Yesterday, the Historical Aircraft Restoration society ( HARS ) - based at Albion Park airfield - received two DHC4 Caribou aircraft to add to it's fleet of thirty exhibits.
Many ex RAAF personnel and those who served in civilian rescue organizations will remember the Caribou fondly. They were probably the most versatile aircraft ever to fly missions into places where even helicopters fear to go.
The Caribou was introduced into the RAAF back in 1964 and quickly gained a reputation as " the miracle aircraft ". It's high wing and flaps combination allowed it to land on postage stamp sized places - most of which could not be called an airstrip by even the wildest stretch of imagination - and it's low pressure tyres seemed able to handle any sort of surface.
It was slow - and ugly - but when rescue was needed in some god-for-saken neck of the woods the " only " plane to send on that sort of mission was the Caribou - and they served with distinction.
They were phased out by the RAAF in 2009 as their world war two engines became too costly to service and it was considered that helicopters could duplicate the advantages they had to offer - and so far no aircraft manufacturer has designed a replacement.
One remaining advantage is that the Caribou has a superior operating range to most helicopters. Let us hope that HARS will keep these two old warriors in mint condition - because the time may come when once again a life may depend on their unique ability to get in and out of an impossible location.
There would certainly be plenty of enthusiastic fans ready to fly them !
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