VH-TJU Douglas DC-9-31

VH-TJU. Douglas DC-9-31. c/n 47552-640.

Was also registered as: N942AX.

This was the last of 6 additional aircraft ordered by the Australian National Airlines Commission for T.A.A. - 1969

Construction was completed at Douglas Long Beach plant - August 1971

First flown as VH-TJU at Long Beach - August 1971

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-TJU - October 14, 1971

Registered to Australian National Airlines Commission, Melbourne

Accepted by T.A.A. at Long Beach - October 14, 1971

Departed Long Beach on the delivery flight to Australia - October 15, 1971

It arrived at Melbourne (Tullamarine) on completion of the delivery flight - October 17, 1971

Delivery route: Long Beach - Hilo - Pago Pago - Brisbane - Melbourne

The aircraft was named 'John Roe' during its pre-service lay-up

Operated its first revenue service Melbourne (Tullamarine) - Canberra as TN410 - October 26, 1971

It operated its last service in the original livery - August 02, 1981

Rolled out at Melbourne (Tullamarine) in new Trans-Australia 'camel-hump' livery - August 29, 1981

Delayed being returned to service as a strike resulted in the delivery of the new cabin seating being held up

It was returned to service - October 31, 1981

Trans-Australia Airlines was renamed Australian Airlines - August 04, 1986

Registered to Australian Airlines Ltd - July 11, 1988

It operated its 'last' revenue service Melbourne (Tullamarine) - Hobart as TN407 - August 23, 1989

Withdrawn from use and stored at Hobart due to the nationwide pilot's strike - August 23, 1989

Ferried Hobart - Melbourne (Tullamarine) - November 02, 1989

It was returned to service on the Queensland coastal routes - November 02, 1989

It was the only DC-9 to have returned to service during the pilot's dispute

It operated its final revenue service Brisbane - Melbourne (Tullamarine) as TN479 - November 17, 1989

This was the last DC-9 series 30 passenger service operated in Australia by either Ansett or T.A.A.

The aircraft had flown 44,729 hours with 48,186 cycles

The Trans-Australia titles and logo were removed from the aircraft - November 20, 1989

Sold to Australian Aircraft Sales (A.A.S.) and the 'A.A.S'. logo was applied - November 20, 1989

Sold to Airborne Express - November 28, 1989

Departed Melbourne (08:12 local) on the ferry flight to the United States as TN1398 - November 28, 1989

It arrived at Wilmington on completion of the ferry flight - November 30, 1989

Ferry route: Melbourne - Nadi - Pago Pago - Hilo - Long Beach

Sold to Wilmington Trust Company, Wilmington, Delaware - November 30, 1989

Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - December 01, 1989

Entered onto the United States Aircraft Register as N942AX - December 01, 1989

Registered to Wilmington Trust Company, Wilmington, Delaware

Leased to ABX Air Inc as the registered operator

It was converted to freighter configuration to carry small parcels only

The aircraft was hushkitted with Pratt & Whitney JT8D-7B engines

Certificate of Airworthiness issued by F.A.A. - February 23, 1990

Operated its first ABX revenue service - February 26, 1990

It was observed at Portland in service with ABX Air - July 09, 2005

It was observed stored at Cincinnati Airport - July 26, 2006

Withdrawn from service - November 2006

It was still registered as 'N942AX' on the United States Aircraft Register - May 13, 2009

Scrapped at Peru, Indiana - ?

Cancelled from the United States Aircraft Register - September 26, 2013

VH-TJU. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - 'John Roe' in the standard livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, July 09, 1977.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-552.)

VH-TJU. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - 'John Roe' in the standard livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, January 20, 1979.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-442.)

VH-TJU. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - 'John Roe' in the standard livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, January 20, 1979.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-296.)

VH-TJU. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - 'John Roe' in the standard livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, January 21, 1979.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-443.)

VH-TJU. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - 'John Roe' in the standard livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, June 24, 1979.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-444.)

VH-TJU. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - 'John Roe' in the standard livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, January 17, 1980.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-445.)

VH-TJU. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - 'John Roe' in the standard livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, April 16, 1980.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-446.)

VH-TJU. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - 'John Roe' in the standard livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, January 11, 1981.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-447.)

VH-TJU. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - 'John Roe' in the standard livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, June 1981.

(G. Bennett Copyright Image 1135-591.)

VH-TJU. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - 'John Roe' in the standard livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, July 1981.

(G. Bennett Copyright Image 1135-593.)

VH-TJU. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - 'John Roe' in the standard livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, August 1981.

(G. Bennett Copyright Image 1135-592.)

VH-TJU. TAA Trans Australia - 'John Roe' in the standard 'camel hump' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, October 1981.

(G. Bennett Copyright Image 1135-638.)

VH-TJU. TAA Trans Australia - 'John Roe' in the standard 'camel hump' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, June 1982.

(G. Bennett Copyright Image 1135-639.)

VH-TJU. TAA Trans Australia - 'John Roe' in the standard 'camel hump' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, January 1983.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-448.)

VH-TJU. TAA Trans Australia - 'John Roe' in the standard 'camel hump' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, June 1984.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-449.)

VH-TJU. TAA Trans Australia - 'John Roe' in the standard 'camel hump' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, July 1985.

(G. Bennett Copyright Image 1135-640.)

VH-TJU. TAA Trans Australia - 'John Roe' in the standard 'camel hump' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, October 1985.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1135-553.)

VH-TJU. TAA Trans Australia - 'John Roe' in the standard 'camel hump' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, April 1987.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-450.)

VH-TJU. AAS Australian Aircraft Sales - in the basic Trans Australia 'camel hump' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, November 1989.

(G. Bennett Copyright Image 1135-512.)

VH-TJU. AAS Australian Aircraft Sales - in the basic Trans Australia 'camel hump' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, November 1989.

(G. Bennett Copyright Image 1135-451.)

VH-TJU. AAS Australian Aircraft Sales - in the basic Trans Australia 'camel hump' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, November 1989.

(G. Bennett Copyright Image 1135-288.)

VH-TJU. AAS Australian Aircraft Sales - in the basic Trans Australia 'camel hump' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, November 1989.

(G. Bennett Copyright Image 1135-297.)

N942AX. AAS Australian Aircraft Sales - in the basic Trans Australia 'camel hump' livery at Wilmington Airport, December 1989.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1135-315.)

N942AX. AAS Australian Aircraft Sales - in the basic Trans Australia 'camel hump' livery at Wilmington Airport, January 1990.