VH-PNA was fitted with JATO and at one stage undercarriage doors. The latter were soon removed because of maintenance problems but the JATO pack remained. It is not recorded if it was used outside testing in 1961.

Withdrawn from use. Nigel Apperley photo.

Reregistered VH-ATR

Crashed at Bundi on December 17, 1977.

Withdrawn from use in 1984. Restored to the New Zealand register as ZK-FOO in 1987.

TAA leased VH-PNB from Ansett Airlines of Papua New Guinea, which had taken over Patair. On April 6, 1972 while being operated by TAA it overran Madang airport into the harbour. Written off due to salt damage.

VH-PNI crashed at Mount Giluwe on September 1, 1972. The ease of loading awkward loads into the Skyvan was appreciated in Papua New Guinea but not its lack of range. Only Patair operated them, with other operators preferring the Twin Otter.

Delivered to Air Niugini 4 November 1981.

Sold in Luxembourg in June 1972. Ended up with the Israeli air force as serial 016. Shot down by a MiG-21 on October 21, 1973, during the Yom Kippur War. Operated by Aerial Tours.

Ex Dutch East Indies Air Force Lockheed 18 impressed by the USAAF after it was flown to Australia to escape the Japanese advance. Given the callsign VHCAA and flown by QEA crews on transport missions into Papua New Guinea. This photo believed to be taken when QEA chief Hudson Fysh travelled on one of those missions. Supplies were flown in and wounded flown out. VHCAA became VH-APZ after the war. The location of this photo is difficult to establish as there were at least 15 runways and airfields around Dobodura. It is thought that this photo is at Horanda, also known as Dobodura No 4, which was the most important one and the transport base. Photo from: Hudson Fysh Collection/State Library of New South Wales

Crashed Sassoya Gap near Wewak on June 30, 1967. Wirui Air Services was a part of the Catholic Mission of the Divine Word based at Wewak and the pilot at the time of the accident was a priest.

Transport conversion of the Beaufort bomber nicknamed Beaufreighter. 46 conversions. The markings under the wing are urging Japanese soldiers hiding in the jungle to surrender. A9-712 crashed at Rabaul on November 21, 1945. Piva North airfield remained in use as late as 1988 but is now closed. Photo from: State Library of Queensland

Illustrative of the 'interesting' flying conditions found in PNG, this image shows the approach to the airstrip at Tapini in the Papuan highlands from Pilatus PC-6B/H2 Turbo Porter VH-PNH of airline Patair.

Rare image of VH-UKW being brought ashore at Lae, New Guinea following its purchase in Australia by Guinea Airways. The aircraft was written off after a crash at Narakapor, near Nadzab, on 26 August 1939.

This aircraft was one of two of these excellent STOL aircraft purchased by Patair (Papuan Air Transport) in May 1966. The aircraft was transferred to Ansett Airlines of Papua New Guinea in November 1970, when Patair operations were merged into theirs, thus dating the photos to the period 1966-70.

Withdrawn from use in 1978. Flown to Manila in 1988 as RP-C3206 and later scrapped.

VH-BUU after its original BMW radials were replaced by Pratt and Whitney engines by Marshall Airways in Sydney..

Became P2-MAN in 1974 after Papua New Guinea independence. Photo from John Stroud.