Page 104 - AA 2018_09

Warbirds Warbirds, classic aircraft, WRITER: DAVE PROSSOR

museum and airshow news

The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s
Lancaster flies in formation with an RAF
Tornado GR.4 and an F-35B Lightning II
during the Royal International Air Tattoo in
April, an amazing sight! mark jessop
HARS AVIATION MUSEUM PLANS F-111C and other ex-military NZ1015/ZK-RNZ, suffered an original WW2 brown and green
At the Illawarra Regional Airport aircraft such as the museum’s engine failure which resulted in camouflage, rather than the grey
HARS is planning a breathtaking Canberra, Vampire, Neptune and it making a gear-up landing just and red training scheme of its later
museum to house and display its a Sabre. outside RNZAF Base Ohakea on years.
growing aircraft collection. With The project would also include August 13. The two crew members “The decision to go with the
recent acquisitions the museum is space for interactive displays, were unhurt. camouflage scheme is significant in
parking aircraft in the elements, archival and general storage Details of the engine issues and that it was important for us to pay
which in the long term is not good spaces, training and office facilities, the extent of the damage incurred homage to the wartime history of
for aircraft structures, paintwork a world-class aviation research in the belly landing are unknown the aircraft.”
and engines. library, administration offices, as we went to print. Hopefully they NZ1015 was built in 1942
A recent proposal prepared overnight crew accommodation, a are such that ’15 will be restored to and was originally allocated the
by NBRS Architecture would flight simulator, a retail outlet, a fly again. USAAF serial 41-33166. It later
see HARS increase the size of its café and much more. The Harvard had only recently acquired the RAF serial of EX193
hangar area at the current site as The total cost is estimated as been the subject of a lengthy but was shipped to New Zealand
well as building some four new being $70-80 million. rebuild to get it back into the air, in September 1942 to become
large structures on the south side Hopefully state and federal making its post-restoration debut NZ1015.
of runway 26. governments can help with at the 2017 Air Tattoo at Ohakea. It was one of the 202 Harvards
Pavilion 1 would house the funding to get this amazing project “It took three and a half years to see service with the RNZAF,
former Qantas 747-400, pavilion 2 off the ground? to take the aircraft apart and which did not finally retire the type
would have a regional airport make sure it met the civilian from advanced pilot training duties
passenger terminal and a home RNZAF HARVARD MAKES FORCED specifications,” FTLT Stuart until 1977.
for the former ex-Qantas Boeing LANDING Anderson, who oversaw NZ1015’s NZ1015 has been on strength
707 donated by John Travolta The ‘Grand Old Lady’ of the restoration, said ahead of the 2017 with RNZAF’s Historic Flight,
and additional aircraft. Pavilion 3 Royal New Zealand Air Force Air Tattoo. which is part of the Ohakea-based
would give a home to the RAAF Historic Flight, Harvard IIa NZ1015 now sports its Central Flying School, since 1979.

104 AUSTRALIAN AVIATION