"I'm very happy, but still very emotional when I meet them," he told the Mercury, while wiping away tears.

"I never imagined what is happening today could happen."

Read more: Vietnamese refugees to visit HARS to inspect tracker aircraft which helped save their lives 40 years ago

It was truly an emotional scene - there were more tears, smiles, salutes, thank you's and photographs - at the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society Museum, Albion Park Rail on Saturday.

HARS' Royal Australian Navy tracker aircraft, the Tracker 851 rescued 99 Vietnamese refugees off the HMAS Melbourne in the South China Sea on June 21, 1981. The floundering and then lost 13.7m Nghia Hung, known officially as MG-99, was adrift for three days when it was sighted and rescued.

The Tracker 851 has been housed at the HARS Museum for several years.

On Saturday, a group of about 40 survivors and family of those rescued visited HARS Museum to see the Tracker 851 for the first time since the rescue.

The visiting Sydney-based group included survivors Jessica Chi Crosskill, who was 13 at the time of the rescue, and her father Tien Son Tran.

"We were in the ocean for five days and nights, and I was so sick, I was really seasick," Ms Crosskill, who now lives in Western Sydney, said of the time.

"My father was helping to steer the boat, because the first day the engine was broken. Then we were just hanging on, waiting for a miracle, hoping to run into another ship that could rescue us.

"For me, it was scary. All I could see was water, just black, surrounding me, and a big storm and swell.

"Our boat was tiny - 13 metres long and 3.5 metres wide, and 99 of us on the boat. We were stacked like sardines."

The Tracker 851 was based on the HMAS Melbourne aircraft carrier at the time.

The Melbourne was on its last patrol of the day when it spotted an illumination in the distance, and the tracker flew over and found the MG-99 in distress.

After the captain fell ill, Ms Crosskill's father had taken over the steering of the boat for two days and nights.

"One ship, they saw us, we put the flare up to get their attention, but they ignored us and kept going," she said.

"At about 4pm, Dad saw a dark thing take off far in the distance, and it was the tracker."

All onboard survived, and after their rescue, the Vietnamese refugees settled successfully in Australia and kept in regular touch with the HMAS Melbourne's supply officer at the time, John Ingram, with regular get-togethers.

HARS volunteer Carl Robinson said they had only become aware of the aircraft's role in the rescue earlier this year.

Mr Robinson said they hoped to host a larger event later in 2021 to mark the 40th anniversary.

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