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One of Associated Airlines' fleet of three immaculate, highly polished Lockheed 12As used as staff transports for BHP and Zinc Corp executives for over two decades. This Lockheed is pictured after maintenance by CAC at the old Fishermans Bend airfield, Melbourne in 1946. Note the two US Embassy Beech 1Bs behind and to the left and a large pile of war surplus engine cowlings and other airframe parts dumped outside to the right!
Associated Airlines Celebrates 50th Anniversary
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Register Review associated Airlines Celebrating 50 Years of Service to Business Aviation
Long regarded as being the leader in executive flying in Australia, Essendon-based Associated Airlines will celebrate fifty years of incident-free operations on October 1st. Associated have always operated aircraft types that are at the forefront of business flying and that in turn has set a standard for others to follow. This is supported by their Operations and Maintenance Departments together with the standard of service they provide to their passengers.
The idea of an airline to serve the executives of the Zinc Corporation and the Collins House Group of Companies was first conceived in early 1936 by the then Managing Director of Zinc Corporation, W. S. Robinson. With a Head Office in Melbourne but with interests throughout Australia there was an obvious need for this form of air transport. Though air travel is now accepted as a means of transport this was not the case in the 1930’s, and it was only through the foresight of men like W. S. Robinson that Associated Airlines was established.
During a trip to Los Angeles in 1936, Robinson contracted to buy a Lockheed 12A at a cost of £23,000, with delivery promised the following year. On his return to Australia, he found that the other members of the Collins House Group did not share his enthusiasm for the Lockheed as many considered it a very insecure way to travel around Australia. Though he was facing much opposition Robinson continued to push his idea of an executive airline.
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