Doe's anyone in Oz, Know what happened to this Aircraft

Hi Phil,

In response to your questions:

A20-652 is still airworthy as far as I know. Doesn’t seem to have done too much flying over the last few years and there have certainly been a few issues arise along the way, but I haven’t heard about her being grounded.

With A20-502, I’d be interested to learn if you’ve heard any rumours about it. That’s a very nice static aircraft that one. Also happens to be up here in Ballarat, which is handy.

A20-573 certainly did crash into a mountain to the north of Melbourne. I went to the crash site a couple of years ago and although there are remains still on site, there’s certainly nothing to really write home about.

The ‘lake’ Wirraway in the latest issue of Classic Wings isn’t A20-404, and although I do know the actual serial of the aircraft, it doesn’t seem to be being publicly disclosed at the moment, so I won’t reveal it at this time. Hopefully she’ll come out of the lake at some stage, but it just depends if a suitable home can be found. As for A20-404, well there are a bunch of parts from that aircraft floating around the place. Some might find their way into a restoration at some stage, but we’ll see what happens in time.

Hope this is of interest, and that you’re fighting your health issues mate.

Cheers,
Matt

Yes I was starting to think just THAT!

Thank’s Matt 😀 ,

I thought if you saw this you may have had an answer for me 😎 , next I was going to give Michael Higgin’s a ring, see if he knew, and ask how A20-309 is getting along :confused: .

After checking out all 755 of them 😉 , I was starting to get suss that it may have been the very same Aircraft 😮 .

Gee’s she got around a bit, And I am pretty sure that’s her when she was at Gilbo’s place, Resy! 😉

But I have sent an email, to my Stepfather Tony Mc Caffrey now in Cairn’s FNQ with me old cheeze :p (Mum),
Who lived a lot of his life and time, in the Coburg/Brunswick/Pascoe Vale area(Road/veledrome cycle racer in his younger day’s), but seem a lot of the stuff around growing up, including seeing the aircraft from Essendon drome.

He saw the Wirraway while in Pascoe Vale, and may confirm if that photo was there or not.

Look’s nice now, IS she still a flying job Matt! :confused:

And also Matt, is 502 up for sale? :confused:

And just one more thing Matt please, as you are a Wirra GOD :rolleyes: , I read of a Wirraway A20-573 buried at the top of a certain, well known Mountain, here in Vic, North of me.

Buried in the crater in made for itself when hitting, not far from the Peak on the 21st July 1953(R.I.P. pilot Peter Hallinan 🙁 ), while he was on night crossing exercise’s.

Also is that Wirra in the lake in the latest C.W.D 🙂 ., A20-404 from Lake Glenmaggie crashed 14th March 1942, the one that had a wing from it recovered in 1980 :confused: .

Or another Wirra? :confused:

Thank’s in advance Matt if you can help 😉 .

CYA’S

Crook as a Human(I like DOG’S 😀 ) must crash real sooon again 😮 ,

BU*GGER IT!!! 😡

G’day Phil,

I think you’ll find that the aircraft you’re talking about was Wirraway A20-652, and was the same aircraft that you saw at Pascoe Vale. I believe that this aircraft was on display first in Laverton, then Pascoe Vale and finally at Reservoir.

The image in the following link was apparently taken while it was at Pascoe Vale.

Wirraway A20-652

Cheers,
Matt

Well then!

O.k.

Today I drove the Stepdaughter Angie to her school/TAFE in Preston 🙂 .

After this I took a . ” Trip down memory lane ” so to speak :rolleyes: .

First I went to see the old Loco, yep still there, and now pretty much nackered and fenced off rusting away, but you can now go up well made stair’s in to the cabin, which I did of course.

Quick info for the steam buff’s.

The pen I had kept stopping, but this is what I got.

Built Newport Victoria, 19?? then the pen stopped, B*GGGER’s a bit hard to read now 😮 .

Locomotive A2 Class, No 964

In Service from 15 April 1921, till 15 November 1963 😮 .

Changed to an Oil burner from July 1946.

Did, 1,300,400 mile’s/2,092,800km’s

Engine 66 tons, Tender 22 tons

Sold to Preston Council from Victoria Rail, and placed at Edward’s Park Lake, 25 June 1969.

I first saw it around that time, and many more time’s after.

Now to continue the trip, I went looking for the possible old service station, that had the plane, all those year’s back.

Think I found it too,
Now called Gilbo’s Place, and Look’s about right, old, I got out and then crouched about to get the right angle, from a small boy’s mind.

And yep that’s the one, so it was in Gilbert Road, but some km’s down from the Lake, which could make it in Preston/North/West.

Will try and get in contact with my Uncle Barry Pfeffer, as I am sure he may know, if I am lucky :rolleyes: .

Any idea’s Oz gang :confused:

Seem’s to be a bit of a Slippery B*ggger so far this plane, I hope it had a decent fate 🙁 .