VH-CZJ Douglas DC-9-31

First of three additional airframes ordered new by Ansett Airlines - 1969

First flown at Long Beach as VH-CZJ - March 1971

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-CZJ - March 29, 1971

Registered to Ansett Transport Industries (Operations) Pty Ltd, Melbourne

Accepted by Ansett at Long Beach - March 31, 1971

Departed Long Beach on the delivery flight to Australia - April 01, 1971

Arrived Melbourne (Essendon) Airport on completion of the delivery flight - April 02, 1971

Delivery route: Long Beach - Honolulu - Wake Island - Port Moresby - Melbourne

Flight crew: Captains R. Pyke, N. Smith, A. James

Operated first revenue service Melbourne (Essendon) - Hobart - April 07, 1971

Operated Ansett's last schedule service from Melbourne (Essendon) Airport - June 19, 1971

Operated final revenue service Sydney (Kingsford Smith) - Melbourne (Tullamarine) as AN33 - August 27, 1981

Withdrawn from use and placed in open storage at Melbourne (Tullamarine) Airport

Aircraft had flown 26,311 hours

Departed Melbourne (Tullamarine) on the ferry flight to the United States - September 07, 1981

Ferry route: Melbourne - Nadi - Pago Pago - Hilo - Seattle - Amarillo - St Petersburg (Clearwater)

Flight crew: Captains J. Duff, I. McKenzie; Engineer R. Lawson

Sold to Midway Airlines Inc

Overhauled by Air International Inc and converted to U.S. standards

Entered onto the United States Aircraft Register as N932ML - October 26, 1981

Registered to Midway Airlines Inc

Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - October 27, 1981

Sold to Midway Airlines Inc - November 12, 1981

Sold to Investors Asset Holding Corp - June 28, 1989

Withdrawn from use when Midway Airlines ceased operations - November 14, 1991

Sold to MWA Holdings Inc - March 20, 1992

Leased to Spirit Airlines Inc - June 04, 1992

Sold to Spirit Aircraft 1 Trust Inc - December 29, 1994

The lease to Spirit Airlines as the registered operator continued

Returned to Spirit Aircraft 1 Trust - April 1998

Sold to United States Navy for experimental research and development projects - May 01, 1998

Aircraft was named 'Firebird II'

Registered to the United States of America - July 13, 1999

Ferried Mojave - Amarillo - March 27, 2002

Obsrved at Mojave in white / purple livery with special antennas and radome - March 27, 2002

Ferried Mojave - Tucson - June 30, 2004

Air tested at Tucson - October 24, 2004

Observed as operational at Tucson - February 07, 2005

Ferried Tucson - Mojave - May 06, 2005

Ferried Mojave - Holloman Air Force Base - July 19, 2005

Ferried Holloman AFB - Phoenix (Gateway) - July 22, 2005

Observed as operational at Phoenix (Sky Harbour) - July 23, 2005

Air tested at Mojave - September 09, 2006

Ferried Victorville - Bakersfield - November 15, 2006

Ferried Tucson - Mojave - June 26, 2008

Observed stored at Mojave - March 04, 2012

Cancelled from the United States Aircraft Register - October 28, 2013

Observed at Mojave in good condition - January 25, 2014

VH-CZJ. Ansett Airlines of Australia - in the 'delta' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, December 1978.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-231.)

VH-CZJ. Ansett Airlines of Australia - in the 'delta' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, January 1979.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-232.)

VH-CZJ. Ansett Airlines of Australia - in the 'delta' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, January 1979.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-402.)

VH-CZJ. Ansett Airlines of Australia - in the 'delta' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, March 1979.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-036.)

VH-CZJ. Ansett Airlines of Australia - in the 'delta' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, April 1979.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-403.)

VH-CZJ. Ansett Airlines of Australia - in the 'delta' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, May 1979.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-404.)

VH-CZJ. Ansett Airlines of Australia - in the 'delta' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, September 1980.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-336.)

VH-CZJ. Ansett Airlines of Australia - in the 'delta' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, September 1980.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-233.)

VH-CZJ. Ansett Airlines of Australia - in the 'delta' livery with additional 'Official Carrier Commonwealth Games Brisbane 1982' titles at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, December 1980.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-109.)

VH-CZJ. Ansett Airlines of Australia - in the 'delta' livery with additional 'Official Carrier Commonwealth Games Brisbane 1982' titles at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, December 1980.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-234.)

VH-CZJ. Ansett Airlines of Australia - in the 'delta' livery with additional 'Official Carrier Commonwealth Games Brisbane 1982' titles at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, April 1981.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1135-293.)

VH-CZJ. Ansett Airlines of Australia - in the 'delta' livery with additional 'Official Carrier Commonwealth Games Brisbane 1982' titles at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, April 1981.

(G. Bennett Copyright Image 1135-543.)

VH-CZJ. Ansett Airlines of Australia - in the 'delta' livery with additional 'Official Carrier Commonwealth Games Brisbane 1982' titles at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, April 1981.

(G. Bennett Copyright Image 1135-544.)

VH-CZJ. Ansett Airlines of Australia - in the 'delta' livery with additional 'Official Carrier Commonwealth Games Brisbane 1982' titles at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, June 1981.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-286.)

VH-CZJ. Ansett Airlines of Australia - in the 'delta' livery with additional 'Official Carrier Commonwealth Games Brisbane 1982' titles at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, July 1981.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-337.)

VH-CZJ. Ansett Airlines of Australia - in the 'delta' livery with additional 'Official Carrier Commonwealth Games Brisbane 1982' titles at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, September 1981.

(G. Bennett Copyright Image 1135-545.)