VH-KFA (2)
Piper PA-22-150
Tri-Pacer
(c/n 22-5602)
In my first narrative of
this entry I came to the conclusion (incorrectly) that the two apparent
variations of the color hue were due to a
difference in film and possibly filters used by two
photographers. The above image, by Greg Banfield was
taken at Bankstown on 30 Dec
1962, whilst
that below, by John Hopton from The Collection p5555-0467 was at the
same
locale almost a year later in October 1963. A viewer to this
site, Jim Oeffinger*,
points out to
me that the paint jobs are,
in fact, quite different and
that a paint job had obviously taken place
between the taking of the two
shots. The cowling and nose treatment of the later
image, below,
varies considerably
from that of the
original Piper livery above. Based on these
observations
it is entirely possible that the base
color also changed in that ten month period. This aircraft
is
stated, in
DCA records, to be ex N8111D. Interestingly Jim* now owns a
Tri-Pacer N8111D
(c/n 22-6184
registered in Illinois) which was first issued this number a scant six
months after
22-5602. Even for Piper,
that seems like a very quick re-issuing of an N number!
I am
wondering if perhaps the machine arrived as
VH-RSU, its original Australian rego or whether it
was actually painted up as
N8111D when it arrived at Bankstown early in 1958 for the Royal
aero Club of
NSW. . (Most imports of this era
did arrive with their US registrations intact).
Anyway, at the time of these images it was owned by the
Kingsford Smith Flying School, who
evidently installed (or re-installed) the
wheel pants.. It was sold to the
Nepean Flying School
at Camden, NSW in September
1965 and re-registered VH-WKA, which were for initials
of
Wally Knight,
Nepean's CFI. Sold by that club, it finally wound up as
VH-RRD, an identity it
retains to this day.
