VH-KTY  Helio H.295 Courier                        (c/n    1430)

                                 

                                        This Helio was ferried from the US (it was N6476V) to its new owner, geologist Tim Russell
                                        arriving at Perth Airport on 26 June 1970, after a marathon leg from Townsville, Queensland
                                        of 18 hours.    Geoff Goodall's shot (above) was taken at Jandakot in July 1975.     Its STOL
                                        performance unfortunately led to several accidents in outback terrain in its first year, and it was
                                        trucked back to Jandakot for rebuild each time!    Tim Russell sold the Helio in Sydney in 1975,
                                        in the meantime using three more conventional aircraft, a Mooney and two Beech 36s. The photo
                                        below by Peter Ricketts, shows -KTY at Bankstown around 1979 after being repainted into an
                                        impressive new color scheme.     It is no longer registered.