New Zealand News

Under the deal, travellers leaving either Britain or New Zealand have the choice of flying either British Airways or Air New Zea- land every day of the week via the Far East (transferring at either Singapore, Hong Kong or Kuala Lumpur), or via North America (Los Angeles or Vancouver).

‘Straightforward and effortless’ transfers are guaranteed under the arrangement, according to the carriers, Air New Zea- land’s chief executive, Mr Jim Scott, said the alliance gave his airline the strength of the extensive British Airways network throughout Europe and the northern hemisphere, and augmented the British carrier’s routes with Air New Zealand’s ‘unrivalled Pacific network’.

Warbirds Massing

New Zealand Warbirds, going from strength to strength now with 44 aircraft, is getting the opportunity to show itself off this year with numerous celebrations to mark the country’s 150th birthday.

One of the hardest worked (and in greatest demand) aircraft is Trevor Bland’s DH112 Venom FB1, which has been steadily logging up hours since arriving in the country in 1987. It is the only Venom 1 flying anywhere, though a number of Venom IVs are believed to be airworthy in Britain,

Trevor, who first experienced the Venom as a 14 Squadron pilot at Tengah, Singapore, retired as a 747 captain with Air New Zea- land two years ago to run a helicopter company and concentrate his efforts as president of Warbirds.

The only limitation placed on the Venom is (in most circumstances) a ceiling of 40,000ft. The aircraft is virtually the same as those flown by the New Zealand Squadron at Tengah, with the exception of the notorious pneumatic air bag brakes standard on the Venom and Vampire. The Swiss replaced this system with a hydraulic, antiskid system.

Near the Venom’s hangarage at Ardmore Aerodrome, South Auckland, an ex RNZAF Vampire is being brought up to flying standard by Ross Jowett. At Tekapo in the South Island, the Spit-fire MkXVI, which suffered an unseemly forced landing in a cow paddock last year due to fuel problems, was being prepared for a test flight at Easter. Repairs included a new wooden propeller- imported from Germany. Tim Wallis, owner of the Spit, was also completing the restoration of a Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk, also scheduled for test flying this year. A tragic Harvard crash in late February killed Warbird stalwart John Greenstreet, but his family have made it known that the North American T-28 Trojan he recently imported from the US will remain in New Zealand,

Less certain was the future of North American P-51 Mustang ZK-TAF, jointly owned by a trust and the Westpac Bank. The prospect of this old favourite being offered for sale overseas has galvanised Warbirds into a push for sponsors and donations to ensure it remains in the country.

Changes to Pilot Exams

A new assessment and examination system evolved for trai- nee pilots (and aircraft engineers) is to be introduced progressively, starting this year. The system, developed largely by Massey University’s School of Aviation, has prompted world interest, particularly in the United States where progress will be monitored by the Federal Aviation Agency.

Announcing the first trials beginning in July, the Ministry of Transport, beleaguered by a rapidly deteriorating general aviation accident rate, expressed hope that the new system would begin to reverse the trend.

The system makes major use of computers, and is the result of five years of collaboration between the university and civil aviation authorities under a program known as HURDA (Human Resources Development in Aviation). Acting director of the school, Dr Graham Hunt (who played a central role in developing the system) says one of its important elements will be its ability to identify and evaluate a student’s competence across the great range of flying practices which contribute or detract from safety. It could for instance evaluate a student’s judgement when flying into poor weather and subjected to a number of conflicting pressures, both human and technical. A later development will be the ability to identify and measure personality and behavioural traits (such as anxiety and polarisations) which effect safe operations. Theoretical examinations will be carried out as a keyboard and video operation, each trainee being issued with an individual pin number. Software for the Private Pilots Licence (PPL) is being readied for the July start, and further software is being developed for more senior licences including the Air Transport Pilots Licence, multi ratings, etc, and for engineers’ courses.

The system will be applied by individual flying schools and organisations and, says Dr Hunt, could result in the first really effective standard of quality control being brought to the business. It could also be used-in an ongoing way-in assessing skills of pilots already employed professionally. .

Dr Hunt points out that presont systems of pilot training are virtually the same as those employed during the days of WWII. One of the reasons why it had stagnated for so long was that the computerised technologies which would replace the older system, had only really become cost effective over the past ten years. Change was necessary because of recognition that human error was still by far the most dominant factor in accidents.

Massey School on Its Own

Massey University’s School of Aviation has moved out of the association it began 30 months ago with Australian Jim Sparks, of Cessnock’s Civil Air Training Academy.

The object of the school, then known as Massey Aviation Institute, was to train pilots within the university system to New Zealand and Australian CPL standards, with class one instrument and multi ratings. The school now runs 16 month long courses taking trainees up to ATPL standard, with multi ratings. Graduates leave the school with all theoretical examinations in place, and with a minimum of 155 flying hours-leaving a requirement for them to get more flying hours.

On the course they also get up to 80 hours in a sophisticated simulator, a vital tool according to Dr Hunt.

Dr Hunt believes the course is the only one in Australasia offering a multidisciplinary curricula at tertiary level with an emphasis on human factors, such as aviation psychology. The added curricula at the Newcastle (NSW) University course is of an engineering nature.

Thirty students began the first of the new Massey courses in early February (at a cost of $37,950 each), and late this year some 120 are expected to be enrolled in courses at any one time. OVERHAUL OF RAAF C-130s

Air New Zealand’s Christchurch engineering base in early March began the first major overhaul of an RAAF C-130 Hercules, under a contract won following an Australian Defence Department call for tenders.

The contract is for four years with an option open on a fifth year. The contract was reported to have been criticised within the Australian industry, a suggestion being that the airline was favoured because of New Zealand’s long delayed (but eventually positive) decision to buy Australian frigates. Barry Geddes, manager of the Christchurch base dismissed this as nonsense. “We went in there on our own, in stiff competition against a number of organisations supported by State Government, and we won it simply on the cost and quality of our work”, he told Australian Aviation.

The contract calls for the overhaul of not less than five aircraft a year – airframes and systems. Engine overhaul work will remain with Qantas. Work on each aircraft amounts to about 16,000 manhours. Mr Geddes said each overhaul would involve a complete stripdown, and a considerable amount of skin and structural work, especially on the older machines. It could also involve mainplane changes.

The base has done work previously on Australian C-130s, under subcontract to Qantas. It also does overhaul work on RNZAF and US National Science Foundation Hercs’.

Solomon Airlines

The Solomon Islands Government is paying Air New Zealand more than $4 million to set up a new national airline.

Solomon Airlines was due to begin international operations on June 1, flying a Boeing 737-200. Services will be between Honiara and Auckland, Brisbane, Port Moresby, Nadi and Vila.

The contract, to run over two years, also covers full maintenance support for Solomon Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft, including all A, B, C and D checks and full spares support, flight operations assistance in the preparation of technical manuals, flight planning and emergency procedures and pilot training.

A further contract to cover training for engineers and cabin crew was expected to follow. Solomon Airlines’ general manager, John Baura, said the airline had its own aircraft but as yet did not have the infrastructure to support operations”. . . so we approached Air New Zealand and received tremendous support”.

Airtrainer Gets Go Ahead

Pacific Aerospace has been given the go ahead to meet the Ansett/BAe flying school’s order for CT-4B Airtrainer aircraft. The school has ordered eight, with an option on four more.

The first of the aircraft will be delivered to Tamworth in October, and from thereon at the rate of two a month. The chief executive of the PA Corporation, Mr Andrew Hyde, said he was “quite happy” with the order not the least for the interest it has prompted elsewhere. He declined to reveal the cost of the order, though the aircraft are rumoured to be about half the price of the machine’s considered rivals for the school, the Pilatus PC-7 and the Finnish Valmet Redigo.

The Ansett/BAe school will be contracting flying training on a block basis – it will take groups of pilot trainees under contract with bodies like airlines. The nature of this has prompted speculation the school could be used by air forces to give basic training and assessment for selected recruits.

Meanwhile, Pacific Aerospace’s plans for test flying a turboprop CT-4C Airtrainer (engined with an Alison 250D) had fallen behind the mid March schedule, largely because of pressure of work from the Fletcher Fu24 and Cresco runs. Also, the company was awaiting at the beginning of March the arrival of a design engineer to head the project. Mr Hyde said that instead of building a single turbine aircraft and then building another modified aircraft with a retractable undercarriage, it was now hoped to build one prototype variant, the CT-4CR with both turbine and retractable undercarriage. It would probably fly late 1990.

The corporation expected to finish a batch of Fu24 aircraft for Thailand in June, and was hopeful more orders in the pipeline would become available.

747-400 Postponement Stays

Air New Zealand’s first Boeing 747-400 is to remain in Cathay Pacific service at least until December, and it now seems doubtful that the second and third of the airline’s -400 Series jumbos will go immediately into their owner’s service.

The second of these jumbos is scheduled for delivery in November. The airline has blamed the lease of the first aircraft to Cathay on the failure to reach agreement with pilots on conditions and pay for flying the aircraft. Pilots on the other hand claim this is a ploy by the airline. They say that flying only one or two of the aircraft in a fleet of older 747s would be less profitable than leasing the aircraft.

The airline says it had hoped to retrieve the first -400 from Cathay in order to put it into ANZ service by July or August. A satisfactory agreement with pilots would have been needed by mid February in order to train pilots, but this was not achieved.

Instead, the airline is at present negotiating to lease more Boe- ing 767s to meet expansion plans. The airline’s chief executive, Mr Jim Scott, said “the sad reality” was that while the 747-400 was an ideal aircraft to meet requirements, other aircraft alternatives now had to be exercised.

In Briefs

• Air Commodore Stuart McIntyre, the Director General of Civil Aviation, retired prematurely in March amid widespread criticism of Government restructuring of civil aviation. McIntyre, cob- sidered one of the best civil aviation heads yet, had over the past year been eased out of his position as adviser on safety to the Minister. Under the restructuring (and legislation being introduced), direct access to the Minister was given to the civil servant Secretary of Transport and manager of the Air Transport Division. McIntyre was faced with being relegated to the position of adviser to the bureaucrats.

The industry, under the banner of the Aviation Industry Association, has deplored the changes, pointing out the absence of advice from a professional aviation man will be for falling safety standards.

• Air New Zealand began a weekly Boeing 767 service to Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, February 11. The service touches down briefly at Singapore enroute.

• Air New Zealand, under its ‘Link’ system is removing F27 services from three provincial centres and replacing them with smaller aircraft operated by associated airlines, Air Nelson and Eagle Air. Air New Zealand has a 50% ownership in the two smaller airlines.