VH-ECZ  Republic RC-3 Seabee                                       (c/n  972)

                              

                                  This was the former VH-BBJ, acquired by East Coast Airways in 1962 and registered into their
                                  series in June of that year. In November 1962 it suffered a heavy landing on the Tweed rover, NSW
                                  wherein the hull was holed and the aircraft sank.  By `965 it had evidently been repaired and acquired
                                  by Mr. K. E. Olson, who owned it at the time that Geoff Goodall took the above shot at Camden in
                                  September of that year.   In back was the other Seabee Olson owned, VH-MJO (his wife's initials).
                                  On 13 January 1966, VH-ECZ was wrecked during a forced landing on the grounds of a mental
                                  hospital in the Sydney suburb of Rydalmere, due to fuel starvation on a flight from Coolangatta to
                                  Bankstown.  Fortunately the owner/pilot escaped unhurt.  There may be an irony in here somewhere,
                                  but I'd better not go there!   It was subsequently struck off the register and the remains of it were
                                  noted in a hangar at Tyabb in the new millenium.  Possibly for use as spares for the restoration
                                  of  VH-KNA?