VH-USH  British Klemm L.25c-1  Swallow                                 (c/n  24)

                                 
                                                                   
                                    Photographs of this Swallow have been difficult to glean.  The above and below images are from
                                    the Frank Walters collection.  Both are reputed to be in 1934, although that is unlikely, since in the
                                    photo below, the fuselage and rego are in 'reverse' livery and hence this was probably taken when
                                    the aircraft was acquired by Airflite in 1938.  This was the first L.25 to be imported (in November
                                    1934) and its original owner was Adastra Airways Ltd, who were Australian agents for British Klemm.
                                   .VH-USH had various owners in NSW until it was destroyed in a hangar fire at at Orange, NSW on
                                    3 March 1939.
                                    Correspondent, and master sleuth Graeme Parsons unearthed a story in the Sydney Morning Herald
                                    (foot of the page) acknowledging the delivery of the diminutive monoplane.  The rego can in fact, be
                                    discerned in the scratchy photo on the left of the montage.  The caption read as follows:
                                                 "Capt. Follett yesterday demonstrated the capabilities of the first British
                                                  Klemm Swallow monoplane to reach Australia.  He revealed that  the 'plane
                                                  has remarkable rapid climbing facilities.  The picture on the right was secured
                                                  by a 'Herald' photographer from an Adastra plane".
                                   Below is the clipping from the newspaper describing the aircraft's abilities.  135 German designed
                                   Klemm L.25s were built by the British Klemm Aeroplane Co. at London Air Park, at Hanworth
                                   (in what was then Middlesex).   A half dozen or so made it to Australia.