Background to a Restoration

After coming to grief in an accident in 1944, A9-141 was written off and her whereabouts were unknown.

That is. until 1982 - where the cockpit and fuselage section was spotted in the grounds of an Air Museum in Mildura, Victoria - by a self-professed Aircraft Enthusiast, Ralph Cusack. Time and the elements had been unkind to this important aircraft - years of sitting outside in the sun, wind and rain had taken their toll (a situation that was not helped by vandals, who also gave the aircraft some unwelcome attention).

Knowing that no complete surviving Beauforts existed, Ralph purchased the remains of the aircraft - with a view to restoring it to an airworthy condition.

The first stage in the process was to transport the aircraft back to Brisbane. The aircraft was loaded on to a semi-trailer and delivered to Brisbane.

Parts were sourced for the aircraft from all over the world. It is estimated that, when the aircraft is fully restored, approximately 40-50% of the parts on the aircraft will be from aircraft other than A9-141.

The pace of the restoration picked up when the aircraft was moved into its current home - in the inner Brisbane suburb of Hendra. Volunteers - a group of people with a common interest in aircraft and a desire to see the A9-141 fly again - help when they can, and the restoration progresses.

The goal is to have this important aircraft flying in time for the 90th Anniversary of the Royal Australian Air Force - in 2011. If you talk to Ralph or any of the over 40 volunteers involved in the restoration - this is an anniversary that A9-141 will be alive to enjoy..