For some years now I have been trying to locate the surviving Skippy (1960s Australian television series) helicopter VH-AHI with a view towards having it repatriated and preserved in Australia. After serving in PNG it later appeared on the U.S. civil register as N1164T. In 2012 it was permanently deleted from that register however in […]
Unexpected
The demand for war memorial furniture here in Australia has been so great, for so long, that it’s now difficult to obtain the military-grade anchors, propellers and guns that were once the entitlement of every R.S.L. club. Next-best-things, such as diminutive Cessna propellers which began appearing on memorials some decades ago, have now become acceptable […]
Going, going….gone.
Aviation heritage has never attracted broad investor interest, the inclusion of such items in high-end auction catalogues being more the exception, than the norm. Indeed, there is no such thing here as a established aeronautica market, as there is say for antiques or fine art. While it was not altogether unusual to see an item of […]
High above the Dardanelles
Queenslander Alfred Warner served in the Dardanelles for more than two-and-a-half years, far longer than any of his compatriots, and yet you won’t find his name mentioned in any Australian military history. As Australia’s only airship pilot (and airship station commander), his war experience was singularly remarkable, much of it spent floating high above the […]
Opportunity Lost
Back in 1979 a leading State Museum was offered the nose section of a Douglas A20G Boston. The would-be donor described the aircraft, and it’s salvage, in the following terms…. It came from an entire crashed airplane from which a few parts such as doors had been removed prior to my finding it….I put it […]
Australia Day Honour
Congratulations to Cliff Robinson who was awarded an Order of Australia today for “services to aviation history, and to the community”. The official citation refers specifically to: Queensland Air Museum Inc: Inaugural Chaplain, since 2012. President 2001-2011. Treasurer, 1996-2000. Fundraiser, 1994-2003. Member, since 1978. Honorary Life Member, 2012. Member, Missionary Aviation Fellowship, 1955 -1990 and […]