VH-UNK  (3)   Piper PA-23-250 Aztec                          (c/n  27-2690)

                                 

                                       VH-UNK arrived in Australia as N5582Y and took up the registration VH-MED in December
                                       1964  . Helicopter Utilities bought it in November 1967 and reregistered it VH-UNK*  . It was
                                       operated by its Airfast division, as shown in David Carter’s photo (above taken at Mascot on
                                       December 12, 1970  .  The Aztec flew out of Rabaul in support of Airfast helicopters and was
                                       eventually sold in PNG and became P2-UNK with Panga Airways in June 1974.     It returned
                                       to Australia in October 1977 as VH-TLC and was still current in December 2016 and with a
                                       Sydney owner

                                       Note:.  The rego change from MED to UNK was when rego changes were supposed to be
                                       banned unless offensive.     At the time Med was well-known brand name of women’s
                                       sanitary product, and hence Helicopter Utilities argued it was embarrassing.  More likely
                                       the real reason was that the company wanted to get it into its VH-UN block.