July Newsletter ready for download!

Mike Milln

We’ve got a big issue this month – 20 pages of good reading…

The president updates all the functions we have coming up; Langdon Badger is at it again with tall tails of his “out landings’; we update you on what the restoration crews are up to; there’s an interesting story about what happened to one of Horrie Miller’s Curtis Seagulls; articles from RAAF History on the CA-15 Kangaroo and when they took the red out of roundels; and finally a profile by Peter Ingman of another of the EATS facilities in WWII South Australia – this time No 1 EFTS Parafield.

Click on the front page at left, put your feet up and have a good read!

SAAM to acquire Aero 145 VH-WWC/CZL!

Mike Milln

SAAM is about to acquire Aero 145 VH-CZL, donated by John and Marj Ellis and the ‘Charlie Zululima Trust’ that had dismantled it for restoration. SAAM will undertake the restoration and display the aircraft in due course.
It has huge South Australian historical importance – purchased originally by John Doudy, who established Commodore Aviation, and registered as VH-WWC in October 1962 then used for tuna spotting and lighthouse supply out of Port Lincoln until around 1979. John’s son, Chris Doudy, wrote a history of it in our last newsletter www.saam.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/PM-Jun18.pdf.

June newsletter ready for download!!

Mike Milln

 

Our June newsletter is ready to download – it’s a sad issue with obituaries of two recently lost members and an In Memoriam of the anniversary of Paul Daw’s death in the Rossair crash last year, but there’s lots of interesting updates on what’s going on at SAAM as well. Just click on the image at left to download, or go to the Newsletters tab on the home page.

Cessna CC-1 Replica restoration complete!

Mike Milln

SAAM’s restoration of its Cessna CC-1 replica is complete. This is a replica of Clyde Cessna’s original 1911 design built by Rossair’s chief engineer Gordon Lewis from original design drawings for the 1966 National Air Show at Parafield and Edinburgh. Rossair was the Cessna dealership at Parafield and the replica was displayed as a promotional initiative. It was dismantled sometime after the Air Show and stored in a shed on the Lewis’s Gawler property until donated by Gordon’s family to SAAM in December 2016. The aircraft has been fully restored and rigged, and a replica Anzani 3-cylinder engine installed that was purpose-built for SAAM in Hungary.

It is one of only two replicas of the original aircraft in existence: the other being displayed by Cessna in the US. 

You can read more about the aircraft here: http://www.saam.org.au/cessna-cc-1-replica/

SAAM GETS A NEW PATRON!

Mike Milln

SAAM is delighted to announce that Co-founder and Chairman of Nova Systems, Jim Whalley has accepted the appointment of Patron of the South Australian Aviation Museum.

Jim, a former air force fighter pilot and test pilot with over 6,000 flying hours on more than 40 aircraft types, is a graduate of the RAF Empire Test Pilots’ School and holds an MBA from the University of Adelaide and a BSc from the University of NSW.

As an avid aviation enthusiast Jim retains a strong personal interest in aviation as a civilian pilot and flies, flight tests and displays a range of antique, warbird and experimental aircraft and helicopters in his spare time, including piloting his CAC Boomerang regularly in air shows and displays across South Australia, most recently with a flyover during 2018 ANZAC Day Remembrance Day celebrations.

Jim succeeds Hon Alexander Downer AC, our Patron of many years to whom we are very grateful – particularly for his facilitation of our acquisition of our Aermacchi MB-326H aircraft in 2004.

Jim will be welcomed aboard at our General Members’ Meeting on 16 June 2018.

BAe146 forward section arrives at SAAM!

Mike Milln

Cobham Aviation Services kindly donated BAe146 forward section, comprising cockpit and three rows of seat, to SAAM and transported it to the Museum on 16 May 2018. Here is some video of the aircraft section arriving at the Museum.

WP_20180516_11_24_48_Pro from South Australian Aviation Museum on Vimeo.

The aircraft, in service as VH-NJL, was destined for scrap.

SAAM intends to refurbish it as an interactive display that visitors can sit in.

 

 

 

May newsletter ready for download!

Mike Milln

Our May newsletter is now ready to download – just click on the front-page image at left. 

There’s lots of good reading as usual – the president’s update on the month’s big news issues; stories on the Cierva C.30A Autogyro, the re-formation of 24Sqn at Mallala and Rod Kopp’s experiences in a RACSA Chipmunk; restoration updates; and Jim Rogers’ and Steve Nelson’s profile of the DHC-4 Caribou. Read on!!

SAAM to acquire Mirage IIID A3-115!

Mike Milln

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SAAM today (3 May 2018 ) executed a Deed of Gift with RAAF Heritage for Mirage IIID A3-115 on an “as is/where is” basis. We are very grateful to RAAF Heritage for their confidence in us.

The aircraft is presently on display at RAAF Edinburgh as pictured.

We plan to concentrate on the reassembly of Orion A9-756 before picking it up, so it will be some time before A3-115 is on display at SAAM, where it will represent the work of ARDU at Edinburgh.

We will keep you posted.

SAAM swapping RF-111C A8-134 for F-111C A8-132

Mike Milln

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SAAM has agreed to an F-111 swap so that our existing loaned aircraft A8-134 will go to the Australian War Memorial and be replaced by A8-132, presently at RAAF Base Edinburgh.

We regard this as a win-win. The AWM gets an RF-111C aircraft that was active in the East Timor theatre, and we get an F-111C with long and distinguished South Australian provenance of weapons trials with ARDU at Edinburgh. We are also delighted to further strengthen our existing cordial and cooperative relationships with the AWM and RAAF Heritage.

We are not sure yet exactly when the exchange will take place – but it’s soon and for a short time there will be two F-111s on site while the exchange takes place. Not to be missed!! We will keep you posted.