VH-BLF
|
Type: | Avro 652A Anson Mk 1 |
MSN: | Nil |
Previous Identities: | EF989 VH-AJL (NTU) |
15FEB43 | Taken on charge by the RAAF. Received at 2AP Bankstown ex U.K. |
18APR43 | Assembled. |
12JUL43 | Received at 6SFTS Mallala ex 2AP. |
03APR45 | Received at Guinea Airways, Parafield ex 6SFTS for overhaul. |
45 | Received at 6SFTS ex DAP, Parafield. |
14AUG46 | Sold by CDC to J. Loneragan, Mudgee, NSW. |
07OCT46 | Issued to purchaser. |
05MAR47 | DCA allocated registration VH-AJL to E. McIllree, Sydney but it was not taken up. |
03MAR48 | Registration application from Aircraft Disposals, Mudgee, NSW. |
27JUL48 | Weighed at Bankstown for CofA. |
12AUG48 | Added to Register as VH-BLF and CofA issued same day. |
11AUG49 | The CofA expired and was not renewed. |
06AUG51 | Struck off Register. Aircraft Disposals Co, Sydney request that registration be reserved pending return to service. |
12MAR56 | Returned to the Register as VH-BLF to Self-Drive Cars Pty Ltd, Sydney, NSW. |
56 | Change of ownership to Sepal Pty Ltd, Mascot, NSW. |
c.57 | Leased to World Wide Aerial Surveys. |
Returned to Adastra Aerial Surveys and used for photographic and aeromagnetic survey right up to the grounding of all Ansons in Australia on 30JUN62. | |
13MAR62 | Carried out an aeromagnetic reconnaissance survey of the Narran River district of NSW. Report |
23APR62 | Completed the Narran River reconnaissance. |
29JUN62 | DCA advise Adastra "...Director-General agrees to an extension of the date for retirement of Avro Anson aircraft VH-AGA & VH-BLF for 14 days. The CofA is deemed to be suspended as from 15.07.62." |
18JUL62 | Struck off Register. |
08JAN64 | Noted parked outside the Adastra hangar at Mascot. |
64 | Usable
parts stripped from VH-BLF by Harold Thomas of the Camden Museum of
Aviation which also acquired Adastra's other Anson, VH-AGA, for display
at Camden. A letter from Alan Thomas of the Camden Museum of Aviation dated 10 April 2005 states: "Originally Moorabbin Air Museum were going to acquire an Anson from Adastra but when they acquired VH-FIA down in Melbourne they had no further interest in an Adastra Anson. This left the way open for Father (Harold Thomas - founder of the museum .. Ed) and I to acquire VH-AGA. At the same time VH-BLF was at Mascot with no future owner so we were allowed to remove any parts we thought useful. We removed one Cheetah, the main instrument panel, throttle box, undercarriage fairings and many small items. Before we took control of AGA a strong wind went through Mascot and AGA and BLF actually hit each other on the aileron and trailing edge of opposite wings. So we removed the undamaged trailing edge and aileron from BLF and fitted it to AGA. So some pieces of BLF still exist today with the engine, panel and throttle box on display in the Museum. We gave the other airframe pieces to Colin Wear, now deceased, who was going to build a flying Anson, but the project literally never got off the ground and he eventually sold the BLF parts to the RAAF Museum at Point Cook." |
mid64 | VH-BLF was taken away by the DCA Fire Service at Mascot and used for fire-fighting practice. |
69 | The burnt out frame of VH-BLF could still be seen in the fire practice area on the eastern boundary of Sydney Airport. |
Issue | Date | Remarks |
---|---|---|
5 | 30MAY18 |
Added
a reference to a survey of Narran River, NSW in MAR-APR62.
|
4 | 27DEC06 |
Deleted
two images thought to be of VH-BLF at Essendon in June 1960 when
the aircraft depicted suffered a flat tyre on the taxiway. Kevin
Pavlich's log book confirms that the aircraft was in fact VH-AGA.
Consequently, these two images have been moved from the page for
VH-BLF to the page for VH-AGA.
|
3 | 14APR05 |
Added
information from a letter from the Camden Museum of Aviation (see
64).
|
2 |
26FEB03
|
Added reference to final CofA extension in June 1962 thanks to Chris O'Neill. |
1 | 22JAN03 | Original Issue. Thanks to Geoff Goodall. |