A new photographic exhibition to be unveiled at the 2017 Airways Museum Open Day at Essendon Airport, on Saturday 18 November, will focus on the Department of Civil Aviation's (DCA) own fleet of aircraft.
Named The Department's Fleet of Aircraft 1921-1998, the exhibition will run for one year.
The DCA and its predecessors and successors (which include CASA, Airservices Australia and the ATSB), operated or owned more than 75 aircraft of more than 30 types since its formation in 1921. At the time the DCA's Flying Unit was closed in 1998, the DCA was the second-oldest continuous aircraft operator in Australia, after Qantas.
DCA aircraft performed a variety of roles, from early surveys of air routes for aerodrome sites, to lending machines to support flying training in aero clubs, and as sophisticated flying laboratories for keeping Australia's network of navigation aids in first class condition.
This new exhibition highlights these varying roles and the aircraft that performed them. Speakers on the Open Day include Captain Brian Surtees, aviation historian Geoff Goodall and current ATC and historian Phil Vabre.
More information on the exhibition is on the Airways Museum's website.