Construction completed at the Douglas Long Beach plant - May 27, 1943

Built as a Douglas C-47A-30-DL

Delivered to the USAAF - May 27, 1943

Allocated U.S. serial number 42-23730

Arrived Amberley for use by R.A.A.F. becoming A65-12 - June 23, 1943

Operated under radio callsign 'VHCTN'

Allocated to No 34 Squadron

Operated by Australian National Airways under charter using radio callsign 'VHCTN'

Withdrawn from use and struck off charge - September 1946

Purchased by the Commonwealth of Australia / D.C.A. - September 26, 1946

Allocated the registration 'VH-AFK' but it was not taken up

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-TAN - October 8, 1947

Registered to Australian National Airlines Commission for T.A.A.

Aircraft was named 'Grey'

Commenced operations with T.A.A. - October 20, 1947

Used in the film 'A Town Like Alice' - 1955

Operated its final revenue service with T.A.A. - August 13, 1958

Withdrawn from use and stored at Melbourne's Essendon Airport

Sold to Mandated Airlines Ltd - November 30, 1959

Delivered to Mandated Airlines - December 15, 1959

Reregistered as VH-MAS - November 11, 1960

Registered to New Guinea Co Ltd, Rabaul

Ownership transferred to Ansett-Mandated Airlines t/a Ansett-MAL - January 18, 1961

Sold to Far Eastern Air Transport, becoming B-249 - March 29, 1967

Departed Lae on delivery flight - April 19, 1967

Delivery route: Lae-Madang-Wewak-Vanimo-Koror-Manila-Taipei

Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - April 22, 1967

Sold to Laos Airlines - May 13, 1974

Reportedly scrapped in 1978

VH-TAN. Trans Australia Airlines - in an early livery at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, date unknown.

(Image 0250-672. B. Colledge Photograph)

 

VH-MAS. Mandated Airlines - in the full livery, location and date unknown.

(Image 0250-951. G. Bennett Collection)

VH-MAS. Ansett-M.A.L. - in the full livery, location and date unknown.

(Image 0250-355. P. J. Gates Collection)