An auction has been announced that will give aviation enthusiasts the chance to pick up historically significant aircraft parts including a complete, but slightly damaged, Harvard.
Industrial and automotive auctioneer ManheimFowles has been tasked to conduct the auction under instruction from the Department of Defence.
The Harvard aircraft to be auctioned came to Australia from New Zealand and was in flying condition until recently. The aircraft is believed to have been presented to the RAAF Point Cook Museum in Victoria in 1977. The Harvard is considered one of the best-known training aircraft of all time and was in use around the globe between the 1930s and 1960s.
The aircraft will be auctioned along with the other pieces from the RAAF Point Cook Museum in the October 20 Melbourne Truck and Machinery auction. The auction, to be held at ManheimFowles at Gordon Luck Avenue in Altona North, will also feature a wide range of modern aviation ground support equipment and historical airframe parts.
Items up for auction from the RAAF Point Cook Museum can be viewed at RAAF Williams (Laverton), strictly by appointment only, on Wednesday October 6 and Wednesday October 13. All other items can be viewed at ManheimFowles during business hours in the week prior to the auction. Or click here to view detailed information and photographs of the items available.
For further information contact Wayne Moore (03) 9922 6560.
READERS PLEASE NOTE: While the auctioneer claims that the NZ1060 Harvard 111 that will be a part of this auction is only “slightly damaged”, Rob Fox, Editor of Australian Flying’s sister publication Flightpath, informs us that the damage to the aircraft is actually quite major. The damage stems from a well-known accident at West Sale that the Harvard was involved in.
Regarding the extent of the damage to both the body and engine of the aircraft, Rob reports that, “the damage was assessed as Category 5; that is, 'Uneconomical to Repair'. The aircraft has sustained major damage to its centre section, including the primary structure of the centre section, fuel tanks and main landing gear. The RH main landing gear was ripped completely out of the centre section during the accident. The outer wings have also sustained major damage. The engine has been damaged and will require at minimum a bulk strip, including the replacement of a number of cylinder assemblies, and to repair any other damage found during the bulk strip. The engine mount and engine cowls are also damaged.”
The aircraft’s airframe hours were 9078.4 plus approximately two hours before the accident, while its engine hours were 423.7 plus approximately two hours before the accident. These hours are Time Since Overhaul (TSO).