VH-UOG  General Aircraft Genairco                                (c/n 16)

                                          

                                      The General Aircraft Company Ltd was formed in the late 1920s at Mascot, NSW for the purpose
                                      of manufacturing light aircraft of Australian design   Two designs were produced, the Genairco Cabin
                                      and the Genairco Open, also known as the Genairco Moth.  This latter was a conventional single-bay
                                      biplane with the fuselage based on the D.H.60 Moth and the wings based on those of the Avro Avian.
                                      The fuselage, however, was wider than that of the Moth and allowed for two side by side passengers
                                      in the front.         Only 10 Genaircos were built; -11 if you include the seaplane completed by Tugan. 
                                      VH-UOG was delivered on 2 June 1930 with a 105 hp Harkness Hornet engine, which was replaced
                                      five months later with a 130 hp Gipsy Major Mk. II.  Photo No 2, from the Frank Walters collection,
                                      shows the Genairco at Mascot sometime in the early 1930s (no data on the diamond on the rudder).
                                      Image No 3*, taken from an article appearing in the Sydney Morning Herald for 21 November 1930,
                                      shows well the wider forward fuselage.      The caption indicates that the Governor of NSW was hand-
                                      ing over this 'First Australian-built Moth to the Aero Club'   Not true on two counts.  The first Genairco
                                      was VH-UNC and VH-UOG never did see service with the NSW Aero Club.     However, for ribbon
                                      cutting purposes this, clearly, was near enough!          Actually, -UOG later became Goya Henry's well
                                      known aircraft when his legal actions against the Commonwealth resulted in a complete change in adminis-
                                      tering the rules of the air in Australia.   Photos Nos. 4 and 5 from the Hood collection, via the State Library
                                      of NSW show the aircraft when owned by Henry and named 'Jolly Roger'   Item # 6* is an extract from
                                      the Sydney Morning Herald of 28 February 1945 detailing its sale by auction.       390 quid in those days
                                      was a substantial sum.  Clearly Cpl Griffiths was either a man of some means or the RAAF paid its
                                      enlisted men awfully well!   Image No. 7 is from the Geoff Goodall collection and shows VH-UOG in
                                      western NSW during the 1950s.    By 1956 this aircraft was owned by Oscar Roche of Tottenham
                                      NSW,  who also had the Genairco VH-UOD, and he flew it until it was retired in 1964.    It was then
                                      stored at Tottenham until acquired by Joe Drage who transported it to his newly established Drage's
                                      Historic Aircraft Collection on a farm at Wodonga Victoria.   When the Wangaratta City Council, or
                                      forefathers, or whatever, elected to sell off this historic collection of aircraft, VH-UOG was sold to
                                      Roy Fox in NSW who, hopefully, will have it restored to health one of these days!   

                                     *  Newspaper articles researched and unearthed by Graeme Parsons of Sydney.          
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