Ballarat – Aviation Historical Society of Australia

DerekB10/03/202511/05/2025

Ticket sales have closed for the DC-3 flights from Essendon to Ballarat 17 & 18 May 2025

The Ballarat branch of the Air Force Association (BAFA) is chartering the Shortstop Jetcharter (SJC) Douglas DC-3 VH-OVM to operate Essendon-Ballarat return flights on...

1894 Lawrence Hargrave carried out experiments with box kites at Stanwell Park, NSW and on 12 November 1894 he demonstrated that four kites attached to one rope in a wind velocity of 21 mph could lift a total of 240 lbs up to 16 feet. In 1966 a $20 note comemorated his work. Source: Parnell, N. and Boughton, T., Flypast, A Record of Aviation in Australia, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1988

1996 Cessna U206F VH-RPW crashed 25km ENE of Canberra airport on 12 November 1996. The pilot had planned a VFR flight from Turalla, NSW to Coolah, NSW. A significant ridgeline, oriented approximately north-south and extending for many kilometres, was located about 1 km to the west of the Turalla airstrip. The surface winds were from the north-west at a reported strength of 15-20 kts, with some stronger gusts. Witnesses observed the aircraft take off to the north-west and climb into wind for a distance of about 0.5 km. It then turned right onto a northerly heading and tracked parallel to the ridgeline but appeared to gain altitude very slowly, reaching a maximum height of about 200 ft. Approximately 2 km to the north of the airstrip, the aircraft was observed to abruptly adopt a nose-high attitude. The attitude then levelled and the aircraft turned left, whilst losing altitude, until it was tracking downwind in an easterly direction. At this time the aircraft commenced to roll from side to side before the left wing suddenly dropped. It then descended steeply until it collided with the ground and caught fire. The pilot and both passengers sustained fatal injuries. Sources: ATSB Occurrence number 199603734; aviation-safety.net website

2002 The Opposition forced changes to the Civil Aviation Amendment Regulations 2002 (No. 2) Statutory Rules 2002 No. 167 to defer any privatisation of ASA services, reported on 12 November 2002. Source: Shadow Minister for Transport, Martin Ferguson MP Media Release 26-09-2002. via aph.gov.au website

2014 On 12 November 2014 The United States Defence Security Cooperation Agency announced that the US State Department had made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Australia for C-17 Globemaster III aircraft and associated equipment, parts and logistical support for an estimated cost of $1.609 billion. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of the possible sale on the same date. The Government of Australia had requested a possible sale of up to 4 C-17A Globemaster III aircraft, 19 F117-PW-100 Pratt & Whitney engines, 4 AN/AAQ-24V Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) Systems, 4 Small Laser Transmitter Assemblies, 4 System Processors, 4 AN/AAR-54 Missile Warning Sensors, 1 AN/ALE-47 Countermeasure Dispenser, 1 AN/AAR-47 Missile Warning System, 5 Trimble Force 524 Receivers, 2 GAS-1 Antenna Units, 2 Controlled Reception Pattern Antennas, 1 AN-USC-43V Advanced Narrowband Voice Terminal, 16 Honeywell H-764 ACE Embedded Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation Systems, spare and repair parts, supply and test equipment, personnel training and training equipment, publications and technical documentation, United States Government and contractor engineering, logistics, and technical support services, and other related elements of logistics support. The estimated cost for up to four C-17As, support and services is $1.609 billion. At the time Australia's current heavy airlift capability consisted of six C-17A aircraft. The proposed sale of additional C-17As was anticipated to improve Australia's capability to deploy rapidly in support of global coalition operations and to greatly enhance its ability to lead regional humanitarian and peacekeeping operations. Source: Defence Security Cooperation Agency (USA)