Heron Primary Glider

The origins of the Museum’s Heron Primary Glider are somewhat obscure, although it appears to have been originally built during the late 1920’s.  The aircraft was discovered in a fruit packing shed at Upper Beaconsfield in 1943 by four young employees of the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation; Jim Fullerton, Des Lynch, Don Bowd and Alan Patching.  The foursome wanted to go gliding and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. The aircraft was rebuilt using the facilities of the RMIT.  At about the same time the four became affiliated with the Motorless Flight Group.

In July 1945, the Heron made its first flight from the Governor’s Road Field in Mordialloc, only a short distance from what would become Moorabbin Airport.

In 1948, the Motorless Flight Group moved from Mordialloc to Berwick and the Heron was stored.  In 1955, it was given to the Geelong Gliding Club and eventually fell into disuse and was left rotting in the open on Belmont Common. It was rescued by the Motorless Flight Group and stored at Bacchus Marsh Airfield for many years before being restored in 1994.  It was donated to the Museum in 1995.