Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia national fly-in.

[GeorgeP]

G'day all, the annual fly-in has come and gone with another outstanding range of aircraft in attendance. The event, staged at Echuca aerodrome in northern Victoria, was a celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Auster. About two dozen Austers attended along with many other antique and warbird types. Even a few homebuilts made the journey. I've added a few images which give an indication of the range of aircraft types that attended. IMO, best three on the field were: a 1929 J-1 Robin, a 1927 Widgeon and a wee L-4 Grasshopper that I didn't manage to photograph in the air. Hope you like 'em and thanks for taking a look.


Cadet VH-AGH by GP1961, on Flickr


Kaydet VH-PUD by GP1961, on Flickr


J5F Aiglet VH-BYF by GP1961, on Flickr


ST3-KR Recruit VH-RPT by GP1961, on Flickr


Widgeon VH-UGI by GP1961, on Flickr


J-1 Robin VH-JUV by GP1961, on Flickr


J5 Auster VH-ATS by GP1961, on Flickr


C140 VH-MMG by GP1961, on Flickr


Wirraway VH-BFF by GP1961, on Flickr


J-1N Alpha VH-PCY by GP1961, on Flickr


DHC-1 Mk T20 VH-CPI by GP1961, on Flickr


PL-12 Airtruk VH-TRT by GP1961, on Flickr


C190 VH-AAL by GP1961, on Flickr

[farnboroughrob]

Lovely set, Great that the Westland Widgeon is still flying, never even seen one, or a Airtruk for that matter.

[Slinger65]

Oh come on, it's April 1, clearly that Airtruk's not a <real> aeroplane....

[DOUGHNUT]

OK you may think I am a day later (ie 2nd April) but how much would it cost to ship over the Cadet and Widgeon to UK and fly with the Shuttleworth collection for a season ?
Duxford Flying Legends happily receive aircraft from USA for a single weekend of flying and they return to the USA.
Whilst I understand they are not my aeroplanes their owners must be enthusiasts and maybe would enjoy the opportunity ?
Would there be enough flying events in Australia to allow a Shuttleworth aircraft to do a similar tour ? Demon would be appropriate as Australia operated them.
I would suggest the DH88 Comet but expect the transport issues to be a greater problem.

[Mike]

There's already a perfectly airworthy Cadet (that is not currently flown) in Ireland, and a Widgeon under rebuild in the UK.

[Daz]

Oh come on, it's April 1, clearly that Airtruk's not a <real> aeroplane....

Actually the Airtruk is real https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transavia_PL-12_Airtruk

[GeorgeP]

Oh come on, it's April 1, clearly that Airtruk's not a <real> aeroplane....

April 1st, or not, it <is> an aeroplane but, admittedly, one that only its mother could love.

OK you may think I am a day later (ie 2nd April) but how much would it cost to ship over the Cadet and Widgeon to UK and fly with the Shuttleworth collection for a season ?
...
Whilst I understand they are not my aeroplanes their owners must be enthusiasts and maybe would enjoy the opportunity ?
Would there be enough flying events in Australia to allow a Shuttleworth aircraft to do a similar tour ? Demon would be appropriate as Australia operated them.
I would suggest the DH88 Comet but expect the transport issues to be a greater problem.

A very good suggestion that would see aeroplanes (normally inactive during their home country's winter) enjoyed by enthusiasts in the other hemisphere. I can see a few problems : time available for winter maintenance/repairs, cost of transport, insurance. Sadly, as good as your ideas are, we may not have the number of shows that would justify the costs of transport. However, the Kiwis do bring a few UK- and Europe-based aircraft for Warbirds Over Wanaka every two years, so perhaps it is possible...

... and many thanks to those who viewed and commented. Next show is Oshkosh.