HARS Aviation Museum - Parkes

19/06/2026

HARS Parkes Aviation Museum displays Australian aviation artefacts and history alongside our many aircraft, aircraft engines and war time history, one of our major attractions is the ex Qantas RB211 Boeing 747 engine, the largest aircraft engine on display in the Central West!

This engine will depart Parkes next week to be the centrepiece of an exhibition at the new Powerhouse Museum so this Sunday is your last opportunity to see the engine until its return in 2029.
In addition to the 747 engine visitors can see early jet engines, reciprocating engines and sectionalised engines that show the inner workings. There are photos and details of Parkes as a WW2 RAAF station and a post war refugee camp.

The Museum allows visitors to enter aircraft and even sit in some cockpits to experience aviation up close.

The Museum is open Thursdays and Sundays from 9.30 to 3.30 pm and admission is Family 2 adults and 2 children under 16, adults $15, child $5 eftpos is available.
HARS Parkes is seeking volunteers so while at the museum talk to one of the guides about becoming involved in either hands on maintenance or reception duties in our air conditioned reception.

for more information call Mike on 0418473175

06/06/2026

R.I.P. a genuine aviation legend 🙏

With deep respect, the world remembers Chuck Yeager, a legendary aviator whose name has become a symbol of courage and breakthroughs in aviation. He passed away at the age of 97, leaving a mark not only in history but also in the skies he conquered. During WwII, he flew a North American P-51 Mustang over Europe, escorting Allied bombers and engaging in aerial battles that decided the course of the w4r. 🕊️🫡🛩️🇺🇸

After being shot down over France in 1944, he escaped over the Pyrenees Mountains with the help of the French Resistance, returned to duty, and recorded 13 aerial victories, including five in a single day, making him an “ace in a day.” But his achievements didn't stop on the battlefield. On October 14, 1947, he flew a Bell X-1 and became the first human to break Mach 1. His passing is deeply saddened, but his legacy lives on in every supersonic flight that follows in his courageous footsteps.

05/06/2026

A group of HARS Parkes volunteers travelled to Caboolture, north of Brisbane to dismantle and prepare for road transport a Vietnam era Bell UH-1H Iroquois helicopter to display at Parkes.

The Museum displays a number of unique civil and military aircraft and this Iroquois will join its sister helicopter, a Cobra helicopter gunship, a Bell Sioux communications helicopter and a Westland Wessex submarine hunting helicopter, so if its helicopters you want, HARS Parkes has it!

The recently arrived Fokker 100 seat jet liner is displayed alongside a Lockheed 12a Electra Junior that figured in the Berlin Airlift in 1948 and many others to delight our visitors.

The Museum is open on Thursdays and Sundays from 9.30 to 3.30 and admission is $30 for a family of 2 adults and 2 children under 16, extra children $5 and adults $15 cash or eftpos.

If you like what you see, talk to one of our volunteers about joining as a tour guide, ladies are especially welcome to work in our air conditioned reception, or join and become involved with hands-on restoration and maintenance of our many projects.

For more info call Mike on 0418 473 175 or drop in.

05/06/2026

Bell UH-1H Iroquois (A2-484) is a historically significant military helicopter. Built in the United States, it served in both the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and the Australian Army Aviation Corps.

Origins: This particular airframe (Serial Number 11772) was formerly a US Army aircraft (US serial 69-15484, which directly corresponds to its Australian A2-484 registration).

RAAF Era: Delivered in June 1970, it primarily flew with No. 5 Squadron, serving at bases like RAAF Laverton and supporting peacekeeping operations. It gained fame for its deployment with the RAAF contingent in the Sinai Peninsula as part of the United Nations Emergency Force II (UNEF II) in the mid-1970s.

Army Transfer: In 1987, the Australian Defence Force restructured its aviation assets, transferring battlefield helicopter responsibilities from the Air Force to the Army. A2-484 was subsequently assigned to the Army's 171st Operational Support Squadron, 1st Aviation Regiment, serving in various operational and training capacities before eventually being retired and placed into storage at Camp Damascus, Meeandah.

In June 2026, A2-484 was transported for display at HARS Parkes from the Caboolture Warplane & Flight Heritage Museum. Caboolture Airfield, Queensland, Australia.

HARS Aviation Museum - Albion Park
Caboolture Warplane & Flight Heritage Museum
Parkes Champion Post
Parkes Shire Council
Central NSW Tourism
ABC Central West

21/05/2026

19/05/2026

Did you make it to Wings Over Shellharbour airshow on the weekend?

Check out this video of the HARS' P2V-7 Neptune!

World’s last airworthy Lockheed P-2 Neptune — A89-273 (VH-IOY) — still roaring through the skies in 2026.Filmed at Wings over Shellharbour 2026 on 16 May 202...

12/05/2026

Did you know...? HARS publishes a monthly magazine for its members and friends called The Phoenix? Read the April edition here 👇

40 page edition

12/05/2026

What a fantastic photo of Connie departing Canberra!

📸: Matt Badger

08/05/2026

Some great aircraft research from our friends at Mildura 2 OTU Heritage Inc into CAC Boomerang A46-11, which spent a short amount of its service time at RAAF Station Parkes during WWII.

24/04/2026

Lest we forget.