VH-CLO
Beech D50A Twin Bonanza
(c/n
DH-158)
This 1957
model Twin Bonanza was imported in 1965, ex N397B for
ESANDA/Connellan.Air-
ways
Ltd. Historian Fred Niven reports that, whilst in Connellan
service, on an unknown date,
it made a
wheels-up landing at Katherine, NT, after having experienced
undercarriage problems
attempting
to
land at an unknown outback station and diverting to Katherine (pilot
Hans Kerfgen).
Connellan sold it to Jetair Australia in March
1970, with VH-CLM, in exchange for a Beech 65-80
Queen Air
VH-CMI. Roger McDonald's shot above shows it at Bankstown in
March 1970, after
it had
just arrived from Alice Springs to be traded
in. It was noted at Brisbane in late March
of
1970
wearing
partial Jetair colors, and began
operating Westernair (an associate of Jetair) services
in April
1970. VH-CLO was withdrawn from use by
Jetair in November 1970 and sold to a private
owner.
Greg
Banfield took the shot below at Bankstown on
3 March 1974, and John Wheatley's
photo at
the bottom of the page was a couple of years earlier showing the
color scheme. . In 1981
-CLO
went to the
CSIRO. By April 1982
it was based at Essendon
and since then has had several
owners. It is still
current and
registered to a private owner in Queensland