VH-UKD Avro 594
Avian Mk IV
(c/n R3/CN/201)
This Avian was originally imported in
January 1929 for E.W. Percival (later to found Percival Aircraft
Co. in the U.K.) and was allocated
G-AUKA. However, the great Edgar graciously allowed
that rego
to be given over to Keith Anderson and his own Avian
became G-AUKD. Percival sold it soon after
to Henry Warren Grindrod Penny who later went
on to form the grandly-named Intercontinental Air
Tours of Sydney, an
outfit that was involved in migrant air charters from Europe to
Australia immediately
after WW II. VH-UKD ended up as
one of a number of civil machines at RAAF No.1 Engineering
School at Melbourne Showgrounds, used for
instructional training. The nice shot above is from the
Len Dobbin collection, (via the CAHS' Phil Vabre)
whilst the three images below are from Geoff Goodall's
collection. The upper one was taken by Frank
Walters at Mascot in 1930, whilst the lower, when it
was owned by Penny in 1929 and
whom DCA described at the time
as "a gipsy joy-rider who manages
to keep one day ahead of our
inspector's schedule at country aerodromes"!
Note 'Bristol
Tourer
G-AUDZ
in the background.. The final photo, at the foot of the page
shows -UKD in the Melbourne
Showground
early in WW II.