Fleet Air Arm Museum (Australia)

Fleet Air Arm Museum
Established 1990
Location HMAS Albatross, Nowra, New South Wales
Coordinates 34°56′10″S 150°33′18″E / 34.936°S 150.555°E / -34.936; 150.555
Type Military museum
Website http://www.navy.gov.au/fleet-air-arm-museum
the CAC CA-22 Winjeel prototype

The Australian Fleet Air Arm Museum, formerly known as Australia's Museum of Flight, is a military aerospace museum located at the naval air station HMAS Albatross, near Nowra, New South Wales. The museum was opened in 1990, although efforts to preserve artifacts related to Australia's naval aviation history began in 1974. The museum houses aircraft used throughout the history of the Fleet Air Arm, the naval aviation branch of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), along with other aircraft of relevance to Australia's aviation history, and memorabilia relating to Australian aircraft carriers.[1][2][3] The museum includes 34 aircraft and helicopters in its collection. It is open to the public daily, except for major public holidays. The museum building is also home to Albatross Aero Club.

History

The Fleet Air Arm Museum can trace its origins to 1974 when a group of volunteers associated with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) obtained five obsolete RAN aircraft and began work to establish a museum for display of artifacts to present the story of Australian Naval aviation. $80m were raised from various sources for a large hangar and function centre. In 1990, the Australian Naval Aviation Museum Foundation was established to operate the museum.

In 2000, the museum was renamed Australia's Museum of Flight and its role expanded to displaying artifacts related to Australian aviation. In 2006, ownership and management of the museum were handed to the Royal Australian Navy and it was renamed the Fleet Air Arm Museum.

The museum now displays more than 34 aircraft and many aviation artifacts.[4]

Displays

The following exhibits are on static display in the museum:[5]

Aircraft

The "Fleet Air Arm Launches" section of the museum
The "Defending the Fleet" section of the museum
The museum's Fairey Gannet
Heron 2 VH-NJI on display at Australia's Museum of Flight in 2006 has had a long and varied career. Serving initially with Turkey’s national carrier, THY, from 1955 to 1966, it subsequently served with Royal Air Canada (1966–1969) and the North American operators Fleet Air (1969–1971), Swift Air (1971–1978) and Susquehanna Airlines (1978–1985) who then sold it to Fiji Air (1985–1991)

Helicopters

A Bell UH-1C Iroquois at the Fleet Air Arm Museum

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "Fleet Air Arm Museum Display - Fleet Air Arm Launches 1948 - 1954". Retrieved 2011-04-16.
  2. ↑ "Fleet Air Arm Museum Display - Navy Gets Jets 1955 - 1967". Retrieved 2011-04-16.
  3. ↑ "Fleet Air Arm Museum Display - Defending The Fleet 1968 - 1984". Retrieved 2011-04-16.
  4. ↑ "History of Fleet Air Arm Museum". Retrieved 2011-04-01.
  5. ↑ "Displays". Retrieved 2011-04-15.

References

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