VH-ADL (3)    Bristol 170 Mk 31M Freighter                   (c/n  13193)

                           

                               This is the Mark 31 Freighter as evidenced by the dorsal fin. (It also has windows in the nose
                               doors).  It was built for, and operated by, the Pakistani Air Force as S4438 before being
                               civilianized as AP-AMD.  It was imported into Australia in 1962 ostensibly to run freight
                               services for IPEC, a Melbourne based cargo outfit, but at the time was denied landing rights
                               in the State of Victoria (political issue).   The above photograph was taken by Richard Maclean
                               at Essendon.  Greg Banfield's photo (immediately below) was taken at Mascot in December
                               1962 when the Bristol was operated by Pacific Aviation.  Below that is a shot from the Peter
                               Gates collection, taken at Archerfield, Brisbane probably in the 1960s, when it was all decked
                               out in AEI/Mayne Nickless livery.   It then went to Air Express, as seen in Greg Banfield's shot
                               # 4 at Mascot in July 1968.  VH-ADL is now in the "junkyard" at the Australian National Aviation
                               Museum at Moorabbin, having previously been part of the ill-fated Wangaratta Airworld collection.
                               It was hoped to restore it, but funding at the Moorabbin museum is virtually non existent, and so
                               here the poor thing languishes, as seen in the Ken Watson shot at the foot of the page, circa 2006.
                               For more history on VH-ADL go to:
                                                                        http://www.aarg.com.au/freighter.htm