The aircraft used to bring the 1963 Royal Tour party, including Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, to the Kununurra Airstrip (KNX) from Darwin (DWN), on March 17th 1963, was A96-353, a Convair CV-440 Metropolitan. This aircraft was one of only two Convair Metropolitan aircraft operated by the RAAF.
A96-313 & A96-353
The two Convair aircraft were delivered to the RAAF in April and November 1957 and were allocated the serial numbers A96-313 and A96-353, respectively.
Back-up Aircraft A96-313
One photograph in the slideshow below shows the tail of A96-313 and from earlier newspaper articles, we have learned that a complete back-up aircraft was deployed, being the only other RAAF Convair aircraft, A96-313.
VIP Transport - A96 Convair Aircraft
They were operated initially by the VIP flight of No 86 Transport Wing, which later became No 34 (Special Transport) Squadron and moved to RAAF Base Fairbairn, Canberra. While in RAAF service the aircraft were fitted out to spaciously seat 15 to 20 passengers, and flew Prime Ministers, Governors-General and Royalty to all parts of Australia, before being sold in 1968.
March 17th 1963 - Royal Tour to Kununurra - The Royal Tour party, including Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, Sir David Brand, Premier of Western Australia, and Mrs Brand walk across the "tarmac" at the Kununurra (KNX) Airstrip. Behind the Royal party is the "complete backup aircraft" for the Royal Tour, the RAAF Convair, A96-313. The Royal party are walking towards the only other RAAF Convair in RAAF service. A96-353, to depart for Darwin (DWN).
Photographed by Peter Davies - KHS-2013-11-PD -Peter Davies Collection
File Name - 1963-03-17 - Royal Tour Party departing - Kununurra Airport - KHS-2013-11-c-PD
TECHNICAL DATA:
Convair CV-440 Metropolitan
DESCRIPTION:
Medium-range VIP transport
POWER PLANT:
Two 2500 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800-CB17 engines
WEIGHT:
Empty 15 059 kg (33 200 lb); Loaded 22 272 kg (49 100 lb).
DIMENSIONS:
Wingspan 32.10 m (105 ft 4 in); Length 24.13 m (79 ft 2 in); Height 8.58 m (28 ft 2 in).
PERFORMANCE:
Max speed 483 km/h (261 kt); Cruise 465 km/h (251 kt); Range 2880 km (1555 nm).
ARMAMENT:
[Information above from http://www.airforce.gov.au/raafmuseum/research/aircraft/series2/A96.htm]
You can watch digital video. created for KHS from KHS archival material, consisting of three 8mm colour films, by different photographers, from different angles, mixed and edited with stills from these KHS Flickr collections - See - http://www.youtube.com/user/KununurraMuseum
[Below from http://www.aussieairliners.org/convairr/a96-353/a96353.html - AB 6 III 2013]
A96-353 - Convair Aircraft - Information Timeline
1963 Royal Tour Aircraft & Avionics
A96-353. Convair CV-440-78. c/n 353.
Construction completed as Convair 440-78 - July 10, 1956
First flown as N8463H -
Powered by Pratt & Whitney R-2800-CB-16 Double Wasp engines
Registered to General Dynamics
Sold to Royal Australian Air Force as A96-353
Received by the Royal Australian Air Force - December 7, 1956
Issued to 86 Wing - December 12, 1956
Issued to No 34 Squadron V.I.P. Flight - February 8, 1957
[Not mentioned on website above - Comments have been added in square brackets by KHS]
[1963 Royal Tour - See image below at Alice Springs mentioned as Date Unknown" is actually circa March 15th 1953, when the Queen and Prince Philip visited Alice Springs, a few days before getting to Kununurra]
[1963-03-16 - Royal Tour Alice to Tennant Creek [?] to Katherine then to Darwin - Most likely - KHS - AB 6 III 2013]
[The above information on Alice Springs has been gleaned from the images on the web page that this text came from - http://www.aussieairliners.org/convairr/a96-353/a96353.html See image below - Alice Springs with "Date Unknown" is almost certainly the Feb/March 1963 Royal Tour to Australia, around March 15th - See the "E II R" Royal symbols on that photograph - same as Kununurra images taken on March 17th 1963. - AB KHS 6 III 2013]
[1963-03-17 - Royal Tour Darwin to Kununurra return to Darwin - Queen boards Brittania at Darwin - DWN-KNX-DWN - See above for links to images on Flickr and digital video on YouTube.]
Withdrawn from use - 1968
Sold to Omni Investment Corporation - July 25, 1968
Entered onto U.S. Aircraft Register as N588E - July 1968
Sold to P.T. Sharples - September 16, 1968
Reregistered as N912PS - December 2, 1968
Sold to General Development Air Service Corporation - December 2, 1970
Operated with 'Sunport' titles - November 1972
Sold to Two Jacks Aircraft Sales - November 14, 1973
Sold to American Liberty Oil - January 14, 1974
Reregistered N912AL - February 19, 1982
Sold to Florida Aircraft Sales & Leasing - February 6, 1986
Leased to National Jets - March 1987
Aircraft converted to cargo configuration with installation of rear cargo door - May 22, 1987
Sold to Inter-Dominican Corporation - March 15, 1988
Sold to Samuel P. Burnstein - April 8, 1988
Seized by Sheriff of Broward County - July 31, 1989
Sold to Florida Aircraft Leasing Corporation - June 30, 1990
Sold to Inter Tropical Aviation, Paramaribo, Surinam - February 14, 1995
Entered onto Brazilian Aircraft Register as PT-TGA
Leased to Tol Air Services, San Juan, Puerto Rico - September 1996
Entered onto U.S. Aircraft Register as N912AL
Sold to Dodita Air Cargo, San Juan, Puerto Rico - August 7, 1997
Observed stored at San Juan in a dirty condition - February 2008
Current
