HISTORY ON AIR NOSTALGIA TMQ

Aircraft Type:                       Douglas C – 47B – 30 DK 
Current Registration:             VH – TMQ
Previous Identities:               A65 – 91  44 - 76552

Aircraft History

21 March 1945           The aircraft was built at the Douglas Factory in Oklahoma City and Allocated to the United States Army Air Force on this day, with the serial number 44 – 76552. It was originally allocated constructor’s number 16136, But later this was found that this block of numbers had been duplicated with batch of Douglas Havoc Bombers and the constructor’s number was changed to 32884.   

06 April 1945              Received at No. 3 Aircraft Depot, Amberley, Queensland, ex the USA and allocated the RAAF serial A65 – 91 and the call sign “VHRFH”

10 April 1945              Issued to No. 38 Squadron, ex 3AD, to maintain courier service.

02 July 1945               Aircraft log shows the machine flew from Archerfield to Mascot on this day.

18 September 1947    Issued at NO. 86 Transport Wing ex 38 Squadron.

03 March 1950           Port engine damage by fire near Kalgoorlie, WA, and engine change at Kalgoorlie.

17 August 1950          Issued to Repair and Salvage Unit at Darwin for operational duties.

21 February 1951       Received at DAP, Parafield, South Australia, from RSU, Darwin

25 June 1951              Transferred from No. 86 Transport Wing to No. 10 Squadron.

23 July 1951               Issued to No. 91 Wing to replace A65 – 96.

15 July 1955               Transferred back to No. 86 Transport Wing from 91 Wing.

12 August 1959           Issued to 34 (S.T.) Squadron for Royal Tour and Used as a baggage carrier for HRH Princess Alexandria’s tour of Australia, August – September 1959.

23 September 1959    Issued to No. 2 Squadron and used for communications duties, attached to the Australian Ambassador, based in Saigon, Vietnam

03 March 1960           Reissued to No. 86 Transport Wing, ex 2 Squadron

1962                           Issued to 38 Squadron (a unit within 86 Transport Wing).

30 November 1964     Transferred to East Sale, Victoria.

11 October 1967         Based with No. 2 ATU. Currently 6767 airframe hours.

17 December 1968     At No. 2 Operational Training Unit.

21 April 1969              Issued to No. 1 Flight Training School at Pearce, WA, with call sign “VMJFB”. This call sign later changed to

“VMJRH”.

03 April 1974              Issued to No. 2 Squadron, based at Butterworth, Malaysia.

09 June 1975              Issued to Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU).

October 1976              Aircraft Ferried from Central Flying School, East Sale, Victoria, to be based at Pearce, replacing the former Pearce based machine A65 –                                    102 which had taken part in the Great Australian Air Race to Sydney that same month, en – route to the east for major overhaul.

10 September 1979      Issued to No. 2 Flight training School at Pearce. Total air frame hours 10033.40 hours.

09 June 1980              To Radio School. Laverton. Victoria for conversion as training aid.

30 June 1980              Flew from East Sale to Laverton at 13028.6 hours total time, and allocated for disposal as per tender document TV500/5/338.

15 January 1986         Sold to Golden West Airways, Queensland

01 December 1987       Sold to Rebel Air, Koomeela, as VH-TMQ

03 December 1987     Arrived at Essendon Airport, ex Laverton still bearing RAAF serial A65-91. Registered to Mezeron Pty Ltd, 84 Bridge Road, Richmond,
                                   Victoria 3121. Aircraft’s last flight for 12 years.

14 March 1988           Painted up with Canadian registration CF-TBA, and used in a ABC television documentary at Essendon Airport.

28 August 1988          Sold to Colbinra Transport of Maitland, NSW 2320. Over the years the aircraft deteriorated at Essendon, so much that the airport
                                  authorities put an order on the aircraft to have it moved off the airport grounds. 

02 June 1995              Sold to John G. Love, operating as splitters Creek Airlines, of “Gnalta” RMB 668, Splitters Creek, NSW 2640, and dismantled for transport to Albury. However the dismantled aircraft was never taken to Albury. Civil Register shows change of ownership for VH-TMQ to Splitters Creek Airlines on this date.

01 July 1996               Sold to Windjammer Promotions Melbourne. Trading as Air Nostalgia.

05 September 1996    Civil Register shows change of ownership on this date to Windjammer Promotions, Post Office Box 297B, Melbourne, 3001.

30 November 1999     Restoration to the aircraft now completed, including engine runs. Aircraft now fitted with 28 upgrade seats, belly mounted digitial camera.Seat – back video screens, etc. Rolled out of Essendon hanger on this day.

31 March 2000           Aircraft test flown by Bob Lane and Dave Beck, after 4 years restoration. It was it’s first flight in 12 years. Air Nostalgia’s Managing Director Robert Fisher had wanted to call the aircraft “My Mortgage” but was talked out of it, and  a compromise name “Myra” – a play on words for “My Mortgage” was used instead.

2000  - Current           Air Nostalgia operated charter and evening flights over Melbourne and Port Phillip Bay, winery visits and wilderness tours and Around Australia Tours from Essendon Airport