VH-MWF  Cessna 402                                      (c/n  402-0136)

                                  

                                      VH-MWF was the third of four Cessna 402s bought by Masling Airlines to operate third-level
                                      airline services from its base at Cootamundra.   About this time East West Airlines and Airlines
                                      of NSW were withdrawing their DC-3s leaving smaller towns without air services.  VH-MWF
                                      was delivered in November 1967 and was still in the fleet when Masling went into receivership
                                      in September 1970   The receivers sold –MWF to  Aviation Centre at Bankstown who sold it
                                      to Aeropelican Airlines in 1971 for a commuter air service linking Newcastle Belmont airport
                                      with Mascot.   David Carter’s photo shows the Cessna in full Aeropelican colours at Belmont
                                      in May 1976.           Aeropelican replaced its 402s with Twin Otters starting in the late 1970s.
                                      and –MWF was being operated by North Australian Air Charters, of Townsville, as a freighter
                                      when, on February 26, 1986 it had an uncontrolled engine fire and made an emergency landing
                                      at Rockhampton, where the fire was extinguished     Clearly the damage was not too severe as
                                      seen in Danny Tanners shot of it (below) at Townsville, a couple of months after the incident.
                                      In March 1992, the hard-working 402 was withdrawn from use.