Fleet History
With the DC-3 fleet already carrying TAA's early services, the young airline set its sights further west. In July 1946, the Federal Treasury released £350,000 to allow TAA to order four larger, more modern DC-4s directly from the Douglas Aircraft Corporation in the United States.
General Manager Lester Brain appointed Aubrey Koch, formerly of Qantas, as Senior Pilot DC-4 Skymaster, and John Watkins as Chief Technical Officer. Watkins' first major assignment was to travel to the United States to oversee the acceptance, inspection and delivery of the new Skymasters — a role that would make him one of the key figures in TAA's early growth.
The first of the four DC-4s arrived in Australia in early October 1946 and flew its maiden TAA service — Melbourne to Perth — in November 1946. This aircraft was named John Eyre, after the explorer who pioneered the east–west crossing of the continent. The next three Skymasters continued the theme, christened Thomas Mitchell, John Forrest and McDougall Stuart. TAA kept naming its aircraft after Australian explorers for years afterward, with one notable exception: the Skymaster John Gould, named in October 1951 after the Australian ornithologist.
A complete and detailed list of TAA Douglas DC-4 aircraft can be found here.
