VH-ASG Silver Gull
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| Type: | L-12-26 Electra Junior |
| MSN: | 1302 |
| Previous Identities: | L2-34 42-1302 |
| Subsequent Identities: | 9M-ANK |
History:
| 20JAN42 | Export CofA E-8259 issued. |
| 31JAN42 | Delivered to the Netherlands East Indies Government for the ML/KNIL (Royal Netherlands Indies Army) as L2-34. |
| FEB42 | Shipped to the NEI but diverted to Australia due to the outbreak of hostilities. |
| 42 | Taken over by the USAAC and given the temporary serial number 42-1302. The aircraft was named Joan. |
| 27APR42 | Walter Maiersperger was endorsed on C-40, 21302 by Lt Perry at Townsville. (Source: 1) |
| 04MAY42 | From this date the aircraft was flown almost exclusively by Walter Maiersperger. It operated out of Townsville to destinations including Torrens Creek, Cloncurry, Cairns, Charters Towers, Longreach, Antill Plains and Mareeba. (Source: 1) |
| 07JUN42 | Flown by Walter Maiersperger Garbutt (Townsville)-Cairns-Cooktown-Coen-Horn Island-Coen-Cooktown (Total Time 7:50). (Source: 1) |
| 08JUN42 | Flown by Walter Maiersperger Cooktown-Mareeba-Garbutt. The aircraft was consistently flown from Townsville by Maiersperger until 12JUL42. (Source: 1) |
| 12AUG42 | The aircraft reappears in Maiersperger's log book as 42-1302 when he flew it from Eagle Farm (Brisbane) to Townsville. (Source: 1) |
| 12AUG42 | Flown by Walter Maiersperger Townsville-Eagle Farm. (Source: 1) |
| 22AUG42 | Flown from Townsville to Charters Towers and return by Major Hughes and Alf Humble. (Extracted from Alf Humble's logbook by David Vincent). |
| 42 | In late 1942 Lockheed UC-40D 42-1302 which had been acquired from the Dutch, was assigned to 6th Troop Carrier Squadron to operate a daily courier/mail flight from Port Moresby to Milne Bay. (Source: 374th Troop Carrier Group by Col. Edward T. Imparato, page 77) |
| 45 | Photographed at Townsville in bare metal with USAAF star insignia, tail number 21302 and "TAD" arrow insignia on fin. |
| MAR46 | DCA file shows UC-40D 42-1302 imported by W.S. Robinson, c/- G. Beohm, Sydney. The aircraft is located at Eagle Farm, Brisbane and its logs show a total time of 1,135 hours. The aircraft has been purchased from the U.S. Foreign Disposals Commission in Manila, Philippines by Associated Airlines Pty Ltd of Essendon, VIC. |
| 25APR46 | Len Diprose, Associated Airlines Chief Pilot, states that he flew from Melbourne to Brisbane on this date to inspect the Lockheed C-40 42-1302 and the same day ferried it to Fishermens Bend for a CofA overhaul by CAC. Instruments were in Dutch. He handed it to CAC for overhaul and to be fitted out the same as VH-ABH. (Source: "My Career in Aviation" by Len Diprose, AHSA Newsletter 1/1993) |
| 10MAY46 | Registration application from Associated Airlines specifying 2 crew and 5 passengers. To be operated in the private category, based Fishermens Bend. |
| 28NOV46 | Test flown at Fishermens Bend by Len Diprose On his first test flight after overhaul, the right hand wheel fell off during the landing roll. Found that the wheel bearings had been put in back to front. No other damage. (Source: "My Career in Aviation" by Len Diprose, AHSA Newsletter 1/1993) |
| 04DEC46 | Next flight was from Fishermens Bend to Essendon and return by Len Diprose. |
| 09DEC46 | Added to the Australian Register as VH-ASG. Subsequently entered service with Associated Airlines named "Silver Gull". Operated as an executive aircraft for Broken Hill Proprietary/Zinc Corp. Based initially at Fishermens Bend and later at Essendon. |
| 09MAR50 | Damaged in a ground accident at Parafield, SA but subsequently repaired. |
| 57 | Based at Adelaide for several months on mineral surveys with a towed bird magnetometer under the fuselage. |
| 12APR59 | Noted flying at Essendon. |
| 60 | Sold to R.G. Carswell, Archerfield, QLD for £5,000. |
| NOV60 | Operated ex Darwin carrying buffalo meat from station airstrips back to Darwin. |
| 15MAR61 | Official change of ownership to R.G. Carswell, Archerfield, QLD. |
| APR61 | Leased for two weeks by Air Culture Pty Ltd of Perth and used to uplift live crayfish from Jurien Bay to Perth. (Replacing Avro 19 VH-BIX which had crashed). |
| APR61 | The aircraft returned to Carsair in Darwin. |
| 21JUL61 | Flown from Darwin to Wolner Station and return by Bob Carswell and E.C. Osgood carrying buffalo meat. (This and following entries extracted from the logbook of E.C. Osgood by Geoff Goodall). |
| 05SEP61 | Darwin to Wolner Station and return by Carswell and Osgood. |
| 09SEP61 | Circuits at Darwin by Carswell and Osgood. |
| 21SEP61 | Darwin to Wolner Station and return by Osgood. |
| 22SEP61 | Circuits at Darwin by Osgood. |
| 25SEP61 | Darwin to Wolner Station and four other properties and back to Darwin with buffalo meat by Osgood. |
| 30SEP61 | Darwin to several properties by Osgood. |
| 02OCT61 | Darwin to several properties by Osgood. Daily runs until 09OCT61. |
| 09OCT61 | Darwin to several properties by Osgood. Last flight by Osgood. |
| 62 | Change of ownership to Mrs H.E. Edgar, Metro Station, Springsure, QLD. |
| 05MAY62 | Noted at Mt. Isa, QLD. |
| 26JUN62 | Noted at Charleville, QLD. |
| OCT62 | Advertised for sale by Airwork Company (North Queensland) Pty Ltd, Mt Isa for £7,600. |
| 30JAN63 | Noted at Archerfield in open storage. Still named "Silver Gull". |
| DEC63 | Added to the Malaysian Register as 9M-ANK to Malaysia Air Charter Co Ltd of Kuala Lumpur. Used to fly workers to mining camps on the Malaysian east coast. |
| 21DEC63 | Struck off the Australian Register. |
| 26OCT66 | 9M-ANK crashed on landing at Bukit Besi, West Malaysia and damaged beyond repair. |
| 68 | The dismantled remains of 9M-ANK were noted in a hangar at Kuala Lumpur. |
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SOURCES
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1
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Log Book of Walter Maiersperger referenced in Man and Aerial Machines, No. 53, Nov-Dec 1995 |
| Issue | Date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | 14OCT23 | |
| 8 | 03AUG22 |
Added
an image thanks to Eric Allen.
|
| 7 | 01DEC18 |
Added
several flights in 1942 sourced from the log book of Walter
Maiersperger. Thanks to Roger Marks and Bob Livingstone and
Source 1.
Also added several photos thanks to Geoff Goodall. |
| 6 | 20OCT18 |
Added
a reference to the aircraft being assigned to the 6th TCS in
late 1942. Thanks to Al Bovelt and Geoff Goodall.
|
| 5 | 03APR16 |
Refreshed
page layout with no change to data.
|
| 4 | 01FEB13 |
Deleted
the reference to registration 9V-ANK as this is now believed
to have been in error.
|
| 3 | 01JUN12 |
Added
an image of 42-1302 Joan thanks to David Vincent.
|
| 2 | 06AUG11 |
Added
details of the overhaul for Associated Airlines drawn from the
biography of Len Diprose. Thanks to Geoff Goodall..
|
| 1 | 07FEB00 | - |
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