VH-URC  Stinson SR-7B Reliant                                    (c/n  9669)

                                    

                                        This poor image (via Geoff Goodall) is in the "better than nothing" category.  I have an equally poor
                                        one of it being loaded into the Junkers G.31go VH-URQ.    It was purchased, new, in June 1936
                                        by Guinea Airways Ltd along with VH-UGC (c/n 9668).  FOB price ex Wayne, Michigan was
                                        3,500 quid each.  Not cheap, even by 1936 standards, but then, you were getting a truly deluxe
                                        and rugged machine.   Both were shipped to Sydney from the factory, transferred to another ship
                                        for New Guinea and assembled at Lae.    VH-URC didn't last long, being wrecked in the early
                                        morning of 28 August 1937 at Wau when it took off in fog and was unable to outclimb a hillside
                                        and struck a  native wooden house at full power.  A native in the house was killed and the pilot
                                        W. J. Robins seriously injured.