VH-WHY  CAC CA-28 Ceres C                  (c/n  17)

                            

                                   Why indeed?  Doubtless Airland Improvements of Cootamundra had a reason for registering the
                                   three Ceres they purchased from Commonwealth Aircraft in 1962-63 with these odd. word-like
                                   regos.  The other two were VH-WAX and VH-WOT.   (Shades of Italian airliners of the 1940s).
                                   VH-WHY had originally been assigned the rego VH-CET.   Geoff Goodall saw it (above) at
                                   home base Cootamundra in 1965.    It was written off in a crash at Coleamally, NSW when a
                                   wing tip struck the ground during a rice spraying sortie.   It languished for a year and was then
                                   picked up by the Moorabbin Air Museum and used in an 8 year rebuild of a composite Ceres
                                   (to static, engine run-up, standard).  The resultant machine was painted as VH-WOT.   Today,
                                   only the cockpit remains at the museum.