The Winged Workhorse
On 19 March 1973, the author had his first flight in an aeroplane, from Brisbane to Toowoomba. The aircraft was VH-TGW, a TAA DHC-6 Twin Otter. It had already been in TAA service for close to five years. Masling Airlines of Cootamundra acquired the aircraft in 1976, but two years later it was flying in the rugged highlands of New Guinea. It came back to Australia in 1998 and went into service with Eastland Air of Cairns, operating the first revenue service from Cairns to Lizard Island. In 2007 it was sold in the United States and started working on the tourist run in Honduras. Thirteen years later, it’s still in regular service in Honduras as N718KW. The most important facts about the Twin Otter are encapsulated in this little indulgent story of DHC-6, serial number 120 off the production line: they work hard from the day of delivery and apparently last forever.
De Havilland Canada
The de Havilland company was one of the greatest of all aircraft companies. Since its foundation in 1920 through to its incorporation into Hawker Siddeley and then British Aerospace, the parent company in the UK was responsible for illustrious designs including the Tiger Moth, the DH-88 Comet Racer, the Mosquito,
