G’day folks,
I may be reading too much or too little about it, but it seems simple to me.
The Wirraway was built to a earlier design in the family, and almost all other surviving NAA advanced trainers of the family were built to later designs. So, even though A20-10 was completed in September 1939, the particular design pre-dates that of the Harvard I, and other aircraft which were delivered around that time. Mark, is that what you meant?
But all of that aside, Saturday was a magnificent day. Seeing the ex-CAC employees reacquainting themselves with the Wirraway was something to behold. Watching one man slowly walk around 10, lost in thought and memories, was quite humbling. For me, the story of the machines comes second to the story of the men.
A lot of people have worked very hard on this machine, with long days and late nights. I’ve been tied up with it all, but haven’t been very hands-on, living 500km away. I did come down to help one weekend, and it was great fun! A20-10 has received a level of attention over the last year or so, which was ramped up to an intense ten weeks to have her ready for her 75th. I was there for the last run in 1987, and am delighted to have been there again on Saturday.
So, congratulations are due to those who got their hands dirty, and those who quietly worked in the background. To see the old girl come to life again was pure magic.
Cheers,
Matt
Sign In
