VH-AAD  (2)  DHC-2 Beaver 1               (c/n  140)

                                 

                                      Aerial Agriculture Pty Ltd at Bankstown was formed in 1952 after the previous largest agricultural
                                      aviation company, Air-Griculture Control Pty Ltd  (who used the VH-PC block for "Pest Control")
                                      was wound up by the bank due to financial woes.  The Manager, Tom Watson, then formed Aerial
                                      Agriculture and it went on to become the largest crop duster/spreader outfit in the 1960s.  It event-
                                      ually took over SuperSpread Pty Ltd at Moorabbin and Robbys Aerial Services in Parafield.  Seen
                                      above is one of its fleet of DHC-2 Beavers.  The above shot was taken by Geoff Goodall at Guyra,
                                      NSW (about 50 km north of Armidale) in July of 1967.   Several of the early Beavers imported into
                                      Australia came from all parts of the world.  This one had been delivered in 1951 to the Government
                                      of Malaya as VR-RBT.  Independence saw it re-registered  9M-ALT  before leaving for Australia
                                      to become VH-SMC.  When acquired by Aerial Agriculture it was re-registered VH-AAL in 1963,
                                      (being the second Beaver to carry that rego).   It finished a rebuild in 1966 following a crash at Big
                                      Hill in the Northern Territory and at that time was re-registered VH-AAD.  Odd, since the next bearer
                                      of VH-AAT (a Bell 206A Jet Ranger) wasn't allotted the markings until 1970. In 1982 it returned to
                                      its native Canada becoming CF-XGH but, oddly, returned to Oz in 1984 as VH-AAD again, regis-
                                      tered to Altair Aviation of Menzies Creek, Victoria.     After passing to Walcha Aviation in the late
                                      1980s, it wound up with Australian Barrier Reef Airlines in 1992 and finally seems to have traded
                                      its agricultural duties for passenger carrying.   A November, 1993 shot of it taken at Cairns, Qld
                                      in those halcyon days appears below.  This image is from the Neil Aird collection.  Finally, in 1998
                                      it again returned to Canada as C-FIAX and is still current.  Neil Aird has several other shots of it in
                                      various guises on his fabulous  "Beaver Tails" website at:
                                                                                   http://www.dhc-2.com/id158.htm