Australian Historical Flying Centre

In 2002 the Society made an important decision to relocate its activities out of the congested Sydney basin and into the beautiful Illawarra district south of Sydney, where the Illawarra Regional Airport nestles in pleasant seaside semi-rural splendour against a backdrop of spectacular sandstone cliffs that form the escarpment of a coastal mountain range. The airport sits adjacent Australian National Highway One with hundreds of thousands of passing vehicles each week, and is within easy walking distance of a rail connection with Sydney, nearby Wollongong and Port Kembla and the beautiful South Coast of New South Wales.

In partnership with one of Australia's biggest and most respected companies, BlueScope Steel, the Shellharbour Municipal Council and a host of other corporate and private sponsors, HARS is in the process of building a significant hangar and museum facility to house its collection of aircraft and an impressive array of associated memorabilia.

Planned Operational Facility

The completed facility will endeavour to address the activities we intend to pursue, which is in keeping with the Society's Mission Statement. The completed facility will provide for the following:

• Aircraft Hangar
• Restoration Workshop
• Engine Overhaul Workshop
• Administration Office
• Library/Approved Workshop Office
• Conference Centre
• Education Centre
• Staff Amenities

Aircraft Hangar

Our foreseeable requirements indicate that we will require a minimum storage and display for the following aircraft:

• 1, Lockheed Super Constellation • 2, Lockheed Neptune P2 Aircraft • 1, Consolidated PBY Catalina • 1, Convair 340 • 2, CAC Winjeels • 2, De Havilland Vampires • 1, Cessna 310

• 1, Cessna 180 • 2, Cessna 172's • 2, Douglas C47 Dakota's • 1, Boeing 707-338 • 2, Bell Huey Cobra Gun Ships • 1, De Havilland Tiger Moth • 1, De Havilland Drover

Hopeful future acquisitions include a De Havilland Caribou

Restoration Workshop

We consider this facility as the hub of the restoration process, both in fabricating and overhauling components In addition, we expect to generate a considerable level of income in carrying out restorations for other organisations such as the Australian War Memorial, other museums and private interests outside the Society itself.

Engine Overhaul Workshop

The Society has exceptional skill sets within its membership pertaining to engine maintenance that it intends to develop the capacity to carry out full maintenance overhauls on reciprocal and turbine aircraft engines. As an example we already have a full set of overhaul tools for the Rolls Royce Goblin (Vampire) engine. This facility also has the potential to generate income for the society.

Administration Office

This facility will accommodate all of the necessary administrative functions necessary for the Society. Marketing, financial management, membership records and correspondence will be managed from this administration office.

Library/Approved Workshop Office

The maintenance of our aviation library is most essential for the licensing of our aircraft. It is mandatory that all records pertaining to an aircraft are securely stored and are available for inspection by authorised aviation authorities. It remains as a continual reference library for maintenance procedures. In addition, as an authorised workshop with CASA, the Society is required to maintain all governing regulations at all times.

Conference Centre

The Conference Centre will be available to all sponsors, as well as the Society should they wish to use the facility.

Education Centre

The education centre will be used to accommodate the various training courses and seminars provided for Society personnel. It will also be used to include special educational courses for secondary and tertiary students. The centre will also be available to sponsors should they wish to conduct their own training courses.

Member Amenities

This will provide full dining, washroom and change facilities for our members. Much of what they are called upon to do is considered industrial work.

Museum & Administration Layout Click Image for larger view
Level 1 Floor Plan		Level 2 Floor Plan

Emphasis on Education

The strategy behind our education program is threefold:

First

The retention of the aviation skills of yesteryear. From fabric covering and repair to the maintenance of reciprocal and early turbine engines. We have already established a level of education programs for the Super Constellation, C-47 Dakotas and Neptune Aircraft. These courses basically cover Flight Crew Training, Engine and Airframe Maintenance. A full library of documentation is retained on all aircraft. The program is to be expended over time to also embrace Engine Overhauling of both reciprocal and turbine engines.

Second

The retention of current maintenance skills such as engines, airframe, hydraulic systems, radio and electronic devices. Whilst some of these skill sets will vary accordingly to the eras, they are still excellent platforms from which to address more modern technological skills.

Third

The development of school children, As an example, we are currently seeking sponsorship to introduce to Australia a space technology education course developed with the cooperation of NASA. It is called the Challenger Program in memory of those who perished in the Challenger disaster during the 1980's. This course is now in use in the United States in over forty two locations. It addresses our school year equivalents of eight, nine and ten students. The course introduces into the school curriculum a level of mathematics and physics to be achieved before attending the course itself. The course actually simulates a space launch together with both a capsule environment and an earth based monitoring procedure. The classes are dividd into teams for the duration.

In addition, it will be a priority to accumulate as much Australian historical aviation memorabilia so that future generations will not only see historic aircraft in flight but also in what era they belonged and their impact both then and now on our society.

Museum Management

The Society is most fortunate in having within its membership people experienced in Museum Management. In addition, a considerable number of our members have been associated with museums in either a management capacity or involvement in their day to day operation. Examples of this can be found in the following:

Bob De La Hunty - Is on the board of the Temora Aviation Museum at Temora, NSW. He has had significant exposure to museum management at Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona over a five year period. Pima is considered as being one of the top three successful aviation museums in the United States.

Ian Debenham - is the Curator of the Transport Section of the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. He is also the Honorary Curator of the Australian Aviation Museum at Bankstown. His credentials as both an administrator and exhibitor are one of the highest order.

John Brooker - is on the board of the Australian Aviation Museum at Bankstown. As with Bob De La Hunty, John has had continual exposure to the operations of Pima Air & Space Museum.

Maureen Massey - is on the board of the Australian Aviation Museum at Bankstown. Maureen is also the honorary custodian of many of the historical records of the De Havilland Organisation in Australia.

A significant number of our current membership come from the business sector, the majority of which have retired. Therefore we will have little difficulty in placing competent, active personnel to administer and operate this Museum 365 days of the year. The management will no doubt involve a significant number of people from the Illawarra Community.

Our study of successful museums both in the USA and UK highlights the need for a well established management hierarchy to manage both full-time employees and volunteers. Under no circumstances do they permit silhouette management to exist. With a volunteer workforce there is the need to continually monitor activity. Because they are volunteers, there is always the possibility of no-shows and this could dislocate the effectiveness of others in a team. A volunteer manager must be on hand to appoint others to fill in the gaps of a restoration or maintenance team.

Most successful aviation museums appear to apply a formula of having, for each full-time employee, five volunteers to support that employee. In an aviation museum you draw the greater part of your expertise, particularly with respect to restoration of aged aircraft, from this sector.