VH-AGF


Type: Percival P.50 Prince
MSN: P50/43
Previous Identities: G-AMLW
YV-P-AEB
G-AMLW
Subsequent Identities: G-AMLW
F-BJAI
G-AMLW
F-BJAI
VP-KRN
F-BJAI


History:

23NOV51 Registered G-AMLW to Shell Refining & Marketing Co. Ltd. as a Prince Series 3. The aircraft was one of five Princes ordered by Shell.
26MAY52 British CofA and CofR (No. A3471) issued.
JUN52 Registered in Venezuela as YV-P-AEB to Shell (Venezuela).
18JUN52 Delivered through Prestwick as YV-P-AEB.
03JUL52 British registration cancelled. Registered to Compania Shell de Venezuela same day.
FEB54 By this time, the aircraft had returned to Luton crated (along with YV-P-AEC).
10MAR54 Registered to Shell Refining & Marketing Co. as G-AMLW (CofR No R.3471/2). Now a Prince Series 3E.
21MAY54 Registration cancelled.
27MAY54 Registered G-AMLW (CofR No. R.3471/3) to Hunting Aerosurveys Ltd., Elstree as a Prince Series 4 (Alvis Leonides 503/5). The aircraft became known to Hunting crews as "Loose Willy".
DEC54 Ferried from Elstree to Sydney. Crew: Bob Keeling (Pilot), Derek Middleton (Engineer) and Al Palmer (Electronics Technician/Operator). (Source: Doug Morrison)
DEC54 Flew a regional magnetometer survey of the Sydney Basin for Australian Oil and Gas Corp. The survey was flown by the U.K. crew at an altitude of 4,000 feet. (Source: Doug Morrison)
55 In the first part of 1955, G-AMLW and its U.K. crew flew a couple of surveys for the South Australia Department of Mines in the Olary region of South Australia, but from a base at Broken Hill in NSW. The contract consisted of approximately 6,000 miles at 500 feet. (Source: Doug Morrison)
55 After the Broken Hill basing, the aircraft moved to Port Lincoln and Kimba on the Yorke Peninsula for another survey for the SADM. Probably other work was done in the area by the U.K. based Hunting crew. (Source: Doug Morrison)
APR55 Ted McKenzie of Adastra converted on to the Prince at Port Lincoln. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
MAY55 Ted McKenzie was exclusively the pilot for the next eighteen months or so. The following entries were drawn from his log book:
Based NSW central coast. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
JUN55 Kiriwina, Papua New Guinea. Survey of Woodlark Island. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
JUL55 Gulf of Carpentaria. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
AUG55 Longreach area of Queensland. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
OCT55 Winton area of Queensland. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
NOV55 Broken Hill, NSW. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
DEC55 Mount Gambier, SA. Pinnaroo-Naracoorte area. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
JAN56 A camera test was followed by approximately 8 hours of photo survey. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
FEB56 Whyalla-Middleback Range, SA. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
MAR56 Adelaide area. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
APR56 Adelaide area. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
MAY56 Adelaide area. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
JUN56 Smithton, Tasmania. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
JUL56 Smithton, Tasmania. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
AUG56 Smithton, Tasmania. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
SEP56 Cloncurry, Queensland. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
OCT56 Cloncurry, Queensland. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
NOV56 Smithton, Tasmania. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
13NOV56 Ted McKenzie flew the aircraft as G-AMLW Sydney-Camden-Sydney. The aircraft did not fly again until 12FEB57. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
13NOV56 Registration G-AMLW cancelled. (Source: British CAA website G-INFO)
  Given that the Prince was operated in Australia marked as G-AMLW until it was registered VH-AGF on 24JUN57, it would appear that it was operated unregistered from 13NOV56 until 24JUN57. (Source: British CAA website G-INFO)
12FEB57 Test flown as G-AMLW by Ted McKenzie and Ken Stredwick. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
FEB57 Flown on survey ops in South Australia and Tasmania as G-AMLW. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
MAR57 Ted McKenzie endorsed Gordon Taylor on the Prince. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
APR57 Ted McKenzie endorsed Ken Rowlands on the Prince. A survey at Ceduna, SA followed. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
07APR57 Ted McKenzie's last flight in the Prince as G-AMLW. At this point he left the aircraft in Ceduna with Ken Rowlands. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
15MAY57 Registration application by Adastra Hunting Geophysics Pty Ltd, Sydney: signed by Jack McDonald. (NAA via G. Goodall)
24JUN57 CofR issued to Adastra Hunting Geophysics, Mascot as VH-AGF.
JUL57 Adastra request that DCA add Prince VH-AGF to their airwork licence. (Source: NAA via Geoff Goodall)
14JAN58 The Prince was test flown by Ted McKenzie. This was his first flight in the aircraft as VH-AGF. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
JUL58 Letter to DCA from Adastra Hunting Geophysics Pty Ltd: "This company carries out survey operations with electronic equipment designed to investigate the physical properties of the ground over which the aircraft flies. Generally this equipment is satisfactorily effective at heights of 500-600 feet at which the aircraft have in the past operated. Later trends in these methods of investigation however indicate that it would be more effective to operate at lower heights with our present equipment." Request approval to operate at 200 feet AGL. DCA approve the request but add a proviso that the Crown Solicitor warns that the company will be liable for any legal action that might be taken by persons on the ground. (Source: NAA via Geoff Goodall)
AUG58 Ted McKenzie flew a survey in Tasmania with Mike Kellaway and Jim Hilferty. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
JAN59 Ted McKenzie and Ken Rowlands flew an altitude test in the Prince to 20,000 feet. (Source: Ted McKenzie)
  The Prince was fitted with a belly opening with two hinged doors (photo). This opening was used by the 35mm tracking camera. It was never used by Adastra for streaming a magnetometer bird as has been reported previously. The only magnetometer used on the Prince by Adastra was the one fitted in the extreme rear fuselage under the rudder. (Source: Joe Tidey)
26JAN59 The Prince departed Sydney for the U.K. as VH-AGF, crewed by Ken Rowlands (Captain), Joe Tidey (Navigator) and Jim Hilferty (Engineer). The routing of the ferry flight was:
Sydney, St. George, Charleville, Cloncurry, Daly Waters, Darwin, Timor, Bali, Java, Singapore, Penang, Bangkok, Rangoon, Calcutta, New Delhi, Karachi, Junnani, Masirah, Sallahla, Riyan, Aden, Asmara, Port Sudan, Wadi-Halfa, Cairo, Tobruk, Benghazi, Malta, Ajaccio, Nice, Lyon, Southend. (This routing is drawn from Ken Rowlands' account of the flight.
See "The Prince Went to London").
03FEB59 Noted at Masirah on its ferry flight from Australia to the U.K. Reported as VH-AGF. (see below)
26FEB59 Arrived at Southend, U.K. Reported as G-AMLW. (see above)
26FEB59 Struck off the Australian Register.
02MAR59 Registered G-AMLW to Hunting Aerosurveys Ltd., Elstree as a Prince Series 4 (CofR No. R.3471/4). (Source: British CAA website G-INFO)
17MAR59 Registration G-AMLW cancelled. (Source: British CAA website G-INFO)
17MAR59 Registered to Societe Anonyme de Prospection Aeroportee, Le Bourget, Paris as F-BJAI. SAPA were an associate company of Hunting.
20MAR59 BV check at Le Bourget. Total Time 2499 hours.
(BV = Bureau Veritas, the French airworthiness authority).
21MAR59 CofA states Prince Series 6.
14JUN59 To 17JUN59 Petroleum survey (mag and radiation) in southern France based at Perpignan with Bob Keeling. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
22JUN59 To 25JUN59 Survey (mag, radiation & electro-mag) of the Rio Tinto area. Based at Seville, Spain in company with Prince F-BJAJ (Keith Cannon). (Source: Jacques Péguret)
27JUN59 Both Princes positioned to Le Bourget, Paris. F-BJAI remained in Paris for Jacques Péguret's training with Keith Cannon. F-BJAJ returned to England with Bob Keeling. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
13JUL59 F-BJAI positioned from Paris to Elstree (Hunting base). (Source: Jacques Péguret)
JUL59 Adastra advise DCA that an airwork licence for VH-AGF is no longer required. (Source: NAA via Geoff Goodall)
16SEP59 BV check at Le Bourget. Total Time 2788 hours.
30MAR60 Registered G-AMLW to Hunting Surveys Ltd., Elstree as Prince Series 6. (CofR No. R.3471/5).
16JUN60 Registration G-AMLW cancelled.
16JUN60 Registered F-BJAI to SAPA, Le Bourget, Paris.
24JUN60 BV check at Le Bourget. Total Time 2806 hours.
24JUN60 To 09JUL60 Survey in Brittany, France based at Rennes with Francois Schwartz and Jacques Péguret in F-BJAI. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
07AUG60 To 22AUG60 Survey (mag and radiation) in Anjou, France based at Nantes in F-BJAI. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
24SEP60 F-BJAI (Francois Schwartz) and F-BJAJ (Jacques Péguret) departed Paris, Le Bourget to Bobo-Dioulasso (Upper Volta, now Burkina-Faso) via Barcelona, Tangiers, Casablanca, Las Palmas, Port-Etienne (now Nouadhibou) Dakar and Bamako. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
27SEP60 Seen at Dakar.
28SEP60 Arrived at Bobo-Dioulasso. Both aircraft commenced a survey (mag, radiation & electro-mag). (Source: Jacques Péguret)
16OCT60 Transit to Ouagadougou (capital of Upper-Volta) for a survey. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
07DEC60 Transit to Khorogo (northern Ivory Coast) for a survey. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
17DEC60 Seen at Ouagadougou. Total Time 3170 hours.
02FEB61 Transit to Bouake (centre of Ivory Coast) for a survey. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
27FEB61 Transit to Abidjan for a survey. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
02APR61 Transit to Toussus-Le-Noble via Bamako, Dakar, Port-Etienne, Las Palmas, Casablanca, Seville and Biarritz. (F-BJAJ returned to the U.K.) (Source: Jacques Péguret)
17APR61 Survey (mag and radiation) in Brittany in F-BJAI (Jacques Péguret) based at Rennes. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
22APR61 Transit to Toussus-Le-Noble and the U.K. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
02MAY61 Seen at Southend.
27MAY61 SAPA Princes F-BJAI (light blue, red trim, white top) and F-BJAJ (silver with red trim) were noted inside the Field Aircraft Services hangar at Wymeswold, Leicestershire. (Source: David Peace)
JUL61 F-BJAI (R. "Monty" Burton) and F-BJAJ (Jacques Péguret) departed the U.K. for Entebbe (Uganda) via Paris, Nice, Malta, Benghazi, Cairo, Luxor, Khartoum and Juba. On arrival at Entebbe, both Princes were re-registered (F-BJAI became VP-KRN and F-BJAJ became VP-KNN) and Monty Burton and Jacques Péguret had to sit for East African licences. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
17JUL61 Seen at Luqa, Malta in company with SAPA Prince F-BJAJ.
61 French registration cancelled. French export CofA No. 23670 issued for export to Kenya.
17JUL61 Re-registered VP-KRN to Hunting Aerosurveys (East Africa) Ltd., Nairobi, Kenya.
25JUL61 To 15SEP61 Survey (mag, radiation & electro-mag) at Kasese (West Uganda at the foot of the Ruwenzori Mountains). (Source: Jacques Péguret)
19SEP61 To 28NOV61 Survey (mag & radiation) at Soroti (centre of Uganda). (Source: Jacques Péguret)
20SEP61 Seen at Nairobi.
29NOV61 To 11DEC61 Survey (mag & radiation) at Gulu (centre of Uganda). (Source: Jacques Péguret)
06DEC61 Registration VP-KRN cancelled.
DEC61 Registered F-BJAI to SAPA, Le Bourget, Paris.
18DEC61 Repainted as F-BJAI at Nairobi.
20DEC61 Departed to West Africa.
23DEC61 Both Princes (R. Boucherot and Jacques Péguret) arrived at Ouagadougou from Entebbe via Juba, El Obeid, El Geneina, Fort-Lamy and Kano. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
29DEC61 To 13MAR61 Survey (mag, radiation & electro-mag) in Upper-Volta. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
06JAN62 BV check at Ouagadougou.
MAR62 Both Princes returned to Elstree via Bamako, Dakar, Port-Etienne, Las Palmas, Casablanca, Seville, Biarritz and Paris. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
APR62 Photographed at Elstree, UK with SAPA titles.
APR62 To SEP62 both aircraft undertook test flying of new equipment in the U.K. and France. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
25SEP62 BV check at Toussus. Total Time 4210 hours.
07OCT62 F-BJAI (Jacques Péguret) departed for Grossetto, Italy. The aircraft experienced a very bad engine failure (the port engine main rod collapsed suddenly) between Vichy and Nice on this day. The engine was changed at Nice. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
17OCT62 Nice to Grossetto for a photo survey of the Ortebello peninsula. A photo mosaic was produced to enable navigation during a magnetic survey. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
29OCT62 Arrived at Elstree via Nice, Toussus le Noble and Luton. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
21DEC62 Jacques Péguret flew F-BJAI from Field Aviation at Wymeswold (U.K.) where it had been undergoing a Check 3 to Preston and then back to Wymeswold. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
29DEC62 Jacques Péguret flew F-BJAI from Wymeswold to Luton where the aircraft was grounded by a terrible blizzard which struck England. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
07JAN63 Jacques Péguret in F-BJAI was the first to depart Luton after the blizzard and "took-off between two walls of snow". Destination was Libreville, Gabon via Toussus, Perpignan, Barcelona, Rabat, El Aaiun, Port-Etienne (now Nouadhibou), Dakar, Bamako, Ouagadougou, Cotonou and Douala. This was a magnetic and scintillometric survey based at Libreville (two days) and at Lamberene until 15FEB63. At Lamberene, the crew Jacques Péguret and Georges Lissart, met Doctor Schweitzer in his hospital. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
11JAN63 BV check at Toussus.
16FEB63 At Makokou until 23MAR63. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
24MAR63 At Bitam until 09APR63 followed by a two-day survey job in the Moanda region before returning to Libreville. The aircraft then returned to Toussus-Le-Noble via Douala, Lome, Ouagadougou, Bamako, Dakar, Villa Cisneros, Las Palmas, Rabat, Seville, Biarritz. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
25APR63 F-BJAI flew to Southend then Elstree. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
04MAY63 Jacques Péguret flew F-BJAI from Elstree to Southend and Toussus. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
10MAY63 From Toussus to Strasbourg (Jacques Péguret and M. Delaloy) for a magnetic and scintillometric survey in the Strasbourg area for two days. The aircraft then positioned to Cuers (near Toulon, France) until 14JUN63. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
15JUN63 From Cuers to Dijon for a survey until 21JUN63. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
21JUN63 From Dijon to Toussus then Leavesden. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
06JUL63 BV check at Toussus. Total Time 4579 hours.
AUG63 Photographed at Elstree, UK with SAPA titles.
22AUG63 Jacques Péguret and M. Delaloy flew F-BJAI from Leavesden to Saint Nazaire, France (near Nantes) for an off-shore magnetic survey of the Atlantic Ocean until 06SEP63. Navigation was by Doppler. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
17SEP63 Jacques Péguret and Georges Lissart departed from Toussus in F-BJAI for Marrakech (Morocco) via Perpignan, Seville and Casablanca. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
22SEP63 To 30OCT63 Based at Marrakech on magnetic and scintillometric survey. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
01NOV63 To 16NOV63 Based at Agadir on magnetic and scintillometric survey. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
17NOV63 To 12DEC63 Based at Casablanca on magnetic and scintillometric survey. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
17JAN64 Arrived at Leavesden via France. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
05APR64 To 18APR64 F-BJAI conducted a lot of equipment testing in the U.K. and France. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
06APR64 BV check at Toussus.
20APR64 Jacques Péguret flew F-BJAI from Leavesden to Newcastle and Inverness, Scotland for a magnetic survey for Hunting until 17JUN64. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
Hunting Surveys' Prince F-BJAI did a 3 month geophysical survey of Skye, Uist & Benbecula in Scotland, towing a magnetometer. Replaced after several months by Dakota G-AMYW. (Source: Air-Britain)
19MAY64 Flew from Paris to Inverness via Aberdeen.
12JUL64 F-BJAI with Jacques Péguret and M. Delaloy departed for Antananarivo (Madagascar) via Nice, Cagliari, Malta, Benghazi, Cairo, Wadi-Halfa, Khartoum, Juba, Entebbe, Dar-Es-Salaam, Moroni. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
13JUL64 BV check at Toussus. Total Time 5136 hours.
21JUL64 Arrived Antananarivo for a magnetic and scintillometric survey. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
24JUL64 To 16SEP64 Based at Manakara. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
19SEP64 To 30SEP64 Based at Ihosy. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
02OCT64 To 01NOV64 Based at Farafangana. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
02NOV64 To 04NOV64 Based at Morondava. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
17NOV64 Departed Antanarivo for Toussus-Le-Noble via Moroni, Dar-Es-Salaam, Nairobi, Entebbe, Juba, Khartoum, Luxor, Mersa-Matruh, Benghazi, Malta, Cagliara, Nice. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
24NOV64 Arrived at Toussus. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
30NOV64 Departed Toussus for Southend and Leavesden. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
21JAN65 F-BJAI with Jacques Péguret departed Leavesden for Southend and Toussus. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
26JAN65 BV check at Toussus.
27JAN65 Departed for Coulommiers (east of Paris) for tests of new equipment. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
10MAR65 Returned to Leavesden. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
25MAR65 To 31MAR65 F-BJAI with Jacques Péguret conducted tests of all equipment including DECCA at Leavesden. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
27MAR65 Seen at Leavesden, U.K.
01APR65 Departed Leavesden for Newcastle and Wick to continue a Scottish contract begun in Spring 1964. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
01APR65 Seen at Newcastle, U.K.
02APR65 To 02JUL65 Based at Wick on survey over the Atlantic and North Sea. Occasional stopovers at Stornoway, Kirkwall, Aberdeen etc. Navigation with DECCA. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
04JUL65 To 05AUG65 Based at Sumburgh, Shetland Islands. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
06AUG65 Returned to Wick. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
09AUG65 Returned to Leavesden. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
15SEP65 To 01OCT65 Tests of magnetometer etc in France. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
06OCT65 Returned to Leavesden. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
20OCT65 F-BJAI with Jacques Péguret departed Leavesden for Nicosia, Cyprus via Luton, Montpellier, Naples, Brindisi and Athens. Accompanied by Prince G-AMLZ (Julian Zuromski) which was leased by Hunting to replace F-BJAJ which was nearing the end of its life. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
24OCT65 Both aircraft arrived in Nicosia to commence a Hunting contract for magnetic, scintillometric and electro-mag survey. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
14NOV65 Both aircraft departed Nicosia for Mwanza, Tanzania on the south shore of Lake Victoria for a magnetic, scintillometric and electro-mag survey. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
18NOV65 Both aircraft arrived Mwanza via Cairo, Aswan, Khartoum, Juba and Entebbe. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
18DEC65 Both aircraft departed Mwanza for Entebbe and Juba. Despite having received approval for a fuel stop in Juba, all aviation fuel had been requisitioned by the military and it became necessary to transfer all remaining fuel from F-BJAI to G-AMLZ which departed for Khartoum with both crews. F-BJAI was left behind in Juba as its next contract was in Saudi Arabia in JAN66 and G-AMLZ was required back in the U.K. Jacques Péguret returned to France by airline and was replaced by Georges Lissart who arranged for fuel to be taken from Khartoum to Juba by boat on the Nile. He then flew F-BJAI to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia a few days later. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
08JAN66 Jacques Péguret arrived in Jeddah to find that F-BJAI and Georges Lissart were already there. The Prince was based at Jambu, north of Jeddah on a magnetic and radiation detection survey flying two sorties per day. (A Hunting DC-3 was based at Taif on the same contract). The Prince completed its work on 13APR66. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
15APR66 The Prince returned to Jeddah. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
18APR66 The Prince departed for Leavesden via Luxor, Cairo, Port-Said, Rhodes, Corfu, Naples, Montpellier, Toussus-Le-Noble and Luton. There was a 48 hour stopover in Paris. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
23MAR66 BV check at Toussus for ferry flight to London. (Check date sequence - was this April?)
01JUN66 Jacques Péguret test flew F-BJAI in the U.K. after a Check 3. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
03JUN66 Jacques Péguret flew F-BJAI to Toussus-Le-Noble. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
06JUN66 BV check at Toussus.
22JUN66 F-BJAI completed a series of tests of a new Sud-Aviation magnetometer in France. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
27JUN66 Jacques Péguret flew F-BJAI from Toussus-Le-Noble to Chambery (in the French Alps) for a magnetic survey which was completed on 03JUL66. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
04JUL66 Jacques Péguret flew F-BJAI from Chambery to Toussus-Le-Noble. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
06JUL66 Jacques Péguret flew F-BJAI from Toussus-Le-Noble to Luton and Leavesden. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
04OCT66 Jacques Péguret flew F-BJAI from Toussus-Le-Noble to Tripoli via Nice, Alghero and Tunis for a magnetic, radiation and electro-mag survey in Libya. Prince G-AMLZ (J. Zuromski) accompanied F-BJAI. The aircraft were based at Sebha until 08NOV66 when they moved to Victor 8, an American Mobil base in the middle of the desert where the crews lived in caravans. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
15DEC66 BV check at Tripoli.
30JAN67 The aircraft departed Victor 8. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
13MAR67 Seen at Birmingham, U.K.
27APR67 BV check at Toussus.
01AUG67 Jacques Péguret flew F-BJAI to Leavesden on the completion of a series of tests near Exeter and at St. Austell where the aircraft was flown at 200 feet above the china clay heaps. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
18OCT67 Jacques Péguret flew F-BJAI from Leavesden to Toussus-Le-Noble. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
19OCT67 BV check at Toussus.
21OCT67 Jacques Péguret flew F-BJAI from Toussus-Le-Noble to Port-Etienne via Perpignan, Alicante, Rabat, Agadir and El-Aaiun for a magnetic and spectrometric survey in Mauritania. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
21DEC67 The survey was completed, having operated from bases at Nouakchott, Port-Etienne, Akjoujt and Zouerate. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
27DEC67 Jacques Péguret flew F-BJAI from Port-Etienne to Toussus-Le-Noble via Las Palmas, Rabat, Alicante and Perpignan. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
29DEC67 F-BJAI arrived at Toussus-Le-Noble. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
04JAN68 Jacques Péguret flew F-BJAI from Toussus-Le-Noble to Luton and Leavesden. (Source: Jacques Péguret)
MAR68 Registration F-BJAI cancelled as withdrawn. Aircraft at Leavesden with Hunting Geology and Geophysics Ltd titles.
68 In early 1968 the aircraft was sold for a "small amount" to the College of Aeronautics at Redhill. At this time the aircraft still had a few hours remaining on the airframe.
08MAY68 The aircraft was flown from Leavesden to Redhill by Jaques Péguret. This was the aircraft's last flight. The aircraft made a farewell flypast over the Hunting headquarters at Borehamwood. The nosewheel would not retract fully so this ferry flight was completed with the nosewheel partially extended. At the end of its career, the Prince still carried the green and red colour scheme applied by Adastra. Jacques Péguret continued to fly DC-3s for Hunting until the company closed in 1974. (Source: Jacques Péguret). The Prince was subsequently used for training purposes such as jacking, undercarriage retraction tests, engine runs and fault finding.
73 When the College relocated to Shoreham, the aircraft was moved there by road.
75 As there was no accommodation for the aircraft at Shoreham, it was sold for scrap to Lee Brewster of Lancing for £45. The nose found its way to the back garden at 56 Gordon Road, Shoreham on an unknown date. The College retained the engines, undercarriage legs and other components from the Prince. The Prince was replaced at the College by Cessna 310 G-APNJ.
JUL79 The nose had been scrapped by this date.
02 A cutaway engine, spare cylinders, nose leg and other parts were still present at the College at Shoreham.

 

Operating the Prince - by Ted McKenzie

The Adastra-Hunting Airborne Magnetometer Equipment

PDF: Geophysical Report No. 17/55, 5 December 1955.
Reproduced with permission of the South Australian Department of
State Development, Resources & Energy Division
The Prince Went to London - by Ken Rowlands
It's Not Easy Being Green #2 - by Sir Reginald Barnewall


Issue Date Remarks
22 30DEC22
Addes a Slideshow
21 14MAY17
Added three images from the Ted McKenzie collection with thanks to his son Paul. Image 1 Image 2 Image 3
20 07FEB17
Added a sighting on 27MAY61 thanks to David Peace.
19 30JAN17
Added a report on the 1955 surveys in South Australia. Also added a drawing of the cabin layout as it was configured in 1955. Thanks to the South Australian Department of State Development, Resources & Energy Division and to Peter Waring and Doug Morrison.
18 02MAR13
Added several references to Adastra's airwork licence for VH-AGF. These additions are attributed "NAA via Geoff Goodall".
17 22MAR12
Thanks to Prince specialist Tom Singfield for highlighting the fact that this aircraft, although flown in Australia from 13NOV56 as G-AMLW, was technically unregistered until it became VH-AGF on 24JUN57.
16 15DEC05
Added more detail of the April 64 survey in Scotland thanks to Geoff Goodall.
15 21SEP05
Clarified the purpose of the belly doors. Thanks to Joe Tidey.
14 03SEP05
Added the date of Adastra's CofR application (15MAY57) thanks to Geoff Goodall.
13 25AUG05
Added further detail from Ted McKenzie's log book from 13NOV56 to 14JAN58. This is associated with ongoing investigations to establish exactly when the changeover from G-AMLW to VH-AGF took place.
12 18NOV03
The Adastra history of this aeroplane has been added thanks to Ted McKenzie and Doug Morrison.
11 17NOV03
The post-Adastra history of this aeroplane has been greatly expanded thanks to Jacques Péguret.
10 01OCT03
Added details of the last flight thanks to Jacques Péguret and Doug Morrison. Note that the exact date of this flight was previously unknown.
9 13SEP03
Added three new images thanks to Bob Love.
8 30JUN03
The history of the aircraft has been greatly expanded thanks to Prince specialist Tom Singfield in the U.K.
7 19MAY03
Added another photo of the aircraft in the green scheme. Thanks to Bob Cozens.
6 20FEB03
Added a photo of the aircraft as
F-BJAI thanks to Gordon Reid.
5
11FEB03
History greatly expanded thanks to Geoff Goodall.
Added Ted McKenzie's first-hand account of operating the Prince.
Corrected the French registration from F-BJAE to F-BJAI.
Also corrected the date on the first photo from 1957 to 1954.