VH-KCO  Auster J/5H Autocar                           (c/n  2947)

                               

                                   VH-KCO was built as VH-ADS(2), a regular J/5B Autocar.  It was sold to Bush Pilots Airways
                                   in Jan 1955 as VH-BPA.  It suffered a bad crash at Mareeba, Queensland in December 1955
                                   wherein the pilot, Frank Roche lost his life.   It was rebuilt at Kingsford Smith's and Geoff Goodall's
                                   shot above shows it in the hangar at Bankstown early in 1964 after it had been converted to a J/5H
                                   by the installation of a Blackburn Cirrus Major 2 engine.  At this time it was wearing what I would
                                   call "psuedo-Piper" markings.  Later still it was re-converted back to a standard J/5G with a Black-
                                   burn Cirrus Major 3, earning its keep on properties in Western Australia.  Geoff's two other shots
                                   below show it (i) on a farm at Ballidu, WA in 1974, and (ii) looking somewhat the worse for wear
                                   at Northam, WA at the end of 1977 (but at least with a semblance of an Auster-like livery)