Temora Aviation Museum is changing the format and timing of its flying days to enable more flying opportunities and provide visitors with a more in-depth experience. In the past, flying days have been held every eight to ten weeks and typically included most of the Museum collection. From July this year, we plan to fly twice a month in a completely new format titled Aircraft Showcase Days where we will fly two or three of the Museum’s aircraft and showcase them in detail. This will allow many more visitors to experience our flying activities.
Aircraft Showcase Days will be held on the first and third Saturday of every month with the aim of providing visitors with a personal, interactive and in-depth experience with two or three of the Museum’s aircraft. Visitors will witness the aircraft being towed from the hangar and watch the pre-flight inspection, servicing and refuelling as it takes place in front of them. The pilot will strap in and start the engine and then the flight will take place. The flying display will vary from a simple handling display to aerobatics or formation flying. The aircraft will land and taxi back to the visitors where they will have the chance to have a chat with the pilot, take photographs, and inspect the cockpit and engine. Audio-visual presentations both in the cinema and the Display Hangar will enhance the stories of veterans who will be invited to share with our visitors their wartime experiences. At the conclusion of the flying activity, the Engineering Hangar will be open to all visitors. We have rarely allowed access to the workshop areas, but now visitors will be able to take a closer look at the most diverse range of aviation engineering activities anywhere in the world. Our Engineering Team will demonstrate the projects they are working on and the unique processes, materials and techniques required to keep this fleet of vintage aircraft flying.
Education Program
We are also announcing an expansion of our activities to include an Education Program, which offers special curriculum experiences to high school students studying Australia’s involvement in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Schools will have access to a tailor-made Temora Aviation Museum excursion program. In the coming weeks, the Museum will post on its web site a History Education framework document. Students visiting the Museum will also have access to excursion work sheets and materials, which will assist in their studies and understanding of Australia’s role during World War II, Korea and Vietnam
In planning for the upcoming Museum changes, President and Founder of Temora Aviation Museum David Lowy said: “I am really excited about these new initiatives. We have had 10 very successful years and now there will be more opportunities for visitors to see our historical aircraft in flight.
“We are also enthusiastic about broadening the scope of our activities to include an educational component that will provide students of Australia’s history the opportunity to touch, hear and see our history in action”.
Aircraft Showcase Days will take place on the first and third Saturday of each month commencing Saturday July 3rd 2010. As our flying calendar has been reallocated in support of Aircraft Showcase Days, our previously scheduled June, August and November Flying Weekends will not take place. Some of our visitors will need to alter their travel plans and we apologise for this inconvenience.