VH-BLF


Type: Avro 652A Anson Mk 1
MSN: Nil
Previous Identities: EF989
VH-AJL (NTU)

History:

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.