Aircraft History
Built by CAC. Constructors Number 1104.

Delivered to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as CA-16 Wirraway serial number A20-652. Assigned to 1 Air Depot (1 AD) on July 4, 1944. Flew a test flight on July 6, 1944.

Wartime History
On September 19, 1944 suffered a taxi accident at Laverton Airfield piloted by W/O W H Bleach, suffered minor damage from a collision with a grader. Afterwards, repaired by 1 AD.

Postwar
Placed into storage on August 6, 1946 at Laverton Airfield. Afterwards, stored at Tocumwal Airfield on March 17, 1950. Then to Parafield Airfield on July 4, 1952 and back to Tocumwal Airfield on April 15, 1953. Approved for disposal on February 8, 1957.

Sold to Horsham Foundary on June 6, 1959. Later resold to CAC on March 25, 1960 and delivered to Essendan Airfield. Later sold by CAC and displayed outdoors at Pascoe Vale service station in Victoria.

Next purchased by three owners and registered as VH-WIR on August 26, 1986. Painted silver with a black anti glare panel yellow stripes around the wings and fuselage and Kangaroo roundels on the sides.

Circa 2007 one of the owners attempted to sell this aircraft on Ebay and purchased by Peter Smythe. Meanwhile, the owner had sold the aircraft to a third party, off Ebay. The new owner in accordance with the E-Bay advertising guidelines, was successful in obtaining this aircraft following a successful High Court challenge which upheld his appeal of the E-Bay Guidelines. While the case was in court, this aircraft was parked in a hangar at Albury Airfield then returned to Parafield Airfield.

Display
On November 26, 2010, sold to the Queensland Air Museum. Flown from Parafield Airfield to Caloundra Airfield by Matthew Denning and became the museum's first aircraft. Following a flying display it was handed over to the museum at on December 18, 2010 and is displayed at the Queensland Air Museum.

References
ADF Serials - Wirraway A20-652
ADF Serials - Wirraway A20-652 (Photos)
Queensland Air Museum - Wirraway A20-652

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Last Updated
April 19, 2021