VH-UZO Lockheed 10B Electra

This was the second of three aircraft ordered new by Reg Ansett - 1937

The order was placed via agents Brown & Dureau Ltd with costings of 18,000 Pounds each plus taxes

Built as a Lockheed 10B Electra at Lockheed Burbank - 1937

Export Certificate of Airworthiness (CofA E-2870) issued - July 09, 1937

Shipped to Australia as crated cargo on the 'S. S. Mirrabooka'

It arrived at Port Melbourne with VH-UZN - August 09, 1937

It was held under bond on the Melbourne Dock until full payment was received

Towed on its undercarriage to Melbourne (Essendon) for assembly by Ansett Airways

Test flown at Melbourne (Essendon) - August 16, 1937

Pilot: Lockheed test pilot Moyle Stephens with dual instruction given to R. M. Ansett

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-UZO (CofR 658) - August 26, 1937

Registered to Ansett Airways Ltd, Hamilton, Victoria

Aircraft was named 'Ansertes'

It was configured to seat 10 passengers

Flew a survey flight Melbourne (Essendon) - Mildura - Broken Hill - August 30, 1937

Crew: Captains V. Cerche, H. F. Boston

Operated its first revenue service Melbourne (Essendon) - Mildura - Broken Hill - September 05, 1937

Operated the inaugural Melbourne (Essendon) - Narrandera - Sydney (Kingsford Smith) service - October 04, 1937

The aircraft had accumulated 243 hours - October 30, 1937

Deployed on Ansett's Melbourne - Mildure - Broken Hill; Melbourne - Hamilton; Melbourne - Narrandera - Sydney

and Adelaide - Narrandera - Sydney services

Chartered by A.N.A. to operate Melbourne (Essendon) - Launceston - Hobart services - February 1942

Assisted in the evacuation of Broome, Western Australia following the Japanese air attacks - March 1942

Flew 10 evacuation flights from Darwin and Broome between the air raids

Leased to U.S.A.A.F. for 3 years - June 1942

Repainted into olive-drab camouflage livery and carried USAAF insignia

Operated for U. S. Army Services of Supply (USASOS)

Supply route: Melbourne (Essendon) - Townsville - Cairns - Darwin

Based at Sydney (Kingsford Smith) for the Sydney - Townsville service - October 15, 1942

Camouflage livery removed and aircraft returned to bare metal livery - 1943

It was badly damaged during a forced landing attempt at Somerset Dam, 128 km north of Brisbane - March 07, 1943

Whilst flying at approximately 7,000 feet a 300 mm length of starboard propeller broke away

It was on a flight from Mackay to Brisbane (Archerfield)

During the wheels-up landing it hit trees which ripped the port engine off the wing

Flight crew: Captain B. Boardman, F/O A. Mogg

It aircraft arrived Melbourne via ship for a major rebuild - March 30, 1943

Certificate of Airworthiness (CofA?) renewed after satisfactory test flights - June 29, 1943

Returned to service - June 29, 1943

Reportedly transferred to A.D.A.T., U.S.A.A.F., South-West Pacific Region - June 1943

Continued to operate the Sydney - Townsville shuttle service - 1943 - 1944

It was badly damaged in another wheels-up forced landing at Tumut, N.S.W. - December 14, 1944

One undercarriage leg was torn off with major damage to an engine, fuselage underside, port wing and tail area

Returned to the Ansett Maintenance facility at Melbourne (Essendon) by truck

Repairs took approximately 20,000 man hours to complete

Certificate of Airworthiness (CofA) renewed - April 07, 1945

Returned to airline service operating the Melbourne (Essendon) - Hamilton service and special charters

Withdrawn from service at Melbourne (Essendon) - August 1949

The aircraft had flown approximately 24,500 hours and had been involved in numerous incidents

Certificate of Airworthiness (CofA) expired and was not renewed - August 24, 1949

Parked in the Melbourne (Essendon) graveyard awaiting sale for almost 18 months

A sale to Adastra Airways was negotiated for use as a photographic survey work platform - February 1950

Temporary Certificate of Airworthiness (CofA) valid for three days issued - March 01, 1950

Sale did not proceed and the aircraft remained grounded in the graveyard

Sold to South Coast Airways, Wollongong, N.S.W. - January 05, 1951

Registered to South Coast Airways Pty Ltd - January 11, 1951

Certificate of Airworthiness (CofA) issued - February 03, 1951

Entered service flying Sydney - Wollongong - Cowra and to other N.S.W. regional towns - February 03, 1951

South Coast Airways Pty Ltd ceased operations due to financial problems - July 1953

Sold to Christey's Motors Pty Ltd, Sydney - August 07, 1953

Reregistered as VH-CMA - August 07, 1953

Registered to Christey's Motors Pty Ltd, Sydney

Sold to Carsair Air Services (PNG) Pty Ltd, Port Moresby - December 05, 1955

Utilised on services within New Guinea to fly passengers and freight

Carsair Air Services ceased operations - 1958

Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - August 07, 1958

Sold to Western Air Navigation Pty Ltd, Charleville, Queensland

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-WAO - October 15, 1958

Registered to Western Air Navigation Pty Ltd, Charleville, Queensland

Based at Charleville and operated aerial ambulance, general passenger and freight charters

Used for publicity purposes in Brisbane to mark the arrival of the first Ansett-ANA L-188 Electra - April 1959

Advertised for sale - February 1960

Sold to C. H. Degotardi t/a Degotardi Air Services Pty Ltd, Sydney - July 24, 1960

Reregistered as VH-CHD - July 27, 1960

Aircraft was now named 'Miss Real Estate'

It was based at Sydney (Bankstown) and used to fly potential customers to inspect rural real estate properties

Degotardi were the first real estate company in Australia to have its own aircraft

Sold to Marshall Airways Pty Ltd, Bankstown - December 06, 1962

Reregistered as VH-ASM - ?

Utilised in general charter work and air-ambulance services

Operated its final service when it made an emergency landing at Sydney (Bankstown) - July 23, 1967

It was placed in open storage outside the Marshall Airways hangar at Sydney (Bankstown)

Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - October 27, 1967

It remained stored outside the Marshall Airways hangar slowly deteriorating for the next 14 years

Sold to Graeme Onus, Kensington, N.S.W. - 1973

His plans to restore the aircraft to full airworthy condition did not eventuate and it remained park outside the hangar

Bankstown Airport authorities issued a demand that the aircraft be removed - 1981

Sold to Barrie Spencer and Laurie Ogle - April 14, 1981

Over the next 10 years the aircraft was modified and resorted to full airworthy condition

Pratt and Whitney R-985 engines were fitted along with Beech 18 wheels and brakes

Publicly rolled out and underwent engine runs - May 20, 1991

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-UZO - September 01, 1991

Designated as a Lockheed Model 10-A Electra

Registered to Laurie Ogle / Vintage Electra Pty Ltd t/a Yesterday's Air Force

Participated in the 60th Anniversary of K.L.M.'s service to Sydney - October 28, 1998

Used in the production of video documentary on Australian aviator Sidney Cotton - November 1999

Sidney Cotton flew clandestine photographic flights over Nazi Germany prior to the outbreak of WWII

The aircraft was marked as 'G-AFTL' for the documentary

Loaned to Australia's Museum of Flight, Nowra by L. Ogle - December 08, 2001

Donated by Laurie Ogle to Australia's Museum of Flight, Nowra - July 2002

Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - July 25, 2002

Ownership was transferred to the Australian Naval Aviation Museum Foundation

An export ban was laced on the ircraft by the Federal Minister for the Environment & Heritage - 2006

This aircraft was considered to be an 'Australian aviation icon'

This action is designed to prevent the export of such items overseas where potential sale prices would far exceed

the sale price if the item was offered for sale in Australia