VH-UZU is a Cessna C-37 Airmaster with links to Maylands Aerodrome. The C-37 was an advanced version of the
earlier Cessna C-34 four-seat cabin monoplane and its Warner Scarab radial engines delivered exceptional performance for a 1930s aircraft. The Airmaster series were of wooden construction and had a metal tube fuselage frame, unlike the all-metal Cessnas produced after WWII.

VH-UZU at MMMA 1937-1948

VH-UZU appears to have been the first Cessna imported into Australia and the only Cessna in the MacRobertson Miller Aviation Company (MMA) fleet.

MMA registered VH-UZU on 2 September 1937. It was painted a pale yellow and displayed a navy-blue MMA logo.

MMA used VH-UZU on its Adelaide-Whyalla run until late 1939, when D.H.84 VH-URX was impressed into the RAAF.

Cyril Kleinig then flew VH-UZU from Adelaide to Perth as a replacement aircraft for VH-URX and use on services in Western Australia.

In 1940, VH-UZU had to be rebuilt following a forced landing north of Carnarvon.

In 1941, MMA decided to use VH-UZU as the reserve aircraft on its Wyndham-Daly Waters run.

Horrie Miller was photographed piloting VH-UZU around 1942.

In early 1942, VH-UZU assisted with salvage operations following the crash-landing of VH-ABV. Jimmy Woods and VH-UZU:

• initially brought in provisions, jacking equipment, tools and camp gear,
• took out two of the women passengers from VH-ABV on one trip,
• took the third adult passenger and her two children and some of their baggage out on another trip,
• took Captain Jim Branch to Derby to resume scheduled flying on other services,
• flew in stores, a disassembled replacement engine and two disassembled propellors,
• retrieved loaned camp equipment and tools following the recovery of VH-ABV, and
• made in total some 28 landings on the 280-yard landing strip created near the salvage site.

The Cessna still functioned as a reserve aircraft for MMA’s twice-weekly northern service.

In May 1942, engine failure forced pilot Jimmy Woods to make a forced landing in VH-UZU 40km south of Dongara.

Civil registration for VH-UZU was cancelled in 1948.

VH-UZU since 1948

VH-UZU has had a number of private owners since 1948.

VH-UZU was slightly damaged after striking telephone lines at Einasleigh in Queensland in 1953.

VH-UZU occasionally flew for Bush Pilots Airways in the 1950s, when its owner was a pilot for Bush Pilots Airways advertised as Queensland’s outback airline.

In the 1960s, VH-UZU appears to have been operated by Bush Pilots Airways and named The Cargoon Star after a cattle station inland from Charters Towers associated with the formation of Bush Pilots Airways.

Bush Pilots Airways also sponsored VH-UZU’s participation in an air-race.

VH-UZU was the oldest Australian Cessna flying during the 1980s.

In 1991, VH-UZU was photographed at RAAF Richmond. After years of restoration work, it had been rebuilt, restored to flying status, re-registered and repainted in the original MacRobertson Miller Aviation colours,  but with scarlet rather than navy-blue lettering.

In 2005, VH-UZU took part in the Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia National Fly-in.

For more information

See:

• our VH-UZU Flickr Album for digitised images and other digitised information,
• our Frank Colquhoun collection which includes FC_296. B&W photograph. Aircraft VH-UZU, and
• our YouTube video of MHPA member Kris Brimmell’s presentation about the rescue of RMA Gascoyne (VH-ABV).