Latest News
About Advertise Contact
AA logo
Become a member Sign in
PREMIUM CONTENT/QUARTERLY MAGAZINES/ISSUE #30

Schofields Pictorial

Undoubtedly the 1985 Schofields will be best remembered as the show that didn’t get rained out. Heavy Spring rain deluged Sydney the week up to the event and all but the greatest optimists amongst us prepared for yet another wet air show. Fortunately it was not to be and the more than 30,000 people who attended the trade and public days of the show were rewarded with an excellent ground and air display alike.

Schofields 85 was indeed a warm up for the giant bicentennial air show of 1988. All we could offer as constructive criticism would be to (a) stage the show in August, instead of in the heat of near summer, (b) ensure that all display aircraft fly their sequence as legally close as possible to the crowd line to ensure the paying customer gets his action where he wants it (the B-25 was totally a waste of time as it performed orbits more than a kilometre upsun of the runway) and, (c) that the cost of admission be reviewed.

This content is available exclusively to Australian Aviation members.
Login
Become a Member
To continue reading the rest of this article, please login.
Forgot password?
or
To unlock all Australian Aviation magazine content and again unlimited access to our daily news and features, become a member today!
A monthly membership is only $5.99 or save with our annual plans.
PRINT
$49.95 for 1 year Become a Member
See benefits
  • Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
  • Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
MOST POPULAR
PRINT + DIGITAL
$99.95 for 1 year Become a Member
$179.95 for 2 years Become a Member
See benefits
  • Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
  • Access to the Australian Aviation app
  • Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
  • Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
  • Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
  • Daily news updates via our email bulletin
DIGITAL
$5.99 Monthly Become a Member
$59.95 Annual Become a Member
See benefits
  • Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
  • Access to the Australian Aviation app
  • Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
  • Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
  • Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
  • Daily news updates via our email bulletin
View more offers and details

This latter point is raised as everybody we spoke with personally felt that $10 for an adult and $5 for a child was too high in view of the fact that almost all of the participants flew at no cost to the organising body and that all ground displays had to pay relatively dearly for their ‘piece of turf’.

Yes, the RAAF still does fly Dakotas. This attractive ARDU C-47 from Edinburgh was finished in an F-18 style air superiority dull grey and served as a visual test bed for the livery prior to the RAAF officially accepting this scheme for its Hornet fleet. Looks good on the 18 and even better of the veteran Dakofa.
One of the most successful helicopter types in Australia, in terms of fleet growth, the diminutive Robinson R22 put on an exciting handling display which demonstrated just why this economical helicopter is so well suited to the demanding heli-muster role.
The sound and fury of the magnificent Fairey Firefly is certainly a strong crowd drawer. This aircraft also performed an excellent series of slow rolls which ably showed offits not inconsiderable proportions. The RAN Museum Flight Firefly was due to test fly late in 1985 which will be yet another asset in Australia’s excellent community of warbirds.
The RFDS Nomad demonstrated its ability to get up and go and made us all wonder how and why this potentially saleable aircraft was so ma/­ administered by all those concerned for so many years. With more powerful engines, a little more attention to detail and a factory and marketing programme run to aggressive private enterprise standards then this locally developed aircraft might just have made it. 

Just what every Boeing skipper needs to blow away those silicon chip-induced cobwebs! Brett Mah/a glides in the immaculate SE5 replica ultralight after mock air combat with the equally enchanting Fokker D VII, which won the award of Grand Champion Ultralight at the show.
Another example of thoroughbred deHavilland breeding, this time one of the twenty DHC Beavers on the Australian register. Operated by Bankstown-based Aerial Agriculture, this Beaver still performs sterling service in the ag field while over the years its operator has also become well respected as a major refurbisher of such aircraft
The RAN Museum Flight C-47 Dakota put on an excellent performance at what was her home airfield for so many years while serving as a ground-based training aid for Navy apprentices. The RAN will soon have their second C-47 airborne to complement what will eventually be one of the largest flyable air museums in the nation.
What is probably the best-maintained Lockheed 12 anywhere in the world, VH-ABH was again the cause of a boost to Kodak’s revenue as it prepared to undertake what was probably its best ever handling demonstration. At one stage ABH served as the personal transport of the late Sir Robert Menzies in his first term as PM.
The Hawker Pacific Soloy converted Cessna 206 showed graphically what a major boost in horsepower, coupled with some appropriate high lift devices, can do for your average Cessna. The aircraft was able to perform at previously unattainable AOA while its field performance was nothing short of exceptional.
A newcomer to the air show circuit is this immaculately restored Ryan two-place primary trainer. Ryan trainers came in both in-line and radial engine variants and nowadays are prized as being excellent examples of aeronautical engineering of their time.
The shape of things to come in flying training. The gnat-sized Robin ATL is hopefully set for local production with a planned output of up to 150 aircraft annually. Use of the ATL should reduce the cost of flying training by up to a third
The McDonnell Douglas 500E (nee Hughes) is cleared to loop anywhere in the world except Australia according to DofA rules. Though this went over like a lead balloon amongst the large GA community at Schofields, the nimble helo at times came close to ‘forgetting’ that it was in Australia and performed one of the most exciting handling demonstrations yet seen by a helicopter locally
An aircraft that has already made a considerable impression on the world utility market is Cessna’s rugged Caravan. The Caravan cabin can accommodate up to 13 passengers or in the freight role can take two D-size cargo containers or up to 10 55 US gallon fuel drums. A military STOL version is also under development.
Pacific Aviation took advantage of the show to debut its first Cheyenne 40-LS. Actually the fastest aircraft based at the show, the 400mphcrwse propjet could theoretically outperform the best WW2 combat types such as the Mustang and Mosquito!
STOL aircraft are always impressive but the Australian Army Aviation’s Pilatus Porters are unequalled in this regime. The ugly, but highly practical Swiss-built liaison aircraft will no doubt see many years of service in Australian Army camouflage.

Want to see more stories from trusted news sources?
Make Australian Aviation a preferred news source on Google.
Click here to add Australian Aviation as a preferred news source.

You need to be a member to post comments. Become a member today!

Premium Content

Issue #402: Paint It Black

September 02, 2026

Inside the Archive #21 | Boeing 747

August 26, 2026

Traffic #402 | Project Sunrise, WSI, US Coast Guard

August 19, 2026

Galleries

In Focus: The Galleries

June 27, 2023

EMS 2023

January 31, 2023

Resurrected

October 26, 2022

Latest Magazine

AA logo
Momentum Media Logo
Most Innovative Company
STAY CONNECTED
SUBSCRIBE
FOLLOW US ON
Copyright © 2007-2026 MOMENTUMMEDIA