VH-ANH    'Tullana'                     c/n  4120

                             Essendon  1953

                            This aircraft was a "true" DC-3 (as opposed to a converted C-47A) and was built as NC33657
                             for American Airlines in 1941.  In the event the US Government intervened and the machine was
                             immediately drafted into the USAAF as a C-50-DO, with serial number 41-7698.  It joined the
                             5th Air Force in 1942 (South East Asia theatre) and was loaned to No. 36 Sqdn, RAAF with the
                             call sign VHCDJ.  Note, the absence of  the dash. It had the name 'Waltzing Mathilda' at this time
                             (later changed to 'Winnie')  In 1944 it was released for use in the civilian airline contract courier
                             service and went to Guinea Airways.  Oftentimes ADAT (Allied Directorate of Air Transport - the
                             air transportation agency during the war) aircraft operated with a dash in the call sign, in this case
                             making it VH-CDJ and looking for all the world like a civil registration. However, they were still
                             military call signs and not true civilian regos, even if they looked like they were. Guinea Airways
                             operated it in support of  the war effort and it probably remained in camouflage during this period.
                             It was properly civilianized in 1946, brought back to full DC-3 status, and given the registraton
                             VH-ANH.  It passed to the Ansett-ANA fleet when Ansett took over ANA in 1957, and went to
                             subsidiaries Airlines of Australia in 1961, to Victorian Air Coach Services in 1963 and to Airlines
                             of NSW in 1966.  VH-ANH has been restored and is currently on display at the Australian
                             National Aviation Museum at Moorabbin Airport, just south of the city of Melbourne.
                             On a seperate page are more photographs of this aircraft.