Dates

Event

Constructed as a Sunderland III.

Taken on Strength/Charge with the Royal Australian Navy with s/n JM719.

23 August 1943

Transferred to Wig Bay.

8 January 1944

Transferred to No. 57 Maintenance Unit.

25 January 1944

Involved in an incident.
Involved in a flying accident.

1 February 1944

Transferred to Short Bros.
Sent to short for repairs.

8 July 1944

Transferred to 57MU, Wig Bay.

7 September 1944

Converted to a Sunderland V.
The conversion was carried out by 57MU.

30 March 1945

Awaiting collection at 57MU.

25 April 1945

Transferred to No. 302 Flying Training Unit.

29 April 1945

Transferred to 57MU, Wig Bay.

2 May 1945

Transferred to 302ftu.

12 July 1945

Transferred to No. 57 Maintenance Unit.

21 May 1947

To Short Bros.

1947

Converted to a Sandringham 7.
New construction number, SH.57C, assigned to the airframe.

29 July 1947

To BOAC with new c/r G-AKCO (SHORT S25 SANDRINGHAM MK7, SH.57C).

1948

Markings Applied: St. George
Entered service with BOAC. One of 3 Sandringham Mk 7 which were known as the Bermuda Class.

1950

Withdrawn from use.
Placed in storage at Hamworthy.

To Sir Gordon Taylor, W. S. Shackleton.
Purchased for 20,000 with 2,000 hours total time.

4 November 1954

Ferry flight.
Departed Cowes on delivery to Sydney via Marseille, Malta, Fanara, Karachi, Trincomali, Penang, Seletar, Sourabaya, Darwin and Cairns.

9 May 1955

To Sir Gordon Taylor with new c/r VH-APG.
Operated with markings: Frigate Bird III
Used on air cruises around the South Pacific. This operation is described in Sir Gordon Taylors book Bird of the Islands.

23 May 1958

Civil registration, VH-APG, cancelled.

May 1958

To Rseau Arien Interinsulaire (RAI) with new c/r F-OBIP.

5 June 1958

Ferry flight.
Arrived in Tahiti under the command of Sir Gordon Taylor.

7 June 1958

On this date the aircraft log books showed a total time of 2675 hours 27 minutes.

15 October 1958

Operated by Rseau Arien Interinsulaire (RAI).
The aircraft was used mainly on services between Papeete (which then had no runway) and Bora Bora which had the nearest runway.

Circa 1968

Photographer: Unknown
Notes: photo circa 1968 moored in Papette Harbour

29 September 1970

Last flight.
Last flight as F-OBIP. Departed Papeete at 1240 on a search and rescue mission crewed by Pearson, Rothe and Beurier. The aircraft returned to Papeete at 1803 after 5 hours 23 minutes in the air. Total time 8812 hours 32 minutes of which 6137 hours 5 minutes had been in service with RAI.

March 1975

To Douglas Pearson Jr.
Sold by Civil Aviation Papeete to Douglas Pearson Jr. whose father had flown the Sandringham in RAI service.

November 1975

A proposal to return the aircraft to Rochester in the UK for display was abandoned and Douglas Pearson offered to donate the aircraft to QAM.

25 February 1976

The French Embassy in Canberra advised QAM that unless the aircraft was moved by this date it would be broken up and sunk in the lagoon. (Citing the reason as imminent 747 operations into Papeete.).

1 March 1976

Civil Aviation Papeete advised Douglas Pearson that unless the aircraft was moved by this date it would be broken up and sunk in the lagoon.

1 November 1977

QAM wrote to the Musee de lAir in Paris in response to advice from Douglas Pearson that they were interested in acquiring F-OBIP. The letter also referred to reported interest from the Science Museum, London. QAM advised the Musee de lAir: We wish to confirm that it is our desire to see the aeroplane preserved notwithstanding its loss to Australia. We would rather see its preservation in Paris than its deterioration and eventual destruction at Papeete.

April 1979

Ferry flight.
Arrived in Paris having been transported from Tahiti by the French military.

November 1979

Placed on display with Musee Air and Space, San Jose, San Jose, Ile-De-France.
View the Location Dossier

Circa 1981

Photographer: Han de Ridder

Circa 1981

Photographer: Han de Ridder

6 June 1981

Photographer: Paul Thallon
Notes: 1981 photo at Paris Le Bourget - of a Shorts S.25 Sandringham

Circa 1984

Damaged.
Severely damaged in a storm at Le Bourget, Paris.

21 September 2014

Photographer: John Bennett
Notes: Taken at Dugny, France