VH-UZO
"Ansertes"
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Type: L-10A Electra
Msn: 1107
Previous Identities:
| 02JUL37 | US Export CofA E-2870 issued. |
| 04JUL37 | Completed at Lockheed, Burbank as L-10B with Wright Whirlwind engines. |
| 09AUG37 | Arrived at Victoria Dock, Melbourne as deck cargo on the S.S. "Mirrabooka" on delivery to Ansett Airways. |
| 13AUG37 | Registration application from Ansett Airways Ltd. |
| 16AUG37 | Test flown at Essendon. |
| 26AUG37 | Added to the Australian Register as VH-UZO. On the same day, the aeroplane was test flown by Lockheed test pilot, Moyle Stephens who gave dual instruction to Ansett pilots including R.M. Ansett. |
| 30AUG37 | First survey flight Melbourne-Mildura-Broken Hill by Captains V. Cerche and H.F. Boston. |
| MAR42 | Participated in the evacuation of Broome, WA and Darwin NT after Japanese air raids. |
| JUN42 | Leased to the USAAF for 3 years. Operated mainly Melbourne-Cairns and Melbourne-Darwin averaging 20 hours daily. |
| 12SEP42 | Forced landing near Seymour, VIC due propeller failure. |
| 05OCT42 | Taxied into a refuelling unit at Townsville and damaged. |
| OCT42 | Based at Mascot, Sydney on USASOS charter Sydney-Townsville. |
| 12OCT42 | Forced landing at Rockhampton, QLD due oil leak. |
| 17OCT42 | Forced landing at Rockhampton, QLD due oil problems. |
| 18OCT42 | Two forced landings at Rockhampton due oil problems. Engine changed. |
| 21NOV42 | Forced landing at Archerfield, QLD due to engine failure. |
| 06FEB43 | Forced landing at Old Bar, NSW due oil pressure. |
| 09FEB43 | Forced landing at Townsville due oil pressure. |
| 07MAR43 | Severely damaged during wheels up forced landing at Somerset Dam near Brisbane, QLD. Prop blade broke off in flight and engine broke loose from mounts. |
| 30MAR43 | Aircraft en route to Essendon by sea. |
| 29JUN43 | CofA renewed after test flight at Essendon after major rebuild. |
| 09JUL43 | Forced landing at Mascot due rough running engine. |
| 12JUL43 | Struck refuelling unit at Townsville damaging propeller. |
| 13AUG43 | Forced landing at Rockhampton due rough running engine. |
| 21AUG43 | Forced landing at Mascot due rough running engine. |
| 22NOV43 | Forced landing at Mascot due rev drop on starboard engine. |
| 17DEC43 | Forced landing at Townsville due engine trouble. |
| 20DEC43 | Forced landing at Mascot due oil pressure. |
| 27JAN44 | Forced landing at Archerfield due oil pressure. |
| 30JAN44 | Forced landing at Mascot due fuel pressure. |
| 06MAR44 | Forced landing at Casino, NSW due engine failure. |
| 09APR44 | Forced landing at Archerfield due instrument failure. |
| 10APR44 | Forced landing at Archerfield due engine trouble. |
| 20APR44 | Forced landing at Rockhampton due engine trouble. |
| 23APR44 | Forced landing at Rockhampton due engine trouble. |
| 27OCT44 | Trailing HF aerial struck by lightning while on charter flight Sydney-Melbourne-Sydney. Explosion inside the cabin opened the escape hatch. Forced landing at Holbrook, NSW. |
| 04NOV44 | Forced landing Rockhampton, returned after departure due rough running starboard engine. Landed at 1411 local. Cpt. Charles Gatenby, F/O Charles Eather. |
| 05NOV44 | Forced landing Coffs Harbour due rough running starboard engine. Given ground run then continued flight to Sydney but subsequently force landed at Kempsey with similar problem. The spark plugs in the starboard engine were cleaned and the engine ground run. Cpt. Charles Gatenby, F/O Charles Eather. |
| 08NOV44 | Forced landing at Woy Woy, NSW due noise on cabin roof. Found to be rubber packing from cockpit escape hatch. |
| 14NOV44 | Forced landing at Mascot due rough running starboard engine. |
| 28NOV44 | Forced landing at Mascot due oil pressure in port engine. |
| 03DEC44 | Forced landing at Mangalore, VIC due engine trouble. |
| 14DEC44 | Badly damaged in forced landing near Tumut, NSW. Trucked to Essendon for repairs. |
| 07APR45 | CofA renewed after test flight at Essendon. |
| 01SEP45 | An overnight wind storm at Parafield blew Lodestar VHCAC into VH-UZO damaging a wing of VH-UZO. VHCAC had been parked with brakes on but no chocks. (NAA via G. Goodall) |
| 45 | Returned to commercial service with Ansett Airways. |
| 24AUG49 | CofA expired and not renewed. |
| 01MAR50 | CofA renewed until 03MAR50 to allow test flights at Essendon prior to sale. |
| 01MAR50 | VH-UZO was demonstrated to Adastra at Essendon. Adastra were considering purchasing the aircraft from Ansett Airways but a sale did not eventuate. |
| 05JAN51 | Sold to South Coast Airways Pty Ltd, Wollongong, NSW as VH-UZO. To be used on services between Sydney and Cowra. |
| 03FEB51 | CofA renewed. |
| 15MAR51 | Undercarriage collapsed prior takeoff at Wollongong. |
| 11MAY51 | Test flown after repairs and CofA renewed. |
| 07AUG53 | Sold to Christey's Motors Pty Ltd, Sydney as VH-CMA. |
| 05DEC55 | Sold to Carsair Air Service (PNG) Pty Ltd. |
| 15OCT58 | Sold to Western Air Navigation Pty Ltd, Charleville QLD as VH-WAO. |
| 27JUL60 | Sold to C.H. Degotardi Air Services Pty Ltd, Sydney as VH-CHD. Based at Bankstown, Sydney and used mainly to fly potential customers to inspect real estate. Named "Miss Real Estate". |
| 06DEC62 | Sold to Marshall Airways Pty Ltd, Bankstown, NSW as VH-ASM. Used for general charter and aerial ambulance work. |
| 23JUL67 | Emergency landing at Bankstown with smoking engine and suspect undercarriage. Believed to be last flight for Marshall Airways. |
| 27OCT67 | Struck off Register as withdrawn from use. |
| Sold to Graham Onus, Kensington, NSW. | |
| APR81 | Sold to Laurie Ogle. |
| 20MAY89 | Public engine run at Bankstown after restoration as L-10A with P&W Wasp Junior engines. |
| 05SEP91 | Registered to Yesterdays Air Force as VH-UZO. |
| 06SEP91 | First flight after restoration. |
| 28OCT98 | The aircraft was painted in KNILM markings for use in a re-enactment of the arrival in Sydney of the first regular scheduled international airline operation. The first flight took place on 5th July 1938 and was operated by Lockheed Super Electra PK-AFM. An honoured guest at the ceremony was 96 year-old Captain Gerson van Messel, who was the Captain of the inaugural service. |
| NOV99 | Flown as G-AFTL in connection with the production of a video documentary on the famous Australian aviator and inventor, Sidney Cotton, who operated clandestine photographic flights over Germany prior to WWII using Lockheed 12A G-AFTL. The video is being produced by well-known aviation enthusiast and television presenter, Jeff Watson. |
| 08DEC01 | Arrived at Nowra, NSW on loan to Australia's Museum of Flight (AMOF). |
| 25JUL02 | Struck off register as withdrawn from use. |
| Gifted to Australia's Museum of Flight by Laurie Ogle (Vintage Electra Pty Ltd) |
NOTES
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| 1 | During
restoration, the aeroplane was fitted with Pratt & Whitney engines in place of the original Wright engines because of the owner's desire to install feathering propellers. This effectively converted the aeroplane from an L-10B to an L-10A and the aeroplane is now officially regarded as an L-10A. |
| 2 | To
assist in the restoration, part of an L-10 fuselage was imported from N.Z.
for use as patterns. Subsequently, the badly corroded remains were scrapped.
This fuselage section came from L-10A msn 1060 ZK-ALH (ex VH-UXH). |
| 3 | Special thanks to Geoff Goodall and Laurie Ogle for their assistance with this page. |
| Issue | Date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | 06SEP06 |
Clarified
the sequence of events involving three forced landings on 4/5NOV44.
Thanks to Bruce Hoy and Geoff Goodall.
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| 13 | 06MAR06 |
Added
detail of ground incident on 01SEP45 thanks to Geoff Goodall.
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| 12 | 06FEB06 |
Added
change of ownership from Laurie Ogle to AMoF.
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| 11 | 08JUN03 |
Added
an image of VH-CMA in REDeX markings and another in Carsair markings
thanks to Ed Coates.
Added a reference to a demonstration flight for Adastra on 01MAR50. |
