RAAF Museum Page 2

THE RAAF MUSEUM, POINT COOK, VICTORIA - AIRCRAFT EXHIBITS: Continued...

1942: CAC CA-12 BOOMERANG: When Japan attacked Pearl Harbour in 1941 the RAAF did not have any Interceptor type aircraft for defence of Australia. The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) luckily had a design developed and the Boomerang was ordered into production in early 1942. The Boomerang was ultimately a stop gap measure, modern aircraft arriving from the USA witnessed the demise of the Boomerang with operations limited to ground attack roles in Borneo, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. The RAAF retired all surviving Boomerangs following the end of the Pacific War in 1945.

1942: DOUGLAS A-20C BOSTON: A two/three seat Light Attack Bomber aircraft, sixty nine Boston's saw service with the RAAF from 1942 to 1946. The Boston was powered by two Wright Cyclone fourteen cylinder radial engines, each producing 1,600hp. Armament varied, the most popular RAAF configuration included four fixed, forward-firing 0.5 inch nose mounted machine guns and a limited number had a fixed 0.3 inch machine gun in the tail section which was remotely controlled by the rear gunner. The maximum speed was 480kmh, a service ceiling of 8,412 metres and a maximum range of 844km.

The Museum's exhibit, 'A28-8', was delivered to the RAAF in 1942. A crash on Goodenough Island due to battle damage in 1943 resulted in the aircraft remaining at the airstrip until 1987 when it was recovered by the RAAF. Restoration for static display was undertaken by RAAF Amberley, Queensland and the aircraft was transported to the Museum in 1998. A28-8 is the only surviving aircraft of the sixty nine delivered to the RAAF.

1946: SIKORSKY S-51 DRAGONFLY HELICOPTER: First flown in 1946, the Dragonfly was developed from Sikorsky's Second World War Helicopters. Three Dragonfly's were delivered to the RAAF from 1947 to 1950, two Helicopters were destroyed in crashes and the remaining machine continued performing various duties up to the late 1960's. The Museum's exhibit, 'A80-374', is the actual surviving Helicopter.

1948: GOVERNMENT AIRCRAFT FACTORY JINDIVIK: Initially developed by the British Ministry of Defence, the Jindivik's final design and construction was undertaken in Australia by the Government Aircraft Factory (GAF) and Australia's Woomera Rocket Range was used for flight testing. The Jindivik was developed as a high speed pilotless target aircraft, a team of four ground based 'Pilots' controlled the aircraft utilizing a combination of ground based radar and instrumentation.

1949: DE HAVILLAND VAMPIRE T35: The 'twin boom' Vampire commenced service with the RAAF as a Single Seat Fighter in 1949, a two seat Trainer version was ordered in 1951 to introduce RAAF Pilots to jet aircraft, the T35 Trainers entered service in 1957. The T35 Trainer was replaced by the Macchi as an advanced Jet Trainer in 1969. The Vampire was used by Aerobatic Teams and the T35 Trainer can claim to be the first aircraft used in Australia to test an ejection seat, RAAF Pilot Flying Officer Collins ejected in 1952.

The Museum's exhibit has been constructed from various Vampire Trainers, displayed as 'A79-616', in the colours of the 'Telstars' Aerobatic Team.

1950: GOVERNMENT AIRCRAFT FACTORY PIKA: The only manned Jet Aircraft to be designed and built in Australia, the Pika was a manned version of the Jindivik, built at the Government Aircraft Factory (GAF). Powered by a single Armstrong Siddeley Adder turbojet engine, the aircraft had a maximum speed of 755kmh and an in flight time restricted to 30 minutes due to restricted space for fuel. The surviving Pika was retired from service in 1954.

The Museum's exhibit, 'A93-2' is the only surviving aircraft of the two built at the GAF.

1951: CAC CA-25 'A85-401' WINJEEL: A trainer aircraft, the Winjeel replaced the Tiger Moth as the RAAF Basic Trainer. The first Winjeel flew in 1951, two prototypes were tested and ultimately sixty two aircraft were delivered from 1955 to 1958. The Winjeel proved successful as a Basic Trainer, replacing the Wirraway. Replaced as a Basic Trainer in 1975 by the CT4 Airtrainer, Winjeel's continued limited duties as Forward Air Control aircraft until 1995.

The Museum's exhibit, 'A85-401', was the first production Winjeel, entering RAAF service in 1955, following sixteen years of service the aircraft was ultimately retired to static display in 1995.

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