Register Update Service

Ryan, RPT, was built as a PT21 and delivered to the USAF in 1941 but sometime during its American career it had its engine replaced with a slightly uprated one and thus joins the Australian register as a PT22, the ST3KR being a manufacturer designator. Three other military training aircraft join the register, all built in Australia. The first Wirraway on the register for some time, WIR and two Winjeels which both derive their registrations from their callsigns whilst in service with the RAAF.

In the aircraft returning to the register section, four of the NSCA Bell 205s have returned from a stint with Frontier Helicopters in Canada. Several aircraft are returning after long periods of rebuilding including Cessna 182A CDR, which crashed at Karumba, Qld. , during July 1975. Both Beaver ION and Comanche PYM have been off the register for four years and Piaggio MMP for three years, all for extended periods of maintenance. Whilst Mayne Bristow SA330J Puma WOF has just returned from England where it operated for the same company as G-BFKZ.

After the very small number of crashes that were reported in last issue’s deletions no less than eleven aircraft have been damaged enough to be taken off the register during this period covered, including a rather mysterious helicopter crash. Bell 47G HMX was one of three helicopters being used for mustering cattle near Killarney when the pilot was instructed to move his aircraft away from the herd as the muster was almost complete. A little later one of the other pilots noticed a fire and upon investigation found the wreckage of HMX. No explanation has been found yet for the crash and the aircraft was completely destroyed.

Laser AUZ was used by Englishmen John Harper and Peter Kynsey during the 1986 World Aerobatic Championships at South Cerney, England using its Australian registration but will not be returning having been sold in that country. Friendship FNU has also been sold in England to Air UK who operate the ex Department of Aviation F27 CAV as well as an ex Air New Guinea machine. The Dornier, NSC, which was being evaluated by the NSCA has now returned to West Germany, a victim of the rising Deutsche mark and lowly valued Australian dollar.

The changes of ownership bring no great surprises with Rex Aviation taking Cessna 421 ADG from the RFDS in part exchange for a new machine. The 421 flew Sydney/Lord Howe Island/Norfolk Island/New Zealand on the 19th of December so may well have been resold overseas. The whole of the Royal Aero Club of NSW fleet has been transferred to Nalrod Enterprises after a couple of very bad financial years and Jim Hazelton has acquired the ex South African Cessna 182R LOY mainly for the daily run through western NSW picking up blood samples and returning them to Sydney for analysis. Lloyd Aviation have added Cessna 402 UCI and Swearingen SWK to their fleet, whilst the Aviation Centre have Navajo SIN to their fleet of Navajos, Barons and Aerostars. Rex Av1at1on, Rossair, Ian Baillie, Hawker Pacific and Civil Flying Services are names that appear often in the listings, indicating a very healthy used aircraft market in Australia at the present time.

The last two months have seen only a new Cessna Caravan and a second-hand Navajo arrive via the trans-Tasman route for buyers in Australia, although four helicopters and seven single-engined Cessnas and Pipers have also been imported. Two other interesting aircraft about to make an appearance on the Australian register are Falcon 20F N400GN and Percival Gull Six G-AERD. The Falcon was last operated by Gannett Inc. of New York City and the Gull Six was owned by Mr N. C. Jensen of Redhill, Surrey. This aircraft was badly damaged at Cranfield, England during July 1984 when it collided with a Cherokee but 11 Is not known it if has been rebuilt before coming to Australia.