VH-DUA CZL (Let) Aero 145
(c/n 19-012)
Responsibility for production of the Aero 45
was passed over to LET (Letecky Narodny Ponik)
in 1951 by the Czech nationalized Ceskoslovenske Zavody Automobile a
Letecke entity. 142
examples of the improved model 145 were built. Only a few made it
to Australia. One of these
was
VH-DUA seen above at Biggin Hill in May 1960 in this nice shot by Ian
D. Johnson. The
only other shot I have of it* (below, via the Geoff Goodall collection)
was also in the U.K. and
was
taken at Cardiff Rhoose Airport whilst
it was having long range tanks
fitted and also conduct-
ing
demonstration flights for Omnipol, the Czech
national Foreign
Trade Corporation.
Two 145s, VH-
DUA and - DUB were ferried
together after having spent a month in
the U.K.
The pair
were crewed by four Dulmison Aircraft of
Bankstown directors: Phil
Dulhuntly, Peter
Brown (also of
Kingsford Smith Aviation Services and
Yeoman Aviation), B. Robertson
and
A. J. Allen
(of Allen Bros Ashphalting, who owned a series of Beech
aircraft). Among other
adventures
during the ferry flight, the two aircraft were impounded by
West German authorities
when they
inadvertently entered the West German ADIZ and
landed at Amberg, Bavaria.
*VH-DUA had a
short life in
Australia,which is probably why I have no photos of it taken in
Oz.
It
crashed on takeoff at Moorabbin on 12 November 1960 during a
demonstration flight to show
single-engined performance. Sadly
the demonstration pilot was killed.
