50th Anniversary
CAC CA-27 Avon Sabre

by Brett Green

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The CA-27 Sabre, produced by the Commonwealth Aircraft Factory, was a uniquely Australian version that adapted the basic F-86 Sabre airframe to the Rolls Royce Avon turbojet engine.

Although the standard Sabre and the Avon Sabre look superficially similar, the changes required to fit the Avon engine meant that only 40% of the original fuselage structure remained.

The installation of two 30mm Aden cannon in place of the machine gun armament of the North American version also required some modifications.

The first flight of the Avon Sabre was July 13, 1954.

To celebrate this occasion, the Australian Aviation Museum at Bankstown Airport rolled its immaculate CA-27 Sabre out of the hangar. I took the opportunity to get plenty of photographs on this beautiful Sydney winter's day.

This particular Avon Sabre was the first aircraft to fly faster than the speed of sound in my home state of NSW.

The pictures were taken with my Nikon D70 digital SLR camera fitted with Nikkor AF-S 24-120 VR lens.

Click the thumbnails below to view the images full-sized.
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Text & Images Copyright © 2004 by Brett Green
Page Created 18 July, 2004
Last Updated 17 July, 2004

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