VH-ECB Pacific
Explorer
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| Type: | L-188C Electra |
| MSN: | 2004 |
| Previous Identities: | Nil |
| Subsequent Identities: | N385AC HC-AZJ HC-AZJ / FAE2004 |
History:
| 01APR58 | Ordered by Qantas |
| 10AUG59 | Application for CofR and CofA by Qantas Empire Airways Ltd (Source: 1) |
| 23SEP59 | Aircraft weighed at Burbank (Source: 1) |
| 03OCT59 | First flight |
|
VH-ECB
|
|
| 30OCT59 | CofR 3277 and CofA 3277 issued to Qantas as VH-ECB (Source: 1) |
| 07NOV59 | Arrived Sydney on delivery to Qantas as "Pacific Explorer" (Capt A.J. Bird) (Source: Qantas News July 1984) |
| 19DEC59 | Operated the first Electra flight from Sydney to Hong Kong via Port Moresby, Biak and Manila. (Source: "The Australian Air Mail Catalogue") |
| 11OCT60 | T.T. 2212.25 hours (Source: 1) |
| 12DEC60 | Entered LEAP as LEAP #46 QEA-2 |
| 19JAN61 | Completed LEAP |
| 04OCT61 | Operated inaugural service Sydney to Christchurch (Capt A.L. Gay) (Source: "The Australian Air Mail Catalogue") |
| 08OCT61 | Operated inaugural service Melbourne to Auckland |
| 09OCT61 | T.T. 4345.49 hours (Source: 1) |
| 20SEP62 | T.T. 5810.54 hours (Source: 1) |
| 16SEP63 | T.T. 7252.22 hours (Source: 1) |
| 04OCT63 | Operated inaugural service Melbourne to Wellington. Commanded by Capt P.L. Oakley. Flight time 4.5 hours |
| 10SEP64 | T.T. 9386.06 hours (Source: 1) |
| 26APR67 | Blew a tyre on landing at Essendon |
| 14AUG67 | Departed Sydney as VH-ECB on delivery flight to Santa Ana, USA commanded by Capt A.L. Gay. Routed via Nadi and Honolulu. |
| 17AUG67 | Cancelled from Australian register |
|
N385AC
|
|
| 18AUG67 | Change of ownership to Air California as N385AC |
| 04DEC68 | Sold to GATX-Booth Aircraft Corp and leased to Air California |
| 19MAR69 | Sold to Aircraft Holdings |
| 07NOV69 | Sold to F B Ayer & Associates |
| 17DEC69 | Sold to Universal Trading Corp of Panama |
| 70 | Stored at Fort Worth, Texas |
| 71 | Stored at Tucson, Arizona |
| 16SEP71 | Struck off US register |
| 12JAN72 | Sold to F B Ayer & Associates |
| JAN72 | Leased to Intermountain Aviation |
| 23APR73 | Recertified in Experimental category to test Sperry radiometric system under contract to Lockheed |
| 12NOV73 | Sold to WHARFCA Inc |
|
HC-AZJ
|
|
| 73-74 | Leased to Ecuatoriana as HC-AZJ |
| 14JUL74 | Sold to F.B. Ayer and Associates |
|
HC-AZJ
/
FAE2004 |
|
| 06AUG74 | Delivered to TAME as HC-AZJ / FAE2004 named "Pichincha" |
| 23APR84 | Seen at Quito in new TAME colour scheme |
| 17SEP85 | Seen at Quito |
| 20JUN87 | Seen at Miami operating an Ecuatoriana flight |
| NOV88 | Still in service with TAME |
| 04SEP89 | Damaged in belly landing at Taura, Ecuador |
|
SOURCES
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1
|
File C3905/2 VH/ECA Pts 1 & 2 (21) N.A.A., Chester Hill |
| Issue | Date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | 28DEC22 | |
| 10 | 05DEC22 |
Added
a slideshow.
|
| 9 | 25DEC19 |
Added
a new image of VH-ECB thanks to Peter
Gates.
|
| 8 | 28MAY19 |
Added
a new image of VH-ECB thanks to Eric
Allen.
|
| 7 | 03APR16 |
Refreshed
page layout with no change to data.
|
| 6 | 16MAY12 |
Added
an image of the aircraft in Intermountain
colours thanks to Peter Gates.
|
| 5 | 30JAN10 |
Added
two pre-delivery colour images thanks to Peter Gates.
|
| 4 | 08FEB04 |
Added
two images of the aircraft in different TAME liveries thanks
to Peter Gates.
|
| 3 | 06JAN04 |
Added
several new references extracted from file C3905/2 VH/ECB (22)
N.A.A., Chester Hill by Chris O'Neill.
|
| 2 | 21MAR01 |
Added
LEAP details thanks to Pete Clukey.
Additional material thanks to John Wilson. Additional images thanks to Peter Gates. |
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