Hanging on to Hawdon

“It’s really important for our staff to see the history of the company in the air,” said outgoing Qantas GGM of engineering and maintenance David Cox. “TAA was a major part of the Qantas story, so we feel that it’s important to keep artefacts such as this DC-3 going for our people to see our long and rich history.”

Fittingly, Cox says that it is planned to keep the aircraft in the original TAA livery which it currently wears. “We just want to make sure we keep that alive, and really celebrate the human achievement involved in keeping the aircraft going” he added.

Qantas Founders Memorial chairman Warwick Tainton said that it was an honour to take on the management of VH-AES. “We want to acknowledge the effort and dedication that the group of volunteers have put in to preserve the DC-3,” said, especially due to the hard work put in by the volunteers over the years. “Qantas Founders Memorial feels proud to take over the baton and keep the aircraft flying.”

An ex USAAF aircraft built in 1942, Hawdon was originally delivered to the Department of Civil Aviation in August 1944. The aircraft was then transferred to Trans Australia Airlines in June 1946, and operated its first service from Laverton to Sydney on September 9 of that year. It was with TAA that the name was adopted in honour of overlander and explorer Joseph Hawdon.

The aircraft continued in service with TAA in Australia before being retired in 1959. One year later, it returned to service with TAA to operate services in Papua New Guinea, before eventually being withdrawn from service again in 1970. After remaining in storage for a number of years, the aircraft was put on display at Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport outside the TAA terminal in 1979.

During the 1980s, a group of volunteers started a campaign to restore the aircraft to flying condition, and the aircraft came off static display in 1987. As a result of the campaign and the dedication of a number of the volunteers, the aircraft was restored, and was able to make a re-enactment of the first TAA service during September 1988, marking the 42nd anniversary of that first flight.

Over the last 20 years, the aircraft has averaged approximately 40 flying hours per year with appearances at airshows around Australia and also for Qantas publicity work and charity flying, with the aircraft managed by Hawdon Operations Ltd. In 2008, the aircraft even made a four day trek to the Singapore Airshow and back, an impressive feat for both the aircraft and the volunteers running and maintaining it. Most recently, the aircraft was displayed on March 15 at the Avalon Airshow, alongside a Qantas Boeing 747-400ER.

However, with the dedicated volunteers involved in the care of Hawdon getting no younger, there was some concern about its future. “We were getting to the point where we had to do something to ensure that the aircraft would be preserved,” said David Wilshire, a former TAA pilot and one of the driving forces behind the restoration of the aircraft.

As a result, the volunteers of Hawdon made an approach to former Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon in 2008 seeking the company’s support for the ongoing future of the aircraft. This was then passed on to Cox in November, who represents Qantas on the QFM board and opened negotiations with the Memorial on a suitable arrangement. In the space of only a few months, an agreement was reached between all the parties involved which will see QFM effectively take over Hawdon Operations Ltd, with Qantas providing funds and support for the aircraft.

One of the first tasks for the Qantas Founders Memorial is to find hangarage for the DC-3, which will likely be in Melbourne for the time being. This will allow many of the volunteers who have been caring for the aircraft to continue their work.

Qantas has long had involvement with Hawdon, with the original restoration project backed by former Australian Airlines (and later Qantas) CEO James Strong. The airline has also provided funds on an ‘as-needs’ basis to ensure the aircraft remained in flyable condition. A number of current and former Qantas and TAA engineers have also been involved in the ongoing maintenance of the aircraft.