VH-SCO  Auster J/5 Adventurer (+ later Mod)               (c/n  2806)

                                  

                                         Above is Agricultural Aviation Pty Ltd of Brisbane's "Prairie Flower" in its original modification
                                         as a crop duster still with its Gipsy Major.at Rockhampton in 1962.   The fuselage fabric surfaces
                                         were metallised, and a hopper installed behind the pilot.    Photo by David Johnson via the Geoff
                                         Goodall collection.    Below it is seen at Archerfield in December 1975 in a hangar shot by Mike
                                         Viuncent (via the Geoff Goodall collection) in a highly modified form      Originally imported as
                                         VH-KSG through the KSAS dealership, it was re-registered VH-DDX in 1955 to the Darling
                                         Downs Aero Club .After sustaining fairly heavy damage in a  crash at Talwood, Queensland in
                                         August 1959 it was rebuilt by Agricultural Aviation at Archerfield in 1962 as a specialised grass
                                         seeder with internal hopper and metalized fuselage covering, although with the original Gipsy I
                                         engine, as above.  During 1965 Ag Av took it back into their hangar at Archerfield for further
                                         mods, fitting a 190 hp Lycoming and deepening the fuselage to look more like an Autocar.
                                         VH-SCO was retired by Ag Av and struck off the register in January 1975.  The photo below
                                         shows it stored in their Archerfield hangar pending disposal.  The color image at the foot of the
                                         page, from the CAHS collection, depicts it somewhat earlier in 1970.       VH-SCO was later
                                         acquired by a private owner in Sydney and restored to the register in December 1986, retaining
                                         the Lycoming engine.  It crashed again on 16 May 1987 at Greta NSW.