link:
http://www.aviationmuseum.com.au/news/SabreLaunchWeekend.cfm