“HISTORY WEEK 2009
Australian National Aviation Museum

75th Anniversary - 1934 Mac Robertson Centenary Air Race 

The Australian National Aviation Museum is open for extended hours this week as part of the Royal Historical Society’s History Week 2009 Celebrations in Victoria.

The museum is presenting a special Exhibition of air race memorabilia to celebrate and commemorate the 75th anniversary of the greatest air race event the world has seen, the 1934 MacRobertson "Centenary Air Race" itself held in October 1934 to celebrate the then centenary of Victoria and Melbourne through a pioneering air race from England to Australia - see displays and artifacts from the race. See the museum's rare Douglas DC-2 presented as the famous KLM airliner "Uiver" that came second overall in the race, and first on handicap, along with the wider story of Australian Flight with rare engines and aircraft dating from 1910 through to the moden jet age.

The Original Race took place from Mildenhall UK to Melbourne Australia in 1934, and remains a major event in the history of world aviation, ushering in the use of stressed metal airliners such as the KLM DC-2 "Uiver", and demonstrating the speed and reliability of aircraft for international transport. In Australian aviation history the night time landing of the DC-2 at Albury, and the role of the community in its safe landing is a key element of the story.

In 1934 the world remained gripped in recession, and with war clouds gathering, the worlds attention was grabbed by the proposal by Melbourne and Victoria to celebrate their Centenaries with an England to Australia air race, a course that until then had only been undertaken by pioneers such as the Smith Brothers, Hinkler, Amy Johnson and Kingsford Smith.

The race pitched the purpose built DH Comet racers of the UK against the modern commercial airliners of the US, and remains a defining moment in world aviation.

The KLM DC-2 was involved in the most dramatic event of the race when it became lost in a storm over Albury, with the town flashing its street lights to morse code “Albury” to the circling aircraft, and lining the racecourse with car headlights to light a runway in the darkness, the DC-2 made an emergency landing in the rain, and became bogged in the soggy race track. The next morning the town dragged the aircraft from the mud and it raced off to complete the race and change the course of aviation history, bringing to a close the use of biplanes and wooden aircraft for airline purposes.

"History Week 2009"
(Commencing Sunday 25th October to 1st November at Australian National Aviation Museum Moorabbin Airport.)

The Museum is proud to participate in the Royal Historical Society's History Week celebrations and opens History Week at the museum with its Sunday celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the 1934 Centenary Air Race.

The Reinactment Flight DC-3, dressed in "Uiver" markings, will be in static display for the public from 4pm Saturday afternoon 24th of October through to 3pm Sunday afternoon 25th of October when it returns to its home base at Melbourne Airport .

Come and commemorate the 75th anniversary of the greatest air race event the world has seen, the 1934 MacRobertson "Centenary Air Race" held to celebrate the then centenary of Victoria and Melbourne through a pioneering air race from England to Australia - see displays and artifacts from the race. See the museum's rare Douglas DC-2 presented as the famous KLM airliner "Uiver" that came second overall in the race, and first on handicap, along with the wider story of Australian Flight with rare engines and aircraft dating from 1910 through to the moden jet age.

Note: The Museum is operating special extended opening hours for History Week consisting of:
Monday - Friday 12 midday to 4pm
Saturday - Sunday - 10am to 5pm

Normal Entry fees apply - see here for directions and further details> http://www.aarg.com.au/aboutus.htm