VH-BDX  (1)   Avro 652A Anson 1         
  
                              

                                   VH-BDX was ex RAAF DJ118.  It was owned by Mr. G.A. Mickaelov of Sydney who was a
                                   recently arrived immigrant from Yugoslavia.  "New Australians", they were called then.  The above
                                   photograph, from my own collection, shows the aircraft nicely liveried in red and silver at Bankstown
                                   in 1949 shortly before Mickaelov flew it to the U.K. in December of that year.  The image below is
                                   by John M. Smith (courtesy of the Geoff Goodall collection) and shows -BDX at Croydon in 1950
                                   after the epic flight.  (All flights from Australia to the U.K. in an Anson had to be epic).  Actually,
                                   he had made wheels-up landing on Elphick's Farm, Horsmonden, near Cranbrook, Kent after an
                                   engine failure over the English Channel on 6 February 1950.  The photo below shows the Anson
                                   after the minor damage had been repaired.   However, bad luck continued to haunt him, and another
                                   forced landing was made on 18 November 1950 at Baincthum, 6 km from Boulogne, France. (Seems
                                   like La Manche was Mickaelov's nemesis).   Whatever, VH-BDX was finally written off in a takeoff
                                   accident from Le Touquet Airport, Paris on 11 December 1950.   Michaelov returned to Australia
                                   sans his Anson.