Warbird Information Exchange

In grapevine i hear there is some MAJOR warbirds maybe coming.. open to speculation tho, at the Avalon airshow in 2007.

Cant reveal but if they do it will be a once in a life time expereince for many people

So im following this carefully and hopefully the PR for the warbirds will reveal all

Wait to be stunned if this happens.. will be confirmed closer to the airshow

I'll be a waiting for the next one!

As old Qld Joh use to say" Don't you worry about THAT! "


Everyone one I have been too, has not been a let down as yet, well not the show, the car park and traffic yes!

I just hope for clear sky's, and not too hot, as I have M.S., and the whole day already bugger's the sh*t out of me.

Thank's dude for the possible exciting up date!

Cheer's all far and WIDE, Tally Ho!

Phil in Oz

I Must crash now, I am completetly knackered

" Gut Nacht " all

_________________
" There's nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so."(Shakes baby)

Hi all,

the speculation boggles the mind on this one. I wonder if some of the restoration shops down in Australia and New Zealand are getting close to finishing up so pretty important aircraft.....

Paul

Well all i can say is, thanks god it March, as i got sunburnt badly last time in 2005 in March hahaha in melb and if this rumour and low key annoucement so far comes off lets says history is going to be made..

I could be been feed total utter BS but my source is reliable i am told. i just dont wana spoil the party yet... but just build some suspense

I know im definetly going it this warbird comes ..

My wife and I will be travelling to Victoria in March of 2007 and are considering going to this airshow at Avalon. Can you tell me a little more about the show; such as, do a number of Aussie warbirds usually attend, can you get close to them for photos while they're on the ground, do the warbirds fly during the show, etc. We're thinking of getting Gold Passes but are they worth the expense? Any info you can offer would be very helpful.

Dennis

Dennis,

Avalon is really two events in one. It is primarily a trade show for the aviation & defense industries. If you want someone to repaint your 747, provide a new missile system for your Blackhawk helicopter or supply you with aircraft tugs for your C-17 fleet then Avalon is for you! If you are looking for a replacement canopy for your T-6 then you will probably be out of luck. It is trade-only for the first 4 days.

An airshow runs for the final 2 days and is run as a seperate event. Naturally there is a lot of cross-over and there are more general airshow vendors available on the public days (model aircraft, museums, t-shirts etc).

The airshow has a good Australian military presence, and usually a substantial US military presence. The RAF and RNZAF usually send a plane or two, and other regional airforces might send something. Manufacturer attendence depands on what regional contracts are available. e.g. if one of the local armies were replacing their medium-lift helicopters then most medium-lift helicopter manufacturers would have some examples on display.

Vintage and warbird operators have been largely ignored by the airshow management in the past. You don't sell lots of new aircraft services to people who fly an old plane. In recent times they have brought the warbirds more into the fold.

Warbirds are now based within the main area of the show. They are protected by barriers so you can't walk right up to them. You can generally get reasonable photos, but probably not from the angle you want. Backgrounds will also be cluttered in the static dislay area.

Warbird attendence has been low in the past for two reasons. Firstly they weren't treated well by the airshow management, and secondly because Australia is such a big place that only aircraft based in Victoria could afford to attend. Now that the warbird owners are being shown a bit of respect they seem more open to attending, and there are a large number of local warbirds now (Temora, Tyabb and Wangaratta are 'local'). you will probably see 4-5 Mustangs, a couple of P40s, maybe both Spitfires, Yaks, Harvards, Hudson, Connie, Catalina etc.

The warbirds do display during the show.

I can't comment on the gold passes. I've never bought one, because I like wandering around the venue and I like to get down on the fenceline near the threshold for landing & take-off shots.

http://www.airshow.net.au/index1.html

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Brett

Thank you very much Brett! Your summary of the event is very helpful and appreciated!

We hopefully will be visiting Point Cook, Temora, Tyabb and Wangaratta as well after the air show weekend. We will be staying with a friend in Shepparton which is pretty close to Wangaratta. I also hope to see the P-47s up in the Sydney area.

With regards, Dennis

Dennis,

The Gold Class ticket will be well worth it for viewing of the main runway, if you get do it, try to go to Friday night if only for the F111 Dump and burn (or just be in the local area even if you dont pay to go in! - I live in the area and its visible from most places nearby) and then either the Saturday or Sunday public show for the warbirds etc, there is flying displays during the Trade Show weekdays but these are rather sedate compared to the weekend which usually have a warbird session with a ground attack sequence and wall of flames.

Take plenty of suncream, hats (and bottles of drinking water or snacks as the Vendors charge like wounded bulls)

while your in Melbourne/Victoria

try to make it to Moorabbin on your way through to Tyabb.

http://www.aarg.com.au/Default.htm

try to make it to Werribee (down towards Avalon)

http://b24australia.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

and if you get to Sydney to look at the P-47's try at get to the Camden Aviation Museum at Narellan if it has re-opened by then, (its website is down at the moment)

regards

Mark Pilkington

_________________
20th Century - The Age of Manned Flight
"from Wrights to Armstrong in 66 years -WOW!"

Would be great to a get a few more feature warbirds here, i just hope they don't just show them at Avalon.
Avalon for a warbird buff is a heap of s**t in my book, dull and very short displys. eg. last one I went to was the 1st time an Avenger flew at a show in VIC, it took off, one pass and landed, arghhh


Tyabb or the Point Cook events are much better value and accessable, Temora sounds well worth a visit too

I hope the Russians are there they make our guys look a bit lame.

Thanks, Mark, for the airshow advice!

I'm putting together a list of warbird museums and collections to visit while in Victoria, New South Wales and Canberra and your suggestions of Moorabbin, Werribee and Narellan are very much appreciated. I really would like to see that B-24 restoration project.

Cheers, Dennis

Hi Dennis,

PM me your e-mail address, and let's see if we can hook up when you are in Victoria. I might be able to show you a few old 'eroplanes.

Cheers

_________________
James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com