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

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