HARS at Illawarra (2 Viewers)

Hi guys, one of my favourite places to go when visiting Australia is the Historic Aircraft Restoration Society facility at Illawarra Airport, New South Wales. I've been before but with every visit there are different aircraft to see. So much so that visits to the hangars can only be done in a guided tour because of the amount of stuff there is in the hangars. Here are some images from my last visit a few montsh ago.

Aermacchi or "Macchi" MB-326 hangar guard?

_ADP7898

Turana drone.

_ADP7901

I took my uncle along with me, who is a Vietnam vet and he told me stories about how he was based at a US Army helicopter base where there were Huey Cobras, so he was delighted to see this one. The first one he had seen since he left Vietnam.

_ADP7902

Mirage IIIO, built in Australia.

_ADP7908

This Dakota was used by the RAAF for cloud sampling flights during Operation Hurricane, the detonation of Britain's first nuclear bomb in 1952.

_ADP7943

Atmospheric P-3.

_ADP7947

_ADP7944

Canberra, this is not an Australian built one, one of only a few UK built Canberras operated in Australia.

_ADP7945

Grumman Tracker, one of three in the collection.

_ADP7946

Another one...

_ADP7929

CAC Winjeel.

_ADP7925

A Sea Fury lurking in the restoration corner.

_ADP7949

Westland Wessex.

_ADP7926

The star of HARS is this Super Connie, kept in airworthy condition.

_ADP7951

SP-2H Neptune.

_ADP7941

Sea Venom and Neptune.

_ADP7954

One of a few Vampires in the collection.

_ADP7956

Convair 340.

_ADP7974

More to come.

Great shots Grant

More from HARS

The flight deck of the 747-400 (!) parked outside.

_ADP7968

Cessna Skymaster.

_ADP7976

Beaufighter in the works.

_ADP7977

F-111C.

_ADP7980

Polish built MiG-17.

_ADP7981

Ex-New Zealand Post F-27. I worked on this aircraft when it was based in New Zealand.

_ADP7983

CAC Ceres top dressing aircraft.

_ADP7982

CAC Avon Sabre.

_ADP7986

Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer, not many of these about...

_ADP7990

Polish built MiG-15UTI.

_ADP7991

Drover.

_ADP7993

_ADP7996

DC-2 fuselage.

_ADP7997

Caribou.

_ADP8000

The third Tracker.

_ADP8001

More to come.

Last lot from HARS.

Victa Air Tourer.

_ADP8002

DC-3.

_ADP8005

Recently restored replica of Charles Kingsford Smith's Southern Cross, the famous Fokker F VIIb that broke many distance records in the late 1920s. The original Southern Cross survives in a special enclosure outside the terminal at Brisbane International Airport.

_ADP8006

_ADP8009

_ADP8010

_ADP8013

Let L-200 Morava.

_ADP8014

PBY-6A.

_ADP8015

MiG-21UM.

_ADP8019

The MiG-21's cockpits and their lurid green shade typical of Soviet aircraft.

_ADP8017

_ADP8018

French Neptune.

_ADP8023

C-47. This aircraft was used to cart HM the Q around on her Australia tour way back when.

_ADP8025

_ADP8026

_ADP8027

Aircraft in the naughty compound outside. DC-4.

_ADP8033

TS-11 Iskra.

_ADP8036

Another Caribou.

_ADP8039

More images here: HARS 2024

Thanks for looking.

Great little tour Grant