VH-REP Cessna 180A
(c/n 50039)
This shot of VH-REP, by Ben Dannecker, was taken at Cootamundra in
1959. The name on the
door is that of its owner, Hazelton Air Services of Toogong via Cudal
NSW. Although brothers
Max and Jim Hazelton
were operating a growing fleet of agricultural aircraft at this time,
-REP
retained cabin
seating.
It is parked in front of the one remaining former RAAF
Bellman hangar
from the 4 Bellman
hangars built at Cootamundra during WW2. In the image below, by
Robert
Zweck, it is seen at Darwin in November 1970 while
based there with Transfield Corp to support
construction projects in the Top End. Transfield of Sydney was
the parent company of Transavia
who at that time had
the PL-12 Airtruck in full production. VH-REP was written off in
a crash at
Gove*, NT on 10 March
1971.
* Gove
is located at the very right hand tip of Arnhem Land and produces
staggering amounts of
bauxite, the raw material from which aluminum is made.