JOHN HOPTON MEMORIAL COLLECTION
No. 4302. Airspeed AS.6H Envoy Mk.I (VH-UXM c/n 29) Ansett Airways
Photographed at Essendon, Victoria, Australia, ca. 1936, source unknown

Airspeed AS.6H Envoy Mk.I

06/15/2005. Remarks by John Hopton: "Only two examples of this type were registered in Australia, it was the only one to actually get here and the second aircraft for the fledgling Ansett company.

It was ordered by Lord Nuffield of Wolseley Motors Ltd. for test and demonstration purposes. It was delivered in October 1934 registered as G-ACVI and named 'Miss Wolseley'. It was a 1934 entry for the England-Australia Race for the MacRobertson Trophy, but flown by George Lowdell it was force-landed near St. Neots, Huntingdonshire, while being transferred to the race starting point at RAF Mildenhall, and it did not participate in the race. In 1935 it was flown to Cape Town, South Africa, by Squadron Leader D. Hilton, the round trip took 119 hours.

In August 1936 it was sold to Ansett, initially fitted with 225 hp Wolseley 'Aries' Mk.III nine-cylinder radial engines, it became the sole AS.6D in 1944 as it was re-engined with 350 hp Wright R-760E2 Whirlwind seven-cylinder radials when parts became unobtainable for the 'Aries' engines."


Created June 15, 2005