Sunday, May 02, 2004

Home found for Wangaratta Freighter

After months of uncertainty, Bristol 170 Frieghter VH-ADL has been assured a future by the Australian National Aviation Museum, at Moorabbin Airport, Melbourne, Australia. The Freighter had been put up for disposal in early 2003, following the closure of the Airworld Collection at Wangaratta in Victoria, Australia in 2002. It had been earmarked for preservation in the UK, but sadly the cost of transportation seems to have detered the acquisition. Instead, the pristine 170 was left semi-dismantled, and could have been sold for scrap. There are no Bristol 170's in the UK, or Europe for that matter, and it in unlikely that one in this condition will become available again, so this missed opertunity as disappointed many people in the county of its birth.

Update: July 2004 - VH-ADL has now been delivered to Moorabbin, and work to re-assemble the aircraft will start soon.