Recent retirement after a 45 year Air Traffic Control career has given me time to complete various aviation history projects, using a lifetime’s collection of information, photographs and books.

The idea of my own website grew following the death of a friend and aviation historian, whose life’s work of aviation research was thrown out as rubbish. My plan is to use this site to ensure the results of my projects over the years are saved.

My fascination with aviation history goes back to early school days, living on the boundary of Adelaide-West Beach Airport in the 1950s. I grew up watching ANA and TAA propliners, with the weekly highlight of the Sunday morning arrival of an Avro Tudor 4B Super Trader of Freddie Laker’s Air Charter London. With Merlins popping as the power came off on landing, these Tudors flew the military courier from Britain to Woomera and Adelaide for many years before being replaced by DC-4s, DC-6s and Britannias. Our South Australia local airline had the intriguing name of Guinea Airways, and from my bicycle at the fence, I wondered why their DC-3s had names like Bulolo and Kokoda?

After meeting John Smith on the apron at West Beach in 1962, the West Beach Aviation Group was formed and is still going strong 50 years later. John was an Air Britain member, and I found his Air Britain publications absorbing reading. I discovered a whole new world of Civil Registers, construction numbers, aircraft pictures and airline histories. Now I knew about Guinea Airways. I was hooked!

To the fellow aviation enthusiasts, many of whom are long time friends, whose photographs and information appear on the site, I thank you. Special thanks to my Webmaster, Ron Cuskelly, for his outstanding support ever since I first mentioned the idea of a website.

Geoff Goodall
Melbourne 2013