Iconic Airshows
Regular readers may know that I am a bit of a vintage aeroplane tragic........ I think these beautiful machines are works of art in their own right.
I’d like to pay tribute to the many people who put in thousands of hours restoring and maintaining them, and then flying them, so that we, the public, can enjoy the sights and sounds of yesteryear in aviation.
One such organisation is HARS - The Historical Aviation Restoration Society in Shell Harbour, New South Wales, Australia. Our dear friend, the Late John Pickup, made me aware of this organisation and the wonderful work that they do. Even John Travolta, the famous actor, is so impressed with their work that he donated his Boeing 707 to HARS in 2017!
I recently wrote about the restoration of the Southern Cross replica plane flown by Charles Kingsford Smith and crew in the first trans-Pacific flight in 1928. (You can revisit that post if you click here.)
Each year HARS hold an airshow where many of the planes they have restored to flying capability are on show, as well as others brought in for the occasion.
The following 24 minute video is a wonderful compilation of the sights and sounds of these iconic planes. The planes are listed and include Connie, the Super Constellation, a Hawker Sea Fury, Mustangs, Grumman Avenger and F35A- Lightning, to name a few.
The Tyabb Airshow was also recently held, on the 10th of March 2024, south of Melbourne. The Tyabb Aero Club is also dedicated to preserving it's portfolio of iconic planes.
The following 10 minute video shows fabulous highlights from that show also, displaying a number of rare and beautiful planes, such as the Corsair, Winjeels, Harvards and Spitfire......
Don’t you agree they are just wonderful works of art, and well worth preserving to provide enjoyment to so many?
Planes are certainly a source of fascination to many people, as evidenced by the crowds that flock to any airshow you care to mention. The number of airshows held here in Australia and around the world are testament to their popularity!
Rowdy Wylie, our blog co-writer and naive artist extraordinaire, has advised us that there is an airshow coming up in West Sale, in Victoria, Australia, on the 27th and 28th of April 2024. Sale is about 2.5 hours south west of Melbourne in Gippsland.
I have attached the link here for anyone nearby who may be keen to go! Thanks, Rowdy!