VH-ANY  Douglas DC-3CS13CG      'Yana'                          (c/n  6172)                        

                                       

                                               Like VH-ANK, there were two VH-ANYs, both named Yana'.  The first was a
                                               C-47A-25-DK (c/n 13612) ex USAAF 42-93674 and it was re-registered almost
                                               immediately after civilianizationas VH-AVK, going to Guinea Airways.   Presumably
                                               the DAT (Directorate of Air Transport, who were assigning war-surplus machines to
                                               various airlines) changed their minds and decided to give the aircraft to Guinea..
                                               It had, therefore, to be re-registered out of the ANA series.

                                              The 'real' VH-ANY, seen above at Essendon in 1948 was an early C-47-DL, (c/n 6172,
                                              ex 41-38713).  Like many of its sister craft it was on the strength of the US 5th Air Force
                                              with the somewhat obscure nose name of "Oregon Caveman No 1'.   It was seconded to
                                              the RAAF as A30-15 with the call sign VHDAA, but soon recoded to A65-1 with the call
                                              sign of VHCTA.  The RAAF renamed it (not surprisingly) 'The Arunta'.  (A rare photograph
                                              of it as VHCTA can be seen on the photograph of VH-UZK.     It was fully civilianized in
                                              October of 1946 and flew with ANA until 1953 when it was sold in French Indo-China as
                                              F-OANH.  It was destroyed in the siege of Dien Bien Phu on 4 March 1954  in the action
                                              which was to become the beginning of the Viet Nam War.