A restored catalina plane that a Rathmines group had hoped to display in Lake Macquarie will now be moved to the RAAF base at Williamtown.
The Rathmines Catalina Memorial Park Association had been trying to gain approval to display the 1940s flying boat affectionately known as 'Our Girl', at Rathmines Park, which was once home to the largest RAAF Flying Boat Base in the Southern Hemisphere.
But the group said discussions with Lake Macquarie Council were not progressing the way they would have liked, so the plans are now for the Royal Australian Air Force to display the plane and associated memorabilia at the RAAF Williamtown Aviation Heritage Centre.
A Lake Macquarie Council spokesperson said it engaged two consultants last year to undertake independent reviews of a business plan for a proposed Catalina Hangar Interpretation Centre in consultation with the Rathmines association.
"Both reviews concluded that the business plan was not feasible," the spokesperson said.
Rathmines Catalina Association president Bill Anderson said while he was disappointed the historic plane wouldn't remain in Rathmines, he was glad it would be on display in the Hunter region.
"We now have certainty of a home for Our Girl and a time frame that we can plan and work towards," he said.
"We are also dealing with motivated and like-minded people who have significant expertise in museum and heritage management which we can draw upon to help us progress the restoration."
The aircraft was built in 1943 for the US Navy. Post war it was sold into private hands and was found by the association at San Juan Airport in Puerto Rico. The Rathmines group bought it from the Orinoco Mining Co, making several trips to San Juan to work on dismantling and shipping the plane to Sydney.
Restoration began in May 2014 with three volunteers. Thousands of hours of volunteer hours have been poured into the project and volunteer numbers have grown, with thousands more hours expected to bring the aircraft to static display standards.
The aircraft will be brought back to WWII specifications, with the addition of side waist blisters, bow turret and the tunnel gun hatch.
Wartime radio equipment, navigation and pilot instruments will also be on display. Painting of the body and upper wings will be in a camouflage pattern, dark sea grey and a dark insignia blue. The underside wings and lower body will be matte black.
The group said the relocation will not happen for some time due to a project underway to upgrade the Aviation Heritage Centre, which is due for completion in 2025.
.png?w=600)
