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Roulettes to conduct flight displays at Temora this weekend

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The Roulettes remain a popular attraction everywhere they perform, seen here at Williamtown. (Seth Jaworski)
The Roulettes remain a popular attraction everywhere they perform, seen here at Williamtown. (Seth Jaworski)

The Royal Australian Air Force’s aerobatic team, the Roulettes, is gearing up to conduct a series of flying and static displays at the Temora Aviation Museum this weekend.

On Saturday, 5 March, the aerobatic team will provide both a static display and a flying display over Temora using up to six of its Pilatus PC-21 aircraft for the Temora Aviation Museum March Showcase.

The event will run from 10am to 4pm, with the flying display scheduled for 2:15pm, pending the weather.

Later in the evening, the Roulettes will conduct an additional flying display with up to six PC-21 aircraft over Temora for the Spitfire Association’s 60th anniversary dinner.

The Spitfire Association dinner was postponed from October to March due to the COVID-19 outbreak, however, will mark the association’s 60th anniversary, and celebrate the legacy of WWII Spitfire pilots, ground crew and support staff.

The association has dedicated its 60th anniversary celebration to honour what it calls ‘the Spitfire Generation’, and all the people that were key to the success of the WWII fighter.

Held in conjunction with the Temora Aviation Museum – which currently houses the very last Spitfire acquired by the RAAF – the anniversary dinner will take place in the museum hangar among the aircraft on Saturday, 5 March.

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According to the association, the dinner will feature stories and anecdotes from one of Australia’s remaining Spitfire pilots, as well as the announcement of the 2021 Spitfire Memorial Defence Fellow.

Guests are set to include the Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld, AO, DSC (Spitfire Memorial Defence Fellowship Patron), Air Vice-Marshal (Ret’d) Mark Skidmore, AM (Spitfire Association Patron), and the Air Commander Australia (ACAUST) Air Vice-Marshal Joe ‘Vinny’ Iervasi, AM, CSC.

“The Spitfire Association remains strong, despite less than a handful of pilots and support crews remaining,” said Geoff Zuber, president of the Spitfire Association and son of a Spitfire pilot.

“This is because we actively work to help Australia remain resilient and work to our motto of ‘Carry the Spirit Forward’ for the founders of the Association and all who were involved in the success of the Spitfire.”

The all-metal, single-seat Spitfire fighter with its iconic elliptical wing became a symbol of national defiance during the Battle of Britain.

Technically though, its success was due to it being exceptionally manoeuvrable at altitudes above 4,500 metres, allowing it to gain the upper hand against the German’s also-outstanding Messerschmitt BF 109.

Altogether, 20,351 Spitfires were built in 40 major variants, of which 656 were delivered to the RAAF.

So anticipated was its arrival in 1942, Australia allocated the Spitfire the serial A58 and named it Capstan – after a popular cigarette – to keep its debut secret.

These fighters operated with Nos. 79 and 85 Squadrons and the redeployed Nos. 452 and 457 Squadrons, together with Spitfires from the British RAF Nos. 54, 548 and 549 Squadrons.

If you want to see one for yourself, the Temora Aviation Museum has the very last Spitfire acquired by the RAAF.

Best of all, A58-602 is still airworthy and is painted in the green and grey camouflage worn by aircraft defending Darwin during World War II and in operations in the south-west Pacific.

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