VH-FLB Fletcher FU-24/A4
(c/n 95)
VH-FLB
was the second of the two Fletcher FU-24s operated by GRD Co
of Sydney. It was
formerly ZK-CLT. . VH-FLA was the
other Doug Morrison, who flew these
aircraft, indicates
that basically the aircraft were underpowered
for the workload required of
them, although VH-FLB
had a more powerful
power plant than
-FLA. Even so, in hot weather and under certain loads, the
aircraft had difficulty in climbing
away! They were,
evidently, only interim aircraft until replaced by
Islanders VH-FLD, -FLE and -FLF.
The holding
company for GRD was R&L Holdings Pty Ltd,
so named for the initials of the two founders,
Bob Reckeweg (a
former US Navy WW II fighter pilot
and ex G.M. for both Aero Service Corp of
Philadelphia and Canadian Aero Service Ltd in Ottawa)
and Brian Lenon (formerly with Adastra and
later the
Aero Service Corp agent in Australia) . The
photo above was taken by Merv Prime at
Jandakot,
Perth in April 1969
(via the Geoff Goodall's
collection). A less than outstanding
image
of -FLB from the Barry Maclean collection
appears
below, although it does illustrate the yellow
and silver paint scheme. After two years on survey
work they were both sold and reverted to
agricultural aircraft. At the foot of the page is a photo
by Chris
O'Neill showing -FLB back as an ag machine with Bathurst Pastoral
Airwork in February
1975. Prior to that it had been operated by Pays Air Service at
Scone. It is still currently registered
(to
Lonoaks Pty Ltd of Armidale), CASA referring to it as
an Air Parts (NZ) Ltd FU-24, which,
theoretically, of course, it is. After production of
Fletchers ceased in the US in
1965, Air Parts (NZ)
took
up production. Air Parts was originally formed in 1957 to market
FU-24 parts. AESL
(Aero Engine Services Ltd) and Air Parts
(NZ) merged in 1972 to form NZ
Aerospace Industries
which continued
production of the FU-24 series in
Hamilton. In 1982 NZ
Aerospace went into
receivership, and was
purchased by Agricultural Holdings.
