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21/10/2025The Dedicated Volunteers Keeping Australia's Aviation Heritage Alive
Picture a hangar filled with the scent of fresh paint, the hum of tools, and the quiet focus of people restoring the past. Volunteers from the Australian Aircraft Restoration Group gather around wings, cockpits, and engines—some sanding, some rebuilding, all preserving history.
This is the heart of the Moorabbin Air Museum, where this small team of dedicated enthusiasts is bringing Australia’s aviation heritage back to life, one aircraft at a time.
A Labor of Love
At Moorabbin Airport in Australia, roughly twenty volunteers show up each week to do something extraordinary. They're not just preserving old planes—they're bringing pieces of aviation history back to life, one rivet at a time.
These aren't professional restorers with fancy budgets. They're passionate individuals who commit anywhere from one to four days weekly, armed with skills ranging from metalwork to upholstery, all dedicated to maintaining one of Australia's finest aviation collections.
And honestly? The scope of what they achieve is staggering.
Major Restoration Projects
Take the de Havilland Heron project.
Throughout 2024, the team completely transformed this aircraft from deteriorated relic to display-ready beauty.
They didn't just slap on some paint and call it done. We're talking meticulous work: sanding, priming, and base coating every surface.
They removed and restored the cabin door, fabricated replacement windows when originals were beyond repair, and even 3D-printed missing ashtray covers before chrome-plating them.
The cockpit received newly upholstered pilot seats and a restored instrument panel. Every single component—engines, cowlings, undercarriage parts—was tracked down, cleaned, and prepared for installation.
But that's just one project.
Simultaneously, volunteers tackled the Nomad cockpit restoration.
This section came from an original prototype used in the TV series "The Flying Doctors," and arrived at the museum in rough shape. The team stripped every bit of paint, removed sharp edges, created custom imitation instruments, upholstered seats, and fabricated new perspex windows.
They're now working on a complex roof installation that involves cutting, bending, and fitting new skins—no small feat.
The Breadth of Their Work
What makes this work remarkable isn't just the technical skill involved. It's the variety.
In 2024 alone, these volunteers also completed a Link Trainer restoration, refurbished a Macchi trainer's fuselage, restored and repainted an Osprey, cleaned and displayed a Rolls-Royce Merlin supercharger, and repaired a beloved Vickers Viscount that's been drawing crowds for years.
They even refurbished the vintage airfield tug used to move aircraft around the facility.
Sometimes the jobs are surprisingly creative. The team designed and built a tribute display to aviatrix Amelia Earhart, showcasing their artistic abilities alongside mechanical prowess.
They've erected protective fencing, fabricated safer access steps, and created protective screens to prevent visitors from damaging instrument panels during open cockpit days.
The Lincoln Challenge
Recently, they've embarked on their most ambitious project yet: restoring an AVRO Lincoln B2—one of only four remaining worldwide and the sole example in Australia.
After years in storage, this massive aircraft represents a monumental challenge. The volunteers have already begun paint-stripping and building support structures for the center section.
How You Can Help
Here's the thing: museums like this survive on passion, not deep pockets.
That's why Moorabbin Air Museum runs fundraising campaigns to support restoration work. Your contribution directly funds materials, tools, and the resources these volunteers need to continue their incredible work.
The museum also launched its own YouTube channel in 2024, where volunteers document their projects and share aviation history.
It's another way they're connecting people with Australia's aeronautical heritage.
Preserving More Than Just Aircraft
These twenty-or-so volunteers represent something special.
They're preserving not just aircraft, but stories—of innovation, wartime service, pioneering flights, and technological achievement.
They're ensuring that future generations can touch, see, and understand machines that once ruled the skies.
And they're doing it with skill, dedication, and an infectious love for aviation that makes Moorabbin Air Museum truly shine.
Visit the Moorabbin Air Museum
Opening hours
The museum is open every day:
- 10am - 4pm
- 10am - 5pm
Address & Contact
The museum is inside the Moorabbin Airport:
Moorabbin Air Museum
23FR+8P Moorabbin Airport
Victoria, Australia
