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| Established | 1952 |
|---|---|
| Location | RAAF Williams Point Cook |
| Coordinates | 37°55′50″S 144°44′57″E / 37.930464°S 144.749073°E |
| Type | Military museum |
| Director | David Gardner |
| Website | http://www.airforce.gov.au/raafmuseum/ |
RAAF Museum is the official museum of the Royal Australian Air Force, the second oldest air force in the world, located at RAAF Williams Point Cook, Victoria, Australia which is the oldest continuously operating Military Air Base in the world. The museum displays aircraft of significance to the RAAF from its inception as the Australian Flying Corps to the present. At the direction of Air Marshal Sir George Jones, the RAAF Museum was formed in 1952 and fell under the administration of Headquarters Point Cook until 1988 when it became a separate unit of the RAAF. It is currently overseen by the force's Air Training Wing.
Entry
Entry to the museum is free. The operating hours are Tuesday to Friday 10am - 3pm, Weekends and Public Holidays 10am - 5pm. The museum is closed on Mondays, Christmas Day, and Good Friday.
RAAF Williams (Point Cook) is a working Military facility so adult visitors are required to produce photo identification and sign in to gain entry.
Aircraft on display
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Not all of the Museum's collection is permanently exhibited. Among those on display are:
Static display
Some of the aircraft, helicopters and missiles displayed in different exhibitions are:
Replica Aircraft
- Bristol Boxkite
- Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2
- Deperdussin 1910 monoplane
Training Hangar
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- Maurice Farman MF.11 Shorthorn
- Avro 504K
- de Havilland Tiger Moth
- de Havilland Vampire T Mk 35
- CAC Winjeel
- Pacific Aerospace Corporation CT/4A
- Aermacchi MB-326H
Technology Hangar
- Supermarine Walrus
- Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5
- Douglas Boston
- de Havilland Vampire F.30
- UH-1B Iroquois
- Bristol Bloodhound SAM
Hangar 180
- CAC Boomerang
- Consolidated Catalina
- GAF Pika
- GAF Jindivik
- Hawker Demon
- Avro 643 Cadet
- de Havilland DH.84 Dragon
- Bell UH-1 Iroquois
- Cessna O-1 Bird Dog
- Sikorsky S-51 Dragonfly
- CAC Sabre
Outdoors
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- Lockheed C-130A Hercules
- Lockheed C-130E Hercules
- Lockheed C-130H Hercules
- Hawker Siddeley HS 748
- Bristol Freighter
- Lockheed P-3 Orion
- Bristol Bloodhound missile (and launcher)
- de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou
Strike Aircraft Hangar
- McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom
- General Dynamics F-111G
- GAF Canberra
Aircraft in storage
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Currently non-displayed aircraft include:[1]
- Avro 707A WD280[2]
- CAC Wirraway
- Douglas C-47 Dakota A65-78
- Gloster Meteor T.7
- Gloster Meteor F.8
- CAC Winjeel
- Lockheed Neptune
- North American Harvard
- Lockheed Ventura
- de Havilland Vampire T.35
- General Dynamics F-111C (A8-125)
Flying display
The museum conducts an interactive flying display at 1pm (1300) every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday for visitors.[3] Aircraft include the museum's own CA-18 Mustang, North American Harvard, CAC Winjeel, CT4A Trainer, DH Tiger Moth, Replica Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 and Replica Sopwith Pup. Also visiting aircraft from other museums and operators participate in these displays, once the flying display is completed the pilots land and then hold an interactive discussion with the spectators answering any questions they may have.
The RAAF Roulettes aerobatic display team perform at least twice annually replacing the normal Sunday interactive display, performance dates are shared via Social media.
See also
- Aviation Heritage Museum (Western Australia)
- RAAF Wagga Heritage Centre
- List of aerospace museums
References
- ^ Aircraft in Storage, retrieved 4 April 2011
- ^ Avro 707A WD280, retrieved 4 April 2011
- ^ Interactive Flying Displays