VH-KRD  Cessna 185B Skywagon                                     (c/n  185-0576)

                                  

                                       This shot, by Alan Bovelt, was taken at Port Moresby in 1966/    VH-KRD was registered new in
                                       September 1963 to King Ranch Pastoral Company, a subsidiary of the big Texas ranching company,
                                       which purchased a number of Australian properties.         It was sold to STOL Air Services* at Port
                                       Moresby in November 1965, later to STOL Commuters, then Territory Airlines, changing to P2-KRD
                                       in May 1974. 
                                       *  I always thought STOL was a bit of a misnomer for this New Guinea outfit inasmuch as they did not
                                           employ Short Take Off and Landing machines - at least not in the sense that, say, the Pilatus Porter
                                           or DHC-2 Beaver were.  STOL's fleet comprised mainly of Cessnas (310, 336, 185 and 180s) plus
                                           the odd Piper Aztec.