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Aviation Historical Society of Australia
  • Home
  • AHSA
    • AHSA Inc. Meetings
    • AHSA Inc
      • AGM 2022
    • AHSA (NSW) Inc.
    • AHSA (QLD) Inc.
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
  • Publications
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    • AHSA Newsletter Archive
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Category: AHSA Meetings

Melbourne Meetings:

AHSA Inc. holds monthly meetings on the fourth Wednesday of the month, 7.30pm at the Air Force Association, 24 Camberwell Rd, Hawthorn East.

Some members meet casually for dinner from 6.00pm at the Tower Hotel.

Our monthly meetings are also webcast online via Zoom, for members who cannot attend in person.

Meeting details are sent to members each month.
Click on the heading below to view recordings of previous monthly meetings:

AHSA Logo, Southern Cross over Australia
DerekB10/12/202309/03/2024

Melbourne Meeting: 28 February 2024, Ashley Briggs OAM

The Melbourne meeting on Wednesday 28 February 2024 of the AHSA Inc. was held at the RAAF Association meeting room, Camberwell Road, East Hawthorn....
Delicious food cooking on the barbecue at the 2022 AHSA end of year gathering
DerekB10/12/202311/12/2023

AHSA Melbourne Meeting December 2023: Annual Barbeque

The end-of-year AHSA barbecue was held at Moorabbin Air Museum on Sunday 10 December from 10am to 2pm. The weather forecast was not great,...
DerekB26/07/202321/05/2024

AHSA Melbourne Meeting July 2023 (Andrew Jackling: Space Weather Forecasting)

Our guest speaker at the 26 July 2023 AHSA Meeting in Melbourne was Andrew Jackling, who presented on the topic “Eyes in the sky:...
DerekB28/06/202321/05/2024

AHSA Melbourne Meeting June 2023 (Mark Lax: Tips and Tricks For Researching Our Air Force’s Stories)

The speaker for our combined Friends of Air Force History and Heritage (FAFHH) and Aviation Historical Society of Australia (AHSA) on 28 June 2023...
DerekB24/05/202321/05/2024

AHSA Melbourne Meeting May 2023 (Andy Hansen: A Short History of Aerial Photography)

Our guest speaker at the meeting held on 24 May 2023 was Dr Andrew Hansen, who gave a fascinating presentation about the history and...
DerekB26/04/202321/05/2024

AHSA Melbourne Meeting April 2023 (Martin James: Battle of the Bismarck Sea)

Our speaker for the meeting held on 26 April 2023 was RAAF Historian Mr Martin James. This meeting was another joint presentation with the...
DerekB22/03/202321/05/2024

AHSA Melbourne Meeting March 2023 (Annie Floodin: Boeing History)

Our March 2023 Melbourne meeting featured a presentation by Annie Floodin, a historian from Boeing Historical Services who is currently visiting Australia connecting with...
DerekB22/02/202321/05/2024

AHSA Melbourne Meeting February 2023 (Jeff Maynard: The Lost Records of Sir Hubert Wilkins)

Jeff Maynard was the guest speaker for our 22 February 2023 meeting in Melbourne. Jeff has been researching the life and records of Sir...
DerekB11/12/202212/12/2022

AHSA Melbourne Meeting December 2022: Annual Barbeque

The final Melbourne meeting for the year will be a member's barbecue, to be held at the Moorabbin Air Museum on Sunday 11 December,...
DerekB23/11/202215/12/2022

AHSA Melbourne Meeting November 2022: Annual General Meeting

Our November meeting was the Annual General Meeting of the AHSA Inc, held on 23 November 2022, and was followed by a "Member's Night",...

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Welcome to the website of the Aviation Historical Society of Australia Inc.
The AHSA is dedicated to recording and promoting Australian aviation history. We find and tell the stories of how aviation (both civil and military) has contributed to the development of Australia and the experiences of Australian people.
To navigate around the site, select from the menu bar above, click on one of the updates below or choose one of the categories below.

On this day in Australian aviation history:

1919 On 19 March 1919, the acting Prime Minister of Australia, Mr. W.A. Watt, speaking in the House of Representatives in Melbourne, made the following official announcement. "With a view to stimulating aerial activity, the Commonwealth Government has decided to offer £10,000 for the first successful flight to Australia from Great Britain on a machine manned by Australians. Rules are being drawn up covering the conditions of the test, and it is proposed that competitors shall be required to supply their own machines and make all other arrangements necessary for the flight". Source: Aviation Heritage vol 47 no 3 September 2016
1930 RAAF Supermarine Seagull III A9-4 crashed at Norfolk Bay Tasmania on 19 March 1930. Flying from HMAS Albatross, the aircraft entered a spin and crashed while spotting during a gunnery shoot. The pilot PLTOFF Gordon Grant and the observer LT Elliot, RN were injured and the TAG Donald McGowan RAN was killed. McGowan was the first Australian naval aviator to die in an air accident. Sources: aviation-safety.net website; ADF-Serials
1932 On 19 March 1932 Flinders Island Airways began a regular aerial service using the Desoutter Mk.II VH-UEE "Miss Flinders" between Launceston, Tasmania and Flinders Island in Bass Strait. The new air service competed with shipping services offered by William Holyman and Sons Ltd. Source: Tasmanian Aviation Historical Society
1932 Westland Wapitis of No.3 Squadron RAAF provided an aerial flypast as part of the official ceremonies for the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  Source: 3 Squadron RAAF Association
1944 A USAAF P-47D-20/25 Thunderbolt destroyed two RAAF Kittyhawks when it veered off the airstrip during take-off after suffering an engine failure. Six Kittyhawks of 86 Squadron RAAF were at Horn Island for a temporary attachment to 84 Squadron RAAF. The Thunderbolt crashed into two of 86 Squadron's Kittyhawks (A29-336 and A29-308) which were parked in a standby position at the eastern end of the Horn island airstrip. Source: Ozatwar website
1997 On 19 March 1997 Parliament debated the Aviation Legislation Amendment Bill (No.1) 1997 to allow for environmental standards at airports and establish a register of encumbered aircraft. Source: House of Representatives, Debates p. 1834. via aph.gov.au website
2003 Bell 47G-4A VH-MTX crashed at Caboolture, Queensland on 19 March 2003. At approximately 0830 EST, the pilot was conducting a lift-off to the hover from a mobile helicopter landing site at Caboolture aerodrome, when the helicopter rolled onto its right side. The helicopter was substantially damaged and there was no post-occurrence fire. The pilot, who occupied the left seat, was fatally injured and the passenger, who occupied the right seat, sustained minor injuries. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the phenomenon known as dynamic rollover. Scrape marks from the helicopter's right skid were found on the lip along the right side of the mobile platform. That indicated that the helicopter was not raised to a height sufficient to clear the platform in the event of lateral movement. Source: ATSB
2004 On 19 March 2004 National Airspace System member Mr Dick Smith drew attention to an improvement in aviation safety statistics since the new airspace system began, while Broome International Airport considered taking legal action against any further changes. Source: Australian, 19 March 2004, p. 26. via aph.gov.au website
2012 CZAW SportCruiser 24-7552 operated by Hinkler Flying School crashed near Fairymead, just north of Bundaberg, QLD on 19 March 2012. The ultralight with two men on board took off on a training flight from Bundaberg airport about lunchtime. A search began when they failed to return to the airport by early afternoon and the wreckage was found at first light the following day in a cane field. Police scientific officers attended the scene and a coroner's report was prepared. Emergency crews found the bodies of the pilot and his passenger in the wreckage, but Inspector Kev Gutteridge says efforts to recover the bodies and clear the site were difficult. "We're currently sitting in the middle of a very wet, boggy cane paddock," he said. "It's relatively accessible by foot; however, vehicular access to that area is going to be very restricted." Sources: aviation-safety.net website; ABC News

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