Category: helicopter

  • Wings Over Illawarra 2021 Air Show

    Wings Over Illawarra 2021 Air Show

    Wings Over Illawarra 2021

    Delayed since 2020 due to Covid, Wings Over Illawarra was able to get into the air on the weekend of 27/28 November 2021. Held at Shellharbour Airport, south of Wollongong, the air show was well organised, with plenty of parking and helpful volunteers.

    We stayed at a nearby hotel the previous night, because the show was a four-hour drive from home. Our previous visit here in 2018 convinced us that Gold Tickets would be a good idea and we were not disappointed. Not only did they give us great seats and excellent onsite parking, but we got early access to the site. This let us wander around the static displays before the crowds arrived, allowing us to take photos without too many people around.

    Weather

    Unfortunately, the weather on the day was overcast with showers, but the organizers did a great job getting as many flights happening as possible. Some of the warbirds did not fly, as the risk was too great, but we were able to see them close up because they were parked in front of the Gold Ticket area.

    Static Displays

    After getting a coffee, we went for a walk through the aircraft on static display. The RAAF had a Lockheed Hercules C-130J on display, which we were able to walk through. The air force also had an F/A-18 Hornet, but it was on the flight line ready for a display.

    The Royal Australian Navy and Army contributed helicopters, with the Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk demonstrating its flying abilities later in the day.

    HARS (previously Historic Aircraft Restoration Society) is based at the airport and had their collection on display. They have an excellent collection, with the MiG-21 being a new addition since our last visit.

    Lockheed C-130J Hercules Wings Over Illawarra 2021
    Lockheed C-130J Hercules
    Eurocopter MRH-90 Taipan Wings Over Illawarra Air Show 2021
    Eurocopter MRH-90 Taipan

    War Birds

    The highlight of many air shows are the war birds giving flying demonstrations. The Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk, Lockheed Neptune and CAC Wirraway put on a great display Despite the weather. Unfortunately, the Avenger, Corsair and P-51 didn’t fly on the day, but were still displayed for people to see.

    Flying Displays

    Apart from the war birds, flying displays were put on by the RAAF with their F/A-18, the Navy’s MH-60R Seahawk and the Sky Aces aerobatic team. These were great to see and our seats in the grandstand gave us an excellent view.

    Vehicle Displays

    On the far side of the airfield was a small static display of vintage vehicles and current Australian Army vehicles. This was a fun and interesting area to walk around, as it offered something different to see.

    What Did We Think of Wings Over Illawarra 2021?

    We had a great day here watching the flying and walking around the displays, despite the gloomy weather. The following day had much improved weather, so the full flying agenda took place. Displays by HARS and access to their museum was a great part to the show.

  • Nowra New South Wales Australia

    Nowra New South Wales Australia

    How to Get There

    Only two and a half hours drive south of Sydney, Nowra is a great place to explore the nearby Kangaroo Valley and Shoalhaven District. Public transport by train and bus goes to Nowra, but you will then need to organise personal transport to explore outside of the town.

    Where Did We Stay

    While in Nowra, we stayed at Springs Shoalhaven, because it was in a quiet location and had an on-site restaurant at the adjoining club. The clean rooms and great views over the golf course we a nice place to relax before going out for dinner. The meals at the club were great and the staff friendly.

    Nowra’s Buildings

    Wandering through Nowra’s business district, we found several nice old buildings, which were worth stopping to look at.

    Nowra Street Art

    Walking through the central shopping district of Nowra, you will come across many pieces of excellent street art decorated buildings. Mostly located around the Shoalhaven Regional Gallery, others can be found in side streets, which makes them fun to track down while exploring.

    Ben’s Walk

    The walk loops around the Shoalhaven River, through its gorges and forests. The walk begins at the Nowra Showground, where you can enjoy a barbecue, and superb views of the river and mountains from Hanging Rock. The complete track provides a return walk of about 5.5 kilometres taking around two hours. A short return walk from the footbridge to the Showground and Hanging Rock takes around 10 minutes. A suspension bridge provides a fun crossing of the river.

    Soldiers’ Monument

    Opened in 1931, this memorial commemorates all those who served in conflicts that involved Australia. The bronze statue represents an Australian soldier, his helmet and rifle discarded now that has won and returned home, but remains forever vigil.

    Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm Museum

    The museum has an almost complete collection of the aircraft operated by the RAN.  This ranges from the early 1950s when HMAS Sydney and Melbourne were acquired to a recently retired Seahawk helicopter.  A purpose-built air-conditioned building houses all the displays. Inside a raised mezzanine floor provides an excellent overhead perspective of the displays.  This is something that many aviation museums are lacking.  There is also plenty of space between each display so that they can be seen easily without the crowding that some museums use.

    To read the full story of our visit there, follow the link.

    RAN Fairey Firefly AS.5 Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
    RAN Fairey Firefly AS.5

    What Did We Think of Nowra?

    A great place to stay with a range of activities to do and things to see. We used it as a base for exploring Kangaroo Valley and further afield to Kiama and the Illawarra.

    Our photos are available for purchase on

    To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

  • Wings Over Illawarra 2018

    Wings Over Illawarra 2018

    Wings Over Illawarra 2018

    This amazing Airshow was held at the Illawarra Regional Airport at Albion Park Rail. Located just south of Wollongong in  Shellharbour the setting was beautiful with the amazing Illawarra Escarpment providing a great backdrop to the show. Wings Over Illawarra 2018 had an excellent combination of warbirds, aerobatics and modern RAAF aircraft

    We stayed in Wollongong the night before at Sage Hotel. Located near Wollongong Beach. We had a leisurely evening and morning before driving to the Airshow. Parking was well organised with two off site areas and shuttle buses running to the event.

    Tickets

    Having purchased tickets on-line entry was quick and easy after which we walked around the static displays dotted around the airfield. Unfortunately, many were parked on the far side of the airfield, so it was difficult to get a good view of them.

    Historical Aircraft Restoration Society

    The Historical Aircraft Restoration Society is based at the airport and had its hangers open and aircraft on display.  They have an impressive collection including a Qantas Boeing 747, Super Constellation, Neptune, Orion, DC4 and. Southern Cross replica. There was also a Catalina open for a walk through for a small $5 donation. A great experience having never been in one before. Nearby was an F111, Sabre, Hunter and many other aircraft.

    Consolidated PBY5A Catalina Historical Aircraft Restoration Society www.destinationsjourney.com
    Consolidated PBY5A Catalina

    Air Display

    The air display followed the advertised program. 

    10:10

      • Opening Ceremony

    10:30

      • RAAF Roulettes Formation Aerobatic Team
      • 2 x RAAF F/A-18 Hornets Arrive
      • MH-60R Seahawk Romeo
      • RAAF C27J Spartan

    11:30

      • RAAF C-17 Globemaster III
      • Beech-18
      • Rebel 300
      • Boeing Stearman
      • North American T-6 Harvard
      • CAC CA-3 Wirraway

    12:30

      • Paul Andronicou in the Extra 330SC
      • North American T-28 Trojan
      • Grumman TBM-3 Avenger
      • WWII Fighters
        • Hawker Hurricane
        • Supermarine Spitfire
        • CAC CA-18 Mk21 Mustang
        • Focke Wulf FW-190

    13:45

      • Paul Bennet in the Wolf Pitts Pro
      • Marchetti S-211 Formation Display
      • Steadfast Yakovlev Yak 3U
      • Russian Roolettes Formation Team

    14:30

      • Pitts Model 12
      • Sky Aces Formation Aerobatics Display Team
      • L-39C Albatros
      • BAC Jet Provost T5A

    15:30

      • RAAF Hawk 127
      • Matt Hall in the MXS-R
      • CAC CA-27 Mk32 Sabre
      • RAAF F/A-18 Hornet with “Wall of Fire”

    16:30

      • Show Close

    RAAF Alenia C-27J Spartan Wings Over Illawarra 2018 www.destinationsjourney.com
    RAAF Alenia C-27J Spartan

    Boeing C-17A Globemaster III 36 SQN RAAF Wings Over Illawarra 2018 DestinationsJourney.com
    Boeing C-17A Globemaster III

    Aeromacchi S-211 Wings Over Illawarra 2018 DestinationsJourney.com
    Aeromacchi S-211

    Grumman Avenger Wings Over Illawarra 2018 www.destinationsjourney.com
    Grumman Avenger

    Beech 18 Wings Over Illawarra 2018 www.destinationsjourney.com
    Beech 18

    Beech 18 Wings Over Illawarra 2018 www.destinationsjourney.com
    Beech 18

    RAAF Roulettes Aerobatic Team Pilatus PC-9 Wings Over Illawarra 2018 www.destinationsjourney.com
    RAAF Roulettes Aerobatic Team

    This was an excellent mix of display types and kept everyone entertained for the day. For a better view and good seating next time, we will splash out and buy gold passes. This guarantees front row seats in the grandstand at the centre of the rune way.