WW2 RAAF Beaufort Restoration Stage 3

Hi I'm Ewan, the General Manager at the Moorabbin Air Museum (formerly Australian National Aviation Museum)

The Museum holds the oldest WW2 Beaufort in the world. A9-13, formerly T9552 is a Mk V (converted from Mk II) aircraft and has been undergoing a long and detailed restoration.

The Cockpit (from a different aircraft as 13's was destroyed in a crash landing) was finally painted just before lockdown, and the Stern Frame had funding fulfilled to have it completely overhauled.

Now we enter Stage Three, which is the complete overhaul of the tailplane, fin and rudder. It is one of the parts that has suffered greatly. A lot of the ribs have been corroded beyond repair, some are salvageable however require a huge amount of work to be ready to attach to the stern frame.

We really need your help with this! Material costs have gone through the roof and as a volunteer museum we rely on all the help we can get.

This is where YOU come into the picture.

Anything - $5, $50, $500 even $5,000 - whatever you can chip in will go a seriously long way to helping us get this project over the line faster, and better quality at that. The Beaufort will sit alongside its big brother, the Beaufighter (A8-328) which will make an incredible sight!

If you can't help directly, perhaps you might be able to make an employee contribution through your workplace? Contact for more info.

Thank you to all those who have supported this so far. The journey continues!