G-AUSS  Sopwith Antelope                      (c/n  WO 3398)

                                    

                                        Formerly G-EASS, I assume this machine merely kept its 'last two' upon being imported in 1923
                                        for Larkin Aircraft Supply Co. Ltd, since this registration is completely out of sequence for the time
                                        period (somewhere around G-AUEA would have been nearer the correct allocation).  This ancient
                                        craft was named 'Whip Bird', and based in Melbourne.   In 1926 it had its 200 h.p. Hispano-Suiza
                                        Viper replaced by a 240 h.p. Armstrong Siddeley Puma.   It was seconded (leased, whatever) to
                                        subsidiary Australian Aerial Services Ltd in 1931 by which time it had become VH-USS.   This
                                        company flew a network of local passenger and freight routes radiating from Melbourne to as far
                                        afield as Adelaide, Broken Hill, Mildura, Hay and Cootamundra with dozens of intermediate stops.
                                        (Pretty impressive for 1930).    VH-USS was withdrawn from use early in 1935.  The above image
                                        is from the archives of the Civil Aviation Historical Society (via Phil Vabre).