Auster Autocrat
Aircraft registration is VP-FAA, c/n no 2054.
No info on the aircraft particularly, but found a website that seems to say that the one of the directors of civil aviation in the Falklands flew on this aircraft on his first arrival there in Sweptember 1954, alongwith a picture. Putting two and two together, its a fair assumption that this is the same aircraft, though it doesn't have any markings on it.
Source : Dictionary of Falklands Biography page for James Kerr.
Britten-Norman Islander
Aircraft registration is VP-FAY, c/n no 872, operated by FIGAS.
VP-FAY was the first Islander aircraft in FIGAS' fleet, arriving in the Falklands in Oct 1979. It was destroyed in May 1982 during the Argentine-UK Falklands conflict, while at the airport in Port Stanley.
Info from Think Defence
Source : Think Defence
de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver
Aircraft registration is VP-FAE, c/n no 500.
This was the 500th Beaver produced, and was built in April 1953. FIGAS was its first customer. Its actual registration number if VP-FAF, but it was painted VP-FAE in error, which was retained while in service at FIGAS. It was sold by FIGAS in 1967, subsequent whereabouts are not known.
Info from DHC-2.com
Noorduyn Norseman
Aircraft registration is VP-FAD, c/n no 45.
Was in service with FIGAS from 1950 until 1953 when it was scuttled at Port Stanley due to metal erosion.
Info from sources listed below (will open in new tab)
2. Norseman Capital of the World website
Photo taken in 1951. More photos on a Flickr link on this website.
Source : Blog page from the Norseman family's website
Lockheed L-1011 Tristar
Aircraft registration is ZE705, serial no 1188.
First flew in June 1980, and was in service with PanAm for nearly four years before moving to the RAF in December 1984. Plenty of pics available on various sites for this aircraft.
Info from airfleets.net.
Photo taken in July 2007 at Birmingham. Photo under copyright.
Source : Airteamimages.com
Source : Jetphotos.com
Britten-Norman Islander
Aircraft registration is VP-FAD, c/n no 2160, operated by FIGAS.
Entered service with FIGAS in January 1986. Seems to be still in active service, as of January 2022 (36 years!). Photos of this aircraft are on multiple websites.
Info from FIGAS website.
Hawker Hurricane
Aircraft serial P2961.
Was flown by Canadian ace Pilot Officer William "Willie" McKnight, and was distinguished by the image of a skeleton holding a sickle on both sides of the aircraft.
Info from Wikipedia page for Willie McKnight.
Painting of Willie McKnight's aircraft - painter unknown.
Source : Wikipedia page for Willie McKnight
Willie McKnight standing against his aircraft. Notice the distinguishing skeleton painting under the cockpit.
Source : Aces of WW2 page for Willie McKnight
Supermarine Spitfire
Aircraft serial P9398, identifier KL-B.
First flew in March 1940, was likely involved in a mid-air collision with a Bf109E while being flown by Alan Deere of 54 Sqn. In July 1940, while being flown by Sgt Frederick Eley of 74 Sqn it was shot over Folkestone Harbour, killing the pilot.
Info from All Spitfire Pilots website.
Source : All Spitfire Pilots website.
Not clear when this photo was taken.
Source : All Spitfire Pilots website.
Hawker Hurricane
Aircraft serial P3854, identifier OK1.
This Hurricane was the personal aircraft of Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park. Final whereabouts of the aircraft is not known, but a replica is on display at the MOTAT museum in Auckland, New Zealand.
Info from MOTAT search results page for OK1.
Sir Keith Park beside the Hurricane depicted on the stamp, during WW2.
Source : MOTAT search results page for OK1.
Supermarine Spitfire
Aircraft serial L1035, c/n 249.
First flew July 1939. This was the Spitfire of Sub Lt Frank Dawson-Paul who shot down 7 German aircraft in July 1940, before himself being shot down over the English channel. The aircraft was presumably destroyed in the process.
Info from sources listed below (will open in new tab)
2. Wikipedia
3. All Spitfire Pilots commemoration website
Taylorcraft Auster
Registration G-AJCI, later VP-FAB. C/n no 817.
Constructed in 1944 the aircraft was purchased by the FI Government and arrived in Stanley November 1948 and test flown by Vic Spencer, FIGAS’ first pilot who can be seen on the stamp holding a map, the following March. The aircraft remained marked as G-AJCI until late 1949 when the FI Registration Certificate (VP-FAB) was issued but the Registration Letters were never worn. Its last known flight was 30 October 1951, after which it was withdrawn from service.
Info from the docket issued by Falkland Stamps, and also from the sources listed below (will open in new tab)
1. Airport-data.com.
Source : Think Defence
de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver
Registration VP-FAH, later N17598. C/n no 1129.
VP-FAH was purchased new by the FI Govt for FIGAS. Wearing a "Consolidated Blue" cheat line on a silver airframe, it arrived at Stanley in July 1958. Unpacked and assembled as a floatplane prior to being flight-tested from Stanley Harbour by Jim Kerr of FIGAS on 19 August 1958. Despite being damaged in 1960 at Shell Point, Fitzroy, when it was driven on to a rocky beach at high tide, itremained in service until 1967 when it was sold. It was then registered at N17598, and remained in operations until atleast 2017.
Info from DHC-2.com
Britten-Norman Islander
Registration VP-FBM. C/n no 2200.
VP-FBM entered service in May 1989 and is one of the 5 Islanders currently in service with FIGAS, as on Dec 2021.
Info from the Falklands Islands stamp docket.
Short Sunderland
Registration G-AGJN, C/n no ML755.
Flying Boat RMA Hudson, with registration G-AGJN, operated the first airmail flight from Southampton to Port Stanley in 1952. It set out on 21st April 1952, and covered the distance of 7500 miles in 7 hops arriving in Port Stanley on 28th April 1952. Its not known what happened to the aircraft post this historic journey.
Info from British Caledonian tribute site.
Photo is probably under copyright
Source : British Caledonian tribute site
Photo taken of the aircraft at Port Stanley on 28th April 1952.
Photo is under copyright
Source : airhistory.net
Simmonds Spartan
Aircraft registration is VQ-FAA, c/n no 47.
This was the first aircraft registered in Fiji - hence the FAA registration. It was built in 1930 at Southampton, and then registered to Gordon Fenton and Fiji Airways in June 1930. It was in use in Fiji until 1933, then registered as VH-UUJ in Australia. Further whereabouts unknown.
Info from sources listed below (will open in new tab)
1. Air Britain.
2. Airhistory.org website
Photo apparently of this aircraft, though markings are not very clear. More info on the website.
Source : Facebook
Lockheed Altair
Aircraft registration is VH-USB, named the "Lady Southern Cross". MSN 152, manufactured in 1930.
The Lady Southern Cross was owned by renowned aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. He made the first eastward trans-Pacific flight from Brisbane in Australia to Oakland in the US in this aircraft, between October and November 1934.
In November 1935, while attempting to break the England-Australia speed record in this aircraft, Kingsford Smith and co-pilot Tommy Pethybridge disappeared over the Andaman Sea sometime in the early hours of 8th November. The aircraft was never discovered, though a few months later an undercarriage leg & wheel was found by fishermen in Burma. It was confirmed to be from this aircraft, and is now on display at a museum in Sydney, Australia.
Info from sources listed below (will open in new tab)
1. Wikipedia.
2. This Day in Aviation website
Source : This Day in Aviation website
Landing gear of this aircraft, on display at a museum in Sydney, Australia.
Source : This Day in Aviation website
Consolidated PBY Catalina
Aircraft serial no is XX-U.
No information available but found a photo of this aircraft.
Norm Brailey Collection : RNZAF PBY-5 Catalina XX-U at Halavo Bay Solomon Islands. A U.S.N. PBY and RNZAF PBY-5 XX-T are in the background.
Photo may be subject to copyright.
Source : Flickr
Douglas DC-3
Aircraft registration is DQ-FBF/VQ-FBF/ZK-AZA, c/n 15699.
This aircraft was operated by Pacific Airways for a short period in 1972. Prior to that it was operated by Fiji Airways for 2-3 years. Later whereabouts are unknown.
Info from Key.Aero.
Gloster Gauntlet
Aircraft serial is K4084.
This aircraft was delivered to the RAF in February 1935, and operated in 19 Squadron. It was struck off charge in October 1937, and used for spares.
Info from this site.
Source : RCLibrary website
This photo is from a listing on eBay. The aircraft in front is the K4084, with K4090 & K4088 on either side.
Armstrong Whitworth Whitley
Aircraft serial is T4158, EY-L.
The only information I could find about this aircraft is that on 19th November 1940, this aircraft took off from RAF Dishforth to bomb a synthetic oil plant in Ruhland. It was shot down 20 miles north of Dresden, but all five crew members survived and were taken as PoWs. The aircraft was comprehensively damaged. Photos of the damaged aircraft are in the URL below.
Info from Aircrew Remembered.
Bristol F.2 Fighter ("Brisfit")
Aircraft serial is FR4583.
This aircraft was part of 208 Squadron, and while not much is known of this specific aircraft, I got a photo of it flying over the Pyramids in Egypt, while on a patrol flight from its base at RAF Ismailia, Egypt. The photo is likely to have been taken sometime between 1920 and 1922.
Info from Key Military magazine.
Source : Key Military magazine.
Handley Page Hampden
Aircraft serial is P4403, identifier EA-M.
This aircraft was in service in 49 Squadron. On the night of 12th August 1940, a force of 11 Hampdens, including this aircraft carried out a raid on the Dortmund-Ems Canal over Ems in Germany. This aircraft was piloted by Flt Lt R A B Learoyd. While some of the aircraft were shot down, this one returned home, and in the process Learoyd was awarded the Victoria Cross.
On 6th January 1942, this aircraft was returning from night training when one of its engines cut out and the aircraft stalled over the village of South Carlton, killing the pilot & the wireless operator. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Info from sources listed below (will open in new tab)
1. Staples & Vine website.
Painting by Paul Couper, depicting the EA-M flown by Flt Lt R A B "Babe" Learoyd on the night of 12th Aug 1940 during the bombing raid on the Dortmund-Ems Canal.
Source : Hansen Fine Art
AD Flying Boat
Aircraft registration was G-NZA1.
On 16th July 1921, this aircraft became the first aeroplane to fly in Fiji. It was flown by A C Upham, and was a four-seater flying boat registered G-NZA1 belonging to a flying school in New Zealand. It was sponsored by the Fiji government to look at a flying boat service around the islands. After about 10 days of flying around the islands surveying for likely places for flight operations, it returned back to New Zealand at the end of July 1921. There is no further info on this specific aircraft, but it marked a momentous occasion for air flight in Fiji.
Info from sources listed below (will open in new tab)
1. Facebook page for Fiji's Aviation History.
2. Fiji Times article from 22nd April 2022.
Painting by Paul Couper, depicting the EA-M flown by Flt Lt R A B "Babe" Learoyd on the night of 12th Aug 1940 during the bombing raid on the Dortmund-Ems Canal.
Source : Facebook page for Fiji's Aviation History
Douglas DC-4
Aircraft registration is VH-ANA, named "Amana", c/n 42910 built in 1946.
The Douglas DC-4 VH-ANA, named Amana, was the flagship aircraft of the Australian National Airways ANA. On 26th June 1950, this aircraft set off on a routine scheduled flight from Perth to Melbourne. Unfortunately, due to reasons still not clear till today, about 30 nautical miles later, the aircraft crashed into the Australian bush, killing all onboard.
Info from sources listed below (will open in new tab)
Photos are under copyright of AussieAirliners.
Source : Aussie Airliners
Photos are under copyright of AussieAirliners.
Source : Aussie Airliners
Westland Whirlwind
Aircraft serial no P7102, identifier SF-P.
Was part of 137 Squadron RAF. Could only find a photo of this aircraft.
Info from Destinations Journey blog.
de Havilland Australia DHA-3 Drover
Aircraft registration is VQ-FAP, then VH-ADN.
This aircraft joined the Fiji Airways fleet in 1954 and was in service until 1961, when it was transferred to Australian Airlines with the registration VH-ADN. For a long time, it operated with the Australian Flying Doctor Service, providing medical support to far-flung areas. Its currently at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Arizona, USA.
1. Aerial Visuals.
