VH-INY     Douglas DC-4      'Laxapana'                                      (c/n  10365)                      

                                      
                                   
                                             This was the first VH-INY.  The photo of it in its original ANA livery (above) is from the Barrie
                                             Colledge collection.  The lower images show it in "National" styling and also in its original markings
                                             whilst with Air Ceylon.  Photo #3 is from the CAHS archives and shows it at Port Hedland, WA
                                             in January 1969 as a freighter.    This aircraft was an ex US Navy R5D-1 which was civilianized
                                             in 1946 to Veterans Air Express as N58003, passing to Matson Navigation Company as N57777.
                                             It was sold to Air Ceylon as VP-CBD in 1949, and re-registered CY-ACA in 1950.  ANA
                                             purchased it 1951, although it continued to operate in Air Ceylon markings as my shot below
                                             shows, possibly under lease.  It was repatriated back to Australia in time for it to be used as the
                                             ANA aircraft allotted for Queen Elizabeth during the 1953 Royal Tour.  It carried the markings
                                             seen on the above shot (with the Royal cypher on the nose) at that time.  In 1958 it was sold to
                                             Twentieth  Century Airlines, a US non-sked carrier, who quickly sold it off to Transavia in
                                             Germany as D-ADAL.  The aircraft finally wound up in the hands of Aviation Traders at
                                             Southend, England in 1960 who converted it to an ATL-98 Carvair.