The museum collection has many displays which highlight the aviation history of Australia, Queensland and the local Sunshine Coast. These include
Charles Kingsford Smith, Women in Aviation, Pathfinder Force,
Korean War,
Vietnam War, British Pacific Commonwealth Airlines,
Ansett Airlines,
Qantas, Calair, The
Flight Data Recorder and the
Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Royal Flying Doctor Service An important part of the development of the remote Australian inland area has been the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), which provides medical support to isolated communities. The Australian Inland Mission Aerial Medical Service, which would later become the RFDS, was established by
Reverend John Flynn on 15 May 1928 in
Cloncurry, Queensland. Flynn had a vision to use radios and aircraft to connect doctors and patients in remote locations. He engaged
Alfred Traeger to develop suitable two-way radios which used a pedal generator to provide reliable power and the service took flight using a de Havilland DH-50 aircraft leased from Qantas which is another Queensland icon. The RFDS continues to operate a fleet of over 60 aircraft across every State of Australia. The Queensland Air Museum's RFDS display includes a DHA-3 Drover aircraft used by the RFDS and an example of a Traeger radio. The Drovers, VH-FDR named John Flynn after the founder and VH-FDS named Norman Bourke, were used by the Queensland Section between 1951 and 1968.
Calair Skyfox As a tribute to the local aircraft producer
Calair Corp / Skyfox Aviation the museum has a major display, which features a CA21 Skyfox aircraft representing the prototype VH-CAL. This aircraft is restored using parts from several Skyfox aircraft with the wing being from the original aircraft. Calair Corporation was created in October 1989 to produce a derivative of the Denny Kitfox at Caloundra Airport. The aircraft, to be known as the Calair CA21 Skyfox, was a two-seat high-wing
monoplane with a tail wheel
undercarriage for use in the training and recreational flying market. A number of changes were made to the Kitfox design to increase the loaded weight, which brought it up to the Australian CAO 101-55 standard. This allowed it to be commercial produced and be used for general aviation pilot training and it was the first aircraft in Australia to be so certified. It was powered by a 2.1L, 58.2 kW (78 hp) Aeropower engine built in
Perth, Western Australia, which was essentially a Volkswagen adaptation. 33 CA21s were produced between July 1990 and August 1991. In 1991, the company was sold and the name was changed to Skyfox Aviation Ltd. Production then switched to the CA22 which incorporated numerous changes including a change to a
Rotax 912 engine. A total of 61 were produced at which time it gained certification under the European Joint Airworthiness Requirements for Very Light Aircraft (JAR/VLA), the first Australian aircraft to do so. The next 10 aircraft produced after the certification in June 1993 were designated CA25. The final stage in the development of the Skyfox was the production of a model with tricycle landing gear to better cater for the pilot training market. This was called the CA25N Gazelle and would take over the production run. A total of 66 would be completed before production ceased in May 1998, when the company was placed under voluntary administration due to financial difficulties.
Pathfinder Force During World War II, the British Bomber Command was engaged in night time area bombing of Germany. In 1942, these operations were resulting in an aircraft loss rate of between 4 and 5 percent and only a third of the aircraft were able to drop their bombs within 5 miles (8 km) of the target. In an effort to improve the accuracy the Pathfinder Force was created on 15 August 1942, under the leadership of Acting
Group Captain Don Bennett, who was born in
Toowoomba. The specialised
squadrons in the Pathfinder Force had aircraft that were crewed by experienced crews who would lead the main bomber force to locate the target and mark it with flares. This would give the bomber force coming in behind an improved chance of dropping their bombs in the right place. To commemorate the Pathfinder Force the museum has a large display, which was established and maintained in conjunction with the Pathfinder Force Association of Australia. It includes uniforms, memorabilia, models and a reproduction of Don Bennett's office which contains many of his original possessions. The display is located adjacent to the F-111 strike aircraft which provides a link to the modern air force. == Aircraft on display ==