Built by Short Bros at Rochester, Kent as a Sunderland Mk III - 1943

Delivered to the R.A.F. at Wig Bay, Scotland as JM719 - August 23, 1943

Allocated to No 57 Maintenance Unit, Wig Bay, Scotland - January 8, 1944

Damaged during a flying accident - January 25, 1944

Returned to Short Bros for repairs - February 1, 1944

Allocated to No 57 Maintenance Unit, Wig Bay following completion of repairs - July 8, 1944

Conversion to Sunderland Mk V completed by No 57 Maintenance Unit, at Wig Bay - September 7, 1944

Noted awaiting collection at Wig Bay - March 30, 1945

Issued to No 302 Flying Training Unit - April 25, 1945

Allocated to No 57 Maintenance Unit - April 29, 1945

Issued to No 302 Flying Training Unit - May 2, 1945

Returned to No 57 Maintenance Unit - July 12, 1945

Deemed surplus to R.A.F. requirements and issued to Short Bros free of charge - May 21, 1947

Converted by Short Bros to a Sandringham Mk 7 'Bermuda Class' for B.O.A.C.

Entered onto the British Aircraft Register as G-AKCO - July 29, 1947

Aircraft was named 'St George'

Withdrawn from B.O.A.C. use and stored at Hamworthy - 1950

Aircraft had flown only 2,000 hours total time

Sold to Sir Patrick Gordon Taylor by W. S. Shackleton - 1954

Departed Cowes on delivery flight to Australia - November 4, 1954

Delivery route: Cowes - Marseille - Malta - Fanara - Karachi - Trincomali - Penang -

Seletar - Sourabaya - Darwin - Cairns - Brisbane - Sydney

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-APG - May 9, 1955

Aircraft was named 'Frigate Bird III'

Was utilised on 'air cruises' around the South Pacific by P. G. Taylor

Withdrawn from use at Rose Bay - 1958

Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - May 23, 1958

Sold to Reseau Aerien Interinsulaire (RAI) - May 1958

Entered onto the French Aircraft Register as F-OBIP - May 1958

Arrived in Tahiti under command of P. G. Taylor - June 5, 1958

Aircraft had flown 2,675 hours 27 minutes - June 7, 1958

Initially used on services between Papeete (no runway) and Bora Bora (nearest runway)

Also used on service to Huahine, Raiatea, Rangiroa and Tikihau

Operated final flight (search and rescue mission) Papeete - Papeete - September 29, 1970

Flight crew: Douglas Pearson, Rothe and Beurier

Aircraft had flown 8812 hours 5 minutes when engines were shut down for the last time

Sold by Civil Aviation Papeete to Douglas Rearson Jr - March 1975

Intended return of the aircraft to Rochester, U.K. did not eventuate - November 1975

Douglas Pearson Jr offered to donate the aircraft to the Queensland Air Museum - November 1975

QAM were advised by the French Embassy, Canberra that aircraft must be removed - February 25, 1976

Douglas Pearson Jr advised by Civil Aviation Papeete that aircraft was to be broken up - March 1, 1976

Stay of execution on the aircraft was arranged - 1976

Musee de l'Air, Paris expresses desire to acquire aircraft for display - November 1977

Aircraft arrived Paris following successful recovery and transportation by French military - April 1979

Whilst stored outside at Le Bourget, Paris it was severly damaged in a fierce storm - 1984

Repaired and returned to display conditions

Current - 2012

G-AKCO. B.O.A.C. - in the full livery at an unkown location, June 1948.

F-OBIP. RAI - being prepared for repainting at Le Bourget Airport, June 1979.