Fighter World facts for kids
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The entrance to Fighter World
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| Established | 1989 |
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| Location | Medowie Road, Williamtown, New South Wales, Australia |
| Type | Military aviation museum |
| Accreditation | RAAF Aviation and Heritage |
| Collections | Military aircraft |
| Collection size | 15 |
| Public transit access | Hunter Valley Buses route 145 |
| Nearest car park | On site (no charge) |
Fighter World is a special museum in Australia. It's a "not-for-profit" place, which means it doesn't try to make money. Instead, it focuses on showing off amazing old aircraft and telling their stories. It's called an "aviation heritage centre" because it helps keep the history of flying alive.
You can find Fighter World near Newcastle, New South Wales, right next to RAAF Base Williamtown. The museum is part of the RAAF Aviation and Heritage program. Its main goal is to save and share the history of fighter planes used by the RAAF. Most of the aircraft you'll see here are fighter jets that once flew for the RAAF.
Some planes in the collection are very important. For example, the de Havilland Vampire A79-1 and the Dassault Mirage IIIO A3-3 were the very first aircraft of their kind built in Australia.
The people who work at Fighter World include paid staff, RAAF reservists (people who serve part-time in the Air Force), and about 50 volunteers. Many of these volunteers used to work for the RAAF, so they know a lot about planes!
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Where is Fighter World Located?
Fighter World is built on land owned by the Australian government. It's just inside the outer fence of RAAF Base Williamtown. This means it's super close to the runway, less than 300 meters away! You might even see planes taking off or landing.
When it first opened, the museum had a main office building and a big hangar for displaying planes. This hangar also had a cool observation deck where you could look out. In 2000, a second display hangar was added. More recently, in 2021, a third hangar was built. This new hangar is used as a workshop to help keep the planes in great shape.
Besides the planes inside, you'll also find aircraft displayed outside the hangars. There's even an old airfield surveillance radar (SURAD) head from the RAAF base. If you get hungry during your visit, there's a cafe right on site.
Who Helps at Fighter World?
A team of dedicated volunteers helps keep Fighter World running smoothly. They do everything from maintaining the aircraft and museum grounds to building new displays. Many volunteers are retired RAAF members, including mechanics and even former pilots!
These volunteers are very skilled. For example, they built a detailed replica of a Sopwith Camel plane, which is now on display. Volunteers also act as "docents," which means they guide visitors and share interesting facts about the exhibits.
What Planes Can You See?
Fighter World has an amazing collection of aircraft. Most of them are real planes that were used by the RAAF. They also have some fantastic replicas and a huge collection of models.
Australian Aircraft Collection
Here are some of the real Australian aircraft you can see:
- RAAF Gloster Meteor A77-875
- RAAF de Havilland Vampire A79-1
- RAAF Avon Sabre A94-951
- RAAF Avon Sabre A94-959: This plane was on display in a park for 31 years! It was then moved to Fighter World, fully restored, and is now a permanent display at the museum's entrance.
- RAAF CAC Winjeel A85-428
- RAAF Bristol Bloodhound surface-to-air missile: This is a type of missile used to shoot down enemy aircraft.
- RAAF Aermacchi MB-326H A7-062
- RAAF Dassault Mirage IIIO A3-3
- RAAF Dassault Mirage IIID A3-102
- RAAF General Dynamics F-111C Aardvark A8-148
- RAAF McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet
- Royal Australian Navy GAF Jindivik target drone N11-750: A "target drone" is an unmanned aircraft used for training, often to practice shooting down planes.
Replica Aircraft Collection
Fighter World also has some incredible replica aircraft. These are copies of famous planes, often built with great detail.
- Boeing-Stearman Model 75: This is a one-third scale replica, meaning it's one-third the size of the real plane. It's painted like a plane from the Royal Canadian Air Force.
- Bristol Beaufighter cockpit: This is a replica of the front part of a Beaufighter plane. It's painted like 'Wendy Joy II', a plane from No. 30 Squadron RAAF.
- Fokker Dr.I Triplane: This is a two-thirds replica of a famous German plane with three wings. It's painted like the aircraft flown by Josef Jacobs.
- Sopwith Camel replica: This amazing replica was built by the museum's own volunteers!
- Supermarine Spitfire Mk VIII A58-429 "QY-V": This replica is painted like a plane from No. 452 Squadron RAAF. It even includes some real parts from an original Spitfire, like the canopy (the clear cover over the pilot), propeller blades, and landing gear.
- Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX "FU-Z": This replica is painted like a plane from No. 453 Squadron RAAF and also has an original Spitfire canopy.
Model Aircraft Collection
Besides the full-size planes, Fighter World has a huge collection of model aircraft. You can see larger models of a Hawker Hurricane and a CAC Boomerang. There are also models of much older aircraft. One display has over 100 models that were all made and painted by hand! Another display shows models built by one of the museum's dedicated volunteers.
Images for kids
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Aircraft inside Fighter World in 2013
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A GAF Jindivik on display
