aviation - the past, present and future of flight

New EAA Exhibition Opens

The Experimental Aircraft Association

(EAA) is celebrating 35 years of introducing

youth to the world of aviation through its

EAA Air Academy with a unique exhibit

in the EAA Aviation Museum, located at

Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

The EAA Air Academy is a programme

for young people created in 1984 by

executive director of resident education

Chuck Larson, as a way to reach

schoolchildren interested in aviation. It

gives youths the opportunity to participate

in aeronautics through hands-on

demonstrations,  ight simulations, and

other exciting activities.

The exhibit features stories of past and

present graduates of the Air Academy and

where they are now. It also highlights what

the academy teaches during its week-long

camps, including mechanical knowledge,

team building and communication skills

essential to aviation.

“The 35th Anniversary display

for the EAA Air Academy is a visual

montage of the history of the EAA Air

Academy Camp programme,” said the

organisation’s Scott Cameron. “The

display showcases how young people

have made an impact on various aspects

of the aviation world.”

Following on from the news report in our

July issue of Aviation News, staff at the

Qantas Founders Museum have completed

all external work on Lockheed Super

Constellation VH-EAM at its Longreach base

in Queensland.

The aircraft, purchased from the Manila

International Airport Authority in September

2014, had made the long journey to Australia

in May 2017 and has been under restoration

ever since. Its undercarriage was re tted

in May this year, along with its tail unit. It

has now been fully repainted into Qantas

colours and markings. The livery details

were derived from original 1950s drawings,

sourced and reproduced by the curator and

engineering staff.

Museum boss Tony Martin said: “It has

been a long and at times trying project, but

the result – a beautiful aircraft externally

restored – is well worth it. This is an

important addition to our collection and

enables us to tell a signi cant part in the

history of Qantas.”

The externally restored Super Constellation

‘Southern Spray’ on show at the Qantas

Founders Museum. QFOM

PRESERVATION

20 Aviation News incorporating Jets September 2018

Finishing Touches Applied

to Qa ntas ‘Connie’

Tangmere Military Aviation Museum has

acquired a full-size Westland Lysander III (SD)

replica. The facsimile, which was constructed

by Cornwall-based Gate Guards in 2015 for

the  lm Allied, was delivered to the museum’s

Sussex home on June 16.

The ‘Lizzy’ is now at the heart of

Tangmere’s new Special Operations Executive

exhibition, which opened on July 21. The

plan is to change the replica’s markings to

represent the 161 Squadron aircraft  own

by Flt Lt Jim ‘Mac’ McCairns DFC** MM,

complete with its ‘MA-E’ code.

The Lysander replica in the new display at

Tangmere in July. Note it still carries its

earlier markings of ‘MA-J’ and V9875 serial.

Brian Blackman

Lysander Replica for New Tangmere Display

D-Day Thunderbolt on Show in Normandy

A full-scale Republic P-47D Thunderbolt

replica has gone on display outside the

Normandy Victory Museum at Catz,

near Carentan, in northern France.

The model is  nished as ‘2N-U’ of the

USAAF’s 81st Fighter Squadron, 50th

Fighter Group (Special), 9th Air Force,

a unit temporarily based at Carentan

shortly after D-Day.