In May, the crew from Sydney Weekender visited Temora Aviation Museum to film a segment which will feature in Host Mike Whifneys 700th episode. Mike began his career as an Apprentice Aircraft Engineer with QANTAS and his love of aviation has continued throughout the years.

We congratulate Mike on his 700th episode of Sydney Weekender and encourage our NSW subscribers to tune in tomorrow, June 18th, at 5.30pm on Channel Seven.

Don’t forget we are flying this Saturday at Temora, gates open at 10am for Aircraft Showcase – World War II.

NINETY years of history will be remembered at Temora next week to mark the 90th anniversary of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

Beginning in Temora on Monday March 28th, sixty antique and historic ex-military and civilian aircraft will take part in an air pilgrimage from Temora to Point Cook, stopping in Tocumwal and Ballarat. The aircraft will arrive at Temora throughout the day on Monday with a gala dinner to be held in the Temora Aviation Museum display hangar that night for all event participants. Tuesday morning will see the aircraft commence their departures from Temora, headed for Tocumwal and the Temora Aviation Museum will be offering free admission to all visitors from 8.30am through to Midday to view this historic event take place.

The Air Pilgrimage will be supported by Museum aircraft with the Spitfire Mk VIII, Hudson, Wirraway and Ryan all participating in the event along with many other antique and ex military type aircraft.
RAAF Director of Regional Events, Air Commodore Rod Luke AM said Temora, Tocumwal and Ballarat played an important role in Air Force history as regional bases. “They have been chosen because of the significant history of these three bases as World War II aircraft training locations,” he said. “It is good for us to stop every now and again and reflect on our history and the service the Air Force has provided.”

We want to encourage everyone to help celebrate this milestone by either visiting the Museum or the airfields at Tocumwal, Ballarat or Point Cook.

The weekend is rapidly approaching and the Museum staff are getting ready for Aircraft Showcase – Forward Air Control. The Museum’s Cessna O-2A and A-37B Dragonfly will be joined by visiting aircraft which include two Cessna Birddogs, owned by Gordon Glynn, The Royal Australian Navy Historic Flight’s UH-1 Huey and Steve Death’s T-28 Trojan. The Iroquois UH1B helicopter is graced with the iconic helicopter shape and the classic “wokka wokka” chopper sound. The UH-1 was used extensively in Vietnam throughout the 1960′s, was assigned to 135th Assault Helicopter Company (part of US 214th Combat Aviation Battalion) and now has a home with Nowra’s Historic Flight.

The Museum’s Cessna O-2A and both Birddogs are Forward Air Control veterans with records showing that the O-2A has logged more the 4,100 hours in combat. Gordon’s grey Birddog logged in excess of 10,000 combat flying hours, was shot down twice and had a mid air collision with a fighter which cut off several feet of one wing. The pilot Lt Col Richard Brown, who was a veteran of WWII and Korea, managed to land safely. This aircraft now carries the markings of the Royal Thai Air Force. The green ‘Dog was used as a FAC and served with Air America including some time with the Ravens. At one stage of its life it had twin M-60 machine guns mounted under the wings.

The flying will include a combination of individual sequences and some formation flying mixed with interviews from the pilots. When the flying is complete our visitors are invited to check out the Engineering Hangar where demonstrations will be taking place. Currently the Spitfire Mk VIII is undergoing an annual inspection and you will see the aircraft with all its panels removed. The Spitfire will be up on jacks and the engineering team will show you how the landing gear retracts as they put it through several cycles using a hydraulic power supply.

ACROSS OZ
Two adventure motorbike riders are on the journey of a lifetime, crossing Australia from East to West before returning home via the southern coastline. Damian Milo and Bruce Potts, will be completing a passion that has been in the planning for years, inspired by other great adventure motorcycling tales from around the globe and their own deep driven instincts for adventure and living life to the full.In conjunction with Fountainhead Retreat and the Anti Depression Association of Australia, the riders are promoting the awareness of depressive related illnesses across the country in an effort to send out the message that there are indeed answers to control this debilitating illness and to offer direction for sufferers on where to seek help. Covering six weeks and some 12,000 kilometers, the journey is coming close to the end and it wouldn’t be complete without a stop at Temora Aviation Museum. This Saturday the team comes to the Museum and will spend some time sharing their experiences with our visitors before heading north towards home. www.acrossoz.net

NEW DATES RELEASED
May 7th 2011 Aircraft Showcase – Forward Air Control O-1, O-2, A-37B, Sabre
May 21st, 2011 Aircraft Showcase – Pacific Theatre Hudson, Spitfire, Wirraway
Jun 4th 2011 Aircraft Showcase Korea – Meteor, Sabre, Mustang
Jun 18th 2011 Aircraft Showcase – World War II Tiger Moth, Ryan, Spitfire, Harvard

And the date you have all been waiting for….

Temora Aviation Museum will be holding a Big Flying Event in 2011 on November 19th.

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS OFFER FOR ONLINE SHOP…
Christmas is just around the corner with just over a month before Santa packs the sleigh. The Museum Gift Shop is well stocked with everything the aviation enthusiast in your life could wish for. Visit the Gift Shop while you are here this weekend or click on the link below to take you to easy online shopping.

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 Showcase Days) valued at $50.

Check out the shop now!
http://www.aviationmuseum.com.au/shop/

Temora Aviation Museum is changing the format and timing of its flying days to enable more flying opportunities and provide visitors with a more in-depth experience. In the past, flying days have been held every eight to ten weeks and typically included most of the Museum collection. From July this year, we plan to fly twice a month in a completely new format titled Aircraft Showcase Days where we will fly two or three of the Museum’s aircraft and showcase them in detail. This will allow many more visitors to experience our flying activities.

Aircraft Showcase Days will be held on the first and third Saturday of every month with the aim of providing visitors with a personal, interactive and in-depth experience with two or three of the Museum’s aircraft. Visitors will witness the aircraft being towed from the hangar and watch the pre-flight inspection, servicing and refuelling as it takes place in front of them. The pilot will strap in and start the engine and then the flight will take place. The flying display will vary from a simple handling display to aerobatics or formation flying. The aircraft will land and taxi back to the visitors where they will have the chance to have a chat with the pilot, take photographs, and inspect the cockpit and engine. Audio-visual presentations both in the cinema and the Display Hangar will enhance the stories of veterans who will be invited to share with our visitors their wartime experiences. At the conclusion of the flying activity, the Engineering Hangar will be open to all visitors. We have rarely allowed access to the workshop areas, but now visitors will be able to take a closer look at the most diverse range of aviation engineering activities anywhere in the world. Our Engineering Team will demonstrate the projects they are working on and the unique processes, materials and techniques required to keep this fleet of vintage aircraft flying.

Education Program
We are also announcing an expansion of our activities to include an Education Program, which offers special curriculum experiences to high school students studying Australia’s involvement in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Schools will have access to a tailor-made Temora Aviation Museum excursion program. In the coming weeks, the Museum will post on its web site a History Education framework document. Students visiting the Museum will also have access to excursion work sheets and materials, which will assist in their studies and understanding of Australia’s role during World War II, Korea and Vietnam

In planning for the upcoming Museum changes, President and Founder of Temora Aviation Museum David Lowy said: “I am really excited about these new initiatives. We have had 10 very successful years and now there will be more opportunities for visitors to see our historical aircraft in flight.

“We are also enthusiastic about broadening the scope of our activities to include an educational component that will provide students of Australia’s history the opportunity to touch, hear and see our history in action”.

Aircraft Showcase Days will take place on the first and third Saturday of each month commencing Saturday July 3rd 2010. As our flying calendar has been reallocated in support of Aircraft Showcase Days, our previously scheduled June, August and November Flying Weekends will not take place. Some of our visitors will need to alter their travel plans and we apologise for this inconvenience.

Beautiful weather is on the forecast for Temora this weekend. Temperatures will be mild in the mid 20′s with a light breeze which means that the conditions are perfect for recreational flying activity.

Aircraft and exhibitors started arriving in Temora last Tuesday and at the time of writing this newsletter there are already more than 150 here.

The airfield looks magnificent as the Council has put immense effort into upgrading the camping areas, amenities and facilities.

NATFLY is the national fly-in for Recreational Aviation Australia however it is open to anyone who is interested in aviation. There will be forums, seminars and demonstrations happening right throughout the weekend.

The Temora Aviation Museum will be open everyday over this holiday period from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. To enable you to attend both the Museum and the NATFLY event this weekend we are offering a special deal. For a one day entry, normal Museum admission applies, however for $20 you can buy a four-day pass which allows you unlimited visits to the Museum and the NATFLY event over the entire weekend.

Due to the volume of flying activity at Temora Aerodrome over Easter, none of the Museum Aircraft will be flying.

FLYING WEEKEND IN NINE DAYS

You won’t have to wait long to see the Museum aircraft in the air again. Our next Flying Weekend is on April 10 and 11 and plans are well underway to make it a weekend you won’t want to miss. Plan your trip now – more details next week.

Australian Red Bull Air Race pilot Matt Hall is gearing up for a big season of Air Racing with the first race only two weeks away in Abu Dhabi on 26/27 March. This race will be televised so all of Matt’s fans can cheer from their favourite chair as Matt puts his brand new race aircraft through its paces.

The second race of the season will be in Perth, Australia, and Matt is looking forward to racing at home. He has organised an OFFICIAL MATT HALL SUPPORTER TOUR for the RED BULL AIR RACE PERTH 2010. The Tour will run from THURSDAY 15 April to MONDAY 19 APRIL and includes exclusive opportunities to wave the Aussie flag in support of Matt and watch the Air Race live.

NATFLY 2010

The National Fly In of Recreational Aviation Australia 2010 (NATFLY RA-Aus) is taking place at Temora Aerodrome over Easter (Thursday April 1st through Sunday April 4th) this will be a huge event with up to 500 recreational aircraft in attendance and representatives from every recreational aircraft manufacturer and aviation product imaginable on site and ready to share their knowledge with you.

Natfly 2010 is shaping up to be a bonanza for recreational flyers of all shapes and sizes. Temora Aviation Museum, Temora Aeroclub, Temora Airpark, and the entire Temora community have enthusiastically embraced the opportunity to share their aerodrome with other flyers.

Official activities begin on Friday, April 2nd and will include forums, workshops, exhibits, an antique car display, a chance to visit the Temora Aviation Museum (admission applies), and a fabulous opportunity to network with other aircraft builders and flyers. A Flysynthesis Wallaby kit Aircraft will be built during this Natfly event, and there are activities scheduled in hangars around the Aerodrome. Truly, there is something for everyone.

Attendance at Natfly is free and all forums and workshops are free. There is even an entire program for the non-pilot ladies who are not the least interested in aircraft or flying.

Temora Aviation Museum President and Founder David Lowy AM flew the Museum’s Ryan STM from Wagga Wagga to Temora this morning with a special bag of mail, to celebrate the Centenary of Powered Flight in Australia with the launch of a series of three new aviation-themed postage stamps from Australia Post.

The Centenary of Powered Flight stamp issue, which commemorates the efforts of three notable aviators, Colin Defries, John Duigan, and escape artist Harry Houdini, aims to recognise the pioneers of aviation in Australia who helped shape the way in which mail was delivered in this country.

The day began with David displaying enlarged versions of the stamps in front of the Ryan in Wagga Wagga. After receiving his mail delivery he then departed Wagga in the Ryan and headed for Temora. The aircraft’s arrival at the Museum was witnessed by many visitors, who turned out especially for the occasion. David said a few words to those assembled, followed by the Mayor of Temora Peter Speirs. The mailbag was then handed over to the rider of a vintage postie bike for its journey to the local post office.

This Tuesday, 9th March, the Temora Aviation Museum will be involved in a special event to celebrate the Centenary of Powered Flight stamp issue, released by Australia Post. The pilot for this special event is Temora Aviation Museum President, David Lowy AM who will be flying the Museum’s Ryan STM in a recreation of early historic airmail delivery in Australia.

The flight will take place from Wagga Wagga Airport to Temora, starting at 10:30 am, and will arrive at Temora Aviation Museum around 11:00 am. The original flight was undertaken by Frenchman Maurice Guillaux, who flew from Melbourne to Sydney over seven stages to deliver a small quantity of parcels and 1,785 postcards. It was the longest airmail journey in the world at the time.

Temora Aviation Museum Founder and President, David Lowy AM, said, “Our flight will start in Wagga Wagga, NSW because this was one of the stopovers on that first ever airmail delivery in 1914. We’re going to take one of our historic open cockpit aeroplanes, complete with a load of special postcards, and fly to Temora, NSW to help acknowledge the impact aviation has had on the world we live in today.”

To celebrate the Centenary, Australia Post has released three new stamps commemorating the achievements of three pioneer aviators Colin Defries, John Duigan, and American escape artist Harry Houdini.

ATTENDANCE AT AIR EVENTS

The team at Temora Aviation Museum experienced a busy weekend with participation at two different airshows on Sunday 28th February.

Two team members traveled to the HARS’ (Historical Aircraft Restoration Society) Open Day ‘Wings over Illawarra’ at Albion Park, NSW, and were able to meet many of the thousands of visitors that attended the event. It was planned that the Museum’s Vampire and Meteor and Cessna O-2A would attend however despite Pilots Alan Clements and Bruce Wood driving from Newcastle and Sydney the weather wasn’t favorable for the vintage jets to be able to make the journey.

Meanwhile, at Point Cook, Victoria, the RAAF Museum’s biennial Air Pageant was taking place also on Sunday 28th February. The Temora Aviation Museum’s Spitfire Mk VIII, Lockheed Hudson and RAAF Sabre were able to attend the airshow, and the Sabre and Spitfire joined forces with other vintage aircraft including Judy Pay’s Kittyhawk and the RAAF Museum’s Mustang to create some spectacular air display formations.

Visit the 2010 Photo Gallery page to check out some of the spectacular formations over RAAF Point Cook.

AUSTRALIAN TOURISM AWARDS

Two team members travelled to the Australian Tourism Awards Gala Presentation Dinner, which was held in Hobart last Friday night. The Temora Aviation Museum was a finalist in the category of ‘Heritage and Cultural Tourism’, and unfortunately we didn’t come home with the Gold. Better luck next year!… And our congratulations to the winner in our category, The Old Melbourne Gaol Crime and Justice Experience – National Trust of Australia.

The Museum hasn’t moved but you will need to update your address books to our new address, 1 Tom Moon Ave Temora NSW. Our street was renamed in a ceremony last Saturday with about 250 people attending. Temora Mayor Peter Speirs gave a brief history of Menzies St and informed that it was named after the former Prime Minister of Australia Sir Robert Menzies noting that as Temora still wanted him recognised a new street in the Aerodrome subdivision will be named Menzies Place. The Mayor stated that the Moon Family’s relationship with Temora dates back to WWII when Tom’s mother Joy served on this Aerodrome at RAAF No 10 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) as a nurse.

Temora Aviation Museum President and Founder David Lowy AM gave a moving speech in which he remembered his friend Tom as his partner in establishing the Museum. David asked Roxarne Moon to come forward and unveil the new sign by removing a custom cover that had been created in aviation style with a “Remove Before Flight” tag. After unveiling the sign she stepped to the podium and spoke about how her husband’s connection with Temora developed. “Tom’s relationship with Temora started about 15-16 years ago when he landed here. He was looking for an airfield and a town that would welcome aerobatic pilots who wanted to practice aerobatics frequently, which of course means a lot of noise. He said he landed here, taxied up, opened the canopy and was welcomed by Graham Williams, who helped him re-fuel and gave him a sandwich – Tom was sold and from that day Temora became home to Tom and David, the New South Wales Aerobatic Club and ultimately the Temora Aviation Museum.”

Following Roxarne’s speech Peter Anderson asked everyone to remain for a special flyby which included the Museum’s Boomerang flown by Doug Hamilton, Wirraway flown by Scotty Taberner and David Salter in his Harvard. The aircraft flew in formation over the Museum from the west then one by one returned, with the Wirraway being the first machine to officially track down Tom Moon Ave.

The top ten highlights from the Flying Weekend were;

1.   The Museum got a new address and is now located at 1 Tom Moon Ave, Temora.
2.   Gordon Glynn traded in his trusty Birddog for an opportunity to fly the HARS Catalina Flying Boat.
3.   Allan Arthur put his P-40 Kittyhawk through its paces and even joined up with the Hudson for a formation flyby.
4.   The RAN Historic Flight Huey took part in a Vietnam themed display with Mick Haxell DFC at the controls.
5.   Greg Matthews and his Team from the Temora Fire Brigade cooked up a feast over the weekend keeping all the Mess Hall customers well fed.
6.   Warm sunny skies provided the perfect backdrop for the flying displays.
7.   The Engineering Team corrected a last minute hydraulic leak ensuring that the RAAF Sabre was able to be displayed on time.
8.   Al Harding’s Auster joined in with the Tiger Moth and Ryan to open the Flying Display.
9.   Hearing the stories from several WWII Veterans including Wally Ives who flew Beaufighters operationally with 455 Squadron.
10.   Our hardworking team of volunteers pulled out all the stops to look after our visitors.

Don’t miss our next Flying Weekend on April 10th and 11th.

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!

Temora Aviation Museum and the Aircraft Collection will feature this Saturday 14th February on the popular Sydney Weekender television program, hosted by Mike Whitney, which airs on Channel 7 at 5.30pm.

Led by Producer Alan Dungey, Mike Whitney, and the Channel 7 crew visited the Museum for the filming session in December 2008. This was the third time that the program has put together a feature segment about the Museum. We had a lot of fun with the crew, and they tell us that that they love returning to our world class tourist attraction! (We hope that they visit again!).

Don’t miss this special television event!

To see photos of Mike at the Museum during filming visit 2008′s photo gallery page!

CHRISTMAS GIFTS AND GIVEAWAYS

Christmas is only 17 days away but it is not too late to place an order on the Temora Aviation Museum’s online shop! All orders are shipped within 24 hours of receiving them.

As a SPECIAL CHRISTMAS OFFER, all online orders over $20 placed before Christmas Day, will receive a FREE ANNUAL PASS valued at $40! Just remember when ordering online to tell us the person’s name you want the pass to be made out to. This can be entered in the comments section under additional details.

NEW ITEMS ONLINE!

We have added some new items to our online shop including our new velour Temora Aviation Museum Beach Towels, which would make an ideal gift for the summer holidays. The towels are available in six different colours: navy, pink, black, orange, light blue and red. Each towel has Temora Aviation Museum and six aircraft printed in a lighter shade. They can be found in the Museum Merchandise category.

Three more DVDs have been added to our range, they are a series of DVDs called ‘Classic Cockpits’. Each DVD features one particular aircraft – Vampire, Catalina or DC-3. Footage shows the aircraft in detail, inside the cockpit as well as outside, along with spectacular air-to-air coverage.

All online payments are secure with VeriSign.

Visit the ‘merchandise’ link to check out our online shop range.

SYDNEY WEEKENDER AT THE MUSEUM

Mike Whitney and the team from Sydney Weekender made another visit to the Temora Aviation Museum last week to film a segment for an upcoming show. This is the third time Sydney Weekender have visited the Museum and shot a story for their popular television show, which airs on Channel 7 at 5.30 pm each Saturday. The segment on the Museum is planned to air next year, Saturday 14 February 2009.

Visit the photo gallery page to see a photo of Mike at the Museum.

WE COULDN’T DO WITHOUT THE HELP OF OUR VOLUNTEERS

The Museum would like to acknowledge the wonderful support of our volunteers throughout 2008. On a daily basis, visitors are offered the opportunity to be escorted by a volunteer when viewing our displays at the Museum. These dedicated people offer their knowledge of the Museum’s aircraft and other exhibits to provide a personal experience for every visitor on each tour.
On Flying Weekends the role of the volunteer broadens to include support to visitors in the car park, greeting and assisting visitors in the giftshop and merchandise areas, helping children enjoy their time in Kid’s Corner, and generally mingling with visitors throughout the Museum to ensure everyone enjoys their stay! The Volunteer Program is a very important part of the Museum and we are sincerely grateful to each volunteer for their enthusiasm and tireless work.

Volunteers’ service hours are honourably recognised by the Museum. Volunteers Anne Widdows and Keith Brabin received additional recognition for service as volunteers, through their nomination at the 2008 NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards for services provided to the Temora Aviation Museum. Anne and Keith have both given over 5000 hours to the Museum and its visitors since its commencement. Congratulations to Anne and Keith.

Having just turned 80 years of age Neva Cochrane retired from the Volunteer Program at the November Flying Weekend completing 5 years of service to the Museum and Visitors. During her time with us Neva contributed 1615 hours of her precious time. We thank Neva sincerely for her wonderful contribution and wish her well in her retirement!

Visit the photo gallery page to see photos of Anne, Keith and Neva.

At a Gala function in Sydney last night for the 2008 NSW Tourism Awards, Temora Aviation Museum received a Gold Award for the Heritage and Cultural Tourism category. Not only did we take out this award, we also won a Silver award for the Festival & Events Category for our Flying Days.

The Museum, which has been open to the public for the last seven years, is honoured with this recognition from the tourism industry with the goal to collect and maintain in airworthy condition, historical military aircraft types flown by or in conjunction with Australian military forces. The Museum and Temora have become destinations for tens of thousands of tourists which has created significant benefit for Temora and the Riverina Region. Temora Aviation Museum is still evolving and will continue to improve its facilities, operations and flying days.

We would like to thank all of our supporters and visitors who have helped us win this award and invite you to share in our success. Next step is the Australian Tourism Awards held early next year. Wish us luck.

Visit the photo gallery page to see photos from the evening.

The October Flying Weekend is on this weekend – Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th. Come along to experience the Temora Aviation Museum’s collection of ex-military warbirds perform an exciting display of aerobatics, handling and technical flying displays.

The majority of the Museum’s aircraft will participate in this weekend’s event. Visitors can expect to see displays by the Tiger Moth, Wirraway, Meteor, Vampire, Canberra, Ryan, Cessna O-2A, Dragonfly, Spitfires, Hudson and Boomerang. Take advantage of our Two Flying Day Pass and turn your day into a thrilling weekend.

All are welcome at Temora Aviation Museum’s Flying Days. Museum gates open at 10.00 am, with flying beginning at 11.00 am. Flying continues through until 3.00 pm, with an hour set aside to talk to the pilots and get up close to the aircraft, until close at 4.00 pm. Food and refreshments are available on site, and remember to bring along a light fold-up chair if you have one. Plan a trip to experience the sights, sounds and smells of these vintage aircraft at their finest! See you here.

MUSEUM IS A 2008 NSW TOURISM AWARD FINALIST IN THREE CATEGORIES
The Temora Aviation Museum is pleased to announce it is a finalist in three categories for the 2008 NSW Tourism Awards. The three categories that the Museum has received finalist status in are: Tourist Attractions, Festivals and Events, and Heritage and Cultural Tourism. Winners will be announced at a Gala Dinner in Sydney on November 20th. Fingers crossed for our success in all three categories!