Aerodrome open day honouring history

CRESSY Aerodrome is inviting everyone to a Father’s Day event to commemorate the facility’s history and mark the loss of a plane and its crew fifty years ago.

The open day will take place on Sunday, 4 September and staff member Paul Perera said it will serve as the launching point for the tribute trip.

“It’s going to be going from Cressy to Hobart then Hobart to Canberra. In 1972 there was a Tiger Moth plane that went missing with a crew onboard,” he said.

“It’s not strictly a re-enactment but our pilot Jason Cheney is going to go over the same course they went and people will be able to see him off at 11am.

“It’s important to commemorate these people because we still haven’t found the Tiger Moth or them, so this flight will be run in their memory.”

The fatal trip occurred when Brenda Hean and pilot Max Price left Hobart with the aim of writing ‘Save Lake Pedder’ in the sky above Parliament House.

Alongside the take-off, attendees will be able to tour the former Royal Australian Air Force base, witness plane preparation re-enactments and learn about the site’s history.

The Cressy Aerodrome operated as a RAAF base from 1939 to 1946, and Mr Perera said the day will be honouring that history as well.

“It’s also a celebration for us. It’s about Cressy Aerodrome. It’s about the flight itself, and the importance of that, especially in the Tiger Moth,” he said.

“They’re definitely hard to come by and they’re harder to maintain every year. I think we’ve done enough homework and emergency procedures so I think everything should be fine.”

Joy flights will be available in the remaining Tiger Moth, with prices varying between 10-minute to 30-minute sessions.

To register attendance or book a flight, call 0481 327 587.