The South Australian Aviation Museum: In the Adelaide Coast region of South Australia
If you combined the flying time of the all aircraft assembled in the South Australian Aviation Museum you'd have circled the globe many times over but often not in the most comfortable of circumstances.
The Museum contains aircraft from the jet age to something a little slower. The Museum’s Pieter Van Dyk explains:
“This shed is full of aviation history. Like this Avro Anson which was once used for pilot training at Mallala in South Australia during World War Two. We also have a DeHavilland Vampire with it's classic nineteen fifties jet design and there’s a Westland Wessex navy chopper - once used on the aircraft carrier Melbourne. And as you wander around the Aviation Museum make sure you look skyward because you see a couple of classic examples of do-it-yourself aeronautical design.”
Like Clem Reginald Sheppard's little home made gem.
“Clem belongs to the Sheppard family - the well known jewellers in Adelaide. And he designed the Sheppard as it's called on his parent's lounge room floor. In chalk as a matter of fact.”
Clem's chalk drawings began to take shape in the backyard and soon the CS2, with its wire shell and Henderson Motor Cycle Engine was ready for its first flight at Port Wakefield in 1938.
“When it was finished it was flown by a qualified pilot on several occasions. But it was found to be totally unsafe!”
You'd think the same might be said for the primary glider on show. But the backyard airman who built it walked away from many a safe landing.
“The pilot actually sat on a little piece of square timber at the front and controlled the plane from there. Certainly you wouldn't catch me or a lot of other people on it.”
The Aviation Museum has had several homes since it was established in 1984. A bit like many of the exhibits really like another classic - the only fully restored Royal Australian Airforce spitfire in the country. It was once housed in Langdon Badger's backyard shed in Unley Park when Postcards first caught up with it two years ago. Now it takes pride of place at Port Adelaide and it's recovery from the jungles of New Guinea is testimony to the love and dedication of its owner.
A Douglas C-47B Dakota flew many more hours than the spitfire did, before it came to grief at the RAAF base at Edinburgh in 1986. Now, thanks to volunteer Michael Harmer, an aircraft engineer who lost his job in the Ansett collapse, it's coming back to life.
Michael did his apprenticeship on DC3s like this one.
“It seems to come back to me very quickly. It's sort of like something you learn when you're young you sort of remember very, very well. These were known as ‘gooney birds’. They were also known as ‘biscuit bombers’. They played a pivotal role in World War Two when they were used as troop carriers. Then, they were used right through Europe at the end of the war taking foodstuff to Germany.”
Called Gooney Birds because of their ungainly landings and takeoffs, the DC3s, with their cigar shaped bodies, soon made a name for themselves and this one in particular.
“Ben Chifley in 48, 49 Sir Robert Menzies, Sir William Slim who was the Governor of Australia and Sir Douglas Mawson. They were some of the very well known people who have flown as a VIP on the aircraft.
On Sunday April 6 (2003), the Dakota and the other exhibits in the 1930s wartime hangar will reverberate to the roar of aviation power when staff fire up the museum's collection of engines. The engine run will get underway at 2pm at the Aviation Museum on Ocean Steamers Road, Port Adelaide. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au
