VH-WAL wrote:... , 3 G31s ... PNG ...
Four according to this :
"Four other G 31s were sold for freighting cargo in New Guinea. Operated by Guinea Airways, one was owned by the airline itself, while the other three were owned by the Bulolo Gold Dredging Company. Powered by Pratt & Whitney Hornets, these differed from the G 31 airliners in having open cockpits, and a large hatch in the fuselage roof to accommodate the loading of bulky cargo via crane.[3] In one particular operation, the G 31s were used to airlift eight 3,000 tonne (3,310 ton) dredges (in parts) from Lae to Bulolo. Three of the aircraft were destroyed in a Japanese air raid on Bulolo on 21 January 1942, and the remaining aircraft was pressed into RAAF service ten days later. This machine (construction number 3010, registration VH-UOW) was seriously damaged in an accident at Laverton, Victoria on 31 October that year after it careened off the runway and collided with and destroyed the Minister for Air's car.[4][5] Although judged beyond repair by the Air Force, it eventually returned to freighter use in New Guinea for some time after the war."
So was the one (c/n 3010 VH-UOW) used by the RAAF the Guinea Airways one or one of the Bulolo ones and was it given an "A" number? Must look the "A" book up.
