The Temora Aviation Museum is pleased to announce that HARS is bringing their Caribou to Temora for display during this Saturdays Aircraft Showcase Day. Twelve months ago the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) took delivery of two Caribous, including A4-210, part of the long but rewarding process of preparing one of the RAAF’s most important aircraft for a second life in the civilian world.

This will be an opportunity not to be missed as anyone who has seen a Caribou display would agree. One of its great virtues is its capability to operate from relatively rough dirt strips that cannot be accessed by other military transports. This light ‘footprint’ has been lacking in any of the Caribou’s successors. The aircraft was used by the RAAF for flare-dropping missions, medical evacuation, search and rescue and paratroop training exercises, but the main task was the airlift of troops, civilians, supplies, ammunition, mail and food.

The HARS organisation will generously allow visitors to walk through this unique aircraft and will have team of knowledgeable volunteer pilots and engineer’s on-hand to show folks through the aircraft and answer any questions.

Also flying on Saturday will be the T-28 Trojan, Harvard & Cessna A37-B Dragonfly. Unfortunately the Sabre, which was originally scheduled to fly this Saturday, will remain in the workshop due to current maintenance requirements. The remainder of the Museum’s aircraft collection will be on static display in the Display Hangar with those participating in the flying program available for a closer inspection as part of the popular Engineering Hangar Talk.

Perfect weather is forecast for Saturday and with the addition of the Caribou to complement the already impressive collection of aircraft a great day out is guaranteed. So pack your hat, sunglasses and sunscreen and make your way to the Temora Aviation Museum, bring a picnic or enjoy the fully catered Mess Hall facilities for a great day out.

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

Aircraft Showcase With spring just around the corner we have plenty of aviation friendly weather in the forecast for this Saturday and we know that this will attract many of you to visit the Temora Aviation Museum Aircraft Showcase. The theme for this event will focus on the Vietnam conflict as we acknowledge the Battle of Long Tan. Taking to the skies will be the Cessna A-37B Dragonfly, Cessna 0-2A and Cessna O-1 Birddog. As an added bonus, so as to allow our pilots some extra flight time, we will also be flying the Spitfire in addition to the theme. After the flying is complete, everyone will have the opportunity to meet our experienced pilots and engineers during the engineering hangar tour. So come prepared with all the military aircraft related questions you have always wanted to know the answers to.

Be sure to arrive when the gates open at 10am so that you have time to get a premium coffee from Sean, who we like to call “The Coffee Man”, before making your way to the Display Hangar for the feature film on the big screen. Prior to and after the flying you will have plenty of opportunity to explore the Museum displays and aircraft.

The Temora Aviation Museum is excited to announce that Warbirds Downunder will be held at the Museum on Saturday November 19th, 2011. There will be plenty of aerial action for you to enjoy with most of the Museum’s aircraft collection taking to the skies as well as plenty of visiting aircraft including the RAAF Roulettes, RAAF Hot Air Balloon, Allan Arthurs P-40 Kittyhawk, RAAF Museum CAC Mustang, Southern Knights Aerobatic Team. aircraft from Judy Pay’s collection and many more of our friends. The visiting aircraft which have confirmed, have been listed on our website – but we are still working on others so stay tuned. Apart from the flying program there will be other exhibits for you to see and enjoy. The children will be occupied with Kids Korner, jumping castles and other activities. A wide variety of food vendors will be here on the day to ensure you are provided with tasty delights and if you are a classic / vintage car and military vehicle fan, you can enjoy perusing the many vehicles on display for the event.

For quite a while we have been working on a new format for our website, online shop and email newsletter. This week we were able to launch all three and we are pretty excited with the results. However something is still missing…and we need the help of all our creative subscribers to give our email newsletter a fresh, exciting and unique name which reflects our Museum. You can email as many suggestions as you like to us and our secret panel of judges will choose the name they like the most. In the case that two of you come up with the same name we will go with the email we receive first. The winner will receive a ride in the Museum’s Tiger Moth and must be 18 years or older. So put your thinking caps on and very soon you could be soaring over the Temora countryside just like the trainees in World War II.

Extraordinary flying took place in Temora over the Easter weekend against a cloudless blue sky. Visitors to the Museum were lucky to witness the visiting aircraft from the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society participate in the weekend’s events. The impressive Neptune took part in the Flying Schedule both days, while the Catalina flew on the Saturday only, due to other commitments elsewhere.

The Lockheed Super Constellation, from the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society, was a hit with more than 1000 visitors taking the opportunity to check out the vintage interior, which was once used to ferry military personnel around the world.

Within the vintage fleet of Museum aircraft, visitors were able to observe the Tiger Moth, Wirraway, Ryan, Hudson, Boomerang, Spitfire Mk VIII, Vampire and Meteor perform flying displays over the weekend. There was also appreciated involvement from Gordon Glynn’s Cessna 0-1, Steve Death’s Trojan, Doug Hamilton’s Harvard and Tom Moon’s Extra 300S.

We thank our visitors for coming along to see the spectacular aircraft displays and we ask that you start planning for the 19 & 20 May weekend, which is set to be big… watch this space…

Engineering

The Canberra Bomber’s fuel tank is being refitted after repairs. We are planning to fly the Canberra over the May Flying Weekend as part of the vintage trio of jets.

Check out the Canberra’s picture on the photo gallery page, along with recent photos from the April Flying Weekend.

The Museum is excited to confirm that the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Roulette Aerobatic Team will be at this weekend’s flying event Saturday only. If you haven’t had a chance to catch them in the past, now is the time. They are an elite formation flying team consisting of flying instructors drawn from the RAAF’s Central Flying School (CFS). The Roulettes currently fly the Pilatus PC-9/A training aircraft. The PC-9/A, which is a two-seat single-engine turboprop aircraft is designed by Pilatus Switzerland and built under license by Hawker de Havilland in Sydney. It was introduced to the Air Force in 1987, with Pilot training in the aircraft commencing in 1989. The Roulettes have been flying the PC-9/A since 1990.

This flying weekend, March 4 and 5, marks the 70th anniversary of the first flight of the Spitfire. On March 5, 1936 the first Spitfire took to the skies, and to mark this historic occasion the Museum will be featuring Australia’s only flying Spitfire in our weekend’s program. Along with the Boomerang, Wirraway, Lockheed Hudson, Harvard and other famous WWII aircraft the Spitfire will be featured in a flying event that you won’t want to miss.

In addition to the WWII aircraft we will showcase aircraft from the Vietnam era with the Cessna O-1, O-2 Forward Air Controllers and the attack aircraft T-28 Trojan and 2 Cessna A-37B Dragonflys. The demonstration will finish with a solo aerobatics display by the Dragonfly.

This weekend, Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 July is a Flying Weekend here at Temora Aviation Museum. Flying Weekends are a chance for visitors to witness the Museum’s vintage aircraft collection take to the skies. The Flying is set to involve the majority of the Museums collection including the graceful moves of the Tiger Moth and Ryan, the Cessna 0-1 and 0-2, the only flying Spitfire in Australia, Meteor, Cessna A37B, the Trojan and a spectacular aerobatic display by Tom Moon in his Extra. The only difference at this stage is that the Canberra and Vampire are flying Sunday only.

For those of you that have not yet visited a Temora Aviation Museum Flying Day, Museum doors open at 10.00 am with flying beginning at 11.00 am. Hot and cold food and beverages are available for purchase throughout the day at the Museum’s ‘Mess Hall’ kiosk. Flying finishes around 3.00 pm followed by a Ramp Talk. This allows visitors to get up close to the aircraft and talk to the pilots, who will be stationed in front of their aircraft. The Museum closes at 4.00 pm.

Weather Forecast

According to the website ‘Weatherzone – Australia’s leading weather resource’ a forecast of a cool, mostly cloudy Saturday with a top of 13°C is expected. So remember to rug-up for the cool weather.
In the event of rain, the Museum will be open as usual. Depending on the rate of the rainfall, the Temora Historic Flight Club Director of Flying Operations, Darren Crabb will determine if the flying activity will take place.

Williamtown

The Museums Gloster Meteor F.8 will be flying to Williamtown on Friday to take part in a Royal Australian Air Force 77 Squadron Association reunion. Many Korean War Veterans will attend including several from the Republic of South Korea’s 102 Squadron.
The Meteor will return to Temora Friday afternoon to take part in the Museum’s Flying Weekend.

Spitfire Propeller

After several months of maintenance the Spitfire is returning to our flying program. All four propeller blades have been replaced, with new blades purchased from the Hoffman Company in Germany. All the tooling to assemble the propeller had to be fabricated by the Temora Aviation Museum Engineers, as the tools are no longer available for purchase.

Temora weather

Temora weather for Saturday and Sunday is expected to be sunny with tops of 24 degrees. There is a very light cool breeze, so a jacket is recommended.

A reminder that daylight saving ends on Saturday night, when the clocks are turned back one hour.

Flying Programme

The flying programme for the weekend includes the Tiger Moth, Ryan, Wirraway, Hudson, Spitfire, Meteor, Vampire, Canberra, T-28 Trojan and the A37B Dragonfly.

Lunch and refreshments will be available from our ‘Mess Hall’. A variety of hot and cold food can be purchased. The Temora branch of the NSW Fire Brigade operates the Mess Hall and all proceeds go to local charity.

The Museum opens at 10.00 am and flying begins at 11.00 am. Although some seating is provided, you are welcome to bring a fold-up chair.

The engineers are fuelling the aircraft and are doing their final checks as our pilots are making their way to Temora for this weekend’s flying.

Many visiting aircraft will be at Temora over the weekend including:
Saturday – Matt Denning’s CAC Boomerang, Historic Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) Catalina, HARS Super Constellation, Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Squirrel Helicopter Display Team from Nowra, Lynette Zucolli’s T-28 Trojan (static) and Fire Air 1 anti-terrorism helicopter (static).

Sunday – Matt Denning’s CAC Boomerang, HARS Super Constellation, RAN Navy Squirrels, Col Pay’s Kittyhawk and Lynette Zucolli’s T-28 Trojan (static).

From the Museum’s collection, we are planning for the following aircraft to take to the air: Tiger Moth, Hudson, Meteor, Cessna 0-2A, A37B Dragonfly, Vampire, Wirraway, Canberra and the amazing Tom Moon in his Extra 300S.

Weather

Temora has experienced varying weather conditions this week so we recommend that you bring along everything from a warm jacket for cool weather to a hat and sunscreen if it’s sunny!

Refreshments

Lunch and refreshments can be purchased throughout the day at the affectionately named ‘Mess Hall’. Hot and cold food and beverages are available. The Temora branch of the NSW Fire Brigade operates the Mess Hall and all proceeds go to local charity.

Come along to the Museum’s flying weekend on February 5th and 6th and enjoy the spectacular flying display, guaranteed to entertain visitors of all ages. The Museum opens at 10.00 am and flying begins at 11.00 am. Although some seating is provided, you are welcome to bring a fold-up chair.

On Friday morning the 8th of October, Channel Seven’s Grant Denyer will be broadcasting the weather live from the Temora Aviation Museum as part of the Sunrise programme. The show airs on the seven network from 6am to 9am EST. If your up early come and join us or tune in for a spectacular look at the Museum and our aircraft.

The October 9th and 10th Flying Weekend is rapidly approaching and promises to deliver a wide array of exciting aviation displays. Spectators will be able to catch Judy Pay’s Vampire and Mustang in the company of many of the Museum’s aircraft. Australia’s newest T-28 Trojan is slated to make an appearance and participate in a spectacular Vietnam scenario, showcasing the Cessna 0-1 Birddog, Cessna 0-2A, T-28 Trojans, Cessna A-37B Dragonfly, Canberra and the Navy Historic Flight Huey.

As a special treat, the Museum is proud to present, for our third consecutive year, the RAAF Roulettes Air Demonstration Team. These guys will showcase their flying skills in a spectacular formation flying display. The Roulette Team will be on the ground both Saturday and Sunday to sign autographs and pose for pictures with you and your family. Bring the children for this fantastic day of fun and flying.

Needless to say, the Museum’s second last flying display weekend for this year will include sufficient variety to appeal to almost every aviation interest and is not to be missed! We look forward to sharing this fantastic weekend with all of you.

The flying will commence here at Temora Aviation Museum on Saturday 24th April from 11am with the Tiger Moth and the Ryan leading a field of Warbirds which will entertain you for four hours. This will include displays by the Boomerang and Wirraway: the Spitfire and Mustang: the O1, O2A and Trojan: the Canberra and the A37B Dragonfly. Tom Moon will also thrill you with his aerobatic display in his Extra 300s.

On Sunday 25th April the Museum is honored to be asked to participate in the Temora Anzac March and Cenotaph Service which will commence at 11.15am. Museum pilot and Retired Air Commodore Bruce Wood will be the guest speaker at the service. The Spitfire and Wirraway along with Matt Denning’s Boomerang and Judy Pay and Dick Hourigan’s Mustang will conduct a fly past at the conclusion of the service. The flying program will commence at the Museum at 12.30pm. Visitors will witness nostalgic displays by the Spitfire, Boomerang, Mustang, Tiger Moth, L-39, Trojan and A37B.

In remembrance of Anzac Day the Temora Aviation Museum has joined with the History Channel to air the programme titled Temora Aviation Museum Warbirds. This one hour documentary will premier in Australia and New Zealand on the History Channel Sunday 25th April 2004 at 6.30pm EST.