VH-EDA  Douglas DC-4-1009                (c/n  42917)

                                    

                                             After almost three decades of service with Qantas, this purpose-built DC-4 (as opposed to
                                             being an ex C-54) was sold to Air Express.  It was used mainly on freighter services across
                                             Bass Strait from Essendon, Melbourne to Launceston and Hobart .  For a while it operated
                                             with Kwikasair titling, and was named 'Tasmanian Enterprise'.  It is seen above at Essendon
                                             in October 1977 in this shot by Danny Tanner.  The image below is from the Mike Madden
                                             collection and shows -EDA at Essendon  shortly before the above picture in August 1977.
                                             It was sold in January 1980 to Basler Flight Service ostensibly as N5581T.       In the event,
                                             either in Melbourne or later in its career, it was inadvertently painted up as N5581S, as seen
                                             in Ken  Watson's photo at the foot of the page, taken at Des Moines, Iowa.   It went to Canada
                                             in November 1981, as C-GPFG registered to Calm Air International.   As such it was damaged
                                             beyond repair after under-shooting a landing at Hidden Bay, Saskatchewan on 16 June 1987.