Sabre Superb

One of the nicer aspects of modern-day Australian military aviation is the belated acceptance that not all obsolete aircraft must suffer the fate of the breaker’s hammer. Probably the best example of this newfound enthusiasm for official preservation is the RAAF’s historic flight Avon Sabre A94- 983.

01′ 983 is probably Australia’s best-known Sabre thanks to its excellent aerobatic performance which is repeated eight or nine times annually at major air shows and pageants throughout the nation. Life began for 983 back in late 1957 when, as one of a group of Mk32 CA-27 Sabres, it was delivered to the RAAF. In total, 111 Sabres were produced for the RAAF by Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation in Melbourne between 1953 and late 1961 and 983 continued in service with the RAAF till the late sixties.

In 1970 the Australian government decided to give the Royal Malaysian Air Force 16 Sabres as aid, of which 983 was one. Following several years as a front line fighter with the RMAF, 983 was eventually ‘parked against the fence’ as Northrop F- 5E began to take over the air combat role previously undertaken by the Sabre force. 983 suffered this fate for more than a year before a largely voluntary effort by RAAF enthusiasts organised for the aircraft to be made flight-ready subsequent to a full restoration effort back in Australia. Following an E service and eleven months of hard work, 983 was test flown for the first time in many years by an AMF pilot on July 7, 1978 before an enthusiastic crowd at the Butterworth air base.

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