The Museum’s online Gift Shop is a great way to buy all those aviation-orientated gifts for Christmas. New stock has recently been added to the range including items such as fluffy toys for the children and bear-collectors, as well as a range of model aeroplane kits including aircraft such as the Sabre, Douglas DC3, Vampire, Mustang and A-37B Dragonfly. Other items to interest the kids include money boxes, puzzles and a pencil holder. Additional items comprise of decorative china plates, a clock, key rings, cuff links, hat pins and DVDs.

Orders may be placed via the Museum’s website, otherwise call the Museum to place a phone or money order.

Annual passes are also a great gift idea for Christmas, especially for anyone that loves to visit the Museum regularly. They are an economical way to check out what is happening at all of our Flying Days, of which the Museum has 16 days planned for next year! The passes are valid for twelve months from the date of purchase.

Prices for annual passes are as follows: Adult: $40.00, Adult over 65 years: $30.00, Child (3-18 years): $20.00
They may be purchased over the phone, or by visiting the Museum.

Annual Inspection for the Canberra

At present, the Museum’s Canberra Bomber is occupying the majority of the engineering hangar as it undergoes its annual inspection.

The Canberra’s annual inspection involves many tasks involving an overall inspection of the structure of the aircraft to look for cracks, corrosion and damage. Both engines receive an inspection, which can take up to six hours to carry out. This is followed by a test run on the ground, up to full power, to ensure there are not any operational defects. The Canberra’s wheels are also removed, the brakes are inspected and the wheel bearings get new grease in the annual inspection process.

The engineers are currently conducting a detailed inspection of the tail of the Canberra. It involves the removal of the elevators and inspecting inside the tail plane for corrosion and cracks.

Hopefully the Canberra will be flying again for the January Flying Weekend.