ADASTRA AERIAL SURVEYS

Issue	Date	Remarks
11	18OCT04	Several additions extracted from Department of Civil Aviation files in the National Archives of Australia by Geoff Goodall. All are annotated "DCA files" in the above chronology,
10	14JUL04	Several additions, all attributed to National Archives of Canada via Doug Morrison.
9	10JUL04	Several additions, all attributed to David Legg.
8	27APR04	Added a reference to the removal of the floats in 1958 thanks to Les Snape.
7	13SEP03	Added six new images thanks to Bob Love.
6	16JUN03	Added extra detail of Canadian military service received from Jerry Vernon via Doug Morrison.
5	07JUN03	Added a reference to the further use of experimental marks CF-GKI-X from July 1954 to September 1954. Thanks to David Legg. Clarified the reference to the 1953 Kikori River survey. Doug Morrison has pointed out that the Kikori River was the base for the operation and that the survey was conducted over a much wider area than the river itself. Also added a reference to TAA's date of purchase. Also added reference to radio unserviceability in 1944 and airframe hours in 1947 thanks to Doug Morrison.
4	18MAY03	Added further details of the aircraft's survey career thanks to Doug Morrison.
3	15MAY03	Corrected the aircraft type from PBV-1A to Canso A and also added details of its RCAF service. Thanks to Ragnar Ragnarsson and Doug Morrison.

	Built by Canadian Vickers at Cartierville, Quebec.
20MAR44	Brought on charge by the RCAF with the serial number 11055. Known in RCAF service as a Canso A. Stored in reserve with Eastern Air Command.
02MAY44	With Eastern Air Command (Western Hemisphere Operations).
15MAY44	From this date served with No. 5 (Bomber Reconnaissance) Squadron at Torbay, Yarmouth, Dartmouth, Mont Joli, Sydney and Gaspe.
04JUN44	Unserviceable for patrol duties due to faulty radio. Restricted to local flying only.
28SEP44	Allotted to No. 4 Repair Depot (Scoudouc, near Moncton, New Brunswick) for major inspection.
03JUN45	Last operational flight was out of Sydney, Nova Scotia to look for a missing Ventura. (Source: David legg)
14JUN45	Placed in storage.
11JUL45	Stored in reserve with Eastern Air Command.
	With No. 6 Reserve Equipment Maintenance Unit at Mont Joli, PQ.
	With Reserve Equipment Maintenance Satellite, Mt. Pleasant, Prince Edward Island. REMS was a sub-unit of No. 6 REMU.
23JAN46	Awaiting disposal at REMS, Mt. Pleasant.
26JUN47	Time Since New 940:25 hours. Fitted with R-1830-92 engines s/n 350334/20110 and s/n A79812/20261.
27JUN47	Struck off charge by the RCAF and issued to War Assets Corp. for disposal.
30DEC48	Sold for $15,000 by The Babb Company (Canada) Ltd of Montreal to Photographic Survey Co Ltd of Toronto (a wholly owned Hunting subsidiary in Canada). At this time the aircraft was located in St. John, Quebec. (Source: David Legg)
21MAR49	A series of book transfers resulted in the aircraft being owned by Kenting Aviation Ltd (a Hunting associate company).
13AUG49	Registered CF-GKI-X to Kenting Aviation Ltd, Toronto, Ontario. Survey modifications had been carried out by Weston Aircraft Ltd. In the Experimental category, the aircraft was limited to daytime VFR and operation as a landplane up to a max weight of 30,500 pounds. (Source: David Legg)
11MAR51	CofA. Total Time 2448.15 hours.
04DEC52	CofA. Total Time 3825.50 hours.
08DEC52	Departed Oshawa for Montreal. (Source: David Legg)
14DEC52	Departed Montreal en route to Papua on survey work for Aeromagnetic Surveys Ltd. on behalf of Anglo-Iranian Oil Co. Canadian Dept of Transport records show the routing as Oshawa-Azores-Portugal-Cyprus-Baghdad-Pakistan-India-Burma-Malaya-Singapore-Java-Darwin-Papua New Guinea. The planned crew was Bill Howes (captain), R. Pettus (co-pilot), C.C. Fisher (navigator), P.E. Birchall (wireless operator), K. Mitchell (engineer) and H.J. Sandau, J.R. Gray and I.Hedges (magnetometer operators). (Source: David Legg)
08JAN53	Overnighted Darwin. This was the aircraft's first visit to Australia.
09JAN53	Arrived at Port Moresby, PNG. Actual routing had been Gander-Azores-Gibraltar-Malta-Beirut-Baghdad-Karachi-Calcutta-Singapore-Surabaya-Darwin. (Source: David Legg)
13JAN53	Commenced an aeromagnetic survey from a base on the Kikori River, Papua.
13MAR53	Completed the aeromagnetic survey from the Kikori River, Papua.
08JUL53	Ferried through Croydon, U.K.
16JUL53	Ferried through Dublin, Ireland.
06OCT53	CofA. Total Time 4879 hours.
JUL54	The aircraft again carried the experimental markings CF-GKI-X until September 1954.
AUG56	Adastra technicians undertook electronics equipment familiarisation with Photographic Survey Co/Kenting Aviation at Toronto and Kapuskasing. (Source: Ken Richards)
18SEP56	Application to ferry aircraft to Australia and requesting approval for a once only take-off from Gander (to the Azores) at 2,440 pounds in excess of certified gross weight. The request was approved three days later. (Source: DoT, National Archives of Canada, Microfilm Roll T.7502 via Doug Morrison)
24SEP56	Sold to Hunting Aero Surveys Ltd., Boreham Wood, Herts., U.K.
OCT56	Ferried from Canada to Sydney.
07NOV56	Registration Application by Adastra Hunting Geophysics Pty Ltd. (Source: DCA files)
16NOV56	Registered VH-AGB to Adastra Hunting Geophysics, Sydney, NSW. CofR No 2868. CofA issued same day. (Source: DCA files)
24NOV56	Adastra pilot, Ted McKenzie, commenced conversion training on the Catalina. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
15OCT57	Test flown at Mascot after CofA renewal. (Source: DCA files)
58	The wing tip floats were removed to reduce weight and thus enable the uplift of extra fuel. At the same time, some of the controls were removed from the pylon. (Source: Les Snape, March 2004)
01JUN59	Test flown at Mascot by Ken Rowlands after CofA renewal. (Source: DCA files)
29JUN59	A letter in Canadian DoT files bearing this date refers to "the sale of GKI to Hunting Aero Surveys Ltd. Boreham Wood, Herts on the 24 Sep 56. Registered as VH-AGB. The Canadian certificates had been left with the aircraft. Kenting inquired with Adastra Airways Pty Ltd present owners of VH-AGB, but there was no sign of the missing documents. Deletion from CCAR recommended." (Source: DoT, National Archives of Canada, Microfilm Roll T.7502 via Doug Morrison)
01JUN60	CofA expired. (Source: DCA files)
08JUN62	Change of ownership to Trans Australia Airlines, Melbourne, Vic. Parked at Bankstown, NSW and used as a source of spares for TAA's Catalina VH-SBV. (Source: DCA files)
09MAR66	Sold to Australian Aircraft Sales Pty Ltd. (Source: DCA files - see 01MAY67)
12MAY66	Struck off Australian Register.
01MAY67	DCA Internal Memo: TAA have advised that AGB & SBV have both been sold to Australian Aircraft Sales Pty Ltd, effective dates being 15.3.66 for SBV on the slipway at Port Moresby and 9.3.66 for AGB "fuselage located at Bankstown Aerodrome". AAS agree to remove AGB within 40 days of sale and are liable for any storage charges after 9.3.66 imposed by Hawker deHavilland or DCA. "Hawker deHavilland is being pressed by DCA to remove AGB from the aerodrome" (Source: DCA files)
04MAY67	Broken up at Bankstown by Garthon Scrap Metals of Caringbah.