VH-USP   British Klemm BK.1 Eagle               (c/n  106)

                                      

                                              Another 'better-than-nothing' image gleaned for me by Graeme Parsons.   This one came
                                              from the Sydney Morning Herald of 29 May 1936.  The caption states:
                                                       'The Klemm Eagle 'plane in which Mr. W.M. O'Hara (inset) crashed and was
                                                        killed at Cadogan station, between Dubbo and Narromine'.*
                                              VH-USP had been imported by Adastra Airways Ltd of Mascot in January 1935.  They
                                              were the Australia agents for British Klemm and sold it the following month to O'Hara,
                                              a New Zeelander whose address was given as Malang, Java NEI.     He named the air-
                                              craft 'Zeelandia', and flew from Richmond to Mangere, New Zealand in October 1935.
                                              To do so he had extra tanks fitted to the Eagle, although these did not meet with CAB's
                                              approval, resulting in their cancelling its CofA.    Notwithstanding O'Hara completed the
                                              flight in 12 hours 47 minutes, although damaged 'Zeelandia' upon landing in the dark when
                                              he struck a fence.  He had the Klemm repaired (by this time the CAB had pulled his licence)
                                              and toured New Zealand in it, still registered VH-USP.  In March 1936 it was re-registered
                                              ZK-AEA.  At the end of April 1936 the Klemm was shipped to Sydney on board the "MV
                                              Monowai", arriving on 5 May 1936.   O'Hara planned to fly the Klemm to Java via Perth.
                                              Unfortunately it crashed on take off from a property near Dubbo, NSW on 24 May 1936,
                                              and O'Hara was killed in the crash
                                              * The Sydney Morning Herald's shot was taken before it went to New Zealand, since, upon
                                               its return to Sydney it was never repainted back to VH-USP (since it had no valid CofA)
                                               and it crashed, therefore, as ZK-AEA.