1943 WWII AVRO 652A Anson Mk1 OO-ANS K6183 B-VX RAF & RAAF as MH120

Aircraft history
Built in 1943: The aircraft was constructed at the A.V. Roe factory in Yeadon, England, near what is now Leeds-Bradford Airport.
RAF and RAAF service: It was delivered to the RAF in 1943 and transferred to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in March 1944. Under the Empire Air Training Scheme, it served with No. 1 Air Observers School at Evans Head and the Advanced Flying and Refresher Unit at Deniliquin.
Civilian life: After its military career, MH120 was sold to Greenfield Air Taxis in Australia in 1953. It was later registered as VH-BAF and served as an air taxi and freight and cartographic survey aircraft. In 1960, it crashed but was rebuilt and upgraded with metal Avro XIX wings.
Restoration: Bill Reid purchased the aircraft in New Zealand in the early 2000s and undertook a meticulous restoration to return it to its original Mk.I specification. The process took over a decade and was completed in 2016.
Painted as K6183: The restored aircraft was painted in RAF Coastal Command colours to represent Avro Anson K6183. This was done in tribute to the original K6183, which was one of the first RAF losses of WWII.
Recent ownership and movements: In late 2024, the Anson was purchased by the RAF Station Czechoslovakia association and relocated to the Czech Republic. In 2025, it was shipped to Belgium for assembly and testing before moving to its new home at Podhořany airfield. In September 2025, the aircraft made its UK debut at the IWM Duxford Battle of Britain Airshow.

Markings
The markings associated with the aircraft refer to its past identity and a paint scheme applied during restoration:
MH120: The original military serial number assigned to the aircraft by the RAF in 1943.
K6183: The serial number of a different Avro Anson from No. 206 Squadron RAF, which was lost in 1939. MH120 wears the markings of this specific aircraft as a tribute.
B-VX: These letters are the code for the squadron and individual aircraft, used by the RAF for identification. In this case, they would be related to the K6183 tribute markings.
OO-ANS: This is the current civilian registration of the aircraft in Europe. The "OO" prefix indicates its registration in Belgium.

Photo taken at the Imperial War Museum Duxford Cambridgeshire 7th Sept 2025 Battle Of Britain Air Show

And yes, when I’m not staring at the clouds, I’m surviving Orville’s rants over on YouTube 😂 [www.youtube.com/@AngryOrville]

Taken on: September 7, 2025

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Sets appears in: • 071A-Battle of Britain 2025 Duxford • 071-2025

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Camera: Canon EOS R7, f/14.0, 1/80 sec, 428mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS R7
Lens:	RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM
Aperture:	f/14.0
Exposure Time:	0.013 sec (1/80)
Focal Length:	428mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	+1 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Shutter speed priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Express Windows 10 (Windows)
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