Register Update Service

The new registrations include eight helicopters comprising of four new Robinson R22 Betas, two Hughes built 269s, a Schweizer built machine of the same model and an Agusta A109A. The Agusta, AUG, is the fifth A109A on the register and was built in August 1985 at the Agusta plant in Italy. It was exported to the USA and used as a company demonstrator untilMay 1986 when it was sold to BL Yachts of Eaton Park, Florida. It was then sold to Roesmond Holdings of Auckland and became the first of its type on the New Zealand register in August 1987. It now joins the ever-expanding Helijet fleet in Brisbane.

Two homebuilts also join the register this issue, a Vans RV4, ORV, and a Monnett Sonerai, JGB. The Monnett was originally designed to meet the American racing formula requirements for 1600cc Volkswagon powered aircraft but has since been flown with a variety of larger engines. It joins six others of its type on the Australian register. The RV4 is a development of the Richard Vand Grusven-designed RV3 which won the Best Aerodynamic Detailing award at the 1972 Oshkosh fly-in and is the sixth RV4 to be completed in Australia. The letter prefix of the serial number of all Australian homebuilt represents the state in which the aircraft was built.

Of the large number of pre-owned American singles to come onto the register recently the most historically interesting must be the Cessna 140, HHN. The 120/140 range was Cessna’s answer to the postwar demand by ex-military pilots for a reasonably cheap two seat aircraft for both private flying and to open up the flight training market. The 140 was slightly better equipped with flaps and an extra side window. A total of 5,430 140s were built between the end of the war and 1948 when the light aircraft boom waned and with few still airworthy Australia is lucky to have four such aircraft still flying.

The Piper Comanche always a much sought after aircraft and two more have taken up residence in Australia. The prototype first flew in June1956 and a year later the four seat Comanche went into production with a 180hp engine. The 250hp engine was introduced in 1958 and the 260 in 1965. The 260C model was released in 1969 and featured increased gross weight, revised instrument panel, optional wing tip tanks and a fuel injected engine. ICT is a 260C version with wing tip tanks and has spent the last 17 years flying in New Zealand. For much of this time it has been owned by well known pilot and car dealer Brent Ferguson of Nelson and the aircraft had crossed the Tasman several times during its New Zealand stay. Brent’s desire for speed and height eventually meant that the Comanche had to go in favour of a Malibu. ICT’s last owner before coming to Australia was Fairbairn Lawes Ltd of Richmond. The second Comanche, OSY is a 1966 built 260B machine which has spent all its life in the USA before coming to Australia.

Light twins have found a ready market in Australia recently with many single owners wanting to upgrade and now with more such aircraft being available in the USA at a price better suited to Australian owners. The Cessna 310 and Beech Duchess have been popular recently and two more Beech 76s and three more 310s have been added to the register. The 310 was first built in 1955 as a basic model and in 1958 the B model was introduced. An updated model was developed each year thereafter until 1970 and each was given a new suffix except that EM and O were never used. The Q model lasted from 1970 to 1974 and the R model from 1974 to 1981 when the production of the 310 ceased and the 303 Crusader replaced it. An indication of the popularity of the aircraft in this country is apparent as there are 126 Cessna 310s on the register including 75 of the final R model compared with 9 Cessna 303s. Other light twins listed are a Cessna 402C, PVU, for the Victorian Police and a Rockwell Commander 500S, AUU, which was delivered via Honiara and Brisbane as long ago as 28th January 1989 and has been awaiting sale at Moorabbin ever since.

Two more Twin Otters have found their way to Australia for Queensland based airlines. TZR was built in 1968 and delivered to Penn Dixie Leasing for use by Trans East Airlines as N1375T. In September 1971 it went to Air New England of Boston, Massachusetts but only 12 months later was sold to DLT of West Germany as D-IBFD. After four years operating out of Frankfurt it moved back across the Atlantic, this time to Skycraft Air Transport of Ontario, Canada. Between 1976 and 1981 it had a number of owners in Canada including Buffalo Airways of Fort Smith and La Ronge Aviation of Saskatchewan before being bought by Fiji Air and used on the popular Nadi/Suva run. This route is now operated by Air Pacific ATR42s and so the Twin Otter has arrived in Australia to be used by Sunstate Airlines.

The second DHC-6, XFC, is amuch younger aircraft having had its first flight on the 11th October 1979 and being delivered on the 23rd of the same month to Pennsylvania Airlines of Harrisburg. It was used along with two others of the same type on the routes between State College, Harrisburg and Washington DC as well as other routes in association with Allegheny Airlines before coming to Australia for Flight West Airlines.

The Ayres S2R and Air Tractor are becoming popular agricultural aircraft in Australia with their large engines and therefore greater hopper capacity and three more Ayres, JVE, NCJ and OKW and an Air Tractor, NZA, are found in the listings. Both types can be traced back to an undergraduate at the Texas University. Leland Snow designed the original Snow S-1 in 1953 and in 1957 formed the Snow Aeronautical Corp to produce the improved S-2 version. From the very beginning Snow’s idea was to build an aircraft that would eclipse the Piper Pawnee and Cessna Agwagon both in power and capacity and throughout its history of production he did exactly that. By November 1965, when the company was taken over by Rockwell, production had progressed to the S-2R model with a 600hpengine. This aircraft became the Thrush Commander and soon after Snow left to join Air Tractor and to develop his ideas of ag aircraft with large engines. Ayres Corp had been converting Snows and Thrushes to turboprop power for some time when in November 1977 they bought the Snow design and produced the 600hp and 800hp engined aircraft at their Albany, Georgia factory. The basic design is still the S2R and the latest model is the T34 with the DC suffix to the serial number indicating a dual cockpit, two seat model for training or transporting a ground crew member to the spraying site.

Fifteen aircraft make up the deletions section this issue with the majority being sold overseas. Falcon 20, DWA, has been sold t? Peregrine Aviation in the USA as N725P however, this registration has now been cancelled so it will be interesting to see whether it will simply be reregistered or has been resold. Nomad FCX has gone to Air Fiordland at Te Anau, New Zealand and becomes the largest aircraft by far in their fleet of seven Cessna singles.

Two victims of the pilots’ dispute are F28 Fellowships FKB and FKG. The former has departed to the fleet of Air Niugini and adds to their other six of the same type and the latter has gone to Horizon Airlines based at Boeing Field, Seattle, Washington. The exAnsett WA machine routed via Prestwick, England and Keflavik, Iceland on its way to its new owner and joins two other Fellowships, 27Metros and 13 Dash 8s in Horizon’s fleet. Another two ex-Australian DC-9s have gone to Airbourne Express for use by them after conversion to freighter configuration. TJQ and TJT have become N941AX and N945AX respectively while TJS, mentioned in last issue’s deletions, has become N944AX.

Bell Jetranger, HJJ, has also been exported to the USA ending up in Texas with Texas Helijet of Grand Prairie, Whilst Falcon JDW has gone to Malaysia. Heron CLT and Grumman Cougar UNP have both been withdrawn from use although the Cougar is expected back onto the register very shortly.

A great loss from a historical point of view is Bell 47D, U TU. This was the only 47D on the register and was the type used in Korea by the US Army MASH units, although the later 47G was used in the making of the MASH TV series because of the greater availability. of the more common G model.