This digital download has been remastered from the DVD version of a classic historic aviation story- the story of how HARS volunteers found an ex USAF Super Constellation in the Tucson Arizona Davis Monthan “ Aircraft Graveyard”, and lovingly restored it to flying condition, and then successfully flew it back to Australia, landing at Sydney airport on 03 Feb 1996. An extra bonus is that now that it is in digital format, the previous limitations of DVD coding which meant that Australian DVD’s would not play on some other countries’ DVD systems has been eliminated!
The approx. 50 min AV sequence has some great highlights which include:-
- Significant footage of actual early QANTAS Connie flights
- Great views of the aircraft types in storage at Davis Monthan in the 1990’s
- Great storytelling ‘snippets’ about the early restoration setbacks and conditions of the HARS teams over the period 1991 (the year of acquiring the airframe) through to 1994 as they restored Connie at the Pima Air and Space Museum, and when on 01 Sep 1994 the first takeoff from Davis Monthan AFB is replayed .
- The approx. 2 year “dialogue’ with civil aviation authorities (CASA and the FAA) to recognize Connie and her crews as accredited to operate the aircraft and fly it back to Australia
- Some great A-V shots of the trip home from Tucson through San Francisco through Pago Pago then Nadi Fiji and then arriving back to Mascot and landing on a beautiful morning of 03 Feb 1996.
This is a great visual record of a very significant achievement in Australian Historic aviation and is a tribute to the dedication and efforts of the HARS volunteers and supporters that enabled a Super Constellation to reappear in Australian Skies after a 44 year absence.