XA897 crashed after a very heavy landing in bad weather at Heathrow on October 1, 1956. It had undertaken a flight to Australia and New Zealand. The crash was controversial because AVM Harry Broadhurst, who was onboard, overruled orders to divert. Broadhurst and the pilot ejected from the crippled jet leaving the rest of the crew to perish. Photo from: National Archives of Australia

XA897 crashed after a very heavy landing in bad weather at Heathrow on October 1, 1956. It had undertaken a flight to Australia and New Zealand and is seen here on its return via Darwin. The crash was controversial because AVM Harry Broadhurst, who was onboard, overruled orders to divert. Broadhurst and the pilot ejected from the crippled jet leaving the rest of the crew to perish. Photo from: Library and Archives NT

F-84Gs 51-769, 51-1225, 51-1694 and 51-1867 received an E for Exempt prefix for ZELMAL (Zero-length Launch, Mat Landing) V/STOL trials. A big rocket blasted the Thunderjet into the sky and the pilot was supposed to land, gear up, on an inflatable mat, using an arresting cable. 51-1225 was damaged beyond repair in the first mat landing at Edwards on 2 June 1954. Here it is seen at the Mid-America Jubilee exhibition in Saint Louis, held in September 1956 on the Mississippi riverfront where the Gateway Arch stands today. Note the additions on the nose, already seen in a shot of 51-1225 being launched. Photo by: Gerald Massie / Missouri State Archives

First flew on 21st August 1956. Served with 47 and 53 Squadrons at Abingdon before being transferred to 34 Squadron in Singapore in 1964. Scrapped at Seletar in 1968.

The wife of a USAF pilot at Laredo AFB and editor of the officer's wives club newspaper, Rosemary Horne made a flight in a T-33 to write about it and make pilots' wives more understanding of their husbands' problems and their love of planes. 55-4379 was retired to AMARC from Laredo in 1966, ending up as a Navy QT-33A. 52-9492 and 52-9174 are also seen. Photo by: Joe Scherschel / Life

Written off after ground looping at Baiyer River, Papua New Guinea on October 17, 1959

Damaged in a ground-loop at Baiyer River airstrip, Papua New Guinea, on October 17, 1959. Stripped of useful parts and abandoned. VH-BUU was a pre-war civil aircraft built for Lufthansa but delivered to Aero O/Y in Finland as OH-LAM. Sold in Sweden as SE-BUE in 1951 and to Gibbes in 1955. The BMW radials were replaced by Pratt and Whitney Wasps by Marshall Airways at Bankstown, Sydney, in 1956.

Ex C-54B 42-72373, converted to DC-4 standard by Douglas in 1946. Served United as N30057 then to CF-MCB in 1956. Operating a transatlantic charter flight.