Friends of the South African Air Force Museum 

Sabre “361” Restoration.

In late 2018, Montagu Thorne, a member of the FSAAFM Pretoria branch decided to approach the FSAAFM committee to get permission to polish and possibly replace fasteners and faded paint work on the SAAF Museum’s Canadair Sabre Mk6 on static display.

The project has since broadened into more than just a "spit 'n polish", with two full time members involved in the restoration process and a handful of other volunteers generously giving their time when extra hands are needed. Currently, Most of the top surfaces of the aircraft have been polished, and a replacement canopy has been sourced and donated by the SAAF Museum to replace the old cracked and faded one.

Even replacement rear tires have been sourced to replace the old ones, with the next step being to find replacement stainless steel screws and fasteners to replace the old rusty ones which have been damaged from years of being exposed to the elements.

We always need extra hands, so we strongly encourage members of the public to find out how they can get involved with the various restoration projects underway at the Swartkop branch of the Museum: all donations and assistance greatly help us restore the museum aircraft and other static displays to their former glory.

Article compiled by: Matthew Olivier.