I visited the RAAF Museum yesterday at Point Cook just outside Melbourne and I was fascinated to view what they call an ‘Interactive Flying Program’. It happens 3 times a week and involves one of the museum’s aircraft being flown in front of the visitors. Ok you may think this sounds pretty ordinary – but the difference is that the pilot and ground crew talk to the audience before and after the flight, and the visitors have a mini grandstand to sit on while they watch!
The crew have a mic and speakers set up (also with a link to the atc/pilot) and chat about the aircraft and what they are going to do while they fly it. The pilot then straps in and does his display before landing and parking up once more. There is then a question and answer session in which the crew take questions from the audience.
It was a real eye opener as it was done in true Aussie style (laid back but professional!) and it seriously broke down the barriers between the pilots and the public.
I wonder if that would work in the UK!
When I visited we were lucky to be entertained by a Winjeel and a Tigermoth
Incidentally the museum was very interesting as well with all aircraft being kept immaculate – not a speck of dust to be seen! – It was a bit noisy though as the Bellman hangers seem to incessantly talk to each other!!
By: richb - 31st August 2006 at 09:45
fair amount!! – there is a ton of info there! – Il enjoy looking through it! cheers
By: JDK - 31st August 2006 at 07:57
there’s a fair amount of Queensland’s finest in this thread here.
By: QldSpitty - 31st August 2006 at 07:37
Lets see.Boxkite,Fokker Triplane replica,F2b replica,couple of Austers,Sea Fury,Fiat Gr59,Chipmunk,Ryan,Boomerang,couple of harvards,T28 Trojans,Nomads,Bell 47,s,Kiowa,Huey,Sc1 prototype,Heaps of Blackhawks,Yak 52,s by the boat load.And in Brizzy there is an Avenger,a Mustang,Yak 9 I think.Ummm thats from my fuzzy memory.Rained all night here and all day.Good rain as well and greatly needed.We are on the highest water restrictions,no outside water to be used.Any other warbirds I have missed guys?? There are a couple of P47,s in Sydney and a boat load of cool stuff at Temora.Can,t miss that museum while your over here.
Only good thing about the Yak 52,s is that I think they share the same lineage from captured Bmw 801,s from during the war.
By: richb - 31st August 2006 at 01:47
You hear the damn radials and rush outside to see something cool and all it is a Yak..
Ha Ha……..my thoughts exactly – I keep doing this everyday or so as Im living under the flightpath of Moorabbin! but then any round engine is almost worth looking at! 🙂
PS Weather here is pefect for a winter! – Sun sun and more sun!- been here a month and its rained on 2 days!
PPS – Wot toys have you got up in the sticky north to have a looksy at?? 🙂
By: QldSpitty - 30th August 2006 at 11:24
Yes it is a bit of a swim to get here…Far as I know the toys being taken by the Fun police will go up for auction.I don,t know if any of Oscar Ducks aircraft got caught up in the raids or not but I did see his Avenger was at Esk not long ago for an airshow.Beats looking at Yak52,s that are starting to pop up around the place like a plague of rabbits.You hear the damn radials and rush outside to see something cool and all it is a Yak..
By: JDK - 30th August 2006 at 10:49
And what nice toys we have at that…… 😀
Um… one of your toyboys has had to give his toybox the the feds. Isn’t that “Don’t Pass Go, Don’t Collect 200 Pounds?”
Still there’s a few other nice ones still.
Vintage aviation in Australia’s great – it’s just the thousands of miles in between. 😀
By: QldSpitty - 30th August 2006 at 10:45
The man with the most toys wins
And what nice toys we have at that…… 😀
By: JDK - 30th August 2006 at 10:27
Welcome to the aussie way of doing things mate…Are you coming up to the tropics or are you feeling more at home with the dreariness of southern weather..
Hey, the poor boy’s just come from the land of the long grey drizzle. Even Melbourne weather’s better than that. :p
Here’s hoping he gets to see some of the toys you folks have got.
By: QldSpitty - 30th August 2006 at 09:57
Welcome to the aussie way of doing things mate…Are you coming up to the tropics or are you feeling more at home with the dreariness of southern weather..Can,t talk as it is raining here at the moment….finally.We have to Winjeels up here well one complete and one pulled to bits and it is great to see one in the air.And yes the Bellmans take a life of their own.Bleedin contankerous rolling main doors though….
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August 30, 2006 at 12:32 am