How we Began
Take-off
Our story began in 1973 with ZS-ASN Lockheed Lodestar. This iconic aircraft was manufactured in 1940 and used on the shuttle service to and from Egypt. It was the oldest aircraft in existence to have served South African Airways (SAA) and was gathering dust in a storage building at the South African Railways Museum.
Instrumentation began to disappear from the cockpit and this denigration of SAA’s oldest aircraft was the trigger for Johann Prozesky and a team from the SAA Apprentice Training School to start with the restoration of the Lockheed Lodestar.
After months of hard work, ZS-ASN was restored to former glory. Striking in the period colour scheme, ZS-ASN made its public debut at an open day in 1975.
The real and tangible beauty of this timeworn aircraft ignited a passion for the restoration of civil aviation.
This passion has led a group of ordinary people and hobbyists to volunteer their time and effort to preserve our aircraft for future generations to appreciate.
A Passion for Aviation
Become a member and a part of history in the making. We need ordinary people to help us. (Plus, get free entry every time you visit the museum.)
Milestones
A strong passion was vital, because some of the milestones that were achieved would require herculean efforts from the volunteers – without financial support from government / institutions.
“A strong passion for any object will ensure success, for the desire of the end will point out the means.”
1973 – Restoration work starts on ZS-ASN Lockheed Lodestar
1980 – de Havilland DH.104 Dove is restored and displayed at SAA Technical
1984 – Junkers Ju ZS-AFA (from 1934) starts carrying passengers for South African Historic Flight
1986 – South African Airways Museum Society is founded
1988 – First Wings and Wheels Day at SAA Technical
1999 – Museum relocates to Swartkop Air Force Base at Valhalla
2001 – Register with South African Museums Association (SAMA)
2002 – Boeing 747-244B “Lebombo” donated by SAA
2004 – Museum moves to Rand Airport
2006 – Aircraft Park opens at Rand Airport
2007 – South African Historic Flight closes and donates assets to Museum
2009 – Junkers ZS-AFA flies at Rand Airport Air Show
Find out more about our adventures with historical aircraft
What would be required to move and restore aircraft from far-flung places?
One of our adventures involved reclaiming a sun-scorched Vickers Viking from above a Caltex Service Station, near Uncle Charlie’s intersection in Johannesburg and transporting it on the highway to the museum.
The history of the museum is detailed in our book.
An avid aviation fan?
Explore more about the preserved Boeing 747s and see what scale model aircraft are available.
Read more about our aviation history and the associations which make it possible.
Click on the button to view the relevant associations website.
Take a read through our additional resources and enhance your knowledge on our colourful flying history.