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C/N 18327


 c/n 18327
ZS-BYO
At Blackbushe Airfield, England.

Photograph: Peter Brown


On 11 October 2013 Peter Brown wrote the following on the Farnborough-aviation-Group forum on the thread Blackbushe Pics from the Past on page 54

"ZS-BYO was a regular freight visitor according to Gordon Wilmer's notes on the back of the photo. Records show her at Blackbushe in 1948 for the first time."

The history of c/n 18327 detailed below is courtesy of www.aussieairliners.org

Direct link to 18327 is http://www.aussieairliners.org/dc-4/vh-inx/vhinx.html (Page contains some great photographs of the aircraft!)

Douglas C-54B-5-DO. c/n 18327-101.

Delivered new to the U.S.A.A.F. as a C-54B-5-DO - May 30, 1944

Issued the serial number 43-17127

Sold to Pacific Overseas Airlines Inc - early 1946

Entered onto the U.S. Aircraft Register as NC74628

Sold to Zinc Corp - mid 1948

Registered to Air Charter Survey & Exploration Ltd - September 1, 1948

Entered onto the South African Aircraft Register as ZS-BYO

Flown to London where it was named 'Discovery' - September 30, 1948

Arrived in Australia carrying survey equipment - October 1948

Sold to British Aviation Services Ltd - December 13, 1948

Entered onto the British Aircraft Register as G-ALEP

Sold to Mining & Exploration Air Services - January 21, 1949

Leased to Silver City Airways (Silver City Mining) - January 1949

Operated a round-the-world flight for Zinc Corp - January 1949

Used as fictitious 'G-NZAC' by Arthur Rank in movie 'No Highway In The Sky' - 1950

Sold to Australian National Airways - January 1951

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-INY - January 26, 1951

Registered to Australian National Airways Pty Ltd

Due to licencing problems with pilot endorsements and registration, delivery was delayed

The registration marks 'VH-INY' had been reserved for an ex-Air Ceylon DC-4 - December 18, 1950

Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - February 12, 1951

The registration 'VH-INY' was never painted on this aircraft

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-INX - February 12, 1951

Registered to Australian National Airways Pty Ltd

Utilised for Air Ceylon services - July 1951 to August 1951

Ownership transferred to Ansett-ANA when airline acquired A.N.A. - October 1957

Converted to freighter 'Cargomaster' configuration - September 1959

Utilised by the Boston Symphony Orchestra on 10-day Australian tour - June 6, 1960

Leased to M.M.A. for freight services Perth-Port Headland-Derby-Broome - December 1965 to July 1966

Operated last revenue service Launceston-Essendon - December 21, 1970

Withdrawn from use and stored in Essendon's Airport graveyard - 1970

Officially withdrawn from Ansett service - June 7, 1971

Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - June 15, 1971

Sold to T.H. Fogarty who owned the airfield at Melton for $AUD 500 - June 1971

Dismantled and trucked to Melton, Victoria for planned use as airfield cafeteria - March 1, 1972

Aircraft was progressively damaged & vandalised over the years

Scrapped on site - October 1991