Thread: A Day at Cessnock Airport

After reading an article in yesterday's "Newcastle Herald" that indicated there would be some restored military training aircraft and vintage model A Fords at Cessnock airport. Mrs Aus and I decided to go as I wanted to practice on taking photo's of aeroplanes before we go to the "Warbirds Downunder" airshow in Temora later this year.

For those not familiar with the Hunter Valley, Cessnock Airport is about an hour west of Newcastle right in the heart of wine country.

I took with me my trusty Nikon D5100 along with a 18-55mm AF-S Nikkor VR lens and a 55-200mm AF-S Nikkor VR lens which was coupled to a Bower MC 2X teleconverter. The following photographs are basically as they came out of the camera with a little manipulation here and there on some of them using Photobucket's basic program.



A row of vinatge A Model Fords outside the Museum Hangar at Cessnock Airport.



Close up showing the engine on one of the old cars.



All the mod cons in the old days, a dickie seat with protection from the weather.



An L39 Albatross jet trainer, capable of about 900km per hour, yes you can hire it for a flight which costs in the vicinity of $600 for a 20 minute flight.

Business was brisk, it was flying in and out of the airport all the time while we were there.



A Robinson R44 taking off on a joy flight.



Two more Robinson helicopters parked at the airport, must be a good business for the operator.


A real surprise A Storch flying in it's WW2 German colours, that's as close as I managed to get to it.



The star of the show, a 1942 Boeing Stearman biplane which has 9 cylinder 300hp Lycoming Radial Engine. Only 282 were built for the U.S. Navy.



Another angle.



The Lycoming Radial Engine.



The rear cockpit.

Right-O, back again, had to stop for tea!!


A Harvard T6 Texan.


Another surprise, a Yak 25 was parked outside the Museum.


A Bell Helicopter, being an old codger, I immeadiately thought of the old 1950's TV series called "the Whirlybirds" which featured one of these.



Of cause, it's not an airshow, without the good old Tigermoth.



They had to move it, to refuel it, so the bloke just picks the tail up and turns the plane around.



Refuel, straight out of a handheld jerry can. No mod cons here.

All in all, we had a good day and I had a chance to correct my photographic technique before we go to "Warbirds Downunder" I hope you guys enjoyed these photo's as much as I enjoyed taking them.