Moorabbin Air Museum

[Keith Webb]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

Funny how we were all there that day and now we are on this medium many years later !

The Anson I do recall . For the airshow, they organized a low atlitude pylon race around the airfield perimeter and the Anson was last by a long way . That Anson was a Bass Strait veteran, it flew over to King Island on a regular basis , it was modified to meet safety standards - the wing spars being upgraded and it was re engined too.

I went with a friend . A few days before the show, I actually rang the airport to confirm the P51 would be flying .

It's amazing how things come together in a place like this.

The Anson I believe was re-sparred with Canadian spars which were metal. EDIT: It was fitted with Avro Anson XIX parts:

"Work commenced in 1961, using a spare Avro XIX metal mainplane
and tailplane purchased from RAAF stores in Adelaide, left over from the two Avro XIXs used by the
RAAF at Woomera, VM374 & VM375. Avro XIX style windows and the fitting of Cheetah XV
engines completed the modification. The conversion was finally finished and the highly modified "new"
VH-BAF took to the air at Moorabbin in May 1963."

Here's how it looked around the time we saw it...

[IMGhttp://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austb/VH-BAF5.jpg[/IMG]
Link with more info.

And how it looks now, after a very authentic restoration by New Zealander Bill Reid.


Link

This pic was taken by Gavin Conroy who was sitting in front of me in the Caribou last November.