Born in 1908, Francis Bertrun Colquhoun AM. (Frank) was educated at the North Perth State School and Perth technical College.

He was first employed in 1923 at the age of 14 years by Western Australian Airways Ltd., (the first commercial airline to operate in Australia), as a junior mechanic. He completed his apprenticeship and aviation engineering qualifications while working for this company, gaining extensive experience in early aviation practices in these pioneering days of aviation.

In 1934 he joined MacRobertson Miller Aviation Company as Chief Mechanic, becomming Chief Engineer as the company prospered. Transferring the engineering establishment from Maylands Airfield to Perth Airport in 1950, he established self contained engineering workshops to maintain the ever increasing fleet which extended over the years from DC3s, prop jet Fokker F27 to the pure jet Fokker F28. The MMA fleet of aircraft were renowned as being some of the best maintained and operated in the world, although they operated mainly into the remote and sparsely occupied area of Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

In 1970, he was seconded to the Department of Foreign Affairs, as Aviation Technical Advisor to Asian Nations such as Nepal, Malaysia and India, finally retiring from Ansett Airlines in 1978 having served 55 years in aviation engineering.

He was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), for services to aviation in 1997.

Hardcover - Approx 158 Pages

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