SAAM volunteers reinstalled the rudder on DHC-4 Caribou A4-225 on 17 June 2017. This involved raising the nose to lower the tail to a workable height, lifting the rudder with our forklift, installing the bolts with a scissor lift on one side and work platform on the other, then carefully lowering the nose to make sure we had sufficient roof clearance as the tail rose. It was a close call, but our building design calculations proved correct and the top of the rudder fitted nicely under the raised roof of the eastern bay of our new display hangar. A fine piece of team work!
June Newsletter now available!
There’s lots of good reading this month as usual – check out the President’s update, Nigel’s touching Eulogy for his brother Paul Daw, restoration updates, Dean Robinson’s part 2 of his DC6/DC6B story … and more! Just click on the front page image at left, or browse through past numbers at the “What’s New” tab above.
Another History Group Profile available for download!
We have loaded another of our History Group’s research profiles – this one on SAAM’s collection of 27 aviation trophies. The profile pictures each trophy and provides a description of its history: its donor, for what it was awarded and who won it. It’s probably not light reading but if you have an interest in a particular trophy, or just want to browse through them all, just click on the image of the Advertiser Cup at left. Or go to the History Group tab above and check out the mass of interesting stories there.
SAAM Library Expansion!
SAAM has one of the best aviation historical research libraries around but it was busting at the seams with over 5,000 books plus historical document, photographs and videos. Librarian Nigel Daw has undertaken a comprehensive reorganisation of the library, including the installation of a new 9-bay compactus, which has added over 70 metres of additional shelf space and provided lockable storage for our more valuable items. This is Nigel in front of the new facility. If you have any aviation related non-fiction that’s surplus to requirements, consider donating it to us!
RIP PAUL DAW
We were devastated to lose Paul Daw, our long-serving member and collection manager, in the Rossair crash near Renmark on 30 May. We offer our sincere condolences to his wife Anne, daughters Emma and Rachel, Son Simon and brother Nigel; and to the loved ones of Stephen Guerin and Martin Scott, who also died in the crash.
Paul will leave a huge gap in our organisation and in our hearts. Vale Paul.
PROGRESS ON CARIBOU A4-225 RE-ASSEMBLY!
When we last posted we had moved the Caribou into our new display hangar and installed the horizontal tail surfaces and the engines.
We now have the props and cowlings installed, and on 3 June 2017 we installed the vertical tail fin. Next is the rudder!
Video interview of our President, Pieter van Dyk on 9th April
Pieter was filmed by Aviation Now at our Open Cockpits and Family Fun Day last month. To view the video click here
We’ve put the props on the Caribou since then – the port wing and vertical tail surfaces come next!
8-14 May 2017 is National Volunteer Week!
Volunteer Week is an annual celebration to acknowledge the generous contributions of our Nation’s Volunteers…
Did you know SAAM has NO paid staff? We are entirely dependent on the hard work, commitment and enthusiasm of our volunteers, and we are very proud of them.
Here’s a good example – a hard-working group in our library, busy on a major re-organisation of the collection that’s underway. Ian Jones is on the left, who is a photographer and works on the video section; then Rod Kopp, who has the thankless job of Membership Officer on the Committee; Jean Kopp, who as well as library work and countless chores around the museum also produces the newsletter; Nigel Daw, our Librarian who leads the library staff; and Vern Kendall, who can be found every week helping in the library. There are many others who help out too.
There are many, many more volunteers busy on a huge range of activities that make SAAM such a good place to visit – some of whom we will be featuring and thanking on our Facebook page this week.
Children’s University Program!
We are an accredited learning destination under the program, so bring the kids in with their passports over the school holidays. They’ll have fun with our questionnaires AND learn a lot AND earn passport credits – AND remember we are open every day over Easter!
