VH-ULH  de Havilland D.H.60X Moth            (c/n  Genairco 7)

                             

                                 This aircraft was a Genairco rebuild of the D.H.60X G-AUHA (c/n 426) following its crash at
                                 Marulan, NSW on 11 February 1929.    Following a series of owners, crashes and lapses of
                                 Cs of  A in NSW in the early 1930s, it was sold to Holyman's Airways of Launceston, Tasmania
                                 in July 1936 who used it as a company hack and also for pilot training.   When Australia National
                                 Airways was formed on 1 November of that year, the Moth passed to their asset register.   It is
                                 seen above in this photo from the Geoff Goodall collection wearing the ANA flag on the rudder.
                                 The shot below, from the Lawrence Roche collection was taken over Western Victoria in 1937
                                 from the accompanying VH-UIA.   The Genairco factory shot (#3, below) shows -ULH just after
                                 the completion of its  rebuild in July 1929.  The fitting of the Gipsy I engine from VH-UIA on
                                 29 January 1937 turned it into a D.H.60G.  Shortly afterward, on 9 June 1937 the aircraft was
                                 being flown by Jack Macalister who was attempting a night landing at Essendon Airport, Melbourne. 
                                 Due to heavy fog he flew over the city looking for an alternate landing ground.   Attempting to land
                                 at the Malvern Oval he struck the spire of St. George's Anglican church and crashed.    Fortunately
                                 neither Jack nor his passenger were seriously injured, but the damage to -ULH was such that it was
                                 written off.    At the foot of the page is an image from the State Library of New South Wales collection
                                 of  "Jim Broadbent in his DH Gipsy Moth, shakes hands with his mechanic.......circa 1934"   Well, if
                                 in fact, the Gipsy had been fitted by then, the date would have been 1937.   Additionally, the official
                                 register makes no note of a Mr. Broadbent ever owning this Moth.  Must be a story there somewhere.