A parade of vintage aircraft above Flagstaff Point will be a high point of Wollongong's Australia Day celebration on Thursday.
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Up to six aircraft from HARS Aviation Museum will take off from Shellharbour Airport at 5.45pm and fly to Warilla, then north along the coast at 500ft off Stanwell Tops, returning at a height of 1,000ft via Flagstaff Point at Wollongong Harbour then back to the airport.
The last landing at the airport is scheduled for 6.45pm.
As of Monday morning, the weather forecast was for a top of 29 degrees, with a possible shower or two in the evening.
- Subject to availability and weather conditions (which will be determined on the day) participating aircraft expected to be part of the air parade include:
- AP-3C Lockheed Orion, the former RAAF maritime patrol and submarine hunter;
- Caribou, a short field RAAF transport and Vietnam veteran aircraft;
- Cessna C-310B, one of two bought by CSIRO in 1957 for cloud seeding (rain making);
- UH-1B Huey Iroquois helicopter 898, now part of the HARS Navy Heritage Flight;
- Bell 206B-1, a former Army Kiowa helicopter*;
- Victa Airtourer, built in 1965 and now fully restored.
Meticulously maintained by volunteers at the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) these are some of the almost 60 aircraft of significance to Australia's aviation legacy which are on display every day for visitors to HARS Aviation Museum.
Located at Shellharbour Airport, just off the old Princes Highway, HARS Aviation Museum is open from 9.30 to 3.30 daily (except for Christmas Day), while the last guided tour starts at 2 pm.
Visitors can make a meal of it when they drop into Café Connie (open 10 am to 2 pm) where the daily blackboard menu offers a value selection of hot and cold foods plus barista coffee.
Details of check-in at www.hars.org.au.