iscover
Five of the ex-Air New Zealand Fokker F27 aircraft that AAS owns pictured in storage at Christchurch airport. Miami-based operator Palair has since purchased three of these aircraft, ZK-NAB, NAF and NAA, with delivery occurring this spring.
Available, the Following Aircraft
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John Conley started in aviation around the age of fourteen at Broken Hill, working for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Two years later, the eager young lad found himself flying sundry aeroplanes from war surplus, and also commenced doing the odd deal or two, buying and re-selling aeroplanes to new owners. In 1946, John registered his little enterprise as a trade name in Broken Hill, with the Company being known as ‘Australian Aircraft Sales
In those days, he was flying Tiger Moths, Stinsons, Dragons and Avro Ansons. In a short time, ‘Australian Aircraft Sales established a hangar at Camden Airport, Hangar 58, and employed an ex-Hawker de Havilland Chief Engineer, Jack Connell. He was to become Chief Engineer at AAS.
The company’s method of operation at the time was to purchase from War Surplus, and then place the aeroplanes back on the Civil Register. The acquisitions included Dragons, DH. 84s, and Avro Asons, and they’d sell to New Guinea (Papuan Air Transport). Laurie Crowley, of Crowley Airways, and other such customers. And in addition, they were dealing in light aircraft, such as Fox- Moths and DH. 83s. They also bought the occasional Lodestar or Lockheed Hudson from War Surplus, the Hudsons being picked up by AAS for as little as 500 pounds! Why, you could even purchase a DC-3 for about 8000 pounds! The Australian Aircraft Sales story in 1983 is very different. These days AAS is dealing in millions of dollars, and John has to have ample funds available at short notice to take advantage of any opportunities with aircraft that become available and are the right type to be purchased by his operation. Acquiring such enormous capital has been a mammoth task, calling on all of John’s business acumen to make only the right corporate decisions.
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