Ex TAA VH-SBH. Sold to the Dutch air force on August 2, 1962. Converted to a military transport and painted by Hawker de Havilland at Bankstown . It would return to Australia in 1964 as VH-EDD with Qantas, which had acquired it from a dealer in Manila. Australian sources are in no doubt X-18 was c/n 25367/13922. However, Dutch sources say X-18 was a c/n 11971 ex VH-SBC which had been leased from TAA in late 1962. This aircraft remained on the Australian register during the lease and until sold in 1968. Dutch sources say 25367/13922 was serial X-19. Greg Banfield photo

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in white panama hat and white shirt boards VH-EAO after his visit to Lae. Photo from: National Library of Australia

X-18 served in Netherlands New Guinea shortly before the Dutch pulled out. According to the official RNLAF history X-18 was VH-SBC (c/n 11971), and VH-SBH (c/n 25367/13922) was supposedly X-19. However, Australian sources say that VH-SBH was X-18, and that VH-SBC was only hired by the Dutch and probably never given a Dutch serial. Certainly this aircraft does not have cargo doors, like VH-SBH, whereas there is photographic proof that VH-SBC always kept its cargo doors. Photo from: Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie

Reregistered VH-EBX in August 1957. Photo from: Whites Aviation Collection/Alexander Turnbull Library

Used for crew training and transporting company cargo such as engines.

BPA's VH-EDD on the tarmac at Essendon during its lease to Forrestair.

Shot in front of the TAA terminal.

A bit of hisory regarding Bush Pilots Airways Douglas C-47A-30-DK. It first came into service with the USAF 43-48106 in July 1944 it served with Qantas under two different registration in December 1946 VH-EAO and in April 1957 as VH-EBX. In December 1960 it served with TAA carrying the registration VH-SBH it then went back to Qantas as VH-EDO in 1964 in december 1971 it served with Queensland Pacific Airlines, finally ending up with Bush Pilots Airways in June 1972 it has now been scrapped.

DC-3s and boomerangs - VH-EDD was registered to Qantas in 1946 as VH-EAO (later VH-EBX) before being sold to TAA as VH-SBH in 1960. TAA sold it two years later to the Netherlands Air Force for use in Dutch Western New Guinea. It returned to Australia and Qantas in 1964 as VH-EDD for crew training and hauling freight. It was sold to Bush Pilots Airways in 1971 and ended up on the Cairns airport fire dump.