VP-PAA    de Havilland D.H.104 Dove 6                                    (c/n  04457)

                             

                                 The first aircraft registered in the Solomon Islands was this Dove, which was ex VH-DHF. 
                                 It was owned by Laurie Crowley who launched charter flights to the Solomons from his base
                                 in Papua/New Guinea.   When regularly scheduled flights commenced he named the company
                                 Megapode Airways (after the dark, pigeon like bird which inhabits the region - one of whose
                                 features is that it will only fly if absolutely necessary, preferring to remain on the ground!).
                                 Anyway, I am indebted to Bob Smith of Kiama, NSW for the rare shot above.                         
                                 Accompanying it for this photo shoot was VH-RUN which later became VP-PAL.  In
                                 February 2012 I received the photo below from Robert Milburn (taken during his days in
                                 the Solomons) of VP-PAA in company with a US Navy R6D-1/C-118B (BuNo 131606).
                                 This DC-6 was civilianized in 1981 as N4206L for North Air Cargo, incidentally,.
                                 VP-PAA, meanwhile, was withdrawn from use and cancelled from the register iin November
                                 1969.