Damo’s Aviation Down Under

24/05/2026

The last few weeks haven’t been very productive with the weather we’ve been having, but I’ve still managed to chip away at a few things.

The F15 has now had the last of the ordnance mounted, which was a job in itself, and it’s finally at the stage where it’s ready for paint. I’ve also removed the fuel tank bulkhead insert so I can properly clean the tanks out and redo them the right way. Really happy with how it’s all starting to come together now.

With the weather keeping me grounded, I decided to pull the Hawk back out and tackle the final tedious job fitting and finishing the nose gear doors. One of those small jobs that takes way longer than it should, but definitely worth taking the time to get it right.

Happy to say the Hawk is now also ready for paint. Hopefully over the coming weeks the weather improves so I can get some colour on both of them and finally get back out flying again.

24/04/2026

Lest We Forget

19/04/2026

Busy week at work,

My paint masks from Tailor Made Decals finally turned up, along with parts from FB Jets wing tanks, canopy clears, and replacement gear doors.

Got the wing tanks mounted, so it’s all starting to come together now.

Hopefully this weekend I can finally get some paint on it.

12/04/2026

While I’m waiting on the paint masks and a few other parts to arrive for the F-15, I figured I’d keep the progress going and started replacing all the airlines. Bit of a tedious job, but I’m about 90% done now.

Had to pull the main tanks out, and since they’ve all been fitted with high flow fuel tank bulkhead inserts, I thought it was a good time to replace all the fuel lines as well.

Only problem I’ve run into is I can’t get the fuel tank clunk out, and the clunk line is only halfway in the tank. I’ve always had my clunk lines running the full length of the tanks.

22/03/2026

What a big couple of days!
Swore I’d never do this again after the Avanti… but here we are 😅

It’s come up awesome so far. Going to let it sit now and wait for the paint masks to arrive.
Going to look unreal once it’s finished!

There’s always plenty of blame put on manufacturers for not building things properly, but after pulling the F-15 apart for paint, I’ve found some very interesting surprises including self tapping screws holding the main spar in.

At this point, I’d say it’s a 50/50 problem. What makes it worse is that this plane was somehow certified to fly.

18/03/2026

Weather’s not playing the game at the moment… making it hard to get the F-15 finished
Hoping for a break over the weekend so I can get it undercoated and ready for Goondiwindi QTF. But don’t the Jet Munts 200Xbl look good in there.

06/03/2026

Well it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything work and family have been keeping me pretty busy.

I’ve got a couple of new projects on the go, while still slowly working away on the Bae Hawk 100. Recently I managed to get my hands on a Byron T-28 and a 1/7 FEJ F-15E (first generation).

I’ve started building the T-28, and the plan for the F-15 is to give it a fresh repaint as it’s starting to show its age.

Should be a couple of good projects to keep me busy for a while.

30/11/2025

Finally getting the F16 set on the JR Elite and it will good to see it back in the air again

10/11/2025

09/11/2025

It’s been awhile since I’ve flown the Avanti. Now it’s on the JR Elite with 2 RG012BX

06/10/2025

I don’t no if she will approve of a panther on the side of it