VH-UIZ
Ryan B-1
Brougham
(c/n 92)
The above shot comes from the Civil Aviation Historical
Society (CAHS). This Brougham
was
imported
as G-AUIZ in 1928 and registered to a Mr. D.A.B. Smith, dba NSW
Airways,
who named it
'City of Sydney'. It left Sydney in March 1930 ostensibly on a
flight to England
but, in the
event, was damaged in Thailand and shipped back to
Australia. In 1931 it was sold
to New
England Airways in whose service we see it here outside Adastra Airways
hangar at
Mascot,
circa
1935. New England named it 'City of Lismore' and,
although that moniker
doesn't seem to be
visible on this shot, it can be seen in a couple
on the series of photographs
below.. The rare shot immediately below is from the Fairfax glass
negative collection and
shows the Ryan as
G-AU. Photos 3,4 and 5 came
from Bruce
Robinson whose grandfather
founded New
England Airways In photo # 3 below -UIZ is seen running up
bearing a race
number, evidently used in connection with an air pageant held in
Lismore in 1931.
The
4th shot below shows G.A. Robinson accepting the first bag of
airmail from the controller
of mails
in Sydney, also circa 1931. The last of Bruce's shots shows
the
Brougham being
refuel-
ed (probably
at Lismore) in the manner of the day. (Note
pitch of the prop!). In 1936 VH-UIZ
was sold to
Clancy Brothers of Rosebery, NSW* and it is seen in the lee
of the original
control
tower at
Mascot, circa
1936, in the nice image from the Graeme
Parsons collection at the
foot of
this
page. Under wings the aircraft displayed "Sterling
Paints". Possibly in lieu of a free paint job?
Just before WW II VH-UIZ was sold in New Guinea
where it fell into disuse once
the war started.
Its remains were probably destroyed by enemy
action in 1942. The Japs seemed to like beating
up old
hulks on New Guinea
airfields.
* The Clancy Bothers, in 1931, designed
and built a single-seat light parasol-wing aircraft, named
the Sky
Baby. This was in the depths of the Depression and so
successful was the design that it led
them eventually
into a career in aviation. Although that's another story,
I'll append a shot of the Sky
Baby at the bottom
of this entry since, (so far as I can ascertain), it was never
registered and here is as
good as place as
any to show this interesting machine. I wonder how much the
designer of the Luton
Minor was
influenced by BIll Clancy's design?