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Withdrawn from service & stored pending sale - July 10, 1959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 - November 25, 1959

Departed Melbourne on delivery flight to United States - November 25, 1959

Arrived at Pompano Beach at conclusion of ferry flight - December 6, 1959

Delivery route: Alice Springs-Darwin-Djakarta-Bangkok-Calcutta-Karachi-Bahrain-Khartoum-

Fort Lamy-Accra-Ascension Island-Natal-Belem-Port of Spain-Kingston-Miami-Pompano Beach

Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - December 7, 1959

Entered onto the U.S. Aircraft Register as N9313R

Sold to Fairbanks-Whitney and then to Remmert Werner

Aircraft was reregistered as N18M

Sold to Monsanto Chemical Company - June 1962

Aircraft was reregistered as N2008

Sold to General Dynamics for conversion to CV-600 standard - January 1965

Aircraft was reregistered as N331G

Sold to Thunderbird Airways (Flying T) - February 2, 1967

Sold to East Coast Leasing for East Coast Flying Services - October 1967

Aircraft was reregistered as N278E

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

VH-TAO. Trans Australia Airlines - in the original all-metal livery, location & date unknown.

VH-TAO. Trans Australia Airlines - in the original all-metal livery, location & date unknown.

VH-TAO. Trans Australia Airlines - in the 'white roof' livery at Melbourne Airport, date unknown.

VH-TAO. Trans Australia Airlines - in the 'white roof' livery at Melbourne Airport, date unknown.

VH-TAO. Trans Australia Airlines - in the 'white roof' livery at Canberra Airport, date unknown.

VH-TAO. Trans Australia Airlines - in the 'white roof' livery at Melbourne Airport, date unknown.

VH-TAO. Trans Australia Airlines - in the 'white roof' livery at Melbourne Airport, date unknown.

VH-TAO. Trans Australia Airlines - in the 'white roof' livery at Canberra Airport, August 1957.

N278E. East Coast Flying Service - in the full livery at an unknown airport, June 1968.