History of VH-AAD.

VH-AAD, a de Havilland DH90 Dragonfly aircraft, was Bush Pilots Airways first aircraft and operated the new company’s first charter flight on 23 June 1951 when Bob Norman flew the Queerah Meatworks Manager Lloyd Spittle to Georgetown on a cattle buying trip.

The aircraft was built in Hatfield in the UK (C/N 7508) by the de Havilland Aircraft Co Ltd and  was first registered as G-AEDT on 09 May 1936.  In early 1938 it was shipped to Australia for Adastra Airways who paid 2650 pounds for it and was re-registered as VH-AAD on 02 Feb 1938.

It was later purchased by Bush Pilots Airways on 14 June 1951 and Bob Norman left Sydney on 19 June to fly it to Cairns.  It was traded in to Kingsford Smith Aviation for 1,000 pounds on an Auster aircraft on 25 November 1954.