The early chapters of the ”Continuing Story of the Aviation Department” made many references to Holyman Airways D.H.86 aircraft, and the AWA manufactured 0.110 M. F . transmitter and C155 T. R. F . receiver.
Holyman bought four DH86’s VH-URN (Miss Hobart), VH-URT (Loina), VH-UUB (Loila) and VH- USW (Lepena) and fitted them with the equipment shown below.
URN vanished off Wilson’s Promontory on October 19, 1934, with the loss of 12 lives only 19 days after Holyman won the Melbourne – Hobart section of the Empire Airmail Route.
URT radioed to King Island radio (VIK) at 9.50 am. on October 2nd, 1935 that she was closing down and winding in the trailing aerial prior to landing at Flinders Island. She never arrived , but wreckage was found in the sea, 5 lives lost.
The loss of “Loina” could not have come at a worse time for Holymans, as they were carrying out test flights between Melbourne and Sydney, preparatory to commencing a regular scheduled service on Monday, October 7th, 1935.
However, the loss of the “Loina” had one significant outcome because it hastened Federal Cabinet’s review of wireless direction finding for the main air routes of the Commonwealth. This determination had been delayed while Cabinet attempted to reconcile claims from three
different parties: –
- The Civil Aviation Board contended that D.F. Services should be under its direction. The P.M.G. maintained that DF would merely be an extension of the services presently under its control.
- AWA considered that its agreement with the Commonwealth vested it with the power to establish and operate all wireless services necessary for navigation.
The photo of VH-UUB shows her at Launceston probably mid year 1935, as she has no fixed aerial. Note the Marconi-Newton type AD/U5 wind driven generator mounted in the port upper wing and the trailing aerial fairlead protruding from the fuselage between the two inboard motors.
