Demise of the Australian Aviation Museum, Bankstown

[old man emu]

In the course of my business I visited the Australian Aviation Museum at Bankstown on the weekend. It was a heartbreaking experience.

 

 

The Australian Aviation Museum was opened by the then Prime Minister the Hon. Paul Keating in February, 1994. Now the lease for the site is coming to an end. The current airport leaseholder has great plans for the site. Unfortunately the plans don't involve anything aviation related.

 

We’re for Sydney | Daily Telegraph

 

Many people have put hundreds of volunteer hours into building the existing museum, collecting exhibits, creating displays, preserving artifacts and aviation related written material, and restoring and maintaining items of distinctive Australian aviation ingenuity.

 

During my visit, I saw packed cardboard boxes labelled with the origin of the contents, Empty display cases awaiting the movers. Aircraft and engines; dressed display dummies standing forlornly in platoons awaiting the "Quick march!". Outside you could hear the fuselages of aircraft corroding in the winter sun.

 

But!, you say, The museum is moving to Camden.

 

We’re for Sydney | Daily Telegraph

 

Well, that was what Sydney Metro Airports promised back in 2015. A new building was going to be constructed at Camden Airport; the museum collection was going to be moved; God would be in His Heaven, and all would be right with the world.

 

However, from the song by Dionne Warwick

 

Oh, promises, their kind of promises, can just destroy a life

 

Oh, promises, those kind of promises, take all the joy from life

 

 

Preservation of a bit of Australian heritage comes a poor second to $14 million per year rent form a business estate.

 

 

[yampy]

Whatever happened to the aviation museum that used to exist at Narellan near the Maccas crossroad ? .

 

Dave C

 

 

[old man emu]

Still there. The original collector has transferred to the Great Maintenance Hangar in the sky. The collection is still in the possession of the family. http://www.camdenmuseumofaviation.com.au/

 

As you can see, the museum is now surrounded by McMansions.

 

 

A few of the members here are also volunteers working at the museum on working-bee days.

 

 

[yampy]

Thanks for clearing that up for me . It’s a pity it’s no longer open to the public . That whole area is a sea of Mc Mansion dwellings , it’s no surprise I hadnt seen it , being engulfed in such .

 

 

[facthunter]

What a great future for us to aspire to. To actually "own" one of those magnificent, soul destroying, identical, horrendous houses. Suicide material. Nev

 

 

[ClintonB]

In the course of my business I visited the Australian Aviation Museum at Bankstown on the weekend. It was a heartbreaking experience.

 

The Australian Aviation Museum was opened by the then Prime Minister the Hon. Paul Keating in February, 1994. Now the lease for the site is coming to an end. The current airport leaseholder has great plans for the site. Unfortunately the plans don't involve anything aviation related.

 

We’re for Sydney | Daily Telegraph

 

Many people have put hundreds of volunteer hours into building the existing museum, collecting exhibits, creating displays, preserving artifacts and aviation related written material, and restoring and maintaining items of distinctive Australian aviation ingenuity.

 

During my visit, I saw packed cardboard boxes labelled with the origin of the contents, Empty display cases awaiting the movers. Aircraft and engines; dressed display dummies standing forlornly in platoons awaiting the "Quick march!". Outside you could hear the fuselages of aircraft corroding in the winter sun.

 

But!, you say, The museum is moving to Camden.

 

We’re for Sydney | Daily Telegraph

 

Well, that was what Sydney Metro Airports promised back in 2015. A new building was going to be constructed at Camden Airport; the museum collection was going to be moved; God would be in His Heaven, and all would be right with the world.

 

However, from the song by Dionne Warwick

 

Oh, promises, their kind of promises, can just destroy a life

 

Oh, promises, those kind of promises, take all the joy from life

 

 

Preservation of a bit of Australian heritage comes a poor second to $14 million per year rent form a business estate.

So no one has learnt from mishaps where airplanes end up in shopping centres. The less land around runways means that it is harder to make emergency landings when engines quit/break unexpectedly, without ending on top of the public. Wasn’t this why airports have normally had space around them. Only thing is more likely developers get their way and the airport closes.☹️

 

 

[IanR]

What a great future for us to aspire to. To actually "own" one of those magnificent, soul destroying, identical, horrendous houses. Suicide material. Nev

It’s weird flying in to Camden via Oran Park. It’s a huge new town where the old race track was. Every roof is grey !

 

 

[facthunter]

I spent plenty of time at THAT track. It was out in the paddocks and nothing around it. then.. I go back to Bankstown as an all over field.. I think I would go crazy in some of those "burbs". Even in the best of the Gloria somes.. Rather have a shed in a paddock somewhere. . Nev.

 

 

[old man emu]

Let's get this thread back on track!

 

I was trying to point out the fact that, for the sake of the Holy Dollar, our history and cultural heritage has been cast aside.

 

From the Sydney Metro Airports website:

 

Policy

 

Sydney Metro Airports management and employees are committed to providing a centre of excellence for aviation, commercial and industrial facilities at Bankstown and Camden Airports.

 

Sydney Metro Airports is committed to, amongst other things.

 

• Value heritage and respect traditional land owner groups
   
   
  

 

 

I bet that the Bediagal clan appreciates this level of respect.

 

Note the content of of Part 6 Division 1 Section 132 of the Airports Act:

 

132 Regulations about environmental standards at airports

 

(1) The regulations may make standards and impose requirements that are to be complied with in relation to, or in relation to the prevention or minimisation of:

 

(a) environmental pollution (including air, water or soil pollution) generated at airport sites; or

 

(b) impacts on biota or habitat; or

 

© interference with sites of heritage value; or

 

(d) interference with sites of significance to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people; or

 

(e) the emission of noise generated at airport sites (other than noise generated by aircraft in flight); or

 

(f) the disposal or storage of waste at airport sites.

 

The question becomes: "Is a museum housing items relating to the history of Australians a site of heritage value?"

 

The old WWII hangars at Bankstown and Camden are heritage buildings.

 

 

[facthunter]

Privatising the airports is where the ROT started from. All they want to do is maximise profit and if planes don't provide that they want to close it down. All aerodromes are potentially a monopoly as you don't have truly portable ability with your established assets there or there's only one drome where the Airline operates from etc.. Like many things that have operated subject to market forces with out real enforcement of desired user outcomes the users get screwed along with the people around and the environment. . Certainly don't want centralized control from Canberra of everything but corruption and the almighty dollar is winning if you don't watch and monitor deals being done behind your back which alter irreversibly your society and affect quality of life for all of us. Once an airport swimming pool or park is built over with development they never clear development to provide parks and community pools aerodromes . etc Nev

 

 

[mkennard]

I wonder if this could have any affect on Bankstown though I doubt it.

 

ATSB launches Investigation into Essendon DFO Approval - Australian Flying

 

 

[old man emu]

I wonder if this could have any affect on Bankstown though I doubt it.ATSB launches Investigation into Essendon DFO Approval - Australian Flying

If you think about it, the plane simply impacted the building instead of the ground. I doubt if the building development was a factor in the survivability of the impact.

 

What is relevant is that business consortia had the ready cash to obtain the airport leases. They saw the area as being underutilised commercial land with existing tenants ripe for the milking. Since the heads of these consortia would only travel by air in business class or better, they had no inkling of the importance of metropolitan airports as transport infrastructure, or as nurseries for the people sitting high up at the pointy end pulling levers and pushing buttons to get people across teh country and across the world for business and pleasure. To them, land = income, and the more income that can be squeezed from the land the better.

 

To Hell with the numerous small businesses that scratch a living from keeping aircraft safe to fly, or by training a new generation of aerial bus drivers.

 

I wonder how loud hey would scream if the people who use airports demanded the closing down of golf courses, horse racetracks and yachting marinas?

 

 

[turboplanner]

If you think about it, the plane simply impacted the building instead of the ground. I doubt if the building development was a factor in the survivability of the impact.

I’ve not only thought about it; I’ve driven past the point of impact many times, and done the Planning checks. He almost completed the impossible turn. He hit the side of a building that should not have been there based on the surrounding zoning. At that point, pre-building he would have been perhaps 30 feet above the grass. I didn’t look any closer in terms of what was ahead of him at that point, but he may have slid alonside the fence or had a survivable thinking. Certainly the ATSB action is very welcome and hopefully some manslaughter charges will come out of it.

 

 

[old man emu]

What's six lives compared to the millions in rental revenue for the shareholders?

 

 

[turboplanner]

What's six lives compared to the millions in rental revenue for the shareholders?

We may be about to take the long road to find out.

 

 

[old man emu]

Pinched from another thread, but rather relevant to this one:

 

Airline passengers face a 'perfect storm' as global pilot shortage starts to bite

 

How are these business execs going to get to their exclusive holiday resorts? I suppose if they wanted to go to SE-Asia they could hire a boat from a people smuggler who would be glad of a back-load.

 

 

[facthunter]

They got around the Local Council (who didn't agree with it happening) because it's a federal control situation. This abuse of airports USAGE has been an ongoing road to hell for Aviation Interests.. Signs and structures cause turbulence that can be quite significant for aircraft. They should never have been allowed there.. Nev

 

 

[Frankus1aust]

Russia has its oligarchs and so do we. Standing between a pile of cash and certain sections of the politico/business complex and you are safer between a tigress and her young. All the same, to not fight is to lose. The clean blade of truth is more effective when it is backed up by a populist media campaign. Bring on the social media! (What was that Winston said about democracy?)

 

 

[dreemhi]

For those interested, having just spent the day doing preservation work on the site, I can assure you that Camden Aviation Museum at Narellan is still in existence and whilst it is not open to the public, visitors are still welcome. Anyone who would like to visit should contact Nicole Thomas 0447778020 or visit the website http://www.camdenmuseumofaviation.com.au .

 

David

 

 

[LexiMp]

Hi everyone. I know this post is a bit older now but I was wondering would anyone know who I could contact to get access to the aviation museum in bankstown which is closed?  I know there’s still planes in there and I’d love go and photograph it all but don’t want to trespass. Thank you ?