Warbirds #388 | Ex-RAAF Mustang flies again

Member for Upper Hunter Dave Layzell attended an event at Scone Airport to welcome the funding and praised Hunter Warbirds on its “vision to offer a nationally significant living centre of heritage aviation experiences”, which he said is a “tourism drawcard” for visitors of the Upper Hunter to learn more about aviation and pilot training.

Ex-RAAF CA-18 Mustang, VH-BOB, takes to the skies again

In a Warbirds-Traffic crossover, a former RAAF CA-18 Mustang, A68-104, has taken to the skies for the first time in 15 years. Oh, what a story this plane has! This Mustang was built in 1947 and delivered to RAAF Base East Sale in November of that year where it actively served until 1955. The RAAF kept A68-104 in storage until 1958, when it was offloaded and changed hands a number of times before being put on display outdoors in Sydney.

Then, according to records, it was purchased by Dr Tony Fisher in Jerilderie, NSW. Dr Fisher worked to return the Mustang to airworthy status before selling the plane to Robert Eastgate in 1970 — known to those around him as Bob, of course. Bob and his team spent the next three years bringing the plane to ferry standard before the plane was finally ferried to Essendon Airport in 1973. Here, a second seat was added into the fuselage alongside major overhaul works, before the Mustang was registered with its iconic tail number VH-BOB. Bob and his family spent the next three decades operating joy rides on the Mustang out of Point Cook before a landing incident in 2008 saw damage to the plane’s gear and belly. After the incident, the decision was made to begin a full deconstruction and restoration job on VH-BOB, with every nook and cranny disassembled, inspected, and— where necessary — replaced to meet modern standards and perfect operational condition. Bob Eastgate unfortunately never got to see his namesake, VH-BOB, take to the skies again after passing away in mid-2020. His family and team continued the restoration work on the CA-18, which was successfully flown again on 26 January 2023.

Airworthy Avro Anson M.I WWII Bomber up for sale in New Zealand

Got a spare $2 million to spend? Well, you could get your hands on a rare piece of Australian military history — a former WWII-era RAAF Avro Anson Mk.I. The bomber was delivered to the RAF in 1944 and given the serial number MH120 before being allocated to the RAAF and sent to Australia, where it was put to use until 1951. Since then, it has changed hands a number of times before making its way to New Zealand in 2002.

Today, the wartime bomber is currently the only surviving airworthy aircraft of this model, after being meticulously restored to full RAF military configuration between 2003 and 2012 by Bill Reid and his team. In fact, Bill’s team won awards for their dedication to the plane’s restoration, which included original military glasshouse on the cabin windows, fully functioning Armstrong Whitworth mid upper gun turrets fitted with replica Lewis Mk II machine guns and operational bomb bays. Since 2012, MH120 has regularly wowed crowds in air shows and flight displays around New Zealand and is now reluctantly being put up for sale.

RAAF Museum Point Cook to reopen in April 2023

The RAAF History and Heritage branch has announced that the RAAF Museum at Point Cook will finally reopen to the public after two years on 13 April 2023. The RAAF Museum has been closed since March 2020, when it shut its doors at the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic, later deciding to use this shutdown period to redevelop the museum with brand new interiors, displays and experiences. According to the RAAF, the new museum will include an immersive ‘Strike Experience’, which combines sound, light and film to bring fighter jets to life within its walls. The museum has also seen its WWI-era Bellman Hangar refurbished.

Success at Wings over Illawarra, Avalon lines up for takeoff

After three years of turbulence for Australian airshows — between COVID-19 lockdowns and our friend La Niña — we’ve finally had a string of good luck, good (enough) weather, and great airshows. Wings over Illawarra went off mostly without a hitch at Shellharbour Airport on November 12 and 13, despite some concern that rainfall could impact flight displays on day two. Not to worry though, organisers were quick to jump in with a backup plan and were ready to move up flight displays from the morning to the afternoon to beat the worst of the weather.

Attendees were wowed by numerous flight displays including a CAC Boomerang, two Supermarine Spitfires, a CA-18 Mustang, a P40E Kittyhawk, and more, including a display put on by the RAAF Roulettes in their Pilatus PC-21s. Those with sore necks from looking to the skies were treated on the ground with static displays, many of which came from the HARS Aviation Museum, such as an ex-Qantas 747-400, a Consolidated PBY Catalina, a DHC-4 Caribou, and many, many more!

Meanwhile, preparations are heavily underway for the return of Australia’s biggest airshow: Avalon 2023. After a successful 2019 show, Avalon was originally slated to take place again in February 2021, however much of the country remained in lockdown during the ‘third wave’ of COVID-10 infections at this time. The event was postponed until November 2021 but was ultimately cancelled again due to rising COVID-19 infections.

Thankfully, the 2023 show is finally planned to go ahead from 28 February to 5 March and is set to be bigger and better than ever. The event’s organiser, the ADMA Foundation, is yet to release the official flying program as details are finalised, but you can absolutely expect displays from Australia’s biggest names including Matt Hall Racing, Paul Bennet Airshows and, of course, the RAAF Roulettes.