VH-MOJ AESL Airtourer
115
(c/n 514)
VH-MOJ, along with sister ship
VH-MOI (c/n 515) were the first New Zealand-built Airtourers
shipped to Australia after production rights were sold by Victa to
AESL. Both aircraft were initially
demonstrated under trade plates as VH-FGY and FGZ respectively.
The latter was sold first and
became
–MOI in February 1969. –MOJ followed in May 1969 when it
was sold to the Latrobe
Valley Aero Club at Morwell. Both Airtourers were later
modified: –MOJ as an Airtourer 115 A1
with a 150hp Lycoming
O-320 engine and –MOJ as an Airtourer 115 A2.. . What this 1976
mod-
ification
was is unclear but –MOJ is sometimes cited as the first 150hp
Airtourer . That honour
actually went to a new build, c/n 519, in 1968 but –MOJ might
have been the first 150hp conversion.
If it was converted, then it was converted back to the original engine.
When David Carter photo-
graphed it at Schofields aerodrome in November 1985 it appeared to have
a Lycoming O-235.
The October 2016 register confirmed it was fitted with an O-235.
Reregistered VH-WLK in
February 1996, it was based near Leeton, NSW