To Malaysian air force in 1971 as FM-1978. RAAF photo

VH-CLI now with the Central Australian Aviation Museum. Bessie Springs is on McArthur River Station and was once a regular stop for Connellan. Since those days a new airport with a sealed runway and apron has been built 20 miles away at the McArthur River Mine.

A9-93 in service with the Base Torpedo Unit. WFU 1945 and scrapped.

Last flight 1966, scrapped 1971.

Bought by famed aviator Charles Kingsford Smith, G-ABCF was used for record-breaking solo UK-Australia flight in October 1930. Smith sold it to Guy Menzies, who made first solo Australia-New Zealand flight in January 1931. Flight ended with G-ABCF on its back. Until then G-ABCF was a single seater with a fuel tank in front cockpit. Rebuilt as two seater. Crashed at Mascot airport (Sydney International) April 12, 1931, killing pilot and passenger. At time G-ABCF was a landplane. This Milton Kent photo showing it on floats remains unexplained but it might have been in connection with a planned flight to Japan that did not go ahead. Avian never took up allocated marks VH-UPT.

The second FU-24 registered VH-BOM in a few months. This one survived the rigours of agricultural flying to return to New Zealand as ZK-BOG in 1963. The other FU-24 is VH-BOT. Photo by Mal Mitchell.

A52-326 among an impressive RAAF line-up of two Lincolns, a Wirraway and a Beaufighter. In the background is an RAAF P-2E Neptune and a Vampire. -326 was sold for scrap in 1958.

The third DC-4 conversion by Douglas after World War II, NC88884 had been built as a C-54E. Sold by Pan Am in 1961, went to the Spanish air force.

VH-UNK crashed at Maryborough, Queensland, on December 31, 1930. QAN ceased operations soon after.

Destroyed by fire at Mackay, Queensland, on July 1, 1938.

VH-AAG became derelict at Darwin after being damaged in collision with a kangaroo in 1963.

VH-CLB was reregistered VH-FDW in 1965. It is seen here on the airstrip that used to adjoin the "Rock", closed after the opening of a larger airport away from what had become a culturally sensitive site.

Flown from Germany to Australia as a floatplane by Hans Bertram and Adolph Klausman. Went missing after leaving Koepang May 14, 1932. Found in remote part of Western Australia on June 15 but crew had sailed off in one of the floats. They were found near death by Aborigines on June 22. D-1925 flown to Perth in September 1932 using a DH50 float. Converted to landplane. Bertram flew it across Australia and is the pilot in this John Harrison photo. With him is famed Scottish-Australian aviator Scotty Allan. Bertram later flew Atlantis back to Germany where it became D-OVYL.

CF-MPA and its three sister ships lined up for the handover to the Mounties in this photo supplied by the RCMP. In alphabetical order the others are c/ns 7531, 7522 and 7538. -MPA passed to Canadian air force as 7628.

This is the genuine PH-AJU Uiver. After winning the handicap section of the Mildenhall to Melbourne air race, the aircraft made several goodwill flights before departing back to Batavia (Jakarta). In 1934, Cootamundra was a hub for air mail services from Europe, which is why it was one of the towns to receive a visit. PH-AJU crashed in poor weather near Rutbah Wells, Iraq, on December 20, 1934.

Mal Mitchell's photo of VH-BOM taking off from a farm airstrip is a rare photo of an aircraft on the register for only 88 days. It crashed near Armidale, NSW, on September 10, 1957. Within weeks it had been replaced by a second FU-24 VH-BOM (c/n 59). The earlier aircraft can be distinguished from its successor by its checkerboard rudder and wingtips.

This short-lived Australian National Airways was formed by Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm in 1930 and ceased operations in Jun 1931. It is not related to the later larger ANA that merged with Ansett in 1957. Smith and Ulm's airline failed after VH-UMF vanished between Sydney and Melbourne on March 21, 1933. It remained missing until October 1958 when the wreckage was found in the Snowy Mountains. The name "Southern Cloud" is missing in this photo but the distinctive rego font is identical to confirmed photos of it. The original photo may have been retouched to remove the name in the wake of the disappearance.

Reregistered VH-RMP in 1962.

Damaged at Edinburgh on January 28, 1955. Sold for scrap.

Qantas had four Otters, one of which was operated on floats. They replaced a fleet of DHC-2 Beavers.