G-AUFR de Havilland D.H.60
Moth
(c/n 351)

Another Qantas image (above) from the Phil Vabre
collection. The registration looks a little
touched
up.
Imported by Qantas in 1927, this machine was sold to the Civil Air
Branch of
the Dept
of Defence for
loaning out the the Australian Aero Clubs. This one went to the
Queensland
Section. It is seen below as VH-UFR in among a plethora of
other Moths at
an air pageant
at Lismore, NSW in 1931 (courtesy of the Bruce Robinson collection).
On 11 February 1934 it crashed
on the roof of a house in Jurgens Street, South Brisbane. .
At the
bottom of the page is a photo of this accident which appeared in the
next day's Courier
Mail. The
aircraft apparently spun in from some 3000 ft. Fortunately the
old roof gave way,
cushioning the
impact and neither the pilot nor his passenger, nor the inhabitants of
the house
were seriously
injured. Despite the fact that the newspaper report indicates
that VH-UFR was
"totally
destroyed" it was, in fact repaired and by June of 1936 was registered
to Skyways
Australia Ltd,
and based at Archerfield. I believe they did skywriting.
VH-UFR was finally
destroyed
by
fire whilst undergoing overhaul
by Qantas
at Archerfield in 1939.

