After Qantas relinquished the Norfolk Island service in 1977 in favour of East West Airlines and its special long-range Fokker Friendships, VH-EDB went to Air Express as a cargo aircraft.

Delivered new to TAA in 1946. Sold in 1972. Became XV-NUL with Air Vietnam

Working at Southend Airport in the 'Seventies produced some great opportunities. Just before N80FA departed on its ferry flight to Texas, I was able to fix up an air-to-air session from Cessna 172 G-ATLN. We flew as fast as possible, the Carvair as slow as it could with everything down. I can still hear those P&Ws roaring over the sound of my open window and the general racket in the Cessna. I even sold my car to one of the Falcon directors who duly loaded and flew home to the States with it - truly Car-via-air as Freddie Laker originally intended. This aircraft crashed in Alaska in 1997 as N103; another of the few remaining Carvairs suffered a similar fate up there in May 2007, so now only two survive

VH-TAC being prepared for its ferry flight to Thailand where it became HS-VGX.

VH-EDB sets off on its regular run to Norfolk Island.

Ex JA6007. Became N32AC in 1972.

Converted from an Ansett-ANA DC-4 in 1965

A beautiful Skymaster in the Aerospace Museum of California, wearing her true USAF serial although she spent her entire military career in the US Navy as 50874. She then became N27MA in 1976.

The sound of four roaring Twin Wasps could often be heard at Amsterdam during the mid and late 1990s, when DDA's Skymaster ZS-NUR (later PH-DDS) in 1950s KLM colours took to the air again. Unfortunately they were forced to dispose of this magnificent aircraft, due to very rigid regulations imposed by the Dutch aviation authorities. It departed for South Africa in late 2002 (as ZS-AUA). By 2017 it was still there, but hadn't flown since 2008/2009.

Based Sangley Point, the Philippines

Ex USAAF 44-9148. Based in New Caledonia. Crashed Mt Kokoreta, New Caledonia, January 21, 1985.

It doesn't show, but this immaculate Skymaster was delivered to the USAAF in June 1945 (as 45-507), which means that when this photo was taken, this beauty had just celebrated its 61st birthday. Roger Brooks purchased this former Arizona-based airtanker (ex Tanker 161) in February 2006. He used it to fly all kinds of freight out of its new homebase at Fairbanks, Alaska. Unfortunately it crashlanded near Nenana, AK on 17 January 2007. The wreck was stored at Nenana Airport and was still there by 2018.