The Darwin Aviation Museum, previously known as the Australian Aviation Heritage Centre, displays aircraft and aircraft engines of relevance to the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...

and aviation in Australia generally. It is located in Darwin suburb of Winnellie.

History

The museum's origins can be traced to 1976 when a group of enthusiasts sought to preserve aviation relics after the destruction of

Cyclone Tracy Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, from 24 to 26 December 1974. The small, developing easterly storm had been observed passing clear of the city i ...

. It was later broadened to include the documentation of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

aircraft crash sites and the preservation of aviation relics related to the defence of Darwin during World War II. The museum was first opened to the public in 1988. In the late 1980s, the Society negotiated with the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

(USAF) and the

Northern Territory Government The Government of the Northern Territory of Australia, also referred to as the Northern Territory Government, is the Australian territorial democratic administrative authority of the Northern Territory. The Government of Northern Territory wa ...

to obtain a surplus USAF Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bomber and to build a museum to house and display the aircraft. In June 1990, the new Darwin Aviation Museum opened. In 2011, the museum was considered as a display location for one of two Mi-24s confiscated by the

Department of Defence Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

in 1997. Due to the presence of asbestos in the airframes, the proposal was dropped. In 2018, the museum acquired a P-3C and looked into expanding their hangar space to house it.

Collection

The museum has on display a Boeing B-52G bomber. It is on permanent loan from the

and is one of only three on public display in the world outside the US. There is a bomb fragment dating from a

WWII World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

air raid on Darwin.

Aircraft on display

* Auster J/5P Autocar ''3178'' *

Boeing B-52G Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...

''59-2596'' ''"Darwin's Pride"'' *

CAC Sabre The CAC Sabre, sometimes known as the Avon Sabre or CA-27, is an Australian variant of the North American Aviation F-86F Sabre fighter aircraft. The F-86F was redesigned and built by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC). Equipping five ...

''A94-914/A94-921'' * Bell AH-1G Cobra ''71-21018'' * Dassault Mirage IIIO ''A3-36'' *

de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary trainer aircraft. ...

''A17-4'' * de Havilland Dove 1B ''4373'' * General Dynamics F-111C ''A8-113'' * Hovey Delta Bird * Mitsubishi MU-2B ''37'' * Mitsubishi A6M2 Model 21 Zero ''BII-124'' * North American B-25D Mitchell ''41-30222'' * Rockwell Shrike Commander 500 *

Rutan Long-EZ The Rutan Model 61 Long-EZ is a tandem 2-seater homebuilt aircraft designed by Burt Rutan's Rutan Aircraft Factory. The Long-EZ has a canard layout, a swept wing with wingtip rudders, and a pusher engine and propeller. The tricycle landing ...

* Supermarine Spitfire VIII – Replica * Westland Wessex HAS.31B ''N7-202''

Aircraft engines on display

Allison J33 The General Electric/Allison J33 is a development of the General Electric J31, enlarged to produce significantly greater thrust, starting at and ending at with an additional low-altitude boost to with water-alcohol injection. Development Th ...

* Allison V-1710 * Bristol Centaurus *

Continental O-200 The Continental C90 and O-200 are a family of air-cooled, horizontally opposed, four-cylinder, direct-drive aircraft engines of 201 in³ (3.29 L) displacement, producing between 90 and 100 horsepower (67 and 75 kW).''Federal Aviation Admini ...

* de Havilland Gipsy Major II * de Havilland Gipsy Six II * de Havilland Gipsy Queen 30 * de Havilland Gipsy Queen 70-2 * Franklin 6V4 * Liberty L-12 * Nakajima Sakae 12 *

Napier Gazelle The Napier Gazelle is a turboshaft helicopter engine that was manufactured by D. Napier & Son in the mid-1950s. In 1961 production was nominally transferred to a joint venture with Rolls-Royce called Napier Aero Engines Limited."ENGLISH ELEC ...

Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp The Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp is an aircraft engine of the reciprocating type that was widely used in American aircraft from the 1920s onward. It was the Pratt & Whitney aircraft company's first engine, and the first of the famed Wasp ser ...

Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp The Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp is an American air-cooled radial aircraft engine. It displaces and its bore and stroke are both . The design traces its history to 1929 experiments at Pratt & Whitney on twin-row designs. Production bega ...

* Rolls-Royce Avon RA.6 * Rolls-Royce Derwent 8 * Rolls-Royce Merlin XXIII * Wright R-2600-13 Twin Cyclone

References

External links