Aviation Center Australia

In 1954 American Air Lines was in the market for a 75 to 100 passenger aircraft for its short to medium range domestic routes. In response Lockheed developed the low wing L-188 Electra powered by four sleek turboprops instead of the usual large radial engines or jet turbines. The combination of engine and the Hamilton Standard propeller offered a much more reliable and fuel efficient aircraft that could travel at 375 mph for 2000 miles at an altitude of 20,000 – 25,000 feet. When production ended in 1961 there had been 170 Electras completed.


In October 1958 Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) ordered 2 Lockheed L-188 Electras. One of these aircraft was VH-TLA c/n 1061 named “John Eyre”. VH-TLA first flew on May 19, 1959 and was delivered to the airline at Melbourne on June 24, 1959. On July 8, 1959 the aircraft performed its inaugural commercial flight between Melbourne and Sydney. VH-TLA made its final commercial flight with TAA from Canberra to Sydney on April 30, 1971. Later that day the aircraft was ferried to Brisbane and put in storage. The L-188 was sold to Concare Aircraft Leasing on March 12, 1972 and registered as N188LA. The Electra changed hands a few more times before being scrapped in late 1975 early 1976.

In 1954, the Australian TAA was the first airline outside of Europe to commission the then revolutionary Vickers Viscount. In 1996, the airline was merged with Qantas.

The world’s first turbo-prop airliner was the British made Vickers Viscount. The first flight took place in 1948 with a more powerful engined Type 700 taking flight on August 3 1950. A stretched variant named Type 800 was 3 feet 10 inches longer with even more power and a new fuel system and flew on July 27 1956. It could carry 71 passengers so it soon was operating with about 70 airlines and 9 militarys around the world. Production ended in 1964 with 445 aircraft of all types produced.


Viscount c/n 433 was a V.816 with Rolls-Royce Dart 525 engines built for TAA (Trans Australia Airlines), registered as VH-TVP and named “John Gould”. The aircraft’s first flight took place on May 8, 1959 and was delivered on May 23, 1959. In the mid 1960’s it was fitted with airstairs before being sold to Consolidated Aviation Holding (Pty) Ltd. in 1971. VH-TVP was immediately sold to Far Eastern Air Transport of Taiwan as B-2025 who leased it to Air Vietnam from March 1973 to March 1974. In August 1976 the aircraft was sold to Mandala Airlines of Indonesia as PK-RVS and operated until April 1993 when it was withdrawn from service and stored at Jakarta. Some time after 1995 the aircraft was scrapped.