Warbirds Online hasn’t visited the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Nowra, NSW for some years, in fact 30 years! So we took the opportunity to visit the site on our recent trip to NSW. Many years ago, the Museum was largely an outdoors display, however over the decades a roof was added and finally a […]
Warbird Showcase
George Ingle Finch – WWI Air War Victory
One of the most bizarre victories of the air war in WWI was accomplished by an Australian, George Ingle Finch, who was not a pilot or even in the Australian Armed Forces. George Ingle Finch was born in Orange NSW in 1888 and was a chemist and Alpine climber who was also the putative father […]
WW1 aircraftBristol F.2B Fighters – AFC
In memory of the Centenary of the commencement of WWI and the Gallipoli campaign Warbirds Online celebrates some very famous Australian Flying Corps (AFC) aircraft and today we recognize the efforts of those who fought in the AFC Bristol Fighters, F.2Bs or “ Brisfit” as it was known. The Bristol F.2B was first flown on […]
Australian Flying Corps, Fighter Aircraft, Historic Aircraft, WW1 aircraftThe Pay Spitfire – “The Last of the Best”
Although not Australia’s first Warbird, Supermarine Spitfire Mk VIII VH-HET RAAF S/N: A58-758 is surely the most famous – universally known as the “Pay Spitfire” This Spitfire was the last of a number of Spitfires purchased for the RAAF. It was built in the UK in 1945 and shipped to Australia arriving on 19/06/45 at […]
Historic Aircraft, RAAF historic aircraft, Warbird Restoration Projects, WarbirdsWarbird Replicas – Australian Survivors
One interesting feature of the RAAF Richmond Bi Centennial Air Show in 1988 was the presence of 3 replica WW11 Fighters, a Messerschmitt Bf 109 and 2 Spitfires. Externally the replicas were quite convincing and popular folklore has it that the Spitfires were cast from the real thing (supposedly Col Pays Spitfire). The aircraft were […]
Airshows, Australian Warbirds, WarbirdsCAC Sabre – Warbird Memories
Warbirds Online has long admired the CAC Sabre CA27-83 Mk.32 A94-983 which has had quite a service and civil history. Manufactured in November 1957 as an RAAF fighter and delivered to 1 Aircraft Depot and then to 76 Fighter Wing at Williamtown it then served with 3Sqn RAAF at Butterworth, Malaysia in 1958 until it […]
Australian Warbirds, Cold War, RAAF historic aircraftDeperdussin – an AFC Pioneer
Warbirds Online continues with its description of the early equipment of the Central Flying School (CSF) at Point Cook Victoria, prior to and during WW1. One of the two types first ordered for the CFS was the Deperdussin Type A of which two were ordered (CFS 4&5) in 1912 and delivered in May 1913 at […]
Australian Flying Corps, Historic Aircraft, WW1 aircraftBristol F.2b Fighter – Australian home
Today Warbirds Online can report the arrival of a Bristol F.2b Fighter at Caboolture, Qld. The Bristol aircraft was built to exacting standards by Ed Storo in the USA and completed in 1993. Registered as N7724, in 2001 the aircraft made its way to New Zealand and was displayed at various airshows in the colors […]
Australian Flying Corps, Historic Aircraft, Vintage Aircraft, WW1 aircraft