VH-FDM  Cessna 180A Skywagon                                (c/n 50290)

                               

                                   This Royal Flying Doctor Service (W.A. Region) Cessna was a long way from home when seen in
                                   the hangar at Parafield, Adelaide in March 1963 by Rod Adam (image via Geoff Goodall).  It was
                                   probably in on a patient evacuation flight.      Nowadays a much slicker turbo prop machine would
                                   doubtless be operated, such as the current -FDM, which is a Pilatus PC-12.     . This VH-FDM, a
                                   1958 model 180A, was assigned the US rego N5390D, although it may have come straight to
                                   Australia from the Wichita production line.    It was sold to the Australian Inland Mission in March
                                   1971, and written off on 10 December 1973 when it ground looped on a strip ten miles out of
                                   Carnarvon, WA.         The color shot below is by RFDS pilot Don Ende (via Geoff Goodall) and
                                   shows -FDM at Meekatharra WA in 1959 outside the RFDS hangar.