Royal Victorian Aero Club
Encyclopedia
The Royal Victorian Aero Club is an Australian aero club based at Moorabbin Airport
Moorabbin Airport
Moorabbin Airport is a general aviation airport for light aircraft located in Mentone, Victoria, Australia. The airport grounds are treated as their own suburb, designated the postcode 3194. The airport opened in December 1949. Originally the intent was to name the airport "Mentone" but this was...

 in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

. Originating in 1914 (six years before the national airline Qantas
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...

) it is amongst the world's oldest Aviation organisations.

History

Founded by pioneer aviators in 1914 at Point Cook, the club is one of Australia's oldest flying training organisations.

The Australian Aero Club was formed on 28 October 1914 (and formally established on 9 April 1915) and was subsequently affiliated with the Royal Aero Club
Royal Aero Club
The Royal Aero Club is the national co-ordinating body for Air Sport in the United Kingdom.The Aero Club was founded in 1901 by Frank Hedges Butler, his daughter Vera and the Hon Charles Rolls , partly inspired by the Aero Club of France...

 of Great Britain. The original hand-written minutes of this historic meeting establishing the club are preserved today.

Renamed the Victorian Aero Club in October 1934, on 13 March 1935 approval to use the “Royal” prefix was granted and since that date the institution has been known as the Royal Victorian Aero Club.

While originally formed at Point Cook, in 1919 the Club transferred operations to what was then the Commonwealth Aerodrome (or sometimes referred to as St Johns Field) on Bulla Road in Essendon
Essendon, Victoria
Essendon is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moonee Valley...

. Club operations were some of the first from St John's Field, as the aerodrome was not officially opened until 1922.

The Civil Aviation Department provided support to the Australian Aero Club, by providing an establishment gift of six DeHavilland
Gypsy Moth aircraft two of which were allocated to the Victorian Chapter. The two Victorian Gypsy Moths, (G-AUAL and G-UAUG) arrived in July 1926 by ship and within a month they were taking part in a major aerial display at Essendon to celebrate the arrival of solo flyer A. J. Cobham of from England. The Flying Section of the Club was officially opened by Lieutenant Governor Sir William Irvine on 21 August 1926.

In 1934 club member 28 year-old Freda Thompson
Freda Thompson
Freda Thompson OBE was a pioneer aviator, the first Australian woman to fly solo from the United Kingdom to Australia.-Biography:...

 flew her DH Moth Major solo from England to Australia in 19 days - the first Australian women fly the route (also notable for her record 5 hr flight from Koepang to Darwin). Freda Thompson was Club President in 1948.

Operations were somewhat limited during the Second World War, and Essendon Airport
Essendon Airport
Essendon Airport is located at Essendon, in Melbourne's northern suburbs, Victoria, Australia. It is located next to the Tullamarine Freeway on , from the Melbourne Central Business District and from Melbourne Airport.-History:...

 subsequently became the primary commercial airport for Melbourne, the increased airliner traffic limiting private operations. Thus, in December 1949 the Club transferred to and became the first operator on what were once market-gardens on Centre Dandenong Road, at the newly established Moorabbin Airport
Moorabbin Airport
Moorabbin Airport is a general aviation airport for light aircraft located in Mentone, Victoria, Australia. The airport grounds are treated as their own suburb, designated the postcode 3194. The airport opened in December 1949. Originally the intent was to name the airport "Mentone" but this was...

, southeast of the city. A massive growth in the number of flying hours took place in the 1950s and 1960s, aided in part by a Commonwealth Government edict providing some subsidies for private flying training.

In 2005, a plane owned by the Club sustained major damage during a crash landing at Moorabbin airport.

In August 2008, two planes owned by the club were involved in a mid-air collision over Melbourne's south eastern suburbs. One of the planes involved in the collision landed safely at Moorabbin airport, but the other crashed into the garage of a unit in Cheltenam
Cheltenham, Victoria
Cheltenham is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located 19 km south-east of Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Kingston to the eastern side of the area's metropolitan railway line and Charman Road north, while the City of Bayside resides over...

. The Cessna 150
Cessna 150
The Cessna 150 is a two-seat tricycle gear general aviation airplane, that was designed for flight training, touring and personal use.The Cessna 150 is the seventh most produced civilian plane ever, with 23,839 aircraft produced...

 aircraft then burst into flames, killing the trainee pilot who was from India.

Identities

The Foundation Members of the Royal Victorian Aero Club were:
  • Group Captain Sir Thomas White (original member of the Aero Club at Point Cook in 1914 then President of the Australian Aero Club Victorian Section in 1926).
  • Wing Commander HG Rigby.
  • Major HT Shaw.
  • Brigadier GM Moore.


Some of those who played a vital role in Club flying operations and who have trained thousands of Australian aviators include:

Laurie McPherson, Instructor 1950–1951. CFI 1952–1960, 1969–1970 and Manager 1961–1968 and 1978–1985. Pilot who conducted tests on behalf of the Australian Department of Civil Aviation to closely examine the spinning characteristics of the DHC Chipmunk.

John Lindsay, Honorary Life Member, one-time CFI and manager and pre-eminent club member from 1945 to 2007.

H Owen Jones, an employee for 42 years.

Roy F Goon, first flew with RVAC in 1933, flew CAC Boomerang aircraft during Second World War in Darwin and Gove (Sqdn. Ldr. 83 Sqdn). Commanding Officer of l l l MFCU at Labuan. He held this position from 14 Feb 1943 to 7 Sep 1945 and was a test pilot with the RAAF, Commonwealth Aircraft Factory and Royal Flying Doctor Service. Held Commercial Pilot Licence No 511 and was an Instructor at the RVAC for 40 years and Chief Flying Instructor in 1977. Goon was a member of the well-known Chinese-Australian family from Ballarat, Victoria
Ballarat, Victoria
Ballarat is a city in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately west-north-west of the state capital Melbourne situated on the lower plains of the Great Dividing Range and the Yarrowee River catchment. It is the largest inland centre and third most populous city in the state and the fifth...

.

George Campbell referred to by pioneer avaitrix Nancy Bird-Walton as "a man who became a great trainer of pilots in the last war years."

Club Operations

The Royal Victorian Aero Club provides aircraft and facilities for pilot training and private flying at Moorabbin Airport.

The Club currently trains pilots from various overseas countries and also offers an annual Scholarship as well as fly-aways and regular competitions.

The Club also operates a satellite facility at Coldstream Airport to the north-east of Melbourne (a facility which also has RAAus accreditation for Recreational flight training approval). Additionally, the club (with the RAAF Roulettes as Patron) operates the Young Eagles programme for Victorians between 12 and 17 years of age, designed to introduce flying to potential aviators.

Previous aircraft

In the boom times of the 1950s much of the training and private flying was undertaken in the legendary De Havilland Moth series of aircraft (primarily the de Havilland Tiger Moth
De Havilland Tiger Moth
The de Havilland DH 82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and was operated by the Royal Air Force and others as a primary trainer. The Tiger Moth remained in service with the RAF until replaced by the de Havilland Chipmunk in 1952, when many of the surplus aircraft...

).

The De Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk
De Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk
The de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk is a tandem, two-seat, single-engined primary trainer aircraft which was the standard primary trainer for the Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Air Force and several other air forces through much of the post-Second World War years...

 and Victa Airtourer were used in the 1960s followed subsequently by a limited number of Beechcraft
Beechcraft
Beechcraft is an American manufacturer of general aviation and military aircraft, ranging from light single engine aircraft to business jets and light military transports. Previously a division of Raytheon, it has been a brand of Hawker Beechcraft since 2006....

 aircraft and in much greater numbers, the reliable Piper Aircraft and Cessna
Cessna
The Cessna Aircraft Company is an airplane manufacturing corporation headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, USA. Their main products are general aviation aircraft. Although they are the most well known for their small, piston-powered aircraft, they also produce business jets. The company is a subsidiary...

, current models of which remain the backbone of the fleet today.

Current Fleet

  • Piper Warrior PA-28 (x2)
  • Cessna 152
    Cessna 152
    The Cessna 152 is an American two-seat, fixed tricycle gear, general aviation airplane, used primarily for flight training and personal use.-Development:...

      (x2)
  • Piper Seminole  (x1)
  • Partenavia
    Partenavia
    Partenavia Construzioni Aeronautiche was an Italian aircraft manufacturer from 1957 to 1989.-History:The company was formed shortly after the war by Professor Luigi Pascale of Naples University. Pascale had designed and flown a number of designs, in 1957 a factory was acquired at Arzano. Partenavia...

    (x1)

External links

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