Hands-on history as Southern Cross replica takes to skies over Albion Park Rail

The pair have decades of experience flying everything from 747s to A380s for Qantas but taking the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society-restored replica to the skies over Albion Park Rail on Friday was something very different.

"There's no autopilot, no power control system, it's all manual controls," Captain Simpson said.

"It's all push rods and cables in terms of connecting all the controls so it's very manual, it's a very hands-on aeroplane.

"You actually physically have to be flying this all the time because it doesn't have the natural stability the modern aeroplanes are designed with. It was really basic aerodynamics in the 1930s, 20 years after the first aeroplane."

For the 20-minute flight over the Shellharbour Airport, the pair were seated in a cramped cockpit surrounded by various control levers and the wind roaring in through permanently open side windows.

The noise was so loud in the cockpit that they had to use an old-fashioned method of communication.

"We've got one of the most modern intercom systems and it still doesn't cope with the noise level in their cockpit," Captain Simpson said.

"So we had to revert back to some fundamental principles in terms of hand signals that we agreed upon and yelling across the cockpit."

Kingsford Smith flew the real Southern Cross from California to Brisbane in 1928, a trip which took almost 84 hours of flying.

For First Officer Thurstan, Friday's trip left him with more respect for what Kingsford Smith and his crew accomplished.

"What it does is it really emphasises the phenomenal aviation history of Kingsford Smith," he said.

"What we just did was for 30-odd minutes and it's quite draining - so noisy and windy. These blokes did it a fair way around the world - it's phenomenal that they did that."

Mark's father Jim was the engineer who oversaw the rebuild of the replica Southern Cross.

Built in Adelaide in the 1980s, the plane was damaged in 2002 when it lost a wheel at take-off. When landing on one wheel the wing hit the ground and snapped.

Owners the Adelaide government didn't know what to do with it and so HARS took it off their hands 14 years ago and Mr Thurstan said the restoration work began 12 years ago.

"We're a volunteer organisation and we don't work every day," he said.

"If we had a paid workforce it probably would have been done in two or three years, but with some people they can work one day a week.

"The wings are made out of wood and you don't do that anymore, so that was a challenge. It was a challenge getting bits and pieces for it and those we couldn't get we made."

Mr Thurstan was on board for Friday's flight and said seeing her airborne closed a chapter for HARS.

The new chapter will be finding pilots to keep on flying her.

"We've got to train some more crew. We've only got one pilot at the moment so he's going to train other pilots so we can fly her regularly," he said.

"Most of the people who are going to be trained on it are very experienced pilots, so there's not a great deal of difference - it's just a lot slower than what they're used to."

HARS president Bob De La Hunty said it was exciting to see the Southern Cross replica in the air, adding that it wouldn't be the only time.

"The engineering team don't want to see it sitting on the ground so I'm sure you'll see it in the air a lot - and for the air show here in March next year it will be a major feature,' Mr De La Hunty said.

"It will help educate so many young people and give them some inspiration to be proud of what Australians can achieve.

"We've got 80-odd aircraft [at HARS] and lots of very challenging restorations, We're pretty unique in the world that we've got so many aircraft that fly and the public can get up close to them and have a good look at them whereas in most museums you can't get close to them and touch them."