Connellan Airways: DH89 Dragon Rapide VH-AHI


Connellan Airways' DH89A Dragon Rapide VH-AHI at Timber Creek, on the Victoria River in the Kimberley, in 1955. This was one of the stopping places on Connellan's scheduled services, important because of its Police Station.

The ancient Baobab tree in the foreground infringed the very short strip, which was later closed.

This machine (c/n 6633) began life as a Dominie, X7516, in RAF service. After the war it was registered in the UK as G-AHLU. Purchased by Connellan Airways, it was ferried to Australia, arriving in Alice Springs on 8 December 1949. It was re-registered in Australia as VH-AHI on 14 December and served with the Company for nearly nine years, being withdrawn from service at Alice Springs on 13 May 1958 and scrapped.

(Photo: Ian Leslie collection)


See the next in this series on Connellan Airways


Read Ian Leslie's reminiscences of Connellan Airways

Back to the main Items of General Interest index


If this page appears without a menu bar at top and left, click here