IAN McDONELL COLLECTION
No. 4002. Republic RC-3 Seabee (VH-WET c/n 416)
Photographed at MacKay Airport, MacKay, Queensland, Australia, by Ian McDonell

Republic RC-3 Seabee

04/30/2008. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "Produced in February 1947, the aircraft was registered as N6213K. In 1954 it was sold to the American company World Wide Air Services with domicile at Port Moresby, Australia, and used for operations in Papua New Guinea, while still registered in the USA. In 1959 it was registered in Australia as VH-WWA and was subsequently sold to Commodore Aviation, Port Lincoln, South Australia. In 1965 it was sold to K. E. Olsen, Camden, New South Wales and reregistered as VH-MJO, later it was sold to Gregory R. Board of Sydney.

In 1972 it was sold to Peninsula Air Services at Moorabbin, Victoria, and wearing a new paint scheme, the aircraft was used for shark-spotting in Port Phillip Bay for Radio Station 3DB, as seen in photo 7690. Later, the aircraft changed hands several times and was also stored over longer periods, eventually being sold to Pacific Air Services, Honiara, Solomon Islands, registered as H4-HSD in 1992.

On January 8, 1999, it again was registered in Australia, to Terence "Terry" van de Graaf of Hervey Bay, Queensland, as VH-WET, although it did not receive a full CofA. It was pictured in 2005 at Mackay Airport without a propeller, on July 6, 2006 the aircraft was deregistered due to non compliance with sub regulation 202.225(5), CofA is no longer valid."


Created March 19, 2005