Fleet Air Arm Museum (Australia)
The Australian Fleet Air Arm Museum, formerly known as Australia's Museum of Flight, is a military aerospace museum located at the naval air station HMAS Albatross, near Nowra, New South Wales. The museum was opened in 1990, although efforts to preserve artifacts related to Australia's naval aviation history began in 1974. The museum houses aircraft used throughout the history of the Fleet Air Arm, the naval aviation branch of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), along with other aircraft of relevance to Australia's aviation history, and memorabilia relating to Australian aircraft carriers. The museum includes 34 aircraft and helicopters in its collection. It is open to the public daily, except for major public holidays. The museum building is also home to Albatross Aero Club.
Fleet Air Arm Museum (Australia)
The "Defending the Fleet" section of the museum
The museum's Fairey Gannet
A Bell UH-1C Iroquois at the Fleet Air Arm Museum
HMAS Albatross (air station)
HMAS Albatross is the main naval air station for the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN) aviation branch, the Fleet Air Arm. The base, located near Nowra, New South Wales, was formally established in May 1942 as Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base RAAF Nowra, then was transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Nabbington in 1944, and operated as a naval air station until it was decommissioned in late 1945. In 1948, the airfield was commissioned into the RAN as HMAS Albatross, as the primary shore base for the Fleet Air Arm. Since 2011, five squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm operate from Albatross. The current commander of the base is Captain Robyn Phillips, RAN.
A RAN Bell UH-1B Huey VH-NVV hovering at NAS Nowra in January 1996 on the occasion of the 1996 Air Day at HMAS Albatross.
A-4 Skyhawk at Nowra in 1969.
The control tower at NAS Nowra photographed in early 2003, shortly before it was demolished and replaced by another tower, just visible in the background.