VH-BZM Convair 440-61

VH-BZM. Convair 440-61. c/n 465.

Was also registered as: N8422H; N5835; C-GGWH; ZK-JDQ; C-FKFL.

Constructed by the Convair Division of the General Dynamics Corporation, San Diego, Califoirnia

Construction was completed at the San Diego plant - September 16, 1957

Sold to Ansett Airways for $US 750,000

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-BZM - July 23, 1957

Departed San Diego on the delivery flight to Australia - October 25, 1957

It arrived at Melbourne (Essendon) on completion of the delivery flight - October 30, 1957

Delivery route: San Francisco - Honolulu - Canton Island - Tontouta - Brisbane - Melbourne

Chartered by Butler Air Transport to operate some services - 1958

Chartered by Queensland Airlines on an 'ad-hoc' basis - September 01, 1959 to December 1959

Leased to Queensland Airlines to cover the late delivery of their F.27 - March 1960

Withdrawn from Ansett-A.N.A. service - May 1962

Sold to Allegheny Airlines Inc - June 1962

Departed Melbourne (Essendon) on the ferry flight to the United States - June 01, 1962

Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - June 05, 1962

Entered onto the United States Aircraft Register as N8422H - June 05, 1962

Registered to Allegheny Airlines

Converted to CV-580 standard by Pacific Airmotive Corp - October 20, 1967 to January, 1968

Delivered to Allegheny Airlines - January 20, 1968

Reregistered as N5835 - ?

Sold to Commuter Airlines Inc - July 28, 1978

Leased to Freedom Airlines - September 07, 1982

Sold to Air Ontario - October 14, 1984

Entered onto the Canadian Aircraft Register as C-GGWH - October 14, 1984

Registered to Air Ontario

Leased to Air Toronto - April 1988

Registered to Sound Air Corporation - May 16, 1988

Leased to Canair Cargo Ltd - November 1991 to December 1993

Sold to Kelowna Flightcraft Air Charter - January 1994

Departed Kelowna on the ferry flight to New Zealand - January ?, 1994

It arrived at Auckland on completion ofv the ferry flight - January 30, 1994

Leased to Fieldair Air Freight N.Z. - February 02, 1994

Cancelled from the Canadian Aircraft Register - March 08, 1994

Entered onto the New Zealand Aircraft Register as ZK-JDQ - March 09, 1994

Registered to Air Freight (NZ) Ltd, Auckland

Returned to Kelowna at the end of the lease - December 24, 1996

Cancelled from the New Zealand Aircraft Register - December 24, 1996

Entered onto the Canadian Aircraft Register as C-FZQS - December 24, 1996

Registered to Kelowna Flightcraft Charter Ltd

Departed Auckland on the ferry flight to Canada - January 15, 1997

It arrived at Kelowna on completion of the ferry flight - January ?, 1997

Ferry route: Auckland - Pago Pago - Honolulu - Vanvouver - Kelowna

Reregistered as C-FKFL - March 21, 1997

Leased to Air Monarch Cargo, Mexico City - November 1997 to June 2000

Withdrawn from use and stored at Kelowna's Ellison Field

It was intended to convert the aircraft to a freighter with a large freight door or a water bomber

Leased to Conair - December 2002

Registered to Conair Group Inc, Abbotsford - December 05, 2002

Current with Conair Group - 2022

VH-BZM. Ansett-A.N.A. - in the standard livery at Melbourne Essendon Airport, date unknown.

(E. D. Daw Collection Copyright Image 1029-017.)

VH-BZM. Ansett-A.N.A. - in the standard livery at Melbourne Essendon Airport, date unknown.

(E. D. Daw Collection Copyright Image 1029-078.)

N5835. Allegheny - in the standard livery at an unknown airport, June 1970.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1029-146.)

N5835. Allegheny - in the standard livery at Pittsburgh Airport, December 1975.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1029-239.)

N5835. Allegheny - in the basic livery at Pittsburgh Airport, May 1978.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1029-149.)

N5835. Freedom Airlines - in the standard livery at Cleveland Airport, April 1980.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1029-233.)

N5835. Freedom Airlines - in the standard livery at an unknown airport, July 1981.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1029-136.)

C-GGWH. Air Ontario - in the original livery at an unknown airport, May 1986.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1029-207.)

C-GGWH. Air Ontario - in the original livery at Toronto Pearson Airport, June 1986.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1029-278.)

C-GGWH. Air Ontario - in the revised livery at Atlantic City Airport, September 1987.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1029-057.)

C-GGWH. Air Ontario - in the revised livery at an unknown airport, December 1987.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1029-279.)

C-GGWH. Canair - in the basic Air Ontario livery at Toronto Airport, June 1993.

(C. Caswell Copyright Image 1029-234.)

C-GGWH. Canair - in the basic Air Ontario livery at Toronto Airport, October 1993.

(C. Caswell Copyright Image 1029-060.)

C-GGWH. Fieldair - in the basic Air Ontario livery at Palmerston North Airport, February 03, 1994.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1029-061.)

ZK-JDQ. Fieldair Freight - in the basic Air Ontario livery at Auckland Airport, January 1995.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1029-162.)

ZK-JDQ. Fieldair Freight - in the basic Air Ontario livery at Auckland Airport, May 24, 1995.

(J. Mounce Copyright Image 1029-273.)

C-FKFL. Air Monarch - 'Suka' in the basic Kelowna livery at Ellison Airport, November 1997.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1029-142.)

C-FKFL. Air Monarch - 'Suka' in the basic Kelowna livery at Mexico City Airport, February 2000.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1029-143.)

C-FKFL. Conair - in the standard livery at Abbotsford Airport, June 2005.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1029-154.)

C-FKFL. Conair - in the standard livery at Abbotsford Airport, August 2005.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1029-155.)

C-FKFL. Conair - in the standard livery at Abbotsford Airport, July 2008.