Scott Williamson has written the following article as a guest writer and photographer for ASO. Scott has been shooting aircraft for a number of years and that certainly shows in this article. Thanks for your contribution Scott. 

 

 

2018 David Hack Classic Toowoomba

From the moment the sun’s rays peaked over the Toowoomba range on Sunday May 20 2018, we knew that we were in for a great day. With near perfect conditions the airfield echoed the sounds of round as two Winjeels and a Yak 52 taxied out for operation ‘dawn patrol’. This signalled the beginning of activities of the 2018 David Hack Classic Meet, with this year celebrating 20 years of this event.

The David Hack Classic is organised by the Toowoomba North Rotary Club in association with Aerotec QLD. The event is a celebration of both wings and wheels with an overarching focus of being a pure fundraising event with beneficiaries being the Leukaemia Foundation, Blue Care nursing and other selected Charities. 20 years ago the event was initially organised to celebrate a birthday of a young man named David Hack, being held at the Aerotec Hangar, Toowoomba Airport. Unfortunately, young David, a passionate and avid car enthusiast and photographer, lost his battle with Leukaemia just days before he was able to enjoy the organised gathering. After this it was decided by those who organised the initial celebration, who were also part of the Rotary group, to honour this young man by dedicating an annual event which would also serve as a fundraising event to benefit the Leukaemia Foundation. From those early years the event has grown into what is now considered one of the most unique events on the aviation calendar. And 2018 was certainly no exception!

 

Aerotec  (QLD) Toowoomba has a unique collection of Warbird and Classic aircraft and forms the nucleus of the aircraft that were on display. Added to this, you have other operators of Warbird and classic aircraft based at the Toowoomba airfield along with the strong and generous support from other operators of Warbird, Classic, GA and recreational aircraft and you have a wonderful collection of aircraft in one location! Among the Warbirds this year we had no fewer than five (5) North American T-28’s, four (4) CAC Winjeels, Harvards (SNJ & T-6), P51D Mustang, Yaks and Nanchang. The event has attracted some wonderful aircraft over the last 20 years inclusive of Hawker Sea Fury’s, Mk.VIII Spitfire, various Wirraway’s, CAC Boomerangs, A37 Dragonfly and various Harvards and T-6 examples.

 

 

It would be remiss of me not to mention the 462 unique vehicles that were also on display this year spanning 100 years of vintage, classic, muscle and exotic motoring ranging from the Australian made products and motoring examples from around the world!

The aviation aspect of the event is a true fly-in as apposed to an airshow, however there was plenty of wonderful aviation noise through the day, with visiting aircraft operators coming and going through the day at their leisure, in addition to the aircraft that were available for adventure flights for those willing. Depending on the experience one was looking for, there was the adventure of the P-51D Mustang the T-28-D Trojan or an aussie built CAC Winjeel. If a scenic flight was on order, the Classic Waco was on hand to take you in style!

 

 

RAAF C-27J Spartan

This year was also history making as the event hosted the Royal Australian Air Force’s new C-27J Spartan. Having Having Australian Defence Force assets support this event is not new as Helicopter assets from the Oakey Army Aviation Centre are regular attendees at this event. However, this year we were privileged to have had the Spartan in attendance. In addition, the aircraft was also crewed predominately by born and bred Toowoomba locals, affording the opportunity to not only be an integral part of the event, but also return home and enjoy catching up with family and friends.

 

What is in store for the events 21^st  year? Who knows at this stage, however suffice to say that the dust will have had little chance to settle on this event before planning begins for the next year.

Written and Photographed by Scott Williamson.

If you would like more information on this event you can find it here – http://therotaryclub.com.au/content/628/david-hack-classic