Register Update Service

Of the new aircraft to come onto the register, we see the first Robinson R22B Beta, HBE, along with two R22A’s, HBO and UXU. The Robinson is fast becoming the most popular training helicopter in Australia and with another six aircraft in the country awaiting registration, we cannot see this trend changing. The two Super King Airs for the NSW Aerial Ambulance, AMM and AMR, have been well documented elsewhere, as has the Agusta A109A, DMR, which arrived just in time for the Schofields Air Show. Two McDonnell Douglas (nee Hughes) 500E’s make up the rest of the helicopters, FTS registered to UAA Films in WA and the other, JBE, to Aerotechnics, the importer. This latter aircraft is the one that put on such an exciting demonstration at Schofields as N5229J. It is interesting to note that Aerotechnics have reserved another ten registrations, all in the VH-JB series, for future MDC imports.

The Malibu, MAL, will be used initially as a demonstrator for the importers, Pacific Aviation and it recently undertook a tour of New Zea land. During the tour two Kiwi pilots, Grant Biel and Jack Green established a new North Cape to Bluff speed record in the aircraft. The time of 4 hours 16 minutes 58 seconds beat the previous best time, held by a Comanche, by over an hour.

Mooney M20J, KSX, although a new aircraft has been in the country for some time. Delivered by way of Tontouta on the 4th of October 1984, the aircraft has been awaiting sale by Adams Aviation since then. JTU is the first of a group of Tobagos that were delivered to Bankstown in a blaze of publicity, to appear on the register and no doubt the rest will follow shortly. The first Cessna 21OR to appear on the register, MOK and two home builds, LTD and OZZ, make up the rest of the new aircraft.

South Africa continued to supply second-hand aircraft for Australian customers with HEC, JMF, NPB and XMX all having South African connections. R. Farrington’s Grumman Cheetah has returned from New Guinea where it operated for nine years, to take up XEL in preference to its original Australian registration of SYG. The NSCA’s Baron has been re-registered and sold to Hawker De Havilland using a registration that was used as a trade plate by HdH for a long time. Several more registrations in the VH-NS block have now been reserved for the NSCA giving them all of this block except NSW which is worn by the Cessna 421 of the NSW Mapping Authority based at Bathurst. One exception to this appears to be HHM which no doubt pertains to its previous Canadian registration.

Other noteworthy allocations include two balloons, the first Mitsubishi Diamond on the register, a beautiful Ryan ST3 and the restored C-47 for the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Nowra.

In the aircraft returning to the register section, we find that most are back after extended periods of maintenance or repair after damage. The Lama BOT returns after working in New Guinea for just over a year, while Cessna 310 TTM has been away in that country since July 1976.

Of the deletions shown most of the aircraft withdrawn from use can be expected to return to the register sooner or later along with some of the damaged ones. ZK-NMB joins another ex-Australian Nomad at Lake Tekapo, New Zealand, with Air Safaris. EBB was sold to Guinness Peat Aviation of Ireland some time ago but was leased back to Qantas until their new Boeing 747’s arrived. It has now returned to GPA and has been leased to Air Lanka to join another ex-Qantas aircraft VH-EBN4R-ULF.

KMM was destroyed, with three fatalities, when it tried to land on a road and struck two wire fences and DYS was also destroyed in an accident while taking off from a homestead, killing the pilot and three passengers. The beautifully built Rand two-seater, the first turbo Rand on the register, came to grief near Camden when almost half of the propeller broke away.

The changes of ownership bring no great surprises with Thorp CMG, which Clive Canning flew to England and back some years ago, going to Drage’s Airworld at Wangaratta, and Jeff Trappe! Acquiring Winjeel AGP. Commuters to change hands are Shorts KNP to Pel Air, Bandeirante PGS to Lloyds, and Cessna 421 TAC to Norfolk Island Airlines. Noel Vinson at Bankstown has acquired three Nomads, CAI, DNM and; whilst other Nomads on the move areDHQ to Transecutive-before being sold in New Zealand, and IIG to Ian Baillie for resale.

Some interesting reservations not already mentioned are EEi to EEO, EEO and EES to EEY all for Qantas; PVA, PVA, PVM and PVN for the Victorian Police Air Wing (for used Dauphins) and RCC for a Lear 35 and JSF for a Falcon 20 both for Australian Jet Charter. XVI has been reserved for a Spitfire (presumably a Mark 16), USN for a Harvard, probably an ex-US Navy machine, and EEP and EEH for Esso Helicopters. A long list of registrations have been reserved for amateur-built aircraft including a Polywagon.

Trans Tasman deliveries in recent months have seen two Cessna 31Os, a Citation, a Mooney and a Navajo during October, a Citation and a Cessna 421 during November and an Aztec, an Aerostar and a Cessna 303 during December all from the USA.