Australian Frontline
This weekend will see plenty of activity at the Temora Aviation Museum with Aircraft Showcase – Australian Frontline being presented to visitors on Saturday May 5th. The fantastic line up of aircraft includes the Spitfire Mk XVI, Boomerang, Meteor and two visiting Harvard’s owned by Doug Hamilton and David and Carolyn Salter. We are now also able to confirm that Al Arthur will be participating with his P-40 Kittyhawk which will make for a full program of flying. To complement the day’s activities, visitors will have the opportunity to tour the Museum’s engineering hangar and investigate the current activities taking place.  Perfect autumn weather is forecast so make sure you bring a jumper and come to Temora to see these historic aircraft take to the skies with some very talented and experienced pilots at the controls. Don’t forget that all pilots will be available after the flying during engineering talk to answer your questions and share their knowledge and experience.

In the engineering hangar visitors will see the Mk VIII Spitfire with its engine, engine mount and fuselage fuel tanks removed as it is currently receiving a complete restoration forward of the firewall.  This is a massive task which will ensure the longevity of the aircraft. The engineers responsible for this project will be on-hand during the engineering hangar tour to answer any questions and give those interested a closer look at their progress.

Wings Over Illawarra 2012
The Museum is supporting the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) event, Wings over Illawarra 2012 on Sunday May 6th. The Hudson, Meteor and Wirraway will leave Temora at the completion of Aircraft Showcase on Saturday and make the journey to Albion Park for the open day. For more details you can go to http://woi.org.au

Upcoming Aircraft Showcase Dates
May 5th, 2012 Aircraft Showcase – Australian Frontline
May 19th, 2012 Aircraft Showcase – WWII to Korea
Jun 2nd, 2012 Aircraft Showcase – Pacific Theatre
Jun 16th, 2012 Aircraft Showcase – Korean Conflict

Warbirds Downunder Airshow
Thank you to everyone that has shown interest in a date for the next Warbirds Downunder Airshow. We can now confirm that our next Warbirds Downunder Airshow will be held towards the end of 2013. We will release the date via this newsletter soon.

Have you ever dreamt of being in an aerial dog fight, piloting a P-40 and shooting down other aircraft or being shot at? This weekend you will have the opportunity to be get up close and personnel with three of TAM’s infamous fighter aircraft, as they take to the sky you can get a feel for what it might have been like. See our Spitfire MK XVI, CAC Boomerang and RAAF CAC Sabre in full flight this this Saturday (March 17th) from 10am. Making a special guest appearance will be Allan Arthurs P-40, a ferocious fighter!

The Boomerang was Australia’s answer to a desperate need for fighter aircraft during WWII and in a hurry, going from drawing board to full flight in just over 16 weeks. Despite it’s short gestation period it served us well. The Boomerang was flown by R.A.A.F. Squadron’s No’s  4, 5, 83 and 85 defending the mainland, undertaking escort duties for shipping convoys and air to air operations against the Japanese. The Boomerang still remains the only fully Australian designed and built fighter aircraft to see ever production. 

The infamous Spitfire was made famous through its involvement in the Battle of Britain and has become synonymous as the aircraft of WWII. See our Mk XVI in action and hear the story of it’s armed reconnaissance mission in the Utrecht/Hague/Leiden area during WWII. Painted in the markings that it wore when flown with RAAF 453 Squadron, this combat veteran is well known to enthusiasts around the world  having spent many years in New Zealand as part of Sir Tim Wallis’ Alpine Fighter Collection before coming to Temora Aviation Museum (TAM).

Jump ahead almost 20 years and allow yourself to soar as you hear the Sabre’s magnificent Rolls-Royce/CAC RA.7 Avon Mk.26 axial flow turbojet engine start up. TAM’s RAAF Sabre saw service with the RAAF on the Australian mainland and then later with the Royal Malaysian Air Force.

Allan Arthur is bringing his P-40 Kittyhawk to the Museum to complement the Aircraft Showcase – Fighter theme. Built in 1943 his P-40N1 Kittyhawk is powered by an Allison 1710 V-12 engine which is rated at 1400 horsepower. The aircraft was retrieved as a wreck from a fire dump in New Zealand before being completely restored and painted to represent GAQ from RAF 112 Shark Squadron which fought in the Middle East against Rommel before moving on to Sicily and Italy. Allan spent more then six years rebuilding the aircraft and since returning it to the skies he has flown it more then 140 hours enabling thousands of people to see this magnificent machine!

Beat the Mothers Day Rush!

With Mothers Day just around the corner why not pop into our Gift Shop whilst at our showcase this Saturday. We have a lovely range of gifts for our Aviation loving mums. Perhaps she would enjoy 14k gold Airplane post earings, always a conversation starter, or glam up shower time with a pink camouflage showercap!
For those who are unable to make it here befor Mothers Day you are still able to purchase from our wide range of merchandise. Just CLICK HERE to head to our online shop more inspiration!

Upcoming Showcase Dates

Aircraft Showcase Day – TRAINERS to Jets which was scheduled to be held this Saturday 3rd March has been cancelled.

Unfortunately the weather which we are experiencing, both here and around the state, has beaten us this time. We have already had way too much rain with even more on the forecast especially for Saturday. Many creeks and roads in this area are flooded making it increasingly difficult for staff, volunteers and visitors to make the trip to the Museum.

The Museum will be open from 10am to 4pm on Saturday with the Engineering Hangar also open for viewing throughout the day, however the aircraft will not be flying.  

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and hope that you can experience Aircraft Showcase at another time.

Aircraft Showcase – Vietnam

Are you looking for something action packed? Why not join us for one of our Aircraft Showcase Days? These enjoyable days have been planned to provide you with an up close and personal experience and the program this Saturday, February 18th, will be no exception with five aircraft taking to the skies.

The flying program for this Saturday pays tribute to the operations of the RAAF, Australian pilots and support personnel during the Vietnam War. The Museum will fly two of the aircraft from the collection being the Cessna O-2A, which was flown by Australian pilots in the Forward Air Control operations, and the Cessna A-37B Dragonfly which carried out ground attack missions in support of Australian ground troops.

To add to the action we will be joined by Gordon Glynn’s Cessna O-1 Birddog, Steve Death’s T-28 Trojan and an awesome display from the Royal Australian Navy Historic Flight Huey helicopter. The Huey will demonstrate its manoeuvrability and capability in the air and for those of you who have never seen one in action it is a ‘must see’.

This flying line up of aircraft is sure to please all who come along and don’t forget you can stay after the flying ends to have a chat with our experienced team of Engineers and Pilots. Aircraft Showcase is a great day out for the family so pack up the kids and head out to Temora.

School Excursions
Following our very successful official launch which was attended by the Hon. Adrian Piccoli MP in December 2011 we were featured on the front cover of the N.S.W. History Teachers Association’s quarterly journal Teaching History. With the advent of the new school year Temora Aviation Museum is excited and ready for the students to visit us on school excursions during 2012.

Our new education programs have been created to challenge students to learn from history so that they can make informed decisions in the present and for the future. The program content makes the most of our incredible collection of historical ex-military Australian aircraft and engages students to make history relevant.

Each program includes a comprehensive Teachers Resource Kit with:
·  suggested pre visit and post visit activities
·  explicit Outcomes and links to Key Learning Areas
·  outline of the experience components
·  bibliography and a list of suggested resources
·  worksheets for students

Vacancies are filling fast so to avoid disappointment we encourage you to call and reserve your class’ excursion soon. For more information visit our website or call 02 6977 1088 and ask to speak to our Education Co-ordinator.

Announcing 2012 Showcase Dates and Themes
Mark the diary for your regular trip to Temora Aviation Museum’s Aircraft Showcase Days.

Feb 18th, 2012  Aircraft Showcase – Korea to Vietnam
       Cessna O-1, Cessna O-2A, A-37B Dragonfly, T-28, Huey

Mar 3rd, 2012  Aircraft Showcase – Trainer to Jets
Wirraway, Ryan, Meteor

Mar 17th, 2012  Aircraft Showcase – Fighters
Spitfire, Boomerang, Sabre, P-40

Apr 7th, 2012  No Aircraft Showcase
NATFLY here at Temora Aerodrome

Apr 21st, 2012  Aircraft Showcase – Three Conflicts
Spitfire, Hudson, A-37, Sabre

May 5th, 2012  Aircraft Showcase – Australian Frontline
Spitfire, Boomerang, Meteor, Harvard

May 19th, 2012  Aircraft Showcase – WWII to Korea
Tiger Moth, Wirraway, Ryan, Sabre

Jun 2nd, 2012  Aircraft Showcase – Pacific Theatre
Spitfire, Hudson, Ryan, P-40

Jun 16th, 2012  Aircraft Showcase – Korean Conflict
Cessna O-1, Harvard, Meteor, Sabre