Established | 1999 |
---|---|
Location | Temora, New South Wales, Australia |
Coordinates | 34°25′38″S147°30′55″E / 34.427272°S 147.515228°E |
Type | Aviation museum |
President | David Lowy |
Website | http://www.aviationmuseum.com.au |
The Temora Aviation Museum is an Australian aviation museum located in Temora, New South Wales. The Museum was established in late 1999, based on the collection of warbird aircraft owned by David Lowy. Lowy remains the President and Founder of the Museum, which is overseen by a five-member Governing Committee.
The Museum is home to the Air Force Heritage Squadron's Temora Historic Flight with aircraft that range from before World War II to the Vietnam War era and holds Aircraft Showcase (on the 1st & 3rd Saturdays of most months) to display some of its operating aircraft.
The Museum often hosts visits from other historical aircraft and Royal Australian Air Force combat aircraft.
The town of Temora is notable in Australian aviation history. The Royal Australian Air Force set up the No. 10 Elementary Flying Training School there in May 1941, the largest and longest-lived of the schools established under the Empire Air Training Scheme during World War II. [1]
More than 10,000 personnel were involved in the school's operation, with more than 2,400 pilots being trained there, and at its peak had 97 de Havilland Tiger Moth aircraft for training purposes. The school was closed on 12 March 1946.
After World War II, Temora continued its aviation heritage, used for a number of activities including: parachuting, gliding, ultra-light aircraft operations, aerobatics, and model aircraft.
Sydney businessman David Lowy established the museum in Temora due to its aviation history, good weather, flat terrain, a co-operative local council and uncontrolled air space below 20,000 feet.
Temora Aviation Museum was incorporated in late 1999, at which point construction of the facilities commenced, and a governing committee was formed. The first hangar was completed in February 2000, and the first aircraft for the collection were donated by Lowy. The museum was officially opened to the public in June 2000 at which point construction commenced on the exhibition buildings, including: display space, theatrette, admission entrance, gift shop, a children's playground and picnic area.
In November 2002, the third stage of the museum complex, a 1,980 square metres (0.49 acres) hangar was completed and became the main display hangar for all the aircraft, while the original hangar became a restoration and maintenance facility.
In May 2019 the museum announced that it had reached an agreement with the Department of Defence to transfer ownership of 11 historically significant aircraft to the Royal Australian Air Force, effective 1 July 2019. Under the agreement the aircraft would continue being housed at Temora and maintained by the same staff, but operated by the RAAF as the Temora Historic Flight. Twelve of the club's pilots were inducted into the RAAF Reserve as Special Capability Officers with the rank of flight lieutenant. [2] In February 2021 the Flight was incorporated into No. 100 Squadron RAAF, reformed to operate the RAAF's warbirds. [3]
Aircraft | Civil registration | ADF serial | Image | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Air Force Heritage Squadron (Temora Historic Flight) | ||||
English Electric Canberra TT18 | VH-ZSQ | |||
Lockheed Hudson Mk III | VH-KOY | |||
Cessna A-37 Dragonfly | VH-XVA | |||
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.VIII | VH-HET | |||
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XVI | VH-XVI | |||
Gloster Meteor F8 | VH-MBX | A79-851 | ||
de Havilland Vampire T.35 | VH-VAM | A79-617 | ||
CAC Sabre | VH-IPN | A94-983 | ||
CAC Wirraway Mk 3 | VH-BFF | A20-653 | ||
CAC Boomerang | VH-MHR | A46-122 | ||
de Havilland Tiger Moth | VH-UVZ | A17-691 | ||
Ryan STM | VH-RSY | |||
Museum aircraft | ||||
Cessna A-37 Dragonfly | VH-DLO | |||
Cessna O-2 Skymaster | VH-OII | |||
Cessna O-1 Bird Dog | VH-LRE | On loan | ||
Temora Aviation Museum hosts the Warbirds Downunder airshow, a biennial event that "brings together the largest gathering of warbirds for a two-day celebration of Australian aviation history". [4] The event features warbirds from private and museum collections around the country (such as the HARS collection), both in flying and static displays, as well as being regularly supported by current squadrons of the Royal Australian Air Force, including No. 100 Squadron and the RAAF formation aerobatic display team, the Roulettes.
Temora's population of 4,000 swells with each event. The inaugural show in 2011 saw almost 10,000 in attendance, [5] with that number now estimated to have grown to around 22,000 visitors. [6]
2020 Warbirds Downunder
Due to COVID-19, the 2020 event scheduled for the 17-18 October was postponed to 2021 with the schedule remaining unchanged into 2022; making 2021 & 2022 the first two consecutive years that the event has been run since its conception.
The CAC Boomerang is a fighter aircraft designed and manufactured in Australia by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation between 1942 and 1945. Approved for production shortly following the Empire of Japan's entry into the Second World War, the Boomerang was rapidly designed as to meet the urgent demands for fighter aircraft to equip the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). It was the first combat aircraft designed and constructed in Australia.
The Lockheed Hudson is a light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built by the American Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. It was initially put into service by the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by it thereafter. The Hudson was a military conversion of the Model 14 Super Electra airliner, and was the first significant aircraft construction contract for Lockheed — the initial RAF order for 200 Hudsons far surpassed any previous order the company had received.
A warbird is any vintage military aircraft now operated by civilian organizations and individuals, or in some instances, by historic arms of military forces, such as the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, the RAAF Museum Historic Flight, or the South African Air Force Museum Historic Flight.
Warbirds over Wanaka is a biennial air show in Wānaka, held on the Easter weekend of even-numbered years since 1988. It is held at Wānaka Airport, 10 km south-east of Wānaka, in the southern South Island of New Zealand. Initially conceived by New Zealand live deer recovery pioneer, Sir Tim Wallis, as a show for him to display his collection of World War II aircraft, the event has grown into a major institution. Roads are closed and traffic is detoured around the area during the weekend. Hotels, motels and backpackers around Wānaka are usually booked well in advance. Accommodation is impossible to find if one does not have a booking.
The Australian International Airshow, also called the Avalon Airshow, is a large air show held biennially at Avalon Airport, between Melbourne and Geelong in Victoria.
Oakey Army Aviation Centre is situated approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) from the town centre of Oakey in Queensland, Australia. It provides a training establishment for Australian Army Aviation, and also hosts the Republic of Singapore Air Force's "Cougar" 126 Squadron. The Defence name for the facility is Swartz Barracks, named for prominent politician, Army Aviation advocate, and ex-POW Sir Reginald Swartz.
The CAC Wirraway is a training and general purpose military aircraft manufactured in Australia by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) between 1939 and 1946. It was an Australian development of the North American NA-16 training aircraft. The Wirraway has been credited as being the foundation of Australian aircraft manufacturing.
No. 83 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force intelligence unit. It was originally formed in 1943 as a 'home defence' fighter squadron and provided air defence to several locations in Queensland, the Northern Territory and New South Wales before being disbanded in 1945. The squadron was re-raised in 2021, and is responsible for a system which integrates intelligence from multiple sources.
No. 100 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) historic aircraft display squadron. It was originally formed as a bomber and maritime patrol squadron that operated during World War II. Raised in early 1942 from the remnants of a British unit that had been destroyed in Malaya, the squadron flew Bristol Beauforts from bases in Queensland and New Guinea, undertaking torpedo- and level-bombing sorties against Japanese targets in the Pacific theatre. Following the conclusion of hostilities, the squadron was disbanded in August 1946. It was reformed as the Air Force Heritage Squadron in January 2021 to operate airworthy warbirds.
Air Force Training Group is the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) group responsible for training personnel. It is headquartered at RAAF Williams, Victoria. The group was established as Training Command in 1953. It formed part of Support Command between from 1959 to 1990, when it was re-established as Training Command. In July 2006, Training Command was re-formed as Air Force Training Group under Air Command. Air Force Training Group consists of a headquarters and two Academies: Air Academy and Ground Academy.
Redhill Aerodrome is an operational general aviation aerodrome located 1.5 NM south-east of Redhill, Surrey, England, in green belt land.
The CAC Sabre, sometimes known as the Avon Sabre or CA-27, is an Australian variant of the North American Aviation F-86F Sabre fighter aircraft. The F-86F was redesigned and built by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC). Equipping five RAAF squadrons, the type saw action in the Malayan Emergency in the late 1950s, and was employed for air defence in Malaysia and Thailand in the 1960s. Ex-RAAF models also saw service with the Royal Malaysian Air Force and the Indonesian Air Force.
Temora Airport is a small airport located 2 nautical miles northwest of Temora, New South Wales, Australia. Currently no regularly scheduled passenger fights serve the airport. The current owner, the Temora Shire Council, do not charge landing fees for aircraft to use the facility, encouraging a wide variety of general aviation uses, including skydiving, gliding, flight training, kit aircraft assembly and aircraft maintenance. It is also the home of the Temora Aviation Museum, and hosts regularly flying displays and events.
Scone Memorial Airport, is a public airport in the Upper Hunter Valley, 4 km (2.5 mi) northwest of Scone, New South Wales, Australia. It was built to provide a public aerodrome replacing Nandowra aerodrome on located on "Nandowra", approx. 9 km south of Scone.
David Hillel Lowy is an Australian businessman, aviator and musician. He is the eldest son of Westfield Corporation co-founder Frank Lowy and a principal of Lowy Family Group (LFG), the Family Office and private investment group of the Lowy family. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of New South Wales. He is known for being a member of the band The Dead Daisies.