MYSTERY PHOTO 1

Last month’s Mystery Photo was a bit of a novelty....a flying canteen! We asked readers what the aircraft was, who built it and where it was photographed.

Actually, although we knew it was a non-airworthy dog’s breakfast, we breached the old maxim ‘never ask a question if you don’t know the answer.’ Fortunately Ted Goater came to the rescue.

It’s American Airstream caravan (see inset, below) with a gash radial engine and set of wings bolted on - all set up as a novelty pop-up café. If you want to drop by for a coffee you will need to take a trip to Thailand though, as it is located at Singha Park, Mae Kon Subdistrict, Chiang Rai. ✈

Opposite Page. The Mystery Photo cafe featured above is a mash-up of various aeronautical and non aeronautical bits, but there are plenty of cafes around the world which use real aeroplanes as their gimmick. Here’s a selection. 1 Closest to home is probably the DC3 parked in the centre of Taupo, NZ. 2 Offering a cut above that, in terms of ambiance and meal quality, is “Hawaii Adda” in Ludhiana, India, which uses an ex Air India A320 to serve their mostly vegetarian menu. 3 Possibly the most dodgy of the selection we found is this cafe in Costa Rica, which boasts an abandoned C-123 Fairchild. Reportedly it was one of two being used for gun-running but its other half got shot down over Nicaragua in ‘86. 4 The largest cafe we know of is the aptly named Cafe 747 in Bangkok, which went to the trouble of cutting an ex-Thai Jumbo into eight transportable bits before relocating them to the city. 5 This old B707 just outside the city of Nablus, in Palestine, was awaiting conversion to a cafe. We are pleased to say the finished product looked a lot better than when they started, and is reportedly now doing OK as an aeronautical experience for the 99% of Palestinians who have never set foot in an aeroplane. 6 Another Thai airplane cafe, just outside of Bangkok, which seems to be having a bob each way on their theme(s) as they feature aircraft, a playground inspired by Niagara Falls and “cute teddy bears” . Take your pick! ✈

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On Friday 18th August 2023, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs will be conducting a commemorative service at the Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial (in Canberra) to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War.

Given this date is fast approaching, we thought it prudent to provide you with an update in regards to planning arrangements for the service. Further information regarding both the service, and medallion, is available here. ✈