VH-ALF  Fairchild 24W41A Argus II                        (c/n  339)
                          
                             

                               This Fairchild 24 has a similar history to VH-AKZ except that this machine is still flying. This aircraft
                               was built with the USAAC serial of 42-32134, and was shipped as part of the Lend Lease program
                               to the U.K. becoming FK330.  In 1948 it was civilianized as G-AKJL.  It was first registered in
                               Australia in July, 1951.   It is seen above at Bankstown in 1955.  Now. interestingly, the site at
                                                              http://home.att.net/~jbaugher/1942_2.html
                               states that it was returned to the USA in 1947.  That being the case, did the USA state that they
                               didn't want it, and return it to the U.K. again?  If not, how then did it get to be registered in the
                               the U.K. in 1948?   Or maybe it WAS to have been returned but did not.  Clarification, anyone? 
                               When Geoff Goodall saw it (below) at Lithgow, NSW in May 1973 it was wearing a slightly more
                               attractive livery!   Finally Barry Maclean provides a fairly contemporary shot of it (below), all decked
                               out (naturally) in "war bird"  livery, taken at an air show at Avalon, Victoria.  Incidentaly, since this
                               machine was an  Argus I with the RAF it is extremely unlikely that it ever bore USAAF markings