Aviation enthusiasts fight plan to sell RAAF Point Cook, birthplace of Royal Australian Air Force

[GTX]

Aviation enthusiasts fight plan to sell off the birthplace of RAAF

There are calls for RAAF Base Point Cook, in Melbourne's south-west, to be placed in a community trust rather than sold to private investors.

www.abc.net.au

I did my RAAF officer training there. It might not be an operational base but I would like to see it kept in RAAF hands and not just sold off.

 

[Boom]

Shame.

It's all part of the Federal Government's plan to sell 67 military sites across Australia, following a federal Defence Estate Audit overseen by the Department of Finance.

In other words a grab for cash.

 

[special ed]

Perhaps veterans and aviation enthusiasts could do a fund raising and buy it. Make it a place with a museum of the times as well as provide a place for model flying, both R/C and control line. It could become a dedicated model contest flying site as the AMA site in the U.S. I would suspect, if enough notice to the modelling world, clubs from other countries may contribute.

 

[special ed]

I also feel some contributions from the fullsize aviation community are possible as many restorers and builders are used to the disappearing of air history. People such as Kermit Weeks could lend a hand.

 

[GTX]

Perhaps veterans and aviation enthusiasts could do a fund raising and buy it. Make it a place with a museum of the times as well as provide a place for model flying, both R/C and control line. It could become a dedicated model contest flying site as the AMA site in the U.S. I would suspect, if enough notice to the modelling world, clubs from other countries may contribute.

There is a museum there:

https://www.airforce.gov.au/community/visit-and-learn/raaf-museum

RAAF Museum - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[OldLoad]

Wondering if it will end up like the RAF Museum at Hendon, a small piece of airpower heritage surrounded by towering apartment buildings?

 

[Steve Hnz]

Looking at it on google maps, it reminds me a little of the Wigram RNZAF base in Christchurch, New Zealand that was sold off several decades back. The HQ area was retained with the RNZAF Museum. The officers mess is now a restaurant. The surrounding suburbs have aviation named streets & I would say it is a healthy thriving area, still with a healthy dose of aviation heritage. Something like that might work quite well for Pt Cook, RAAF Williams.

 

[wozza]

Here we go again ! Not the fist time the government have tried to sell it off [ 1990s last time I think ] . The [ sale ] money won't go to where the government says it is going . And the history and importance of these sites will be gone forever . The museums C130 A was scrapped a few years back due to a lack of funding [ planned under cover not built ] [ my opinion ] . It is , as everyone has said , the birth place of the RAAF . Sack these politicians out of office immediately .