VH-ALR Percival
P.44 Proctor 5
(c/n AE106)
This
Proctor was flown out from England in 1952 as G-AIEV. Geoffrey Luck of
Mittagong adds
some historic information:- The Proctor
was flown out by (Captain) Jesse Luxton, then Chief Pilot
of
Somerset Airways, which operated out of the old Qantas hangar at
Longreach. The company
had been founded by Gordon Lee of Muttaburra, who
also owned Somerset Garages in that town.
They
operated Austers and wanted something bigger and faster .
In the event
the Proctor was
deemed unsuitable for the
conditions found in Western
Queensland and VH-ALR was sold off after
a couple of years.
Jeff Atkinson's shot above shows it at Moorabbin in September 1956 when
it
was owned by Sunraysia Air Taxi Service of Mildura.
My photo immediately below was taken
as the aircraft
arrived at Archerfield, Brisbane,
from England in March 1952 as G-AIEV. Like all
wood
bonded aircraft in Australia, it was withdrawn from use in 1962.