“Miss Flinders”, VH-UEE, is a Desoutter Mark II monoplane
“Miss Flinders”, VH-UEE, is a Desoutter Mark II monoplane which played a very significant part in the aviation history of Ireland, Australia, and especially in Tasmania. Its strong provenance is established primarily through its aircraft log books, unpublished memoirs and newspaper articles.
It first flew in September 1930, being no 30 of 41 manufactured by the Desoutter Company in the United Kingdom and is one of three of these planes which have survived to the present time. Its design, and features, represents the transition from the earlier open cockpit biplanes, primarily used for training and personal flights, to the enclosed cockpit monoplane designed for use as Air Taxi to transport paying customers in some comfort, the forerunner to the airlines of today.
Two Melbourne businessmen, Jeffrey and Jenkins, purchased the plane and undertook a daring 44-day flight as tourists from England to Australia, arriving in Darwin in February 1932. This was the 15th successful pioneering flight from the England to Australia.
Lawrence Johnson then purchased “Miss Flinders” in March 1932 and started the first commercially successful regular passenger flights between Western Junction (Launceston) and Flinders Island. In October 1932 Johnson merged with the Holyman Brothers to form Tasmanian Aerial Services, which was the precursor to Australian National Airways, the largest airline in Australia from 1936 to 1946.
“Miss Flinders” was used to transport passengers between Tasmanian aerodromes, especially on the Furneaux Islands, delivering newspapers and mail, which brought the inhabitants of these remote locations much closer to the main centres in Tasmania. It also undertook the first air evacuation from Flinders Island in March 1932.
For three years it operated in Tasmania before the rapid advancement in passenger aircraft design which could accommodate more passengers over further distances, made “Miss Flinders” commercially unsuitable.
After multiple owners on the mainland, it returned to Tasmania in 1966 and was displayed in the Launceston Airport terminal from 1966 to 1997, where many Tasmanians fondly remember “the little blue plane.” It was then transferred to the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery until March 2020 when it became part of the Tasmanian Aviation Historical Society museum collection at Western Junction.
Submitted by Andrew Johnson & Chris Byrne, Tasmanian Aviation Historical Society
