VH-RDT (1)  Cessna 175C Skylark                    (c/n  17557057)

                                  

                                       VH-RDT was registered in January 1962 to Rex Aviation at Bankstown as new stock and sent to
                                       its WA sales office at Maylands Aerodrome in Perth.   On the night of 24 June 1962 a disgruntled
                                       Yugoslavian migrant stole if from a hangar at Maylands, convinced he could fly it back to Europe.
                                       When he ran out of fuel later that morning, he forced landed the aircraft near remote 'Ethel Creek'
                                       homestead in the middle of the Western Australia desert.   After a week of walking he managed to
                                       find the homestead.     The Cessna, meanwhile, was an insurance write-off, due to its damage and
                                       inaccessibilty.     However, Hazair Aircraft Sales & Serice of Orange, NSW decided to recover it,
                                       and moved it initially to Lake Carnegie airstrip.    The shots above and below are by Tony Burgess
                                       and show the Cessna wreck at the said airstrip.    The DC-3 in the background of the above photo
                                       is Adastra's VH-AGU, whilst Hazair's own Mooney VH-MJH is in the foreground of the lower image.
                                       Amazingly Hazair's then transported the remains all the way back to Orange, NSW on this truck
                                       (looks like an International) where it was rebuilt as a Cessna 172C and re-registered VH-SEA.