HISTORY

Our little school stems from a three generation active interest in flying, spanning the years since 1946.
Here are a few shots from our archives of adventures and misadventures.     

Click on any shot to enlarge.  


Training aircraft, 1950's style. This Beautiful De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Chipmunk VH-MCC was at our hangar on 4/3/2011. 



7th April 1962, Forest Hill. Chipmunk VH-WFC got the tree, the telephone wires AND the railway line at the Eastern end of runway 05. Neil Whybrow and student Kevin Walters got out OK.  Dennis Tullberg legged it to the scene with that heavy extinguisher. Both Dennis and Kevin are still flying in 2011.



Members of the recently formed Wagga Aero Club gather in front of Eric Condon's Avro Anson at Forest Hill in 1946.   This was the second Aero Club at Wagga.

EARLY FLYING SITES at WAGGA

The Frog Hollow area north of Ashmont was at times used by aviators from the end of WW1.
Charles Kingsford Smith liked to use Dunns property on the Oura Road when passing through.  On one occasion (1928 or later) a wheel was removed from SOUTHERN CROSS and brought into town for repairs.

From around 1931, the Riverina Aero Club operated a De-Havilland 60 biplane.  Hughie Condon was the regional Examiner of Airmen, approved by the Controller of Civil Aviation, Dept. of Defence. 

Around 1937 the Civilian Aerodrome on Hammond Avenue was opened.  This was located on the Sturt Highway between Tasman and Blaxland Roads (Hartwigs Trucks in 2011).  The 'Airport Service Station' still stands (2011) across the road from the site of the single hangar.  During the second world war the RAAF built a brick control tower/ops room on site and the 'drome' was used as a 'satellite' field of Forest Hill.

By around 1940, Eric Condon was operating an Aeronca J.A.P. powered Hillson Praga machine from this venue.  At that time ANSETT was providing RPT services to this aerodrome using very modern Lockheed Model 10 Electra aircraft.  The last aircraft to use the site was a De Havilland Beaver of Aerial Agriculture Pty Ltd that was spreading superphosphate circa 1961. 

There are reports of machines operating in the area of Bourke Street, and possibly a De-Havilland Dragon was damaged....details sketchy.

Between 1957 and 1962 Fred Burke (Agricultural Aviation) operated Tiger Moth and Cessna 180 aircraft from a site beside Lake Albert Road.  Take-offs were commenced next to the TOP SHOP (at the bottom of Baden Powell Drive) and ran South East through what is now the STURT PRIMARY SCHOOL and White Avenue.



A clipping from the DA




Lockhart NSW 28th December 1948.  Fred W Burke pranged CAC Wackett VH-AFD.  This was a stall at low level. 



This Jeep...complete with wind-sock...is CRANE NO.1 of Air-Griculture Control Pty Ltd.  This was the first mechanised superphosphate loader.  Movietone cameraman on the job.





A Fox Movietone cameraman records Bob Pairman demonstrating the new business of spreading superphosphate by aircraft.  Merriman's property via Yass.



Sel Cleary inspects the damage after the Tiger Moth of Bill Melius chewed into Fred Burke's machine at Myles property, Uriara ACT in 1952.  Air-Griculture Control Pty Ltd.



Laurie Crowley (Crowley Airways) strikes trouble during the 1954 REDEX around Australia Trial.  Percival Gull VH-UTP.  After sixty plus years in the business, Crowleys are still servicing and repairing small aircraft at "Victoria Park" near Old Junee.



Eric Condon discusses the finer points with some adoring students.  A DAP Bristol Beaufighter lurks in the background.  Dozens of these heavily armed strike aircraft were lined up at Forest Hill to await scrapping.  Hundreds of WW2 aircraft were broken up here with scrapping operations continuing until about 1960.




Dragged down by thistles!  Roto NSW 1955.  VH-PCA of Aerial Agriculture Pty Ltd.  This happened with a full hopper load of distillate (diesel fuel).   The Tiger-Moth was one of the safer machines to prang.  There was no electrical system to ignite a post-crash fire.



Lake Albert Road action, 1959.  Geoffrey Jones uses the handy water trough to top off another fourty gallon spray mix in Agricultural Aviation Tiger-Moth VH-BXF.  This site is now occupied by the Sturt Primary School.  Lord Baden Powell Drive can be seen in the background.



This 1960 shot shows Fred W Burke with newly imported Cessna 180 VH-TTV of Tumut Air Taxis at the Lake Albert Road site.  Not sure about the sandals..... 



Forest Hill in November 1960 with an impressive line-up of period agricultural aircraft parked where the SAABs now pull up.



The RAAF's first helicopter.  Sikorsky S51 A80-1 at Forest Hill.  The machine arrived in Australia in 1947.



The RAAF's first jet aircraft.  De Havilland Vampire A78-1 at Forest Hill.   This machine also arrived in 1947....a big year for new technology!



Cessna 180 VH-TTU of Tumut Air Taxis has just rolled down the airstrip towards the creek.  Luckily the tail-wheel snapped off and the leg plowed in, stopping the machine.  Note tail-wheel and steering cables on tail-plane.  Bill Gill was killed in this aircraft whilst topdressing on the 21st of January 1961.   Right. Drums of water to balance the half ton of superphosphate in the bucket.



BEFORE   Our Tiger VH-FBT had at one time been on strength with the United States Army Air Force.....quite unusual for a Tiger.  It is seen here spraying on "Den-Hills", Gregadoo Road...about two miles South of Forest Hill, circa 1960.  Pix at right taken near Old Junee in 1959.



AFTER   Wire strike..... with backwards landing.  The newly fitted overturn truss worked as advertised.  Beside The Gap Rd, North of Wagga, August 1963.  



LATER THAT DAY   the job was completed using the new Yeoman Cropmaster VH-FPB.



ONCE UPON A TIME they didn't have Jabirus........so we flew these.  Robertson STOL B1-RD, powered by a grunty Cuyuna UL2-02 two stroke.  Fully equipped with plastic dirt bike tank plus Skyway plastic BMX wheels (no bearings) and instrumented with a plastic shield (for looking through) plus a convenient on/off switch.   Veteran local pilot Bob Phillips once managed to crash this machine on Elizabeth Ave at the entrance to the aerodrome.