Folks
I noticed the thread elsewhere on the F-105 to be restored and flown in the US and wondered if this local news had filtered out elsewhere?
http://www.warbirdz.net/forum/showthread.php?t=557
Mirage to Fly Again?
——————————————————————————–
Confirmed news.
Wangaratta Mirage IIIOF A3-42 has been sold to a former RAAF pilot who intends restoring it back to flying condition. The new owner wants
to remain anonymous, but it is known he flew Mirages with 3 Squadron including a stint at Butterworth. This is the aircraft owned for years by Murray Griffith at Precision Aerospace.There is a group of ex-RAAF engineers and self-confessed Mirage lovers operating in the background to get her back in the air. The aircraft is very complete, with only the drag chute missing. Word is the RAAF have helped with manuals.
It will move from Wang soon to a new home yet to be confirmed for the engineering work. The big problem is where she will be based once airworthy again. Needing 2000 metres of runway immediately strikes-out the usual suspects like Pt Cook, Latrobe Valley and Mangalore. The best options for her appears to be Albion Park or Temora (this is not a suggestion that HARS or TAM should operate it).
I have been sitting on this for weeks sworn to secrecy, but as it will appear in the new issue of Flightpath, I got permission to post it here.
Walrus
She’s On the Move
——————————————————————————–
Mirage is on the move to Essendon this weekend. At the moment it is known that the lift at Wang will happen around 0900 Saturday morning. The time of leaving Wang is uncertain, as is the route. It is likely to be the Hume as she is going into overnight storage at Beveridge.
The next definite is that the gate near the tower at Essendon has been booked to be opened at 0900 Sunday morning. This little black duck will be there camera in hand. Would be good if someone could get to Wang to take pics of her being craned onto the flatbed.
Walrus
Regards
Mark Pilkington
By: Brenden S - 12th June 2017 at 05:46
No worries Oxcart
By: Oxcart - 10th June 2017 at 22:17
Such a shame. Thanks for the info, Brendan
By: QldSpitty - 10th June 2017 at 04:00
They could not get the engine roll out stand. The Pakistan AF would not lend them one, and the only one in Australia is the RAAF museum and they refused to let the guys take photos and measurements. So the guy gave up and donated it to HARS. We are pretty backwards in warbird restoration help in Australia…..
We are slow learning I think..
By: J Boyle - 10th June 2017 at 00:55
Gee, that doesn’t sound like the USAF I know…. (insert sarcasm mojo here).
It’s okay for me to make comments like that since I spent 20 years on command staffs with them.
For a combat aviation group, the USAF is rather risk adverse, given the very nature of combat and aviation is filled with risks.
But you can imagine what would happen to whoever authorized its return to flight if something were to happen at a public display and people were killed.
By: Firebird - 9th June 2017 at 20:51
collings foundation were planing to do an F105 around the time the mirage news came out….but the USAF cut the engine mounts on all the possible candidates if i recall and that put an end to any chance of it happening.
Correct.
Collings were well advanced in the plan with a specific airframe, but the USAF made sure it wasn’t ever going to happen.
By: Brenden S - 9th June 2017 at 15:02
They could not get the engine roll out stand. The Pakistan AF would not lend them one, and the only one in Australia is the RAAF museum and they refused to let the guys take photos and measurements. So the guy gave up and donated it to HARS. We are pretty backwards in warbird restoration help in Australia…..
By: oz rb fan - 9th June 2017 at 05:01
collings foundation were planing to do an F105 around the time the mirage news came out….but the USAF cut the engine mounts on all the possible candidates if i recall and that put an end to any chance of it happening.
By: J Boyle - 9th June 2017 at 03:12
What about the flying F-105 mentioned? I’ve never heard of any plans to restore one, especially since most remain Air Force property.
I see one in Paul Allen’s collection (it’s shown in a recent ad for his aircraft and armor collection)…and I suspect he’s the only one with enough money to get one in the air.
By: Zac Yates - 9th June 2017 at 00:55
I can only imagine it was due to cost but I don’t remember if anything was actually said about it. The aircraft joined the HARS collection in early 2015: http://hars.org.au/2015/02/mirage-arrives-hars/
By: Oxcart - 8th June 2017 at 23:32
Anyone know why this didn’t go ahead?
By: mark_pilkington - 11th May 2010 at 11:07
Used to be one alongside the hangar at Avalon in the late ’90’s when I was on 747’s there. Could have gone to Geelong Tech ? Dunno ? Worth a check. cya
A3-45 is under cover and on display at the Australian National Aviation Museum at Moorabbin Airport.
The museum’s Mirage A3-45 was built in 1967 and served with every RAAF unit that flew the type before it was retired in 1986 and transferred to the Aeronautical Research Laboratories in Melbourne for test purposes. It was later transferred to Aerospace Technologies of Australia (successor to G.A.F) at Avalon, the company passed the aircraft to the Museum in 1993.
Regards
Mark Pilkington
By: JonL - 11th May 2010 at 06:20
All we need now is an F111 kept to have a great range of RAAF jets, along with the Temora birds……http://rnzaf.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=airshow&action=display&thread=11142
Sign In
May 10, 2010 at 9:11 am