VH-UPU  de Havilland D.H.60X Moth                (c/n  545)

                             

                                  Interesting shot of a Moth with the wings folded (from the John Hopton collection) taken at Essendon,
                                  circa 1937.   VH-UPU was an early Moth supplied to the Royal Australian Air Force in April 1928
                                  as A7-4.   It was released from the service after three years and went on to the civil register in 1931
                                  for the Civil Aviation Branch of the Department of Defence. for loan to the Australian Aero Clubs
                                  Originally destined to form the nucleus of the Bendigo Aero Club it appears to have transferred to the
                                  Royal Victorian Aero Club almost immediately.  It is wearing RVAC rudder stripes in the shot above. 
                                  The rather poor image (below) is from the Geoff Goodall collection, and was probably taken at the
                                  time the aircraft was first civilly registered (possibly as a CofA official image).  VH-UPU crashed in
                                  a forced landing at the Ballarat Showground, Victoria on 18 April 1938 and was written off.  At the
                                  foot of the page is a clipping from the Melbourne Argus of 19 April 1935 illustrating the event.