CQ Plane Spotting Historic Spot - Bundaberg Grumman G-21A Goose VH-MBA / DQ-AYL

Following-on from last month's Historic Spot about Beech E-18S VH-CIJ - which resided for some time at Bundaberg Airport - this month we take a look another old classic aircraft that called Bundaberg Airport 'home' for a few years - Grumman G-21A Goose VH-MBA / DQ-AYL.

This particular Goose - S/N 1164 - was manufactured in 1943 for US Navy (USN) but initially served in the Royal Navy before returning to the US Navy under the original BuNo 66336.  In 1947, it was sold and converted to a civilian aircraft as N95431.

In 1973 - and after being rebuilt following a nasty water landing with its gear down - it was re-registered N72PR.  It was moved to Alaska and eventually sold again, where it suffered another mishap following an aborted take-off in 1978.  It was again sold, this time to Westflight Aviation in Ketchikan, Alaska in 1981, where photos show it was well maintained.

In 1987, the Goose was sold to Milne Bay Air in Papua, New Guinea.  It eventually was eventually re-registered P2-JWB of Palau Paradise Air, at Palau, Micronesia.  In 1990 it became RP-C864 in the Philippines, and later VH-MBA in late 1993.

RP-C864 at Cairns Airport in 1992  (Photo taken by GAFLIKS  ©)

It was spotted at Bundaberg Airport by me in 2004, stripped but with engines in-tact.

In 2005, it was flown to Caboulture where it was re-painted, and became DQ-AYL, registered to Yaukuve Resorts in the Fiji Islands.  I managed to capture DQ-AYL while it was still hangared at Caboulture shortly after re-painting, and then again at Archerfield in October 2006 - this time minus its wings.

It was reportedly never exported to Fiji with the proposed Resort project falling through.  Internet research reveals that the latest photo of DQ-AYL online was taken in 2009 with the aircraft hangared at Wangaratta in Victoria, suggesting that the aircraft is still in Australia!

Another great classic aircraft that was parked at Bundaberg Airport for a period of time.

References:
Grumman Goose Central - http://grummangoosecentral.homestead.com/1164.html
The Grumman Goose and Widgeons
 - http://www.wdaguy.com/FP-514.html