VH-AHB soon after delivery and before it was christened RMA Warrawee. Photo from: State Library of New South Wales

Butler Air Transport publicity photo. Arthur Butler made his tiny home town of Tooraweenah a hub for his airline. Traffic from towns in NSW and southern Queensland fed into the airport for DC-3 services to Sydney. Tooraweenah vanished from the world's airline maps with Butler but was for a while a base for gliding over the Warrumbungle mountains seen in the background of the photo.

This aircraft was first registered in Australia as VH-AHB(5) on 10 December 1976, formerly being N6786S (probably a trade-plate). It's been re-painted since I last photographed it in 2008.

Painted as a memorial to airline pioneer Arthur Butler. VH-NJI was withdrawn from use in 1995. Registration cancelled in 2004. Displayed at the Fleet Air Arm museum at Nowra before being passed to HARS at Parkes. The original VH-AHB was a fixed-gear, Gipsy Queen-powered Heron 1B.

Flown by Jim Broadbent to the UK with a plan to break the UK-Australia solo record. A forced landing in Iraq in October 1938 ended the attempt and Broadbent took VH-AHB back to the UK where he sold it as G-AFDV.

Ex G-AMUK. Payload was found to be inadequate for Butler's services. Returned to the UK register. Rare colour photo.

This 1975-model Sundowner was visiting from its base at nearby Dookie. It was first registered in Australia on 10 December 1976, formerly being N6786S (probably a trade-plate). It's actually VH-AHB(5), the earlier ones being a Leopard Moth, a Heron, a Tiger Moth and a Bell 47.

Aircraft current in 2017