Traffic

Australian Airlines painted one of their Boeing 727-276 aircraft in Air Vanuatu titles in laie March. VH-TBN will then operate services for Air Vanuatu at the weekend before returning to Australian Airlines operations during the week. Ansett WA took delivery of BAe 146-200 VH-JJW at Perth on March 5th.

Commuter Notes

Air Nelson took delivery of Metro Ill N3108H c/n AC-513 at Nelson on February 21st. The Metro has since entered service as ZK-NSV.

Air North have sold Doug1as DC-3 VH-CAN to Bankstown based Flight Australia. The DC-3 departed Darwin on February 16th on its ferry flight south. Cessna 404 VH-ANP was sold to Sunstate to service their Air Ambulance contract out of Essendon. Former Tillair Cessna 402Cs VH-TFD, VH-UCL and VH-UPB were all noted at Darwin in January carrying Air North titles. Cessna 441 VH-AZB c/n 0182 was added to the Air North fleet in March.

Australian Regional have purchased a replacement Twin Otter in Canada for the badly damaged VH-AQB. Arriving in Townsville in late March was DHC-6-300 C-FCUS c/n 288, which will enter service with Australian Regional as VH-TGC. Another Twin Otter imported to Townsville was DHC-6-200 C-FMOL c/n 147. Imported by Sherrard Aviation C-FMOL . mived from Tarawa on January 26th. By mid March it had been registered P2-OTR for Curtin Bros in New Guinea.

Eastern Australia took delivery of their second DHC-8-100 at Sydney on February 27th. Registered VH-TQP the Dash 8 was ferried from Toronto to Sydney via the North Atlantic and Middle East. Also on the same day Eastern took over the Sydney to Port Macquarie route from East-West and put their first DHC-8-100 VH-TQ0 into service.

Kendell Airlines have ordered a fourth Saab 340A for delivery in July. They have reserved VH-EKD for this aircraft. Midstate Airlines ceased operations in late February. To date no other operator has taken over their routes out of Perth.

Oxley Airlines commenced operations on March 3rd from Port Macquarie to Melbourne. King Air 200 VH-LHK was imported to operate this route, however, certification problems have delayed its entry into service. The five times weekly return flight is being operated by PA31-350s, which take 3 hours 15 for the journey.

Qwestair commenced operations on the Perth to Telfer route on January 24th using leased King Air 200 VH-NSE. Westwind II VH-NGA was delivered to Perth on March 3rd and it now operates the Qwestair flights.

Sunbird Airlines took delivery of EMB-110P1 VH-FCK at Cairns on March 16th. Another EMB-110P1 VH-FCG was planned for delivery in late March. Sunstate having sold EMB-110P1’s VH-FCG and VH-FCK to Sunbird. Cessna 404s VH-BPO and VH-LAD have joined the Victorian Air Ambulance fleet at Essendon. Cessna 404 VH-TMX is being leased by Sunstate/Mildura from Eastern. Shorts 330 VH-KNO has been leased from Pel-Air and it entered service with Sunstate in early March.

Bizjet News

Firstly we had better correct some misinformation published in ‘Traffic’ March. BAe 125-800 ZK-TCB of Wilson-Neill was not sold in the United States as we surmised, as in late January it returned again to Dunedin from overseas. We also mentioned the sale of Westwind II N97AL c/n 387 to Australia. This was correct however it was registered VH-NGA and not as we stated. The Westwind II VH-NGA flew into Sydney on January 27th on delivery to Pel-Air. In early March it was flown to Perth to commence operations with Qwestair. Pel-Air also imported a second Westwind in this period. Arriving in Sydney on February 14th was VH-AJV c/n 282. When sighted the following day the Westwind was found to carry a large US flag on its tail and the titles Axciomlntegrated Marketing Systems near the door. The engine covers carried its previous US registration N186G. The former Woodger Group Westwind VH-JPW is now with Norfolk Pacific. In early February it was flown to Perth to commence operations with Flightways.

Trans Pacific Enterprises took delivery of their Gulfstream Ill N1SF c/n 455 at Sydney on January 13th. This very attractive looking Gulfstream is now a regular visitor to Australian airports. The Hooker Corporation Gulfstream II VH-HKR continues to fly in the United States and we wonder whether in fact it will ever be delivered to Australia. Multiplex will also be operating their newly acquired Perth based Canadair Challenger 600 in Australia by June while another Challenger, a new 601, is tipped to be ordered by ANI in the coming months.

Westfield Aviation took delivery of their Boeing 727-23 N727WF at Sydney on February 19th when it flew in from Pago Pago. Built on order for American Airlines as N2913 c/n 20045 the Boeing was delivered to them in July 1968.

In ‘Traffic’ March we mentioned the departure of Cessna 550 VH-LJK to the United States as N785CA. On January 28th N785CA returned to Australia, when it flew into Brisbane from Honiara. The Cessna 550 has since taken up its former Australian registration VH-LJK and is now operated by Lloyd Aviation Jet Charter. Cessna 500 Eag1e N888GZ c/n 0349, which was imported last September been registered in Australia. In late January it was noted at Essendon as VH-HVM, where it is based with Yulgibar Holdings.

Learjet 35A VH-FOX was noted at Sydney in late February carrying Airtex Aviation titles. On the same day Learjet 35A VH-WFE of Wards Express/Norfolk Jet Charter arrived in a very smart new paint scheme. Two other Learjets to receive new paint schem1ls in this period were VH-BSJ of Shortstop Aviation and VH-ULT of Pacific Aviation.

Sherrard Aviation at Essendon have been advertising a Falcon 20C and BAe 125-600B for sale in the national press. These aircraft are Falcon 20C YN-BZH c/n 128 and BAe 125-600B YN-BPR c/n 256037. Both are presently in Canada being prepared for delivery in late April. As much as I would like to see a couple of Nicaraguan-registered aircraft in the country, I feel that both will be delivered carrying US or Australian markings.

Victorian Air Ambulance

On March 1st the contract to operate aircraft for the Victorian Air Ambulance service changed from Penair to Sunstate Airlines (Mildura) P/L. Sunstate were awarded a five year contract to use Cessna 404 aircraft based at Essendon. The previous operator Peninsula Air Services/Penair had been flying for the Victorian Air Ambulance Service since October 1979, when they took over from Executive Air Services. In 1988 Penair aircraft flew 5,600 hours on Air Ambulance duties. To date Sunstate have based five Cessna 404 aircraft at Essendon as follows – VH-BPO, which was based in Brisbane with Sunstate on commuter work, was flown south to Essendon in January. After being fitted out to carry stretchers VH-BPO lost its Sunstate colours. The Cessna was painted all white with ‘Ambulance Service Victoria’ in red above the windows and ‘Sunstate’ in blue below. The Victorian Air Ambulance Service badge was painted on the fin. VH-LAD, which was Sunstate’s other Cessna 404 was used for commuter work out of Mildura. At present VH-LAD is based at Essendon though it still retains its full Sunstate colour scheme. VH-ANP which was purchased from Air North departed Darwin on February 2nd on its ferry flight to Melbourne. At present VH-ANP operates in an all white colour scheme. VH-WZL was purchased in the United States and on February 12th as N6807L c/n 0834 it ferried Tarawa, Brisbane to Tamworth. After certification at Tamworth it was flown south to Melbourne as VH-WZL. Also purchased in the United States was VH-WZM and it ferried across the Pacific as N68075 c/n 0837 in company with N6807L. Both VH-WZL and VH-WZM still carry their imported Cessna colour schemes though it is expected in time they will appear in the markings carried by VH-BPO.

The Penair fleet at Essendon consisted of Cessna 401A VH-BMN and VH-KRY,Cessna 402A VH-BUD, VH-BUS, VH-DZY, VH-EVF and VH-TFO, Cessna 402B VH-PEH and VH-PEK. To date Penair have painted VH-KRY, VH-BUD and VH-BUS in non Air Ambulance colours before offering them for sale. Penair also operated MU-2Js VH-JMU and VH-JMZ on contract work out of Perth. This office has now been closed with VH-JMU and VH-JMZ being moved to Esseridon, where they now await sale.

Ferry Flights

The PA31 Navajo continues to dominate this part of the aviation scene, In this period we have recorded eight delivery flights though only seven made it to Australia.

PA-31 N59841 c/n 7612049 ferried Tarawa to Brisbane on January 17th. This aircraft is now resident at Moorabbin where it is being offered for sale. PA-31 N62853 c/n 7612090 flew Bali to Darwin on January 15th and as of late March was still sitting at Moorabbin. PA31-325 N9460M c/n 7612053 was ferried from Honiara to Brisbane on January 28th by Southern Cross Air of Santa Paula, California. PA31-350 N4090M c/n 8152142 arrived in Brisbane from Honiara on January 16th. This aircraft was advertised for sale by Joystick Aviation at Caloundra. Arriving with N4090M was PA31-350 N27689 c/n 7952011. PA-31 N500AS c/n 657 flew into Brisbane on March 3rd and was noted at Moorabbin on the 5th. N500AS carries the titles ‘The Clarion’ on its fin. PA-31 N4081L c/n 8112038 arrived in Canberra on February 26th from Pago Pago. PA31-350 N41169 c/n 8452009 was the one that didn’t make it, as it ditched while en route Pago Pago to Norfolk Island on February 14th. After being in the water for 24 hours the pilot was picked up by a passing Japanese ship. {Refer NZ News this issue)

Cessna types noted in this period were, Cessna 340 N69551 c/n 0502 from Port Vilato Brisbane on February 18th and Cessna 340 N2671 T from Honiara to Brisbane on January 29th. Cessna T303 N303JP from Honiara to Sydney on February 10th. Cessna 414A N36999 c/n 0250 was noted at Essendon on February 1st while Cessna 31Os N2631B and N4155Q • were both at Moorabbin on March 14th.

Commander SOOS N57222 c/n 3260 was ferried from Honiara to Brisbane by Southern Cross Air on . January 28th. The Commander is now resident at Moorabbin with Ian Baillie Aircraft Sales. FU24-950M ZK-CLM ferried Auckland to Sydney on February 17th. Eventual destination for this aircraft was the Malacca.

Shorts 330 N487NS c/n SH-3056 arrived in Cairns from Honiara on February 14th. The Shorts was later noted at Brisbane Airport carrying Skyport titles and registered VH-HUS.

In ‘Traffic’ January we mentioned the arrival of Canterbury Planes Grumman Goose ZK-ENY at Hamilton, Victoria. On March 9th ZK-ENY was flown to Moorabbin where it remained till the 15th when it headed north. Latest reports state that the Goose will be operating out of Coolangatta. As if the arrival of one Goose is not enough, we can record that Milne Bay Air Grumman Goose P2-JWB flew into Cairns on January 25th. According to local reports the Goose is being offered for sale in Australia and as of late March it was still resident in Cairns. We will keep you posted on the movements of the two Geese.

Cessna 425/441 Fleet Additions

The Cessna 425 Conquest I and 441 Conquest II have always been slow but steady sellers in Australia. The last twelve months have seen twelve new aircraft registered in Australia thereby nearly doubling the fleet numbers which presently stand at twenty eight. The first Cessna 441 to be registered in Australia was VH-KDJ in December 1979 and the first Cessna 425 was VH-PTH in December 1981. VH-KDJ presently operates with Sunbird Airlines out of Cairns while VH-PTH was cancelled from the register in July 1983 when sold in the United States.

Cessna 441 imports since last October are as follows – October saw the arrival of N441SS c/n 0132 in Adelaide and N1349N c/n 0043, and N7023D c/n 0232 in Brisbane. N441SS was registered to Air North as VH-ANJ but was delivered in late November to Corpair in Perth. The two Brisbane aircraft N1349N and N7023D were registered to Norfolk Pacific as VH-NIE and VH-NIF respectively. Two more Cessna 441s arrived in November, N441HW c/n 0174 which became VH-IGQ with Airtex Aviation at Bankstown and N4180G c/n 0106 which was registered to a private owner in the Adelaide area as VH-HXM. In January N990AR c/n 0113 was delivered to Rossair at Parafield and has since been registered VH-XMJ.

The two latest Cessna 441 deliveries have been N6838K c/n 0296 which was ferried Majuro to Brisbane on February 1st by Southern Cross Air. After receiving attention by Rossair at Parafield it was registered VH-LBD. On February 19th it flew Adelaide to Perth on delivery to Broughton Air Services. Southern Cross Air also ferried the latest Cessna 441 to arrive in Australia however by a different route from their usual Transpacific flights. N983GA c/n 0182 arrived in Port Hedland from Singapore on February 11th. The reason behind this routing was that the Cessna 441 was operated in Belgium as 00-NAN. After completing its CofA at Parafield the Cessna 441 was registered VH-AZB and delivered to Air North in Darwin.

Propjet News

A report once again dominated by the Beech King Air, though we are sorry to see a PA-31T and a Commander 840 leaving the country.

As previously mentioned Oxley Airlines have imported a King Air 200 for use on their new five times weekly return service between Port Macquarie and Melbourne. King Air 200 N363DA c/n 88-344 ferried Tarawa to Brisbane on February 18th on delivery to Oxley. Until recently this King Air was operated in Venezuela as YV-82CP. In December it was sold to Duncan Aircraft Sales of Venice, Florida and registered N363DA. Oxley will operate their King Air VH-LHK as a two pilot eleven passenger aircraft.

Skywest Aviation King Air 200 VH-SPQ was cancelled from the register last November as exported to Papua New Guinea. Now registered P2-SMB it is still a regular visitor to Cairns, where it was noted recently carrying the titles Skywest-MBA (Milne Bay Air). Two more of Skywest Aviation’s King Air 200 fleet are carrying additional markings. King Air 200C VH-TNQ is based in Darwin and carries the colours and markings of the Northern Territory Medical Service. King Air 200 VH-WNH was noted recently at Alice Springs with The Granites Gold Mine’ painted on its tail.

In ‘Traffic’ March we mentioned the sale of NSCA King Air 200C’s VH-NSE and VH-NSG to Lloyd Aviation Jet Charter. Mention was also made that both aircraft would probably change their registrations and this now appears to be the case. On January 24th VH-NSE was flown from Adelaide to Perth and the same day it commenced operations with Qwestair. VH-NSE will revert to its former Australian registration which was VH-AKV. Meanwhile VH-NSG, which is working out of Cairns for Lloyd Aviation Jet Charter, has reverted to its previous registration VH-KZL. Sherrard Aviation at Essendon were due to take delivery of King Air 200 N4248Y c/n 88-463 at Essendon in late March. After overhaul the King Air will be delivered to a customer in New Guinea.

Passing through our area in this period was West German King Air C90 D-IFUN. Evidently on a world trip the King Air was reported on Lord Howe Island on February 5th, flying Brisbane to Cairns on the 9th and overnighting Darwin on the 10th/11th en route from Cairns to Bali.

Gulfstream Commander 840 VH-NCM has spent most of its working life in Australia based at Karumba with Raptis P/L. The Commander had a large red prawn painted on its fin to signify its primary use as a fish spotting aircraft. Recently retired from service, VH-NCM has been parked at Moorabbin while being offered for sale. On March 20th the Commander was noted at Moorabbin carryingN904ACso itwould appear that it is returning to the United States.

Another loss to the propjet fleet was Tycan Australia PA31T/ 11XL VH-IWT. On February 11th the Cheyenne now registered N10Xl flew out of Brisbane bound for Honiara and the United States. While on the subject of Cheyenne’s we might mention two US registered aircraft that are still in the country. PA42-720 N62WC is based at Bankstown with Neilsen & Moller and it will eventually be registered VH-NMA. PA31T/11 N118WC arrived in Australia last September however it shows no sign of taking up an Australian registration.