"Glenn" wrote in message
...


Great shot and very happy to see her again Glenn

Chris
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The Sabre flew the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) into the jet fighter
age yet there is only one still flying in the world.

Now fully restored, the RAAF's Sabre A94-983 will take to the air tomorrow
for its first public appearance in 16 years.

It will join other historic aircraft in flying displays at the Temora
Aviation Museum in south-west New South Wales.

The museum's Peter Pring-Shambler says it took three and a half years to
restore the rare aircraft under an agreement with the RAAF.

"The decision was made that we would take over the looking after of the
aeroplane, put it back in the air and operate it on behalf of the RAAF," he
said.

"It's never been done before so we were leading the way, pioneering this and
it's worked quite well."

Built in Australia in 1957 by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation, the
A94-983 was based on a United States design, modified to include a more
powerful Rolls Royce Avon engine.

"It saw service then [with the RAAF] until 1969-1970," Mr Pring-Shambler
said.

"A few of the aircraft ... including this aircraft ... were transferred to
the Royal Malaysian Air Force in 1970.

"Then in about 1977 the then chief of the Malaysian Air Force gifted this
particular aeroplane back to the RAAF."

Between 1982 and 1993 the Sabre flew at air shows around Australia. It then
sat at the RAAF Museum at Victoria's Point Cook until it was moved to the
Temora Aviation Museum in 2005.

Mr Pring-Shambler says nearly 10,000 Sabre fighters were built worldwide but
few remain.

"This is the only Australian-built one, so it is pretty rare," he said.

"And there's probably only a handful - six or seven - Sabres flying
worldwide."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...htm?site=local