On the evening of April 5, NECC members and friends (about 40 in all) paid a visit to Precision Airmotive Wangaratta, located in a huge hanger at the Wangaratta airport. 

The business was originally known as Wangaratta AirWorld but after purchasing it, new owners Doug Hamilton and his partner Louise Harper, renamed it to the above. Doug is an old (sorry Doug) hand at flying, having gained his pilot’s licence as a teenager and has progressed over the years to be one of only a few pilots in Australia licensed to fly the old warbirds, the name now attributed to old fighter aeroplanes. 

His own collection of aeroplanes includes a Kittyhawk, a Mustang and a Harvard, all of which are airworthy and flown regularly. 

The business restores old fighter aeroplanes, with the core business being the restoration and maintenance of Kittyhawk planes. Although the business has the capability to manufacture a complete Kittyhawk, they prefer to restore ones that have a history as a fighter plane. 

Most replacement parts are made on site from details on original drawings (also held on site). Whilst some of the processes of the manufacture of parts and construction methods are still as they were about 80 years ago when the planes were originally built, mainly modern methods such as cad drafting and CNC machining are used, both speeding up construction and producing closer tolerances. 

The one big item that is sourced externally is the big (around 27 litre) V12 motor which powers these planes. Generally from the USA, these motors are normally reconditioned and ready for use. Nobody manufactures completely new motors. Motor reconditioning is not undertaken on site. 

Doug, Lou (Louise) and a couple of their staff provided a comprehensive tour of the whole operation, answering all questions fully and frankly. The construction of a complete plane can take up to about 18 months, with a restoration a bit less depending on other projects going on around it. 

Some of the planes being restored have been retrieved from the Pacific Islands where they crashed after being shot down by enemy aircraft. The retrieved remains form an initial start to the restoration, although often only a small proportion of what has been retrieved can be reused. 

The other factor which affects completion times is the available of funds the client has access to. The restoration of one of these planes is a very costly business and often is carried out in stages as the client’s funds allow.

After reading a small piece I prepared for a recent Good Oil, Lou contacted the club and offered the tour. Lou has a Morris Minor on club plates which is kept on site amongst the various aeroplanes. Following the offer, John Bell (our social secretary) and Lou had several meetings to bring the arrangements together. 

Both Doug and Lou have been members of our club for some years and Doug has an Indian Chief motorcycle which is destined for the club permit scheme sometime in the future. 

At the completion of the tour club President, Peter, thanked Doug and Lou and their staff for the tour and also John Bell for helping put it all together. 

Cheers,

Woody