VH-BMN (1)    Avro 652A Anson 1     

                                 

                                      Papaun Air Transport was a local PNG company founded in 1952.  It flew charter services out
                                      of Port Moresby, up and down the Papuan coast, but especially to Tapini.  Later, regular services
                                      to Madang, Wau and other points  were inaugurated, and the company eventually became known
                                      as Patair.    In all, the company operated ten Ansons over the years.  This shot was taken at Port
                                      Moresby in 1955.  VH-BMN was formerly W2000 with the RAF and RAAF and was damaged
                                      beyond repair (not sure how) sometime later that year.      The photos below, from the Harvey W.
                                      Pryor collection show it at Eagle Farm, circa 1950 whilst it was with short-lived Charter Aviation
                                      Service (Australasia) Ltd of Lae, New Guinea.       It had been purchased in October 1950 from
                                      RAAF Anson conversion specialists Aircraft Disposals Pty Ltd of Mudgee, NSW and has their
                                      trademark pointy streamlined nose design to improve loading and performance (see foot of page
                                      photo).        CAS also purchased Ansons VH-BMO and -BMP which they advertised as "Avro
                                      Feeder Liners" and took over the facilities of the defunct Guinea Air Traders.    But CAS got off
                                      to a disastrous start when, stranded at Port Moresby due weather en route to Lae delivering the
                                      first two Ansons, company founder Reginald W.J.Charlier, who had flown in New Guinea in RAAF
                                      during the war,died in a fist fight at the DCA Aviat Mess at Moresby Airport. The photos of -BMN
                                      below could have been  taken on a ferry flight to and from New Guinea, because it was returned to
                                      Sydney in 1951 when CAS had financial troubles.    In 1954 returned to Port Moresby with Patair,
                                      where I saw it above in 1955.