Flying high - Andy Bishop

“People see an aeroplane and they think, that’s pretty cool, but they’ve rarely got appreciation for the tooling, manuals and data required to make it actually function. Without a certain tool, the aeroplane stops flying. It’s that simple.”

Flying high

Temora Aviation Museum chief engineer Andy Bishop has the kind of job war plane buffs dream of - but it’s not all fun and games. From a room full of manuals for just one engine, to trips around the world searching for missing parts, Andy knows just what it takes to keep these valuable pieces of Australian history in working condition.

Growing up in an ‘aviation family’, Andy Bishop knew he wanted to continue his family’s history of working with planes from a young age. “My parents were both pilots and my grandfather flew,” he says. “Planes are just part of us.” Whilst studying at TAFE and completing an engineering apprenticeship at Camden airport, Andy also took up flying lessons. “I always wanted to work in niche warbird historic aviation but I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to be an engineer or a pilot,” he says. “I quickly discovered that long haul flying was pretty boring and definitely not for me. I also loved learning about all the little bits and pieces involved with the engineering side of things.” Originally from Sydney, Andy applied for an engineering position at the relatively new Temora Aviation Museum. He flew down for an interview in 2004 and, as he says, the rest is history. Andy now heads a team of five engineers who work on everything from old tiger moths to jet powered fighter aircraft, restoring the aeroplanes to flying condition. The Aviation Museum was established in 1999 by Sydney businessman David Lowy, building on Temora’s rich aviation history. The Royal Australian Air Force set up the No 10 Elementary Flying Training School in Temora in May 1941, which became the largest and longestlived of the schools established under the Empire Air Training Scheme during World War II, closing in 1946. After World War II, Temora continued its aviation heritage, becoming the preferred aerodrome for a number of activities including: parachuting, gliding, ultra-light aircraft operations, aerobatics, and model aircraft. The award-winning Museum is now home to a world class flying collection of Australian ex-military aircraft. “This Museum was born out of David Lowy’s childhood dream, his wish that he had something like this when he was a kid,” Andy says. “And also to remember the sacrifice that these aeroplanes and the pilots who flew them made.” Andy’s clean fingernails reveal that it’s not all greasy engines for him; he spends most of his days hunting for rare tools and parts online. “For example, the rolls Royce merlin engine that’s fitted to our spitfires has 22.5 thousand parts that aren’t manufactured any more, so it can be tricky to locate them,” he says. “We’ve got contacts all over the world!” “People see an aeroplane and they think, that’s pretty cool, but they’ve rarely got appreciation for the tooling, manuals and data required to make it actually function. Without a certain tool, the aeroplane stops flying. It’s that simple.” The challenges of restoring historic war planes range from navigating the library full of manuals to ensuring the final coat of paint on each aircraft is true to history. “When it comes to painting these aeroplanes, even the smallest trivial detail probably has some significance to a squadron,” Andy says. “We work very hard to make sure we get it right.”