VH-AAW (1)  Fairchild  24C-8E                              (c/n  2817)

                            

                                 Both shots in this entry from the Geoff Goodall collection.  The first VH-AAW was imported in
                                 August 1936 from the US, where it had been NC16356.   It was shipped as cargo on the SS
                                 "City of Manila" and assembled at Essendon for George A. Watkins of Melbourne.       The
                                 above Frank Walters photo was taken at Mascot in 1936.     VH-AAW was the first Fairchild
                                 imported to Australia.  In April 1937 it was sold to Axel Von Goes of Sydney who moved to
                                 England in 1938 to work at the de Havilland Technical School at Hatfield.  He had the Fairchild
                                 shipped to England.    It was seen flying at Croydon Aerodrome on 26 March 1938, and in May
                                 1938 it was struck while parked at Hatfield by a taxying D.H.87.   It became G-AFKW registered
                                  to Van Goes in March 1939. With the outbreak of war, it was impressed into the RAF as BK868.