VH-UXX Avro 618
Ten Modified
(c/n 231)
When the first Australian
National Airways folded, C.T.P. Ulm, one of the founders of that short-
lived
enterprise purchased one of the remaining Avro 618 Tens (VH-UMI) himself, out of the
liquidation of
the assets. This he had substantially modified, and, in the
event, re- registered as
VH-UXX.
His intention was
to use the machine on route proving flights, hoping to arouse
Government interest in such
exploits. To that end he patriotically named it 'Faith in
Australia'.
The image above is courtesy of the
State Library of New South Wales collection, taken at Mascot
circa 1934, shortly before
Ulm
sold the machine to
Eastern Air Transport of Sydney, NSW. It
later went to Kingsford Smith
Aviation. Immediately below is an image from the CAHS archives,
while at the foot of the page is
a
photograph (via Geoff Goodall) of the sad remains of it after it
was grounded at Townsville
following civilian evacuation flights from New Guinea after Japenese
air attacks in early 1942. The
record-breaking Avro was parked behind a munitions dump barricade,
where it was quickly vandalised
and stripped. This shot was reportedly taken in 1944 by which time
the old Avro was just a bare
frame. At the foot of the page is a shot gleaned by Ian
Mcdonnell
showing -UXX being rescued from a rising tide by 30 os so of New South
Wales' finest. Details,
anyone?
.
.