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VH-TAO. Convair CV-240-5. c/n D32.
Constructed at the San Diego plant for Trans Australia Airlines Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-TAO - March 24, 1948 Registered to Australian National Airlines Commission Construction completed - December 21, 1948 Departed San Diego on delivery flight to Melbourne - December 30, 1948 Delivery route was - San Diego-Tulsa-Chicago-Montreal-Goose Bay-Narssaq-Keflavik-London- thence via the Kangaroo Route to Australia Sustained damage when undercarriage collapsed at Keflavik - January 1, 1949 Arrived Melbourne's Essendon Airport - July 3, 1949 Originally named 'George Bass' but later changed to 'Abel Tasman' and then 'John Fawkner' Entered service with Trans Australia Airlines - July 3, 1949 Withdrawn from service & stored pending sale - July 10, 1959 Sold to Beldex Corporation - becoming N9313R - November 25, 1959 Departed Melbourne on delivery flight to United States - November 25, 1959 Delivery route was - Alice Springs-Darwin-Djakarta-Bangkok-Calcutta-Karachi-Bahrain-Khartoum- Fort Lamy-Accra-Ascension Island-Natal-Belem-Port of Spain-Kingston-Miami-Pompano Beach Arrived at Pompano Beach - December 6, 1959 Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - December 7, 1959 Sold to Fairbanks-Whitney - becoming N18M - then Remmert Werner Sold to Monsanto Chemical Company - becoming N2008 - June 1962 Sold to General Dynamics for conversion to CV-600 standard - becoming N331G - January 1965 Sold to Thunderbird Airways (Flying T) - February 2, 1967 Sold to East Coast Leasing for East Coast Flying Services - becoming N278E - October 1967 Damaged through arson at Martinsburg, West Virginia - August 22, 1968 Purchased by Ross S. Lipscomb, Leesburg, VA - September 1968 Scrapped at Dupage County Airport, Ilinois - September 1968 |
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VH-TAO. Trans Australia Airlines - in the original all-metal livery, location & date unknown. (Image 1029-018. E. D. Daw Collection) |
VH-TAO. Trans Australia Airlines - in the original all-metal livery, location & date unknown. (Image 1029-088. E. D. Daw Collection) |
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VH-TAO. Trans Australia Airlines - in the 'white roof' livery at Melbourne Airport, date unknown. (Image 1029-084. B. Colledge Photograph) |
VH-TAO. Trans Australia Airlines - in the 'white roof' livery at Melbourne Airport, date unknown. (Image 1029-083. B. Colledge Photograph) |
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VH-TAO. Trans Australia Airlines - in the 'white roof' livery at Canberra Airport, date unknown. (Image 1029-034. E. D. Daw Collection) |
VH-TAO. Trans Australia Airlines - in the 'white roof' livery at Melbourne Airport, date unknown. (Image 1029-032. B. Dannecker Collection) |
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VH-TAO. Trans Australia Airlines - in the 'white roof' livery at Melbourne Airport, date unknown. (Image 1029-019. E. D. Daw Collection) |
VH-TAO. Trans Australia Airlines - in the 'white roof' livery at Canberra Airport, August 1957. (Image 1029-077. B. Colledge Photograph) |