South Australian Aviation Museum

The South Australian Aviation Museum (SAAM) is a multi-hangar museum in Port Adelaide that preserves aviation and aerospace history important to South Australia. The museum has 27 significant aircraft on display (all under cover), plus a large collection of engines, avionics, uniforms, photographs and archival material. Many of the aircraft on display served in South Australia at some point in their careers; several are unique examples in Australia.

Getting there

Being located in the heart of Port Adelaide makes the museum easy to find. With its own dedicated carpark, parking is also easy and free.

If you are travelling by public transport, trains and busses both stop conveniently close at Port Dock. The train takes approximately 20–25 minutes. Port Dock station is a 10-minute walk to the museum.

Aircraft on Display

Bell OH-58A Kiowa — A17-010

Delivered to the Australian Army Aviation Corps on 25 January 1972, Bell Kiowa A17-010 served with the 161 Reconnaissance Squadron in Darwin and 162 Reconnaissance Squadron in Townsville in reconnaissance, communications, supply and pilot training. One of the first 12 Kiowas for the Australian Army, it was built by Bell in Fort Worth Texas, the remainder of the 56 Australian Kiowas being built under licence by Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) at Fisherman’s Bend, Victoria.

Following retirement from the Australian Army in December 2005, A17-010 was acquired by SAAM from Defence Disposals in August 2017.

GAF Mirage IIID — A3-115

GAF Mirage IIID A3-115 is a two seat operational trainer variant of the Mirage IIIO interceptor, one of 16 delivered to the RAAF. It was delivered to the RAAF in December 1973, the second last of the Australian Mirages. During its RAAF career A3-115 served with 2 Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) and with 77 Squadron at RAAF Williamtown, as well as the Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU) at RAAF Edinburgh. Withdrawn from RAAF service in December 1986 and held at DSTO Adelaide until 1999. Subsequently displayed at air shows held at RAAF Edinburgh before serving as a ‘gate guardian’ at RAAF Edinburgh. DSTO may have conducted radar signature tests on this aircraft.

More photos of RAAF Mirage IIIs can be found here.

de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou — A4-225

The RAAF accepted Caribou A4-225 from de Havilland Canada in June 1965. Allocated to 38 Squadron at RAAF Richmond in June 1965 it served in New Guinea with Detachment ‘A’ between 1965 and 1971. It was then deployed to Vietnam. During its time in New Guinea this aircraft discovered the wreck of an RAAF Dakota missing since 1945.

A4-225 participated in natural disaster relief work, including Cyclone Althea relief operations in Townsville in December 1971. It continued in service with 38 SQDN at Richmond and Amberley until its retirement in 2009.

More RAAF Caribou photos here.

Douglas C-47 Dakota A65-114

Delivered to the RAAF in June 1945, Douglas C-47 Dakota A65-114s first role was repatriating POWs from Singapore. Later it operated in the Korean War. The aircraft was often used as a VIP transport. During this time, it flew Prime Ministers Ben Chifley and Sir Robert Menzies, Governor General Sir William Slim, famous explorer Sir Douglas Mawson and General ‘Red Robbie’ Robertson. After serving 10 years with No. 38 Transport SQN (Richmond) it moved to Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU) at Laverton in 1964. The Dakota moved to Edinburgh, SA, in December 1976 when ARDU transferred there.

On 17 October 1986 the aircraft suffered an engine failure on take-off at Edinburgh which resulted in the left undercarriage collapsing, causing substantial damage. Withdrawn from use and later purchased by the South Australian Aviation Museum in November 1991.

More photos of Australian Douglas C-47s here.

English Electric Canberra B.2 — WK165

Built by AVRO at Woodford, UK, in February 1955 and delivered to the RAF in March 1955 English Electric Canberra B.2 WK165 subsequently transferred to the RAAF. In March 1956, it transferred to WRE Edinburgh Field for the Air Trials Unit. Used for flying radar calibration and ranging tasks out of Woomera and Maralinga for many years it also undertook airborne photography of weapons (including Operation Buffalo Atomic Bomb Tests).

WK165 was struck off charge from the RAAF in February 1970. In February 1985, it was at Eureka Aviation Museum Ballarat, Victoria, where it was in open display and suffered from vandalism and the elements. After a long period in storage WK165 underwent restoration and then generously donated to the Museum by Neville Mason. It is displayed in its former white colour scheme, typical of research and weapons testing aircraft based at Woomera.

More photos of Canberras can be found here.

Fokker F-27-109 Friendship — VH-CAT

Fokker F-27 Friendship VH-CAT first flew at Amsterdam in September 1959. Handed over to the Department of Civil Aviation it continued in Government service until 31 March 1978. In July 1978 it transferred to the CSIRO Division of Cloud Physics in Tamworth and named Cyrano. CSIRO used the F27 for various atmospheric research projects. In November 1993 the aircraft moved to Australian Flight Test Services relocating to Parafield Airfield north of Adelaide. VH-CAT continued in a research and flight testing role until 2001. Following an ownership change, it fell into disuse. SAAM acquired the aircraft in February 2008.

On 13 December 2008 the aircraft moved from Parafield Airport to the Museum. Two Rolls Royce Dart engines and propellers along with various cockpit instruments completed the aircraft’s restoration. In 2013 the CSIRO kindly donated various items of equipment and external probes to partly restore the aircraft back to its flight testing days.

More Fokker Friendship photos here.

Supermarine Spitfire

Constructed in 1942 by Westland Aircraft Ltd, Yeovil, Somerset, UK, Supermarine Spitfire EE853 transferred to Australia in 1943. It became part of the RAAF’s 79 SQN at Goodenough Island and later Kiriwina Island, PNG, using Squadron code UP-O. Given the RAAF registration A58-146, it helped protect bombers as far as Rabaul, New Britain. A landing accident on 28 August 1943 on Kiriwina Island saw it back on Goodenough Island for repairs. Langdon Badger found the aircraft in 1971 and had it shipped to Adelaide in 1973. After four years of restoration at Parafield Airport, Langdon displayed the Spitfire at his home in Adelaide. Since October 2001 the aircraft has been on display in the South Australian Aviation Museum on a long-term loan basis.

More Spitfire photos here.

Aero 145

Aero 145 VH-WWC / ZCL was built at Kunovice, Czechoslovakia in 1961 and imported into Australia in 1962. Purchased by Commodore Aviation Pty Ltd it undertook fish spotting services from Port Lincoln. Following the acquisition of a Cessna 337 for fish spotting in 1968, VH-WWC (and companion aircraft VH-DUH) continued with charter and island service work until withdrawal from service around 1979.

More Aero 145 can be found here.

GAF Jindivik N11-752

Named from an Aboriginal word for ‘Hunted One’, the Jindivik was Australia’s most successfully produced aircraft. Design began in 1948 by Government Aircraft Factory (GAF) engineers. First flying in August 1952 manufacturing continued until 1997. The Jindivik undertook a large range of tasks including surveillance, target towing and cruise missile simulation. The RAAF, RAN, RAF, USN and the Swedish Air Force operated the Jindivik.

Delivered to the Navy in February 1987 as N11-752, SAAM’s Jindivik is a Mark 203B . Following various missions, it crashed on take-off at Jervis Bay in May 1992. After a period of storage at Australia’s Museum of Flight at Nowra, it came to the South Australian Aviation Museum in June 2004.

Click here for more Jindivik photos.

Vickers Vimy Model

In 1919 Vickers Vimy G-EAOU flew from England to Australia in twenty-eight days to win the Australian Government’s £10,000 prize for the first Australians to do so in less than thirty days. The crew consisted of brothers Ross and Keith Smith (both later knighted) and Walter Shiers and James Bennett both as mechanics. An excellent article on the crew and the flight can be found here.

Placed next to the museum’s F-111 it demonstrates the speed at which technology advanced. The Vimy flew in 1917, with the F-111 first taking to the air in 1967, a span of only 50 years.

General Dynamic F-111C A8-132

The eighth F-111 from the production line allocated to the RAAF, General Dynamic F-111C A8-132 made its first flight on 21 October 1968. It was delivered to RAAF Amberley on 25 July 1973 following a period in storage in the United States due to concerns about the type’s serviceability. After service with 1 SQN it transferred to the Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU) at Edinburgh in 1979 and remained there until 1988. Its primary role at ARDU was testing and clearance of new systems and weapons for service use, completing over 30 trials programs including a range of guided and unguided weapons including the Harpoon missile. During this period it received a special paint scheme of camouflaged upper surfaces and white lower surfaces to provide contrast in images of weapons release during trials. It wears this scheme for display at the South Australian Aviation Museum.

More F-111 photos here.

McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A A21-32

McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A A21-32 entered RAAF service on 16 August 1988. It was one of two Hornets fitted with flight test instrumentation, the other was A21-101, a Block 14 B two-seat model. It initially served with 3SQN and was in service at ARDU (Edinburgh S.A.) for many years. A21-32 undertook many tests at Woomera.

More F/A-18 photos here.

Westland Wessex HAS31B N7-224

This is one of 27 Wessex helicopters built for the Royal Australian Navy. It first flew in August 1963 and served on HMAS Melbourne and HMAS Stalwart. On 8 April 1968, during a normal flight the aircraft suffered an engine overspeed. The pilot LEUT J.W Nichol and Co-pilot SBLT R Giffen managed to regain control of the aircraft and nurse it back to HMAS Melbourne. On the way the Observer, SBLT M. Bayliss and the aircrewman POACM Trainor were ordered to abandon the aircraft. They jumped into the sea and were picked up by HMAS Parramatta. The Wessex landed safely aboard the carrier.

In its long career it was used on a variety of missions both at sea and at Nowra, NSW, and still carries its Pennant No. 834. It became an instructional airframe in 1987 before going on display at the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Nowra. The South Australian Aviation Museum acquired the aircraft in October 1998.

More Wessex photos here.

Workshop & public restoration area

SAAM runs an active restoration program. The museum stores much of its collection off-hanger and maintains a workshop/restoration area where volunteers and paid staff perform structural, mechanical and cosmetic restoration. Restoration projects such as the Avro Anson and Fairey Battle are ongoing and visitors can view aspects of the workshop and restoration work from public vantage points inside the museum hangars. The restoration activity is a major draw because visitors are able to see these aircraft before restoration is complete. These projects often take years, during which time they are usually not viewable by the public.

To find more things to see and do in South Australia, click here.