VH-EQV  Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander                       (c/n  172)

                                   

                                      Five BN-2A Islanders were delivered to the South Pacific Region in mid 1970.   All were built with
                                      UK B Class registrations and then went onto the UK register before being shipped to Australia for
                                      staging and onward delivery.  Three of them went to Air Melanesia at Port Vila, New Hebrides (now
                                      Vanuatu) and two to Mt.Cook Airlines in New Zealand.   VH-EQV seen above at Bankstown in this
                                      shot by Greg Banfield was formerly G-51-172 and G-AYCK.    After testing in Sydney for less than
                                      a month it was sent onward to the islands where it became VP-PAT.    The other two delivered at the
                                      same time were VH-EQW (c/n 173, ex G-AYCY to VP-PAS) and VH-EQZ (c/n  605 ex G-AYCD
                                      to VP-PAU).    Air Melanesia also took delivery of a Mk. 3 Trislander at about the same time, although
                                      this machine, VP-PAO, ex G-BASA, did not stage through Australia bur appears to have been
                                      delivered direct.