HARS Opens MIG Fighters And Grumman Tracker Cockpits To Visitors

Undeterred by the arrival of a cold and wet winter, the diehard volunteers at the HARS Museum have lined up another weekend of Tarmac Days between Friday, July 12 and Sunday, July 14. Cockpits will be open for visitors to explore classic aircraft, including MiG Fighter jets, a Grumman Tracker and a Huey Cobra helicopter gunship.

Aviation history on display

Australia’s Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) is 56 miles south of Sydney. The museum houses around 60 vintage and noteworthy aircraft, many of which have been restored or maintained in an airworthy condition. The planes showcase Australia’s civil and military aviation history, including a flying Fokker FVIIB Southern Cross Replica of the aircraft Sir Charles Kingsford Smith piloted across the Pacific from California to Queensland in 1928.

Photo: Howard Mitchell

While everything the museum offers will be on display, this weekend, it will feature several aircraft cockpits open for enthusiasts to sit in and dream, while others can see some heavy maintenance happening on vintage airplanes, including the world’s only flying Lockheed Super Constellation.

Photo: Howard Mitchell

HARS president and chief pilot Bob De La Huntly said cockpits open to July Tarmac Days visitors would be the former Cold War MIG 15, 17 and 21 fighter jets, a former Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Grumman Tracker, a Huey Cobra helicopter gunship, a former RAN Wessex helicopter and a Neptune submarine hunter.

“This will be a special opportunity for not only children of all ages but for all to come along and share the passion which our volunteers have in preserving Australia’s aviation heritage.”

Photo: Howard Mitchell

The cockpits on show all have their own unique environments, from the huge panel the Flight Engineer monitored on the Constellation flight deck to the smaller and more cramped cockpit of the Grumman Tracker submarine hunter.

Related

Smithy’s Southern Cross Fokker FVIIB Replica Returns To Flight At HARS

After extensive restoration the replica of the Southern Cross flown by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith is back flying at the HARS Museum.

Aircraft maintenance on show

Something different in July is that visitors on the Tarmac Days will see Lockheed Neptune, Super Constellation and Catalina aircraft undergoing heavy maintenance, which keeps them in an airworthy state and ready to fly.

Photo: Howard Mitchell

HARS has the only flying examples of the Neptune and Catalina aircraft, as well as the P-3 Orion, which superseded these two as the nation’s primary surveillance platform. Prior to the P-3 Orion, the Catalina undertook maritime surveillance missions with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during the Second World War, while the Neptune operated during the Cold War period.

Photo: Howard Mitchell

The society has a team of experienced aviation lovers who repair, restore, maintain and fly its aircraft, supported by many others who take visitors on tours of the museum and give them firsthand insights into the airplanes, like a record-setting former Qantas 747-400, a Caribou military transport or a classic Fokker Friendship airliner.

Photo: Mark Mennie

Some other notable aircraft on display include the lovingly restored and airworthy Southern Cross Replica, plus former RAAF fighter Vampire, Sabre, Mirage and F-111 jets. Visitors can also walk through the Super Constellation, the Boeing 747-400, the Fokker Friendship and a former Queen’s Flight Dakota.

The HARS Museum is located at Shellharbour Airport (WOL) in New South Wales, approximately 90 kilometers (56 miles) south of Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport. It is easily accessible by road or rail. The HARS Tarmac Days will be held from Friday, July 12, to Sunday, July 14, and operate from 09:30 to 15:30 daily.

Have you visited the HARS Museum? Let us know in the comments.