Three Macchi aircraft, including the original A7-025 in the foreground, captured flying over Rottnest Island near Perth in 1996.

A MACCHI from No. 25 Squadron, an aircraft regularly seen over the city of Perth, has been presented to the Aviation Heritage Museum of Western Australia.

On June 15, the Macchi was delivered to the museum resplendent in the colours of No. 25 (City of Perth) Squadron and was positioned opposite the Vampire Trainer it replaced in service.
The Macchi, an Italian-designed two-seat trainer, has been associated with RAAF Base Pearce and the Perth region since the late 1960s.

The Air Force's first Macchi was delivered to the No. 1 Advanced Flying Training School at RAAF Base Pearce and the Central Flying School at RAAF Base East Sale in 1967.

Eventually a total of 97 Macchis were operated by the Air Force and the Royal Australian Navy.

The No. 1 Advanced Flying Training School's Macchis regularly performed fly-pasts over Perth on occasions such as Anzac Day, pilot graduations and Air Force commemorations.

The Macchis were used as advanced trainers to prepare pilots going on to fly fast-jet aircraft.

When planning began to replace the Macchi with the BAe 127 Hawk, the Aviation Heritage Museum of Western Australia asked for a retired Macchi to be allocated to the museum because of the aircraft's link with the area.

Its request was one of more than 100 received by the Macchi Disposal Committee.

Experienced museum volunteers were on hand to assist Air Force personnel when the aircraft was transferred from Hangar 122 at RAAF Base Pearce to the Aviation Museum.

The Macchi had been A7-066 but 25SQN refurbished it and repainted it in the colour scheme of A7-025, which had been flown by the squadron's Commanding Officer, Wing Commander Graham Rowe, from February 1997 to June 1998.

The museum team comprised curator Al Clarke, Paula Wilkins, Malcolm Sweetman, John Le Cornu, Ron Hasluck, Bill Coote, Mike Coote and Wayne Sewell. The 25SQN team comprised Squadron Leader Paul Falconer-West, Warrant Officer Bruce MacGregor, Flight Sergeant Peter Green, Flight Sergeant Mick Sharman, Sergeant Mark Richards, Sergeant Peter Allen, Sergeant Allan Barnard, Sergeant Henry Burnett, Sergeant Rick Garner, Corporal Peter Tippins, Corporal Brad Hilton, Corporal Dan Falzon, Corporal Steve Martyn, Corporal Ron Pearce, Corporal Vic Kisler, Leading Aircraftman Frank Lloyd and Leading Aircraftman Rick Green.

Bill Butler (former 25SQN member), Jerry Mercer, Ian Harding and Troy Parry refurbished the ejection seats for A7-025.

The Aviation Heritage Museum is only the fourth museum in Australia to have a complete Macchi on display, and the aircraft is the only complete Macchi Trainer on show in Western Australia.

This Macchi is the fourth aircraft to be delivered to the museum by the Air Force. The other aircraft have been a Douglas C47 Dakota A65-124, a de Havilland Vampire T35 A79-821 and an English Electric Canberra A84-230.

The museum has the cockpit section of another Macchi, A7-084, which lacks most of its equipment. The Aviation Heritage Museum has begun planning to refurbish it to allow children to sit in a jet trainer's cockpit.

Two other Macchis, A7-027 and A7-141, will remain on display at Raaf Base Pearce.

By SQNLDR Paul Falconer-West