VH-EDD Douglas DC-3CS1C3G
(c/n 13922/25367)
The photos above and # 2 below are from the Greg Banfield
collection and were both taken
at Mascot.
Above it is seen in
March 1966 while being used by Qantas for crew training.
The hangar shot
below shows it in
January 1964 after it had arrived back in Australia from
a stint with
the the Royal Netherlands Air
Force and still wearing its military grey and olive
green camouflage. A
former RAAF C-47A-DK
(A65-57), it originally went to the Qantas
fleet as VH-EAO in 1946. It was then
re-registered VH-EBX in 1957 to leave -EAO open
for a Super
Connie. In 1960 it was
sold/transferred to Trans Australia
for their Papua/New
Guinea Sunbird
Services as
VH-SBH. Two years later it went to the Royal
Netherlands
Air
Force as X-18 (I suspect it was
probably operated in some capacity in the Australasian
area) and was
then repatriated back to the
Australian register in 1962 as VH-EDD, returning
to Qantas as a
crew
trainer. Greg Banfield took photo # 3 of it as X-18
replete in grey
and
olive
camouflage at Bankstown on 30 August 1962. VH-EDD ended
its days with Bush
Pilots
Airways based in Cairns,
being acquired by them in
1972 After being leased to Forrestair in
1974, it was
withdrawn from use at Cairns in 1977 and
served as a fire fighting hulk until it was
completely dismantled in 1978. Danny Tanner's
image (# 4) shows -EDD at Cairns in August
1974 in full Bushies/Forrestair livery.
.2.
3.
4.