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Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPK) were up 45% on the same quarter last year while load factor increased from 74. 6% to 79. 7% despite a capacity increase in Available Seat Kilometres. (ASK) from 4. 7bn to 6. 4bn. Load factor on. the top 20 routes (refer chart) were an astounding 84. 8%, something almost unheard of anywhere in the air transport world let alone during the nation’s worst recession since the thirties.

Just which airline is winning at this stage is difficult to ascertain as Australian continues to carry more passengers though Ansett is logging more RPKs, in other words it is carrying less passengers further. During the quarter, Australian carried 1,833,809 pax as against 1,801,000 for Ansett. For the year ended 30 September Australian carried. 6,215,128 pax against 5,970,982 for Ansett though the latter logged 6,547,012 RPKs as against 6,261,362 for Australian. This reflects to some extent Australian’s preference for targeting the higher yield short haul market with a fleet of jets generally smaller than that of Ansett.

Eastwest meanwhile saw its market share grow from 4. 6% in the June quarter to 5. 0% in September while it also increased RPKs by an excellent 48% over the previous quarter due to route rationalisation and a full fleet of BAe 146-300 jets. Compass meanwhile con- tinued to grow, uplifting 470,080 pax in the quarter for a year total of 975,452 giving stark reality to the lack of capacity it had through the first half of 1991. Reflecting the size of its aircraft, that airline posted RPKs of 623,993 for the quarter and a year total of 1,331,886. Compass” load factor for the quarter stood at 72. 8% whilst Ansett posted 80. 1%, Australian 84. 4%, Eastwest 73. 2%, Ansett Express 66. 7%, Ansett WA 71. 2% and Australian Airlink 73. 2% on just two months of operation. It is expected that the December quarter will show a slight decline on the record September performance.

New Light Aircraft Lane:

A new light aircraft route off the coast of Sydney has been opened, allowing light aircraft to traverse the Sydney area without involving air traffic controllers.

The route stretches from south of Bundeena and will allow pilots to fly at 500 feet off the coast to South Head. Visual navigation is simple and the new lane avoids the difficult inland route which also requires the tying up of ATC services. Pilots can still navigate inland if they wish. . with the necessary clearances.

Tobagos for Bae/Ansett:

The newly established British Aerospace/ Ansett Flying College at Tamworth hast ordered 24 Aerospatiale TB. 10 Tobago single engined light aircraft (plus six options) for the training of future airline pilots.

Ordered through Aerospatiale Helicopters Australia, the Tobagos will join 12 PAC CT-4B Airtrainers and nine Piper Senecas in the college’s fleet, although the latter are in doubt due to Piper’s current financial troubles. The college originally ordered 30 Piper Warriors but the American manufacturer has been unable to supply.

The first eight Tobagos will arrive ex-factory next month and the remaining 16. will be delivered at a rate of two per month from May 1992. Around $500,000 worth of local content is involved in the deal including the assembly of the aircraft and the installation of some equipment and avionics.

Australia Asia Airlines Takes Off:

Australia Asia Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of Qantas, has finally begun scheduled air services between Australia and Taiwan using a Boeing 767-300 leased from the parent airline.

The 767 is configured to seat 222 passengers in three classes. Initial plans are to operate two services per week to Taipei, departing Sydney on Fridays and Sundays and returning to Australia on Saturdays and Mondays, respectively. The Monday return trip will stop at Brisbane on the way back to Sydney.

Approval has been given for four flights per week in each direction and these will be introduced if there is sufficient demand. Complimenting Australia Asia is Taiwan’s Mandarin Airlines using an ex-China Airlines 747SP and later in the year Eva Airlines with 767-300ER equipment.

Hornets Grounded:

The RAAF’s F/A-18 Hornet fighters were tem- porarily grounded last month pending detailed inspection of each aircraft.

Routine maintenance on one aircraft revealed that electrical cables carrying power from one of the generators into the main system had sagged and were touching a fibreglass duct beneath the main fuel tanks. There was a danger of the cables rubbing down to bare wire with the resultant arcing and fire risk. Most of the RAAF’s Hornets were found to be suffering the problem though repairs took only three to four hours for each aircraft.

A rather longer term problem with the Homet’s General Electric F404 engines is also being addressed. Some $8m will be spent over the next three years replacing the engines’ titanium compressor casings with steel ones. There have been. three crashes of US F/A-18s caused by compressor blades in the engine cracking and then causing engine fires when the failed blades foul the compression rotor and then rub around the inside of the compressor casing. Titanium can burn when subjected to the very high temperatures thus generated. GE offered to apply a fire resistant coating to the affected parts under warranty but the RAAF has opted for the non-warranty but greatly superior steel casing option.

New Life for Trackers:

The Royal Australian Navy’s fleet of retired. Grumman Tracker aircraft, for eight years left to rot at Nowra on the south coast of NSW, are set for a new lease of life through refurbishment and ultimate resale.

The 18 surviving Trackers were purchased by Mr Peter Hookway following unsuccessful attempts by the government to sell them overseas. Up to 17 of them may be refurbished at West Sale (the former NSCA Vic base) by Yungur Aviation Services and Rudy’s Aero Engines. Two of the Trackers have already been flown to West Sale while eight others can also be flown. The remainder will be trucked.

There is a potentially strong market for Trackers overseas, either with governments or for conversion to firebombers. Some have been converted in Canada and the USA to take turboprop engines. Negotiations with the Brazilian government are already underway.

Compass Doubles Commission:

Travel agents selling Compass. Airlines full fare economy class tickets should be happy with the airline’s new commission-20% or more than double that which was previously offered and four times the usual amount paid by the other domestics. Agents will also collect 12. 5% on Compass’ discounted and promotional fares, a 3. 5% increase on the previous rate.

 United to Buy Air Wisconsin:

United Airlines intends purchasing Air Wisconsin, one of the USA’s largest independent regional airlines and a United Express carrier.

The move follows industry trends in which the majors have been assuming greater control of the regionals which serve them. Air Wisconsin is particularly important to United as it is the airline’s only feeder into the vital Chicago O’Hare market. United feared that Air Wisconsin may align itself with another carrier. The deal still has to be approved by Air Wisconsin’s shareholders and the US Justice Department, which administers the country’s antitrust laws.

Another large US regional airline has also been purchased by one of the majors. Chicago based Midway Airlines has been rescued from bankruptcy by the rapidly expanding Northwest Airlines for $US154. 7m. As in the case of United taking over Air Wisconsin, Northwest will benefit from Midway’s 21 gates at Chicago, albeit at the city’s downtown Mid-way Airport rather than O’Hare. About 45 of Midway’s fleet of 62 aircraft will be retained.

Air Mauritius to Australia:

Yet another international airline is about to begin services to Australia, this time Air Mauritius, the airline of the beautiful island off the east coast of Africa.

Boeing 747SP services begin on 7 December between Mauritius and Perth and the airline plans 32 flights per annum in and out. The flights will coincide with. an Ansett service to Perth, allowing east. coast travellers a connection. The return fare will start at around $1,400.

Thrust Reverser Modifications:

In compliance with a Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness directive, Boeing has begun modifying the thrust reverser systems of 767 aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines.

The AD comes in the wake of the Lauda Air 767 crash in Thailand earlier this year in which one of the aircraft’s reversers deployed in fight. Fifty eight 767s are effected by the AD and new production aircraft will incorporate the modifications which include changes to the electrical control, hydraulic actuation and crew indication systems.

The accident opened a very wide general investigation of thrust reversers fitted to some Boeing aircraft and has involved both authorities and manufacturers. The FAA ordered the activation of systems on most 767s (with various powerplants) as well as checks on 757s powered by PW2000 engines.

Contamination of a hydraulic system through a failed seal in a solenoid valve is thought to be the probable cause of the inadvertent operation of the Lauda Air 767’s thrust reverser and is considered a possibility in other 767s. Despite

 Traffic Still Down:

some recent signs of recovery, Interna- tional Air Transport Association (IATA) fig- ures for the month of August show that overall passenger and freight traffic was still about 1% down compared with August 1990 and that total traffic for the first eight months of 1991 was 8% down on the same period last year.

Passenger load factor for August was 75% compared with 78% a year previously and for the January-August 1991 period it was 66%, 4% down on the 1990. figure. Europe continues to be the most. seriously affected region with an August drop of 3% compared with last year and an January-August decrease of 10%.

Dhc/Atr Buyout Blocked:

The proposed buyout of Boeing’s De Havilland Canada division by European consortium Avions de Transport Regional (ATR) has been blocked by the European Commission.

The EC says the buyout was blocked to prevent ATR gaining “a powerful and unassailable dominant position” in the marketplace and stated that if ATR bought DHC it would control more than 50% of the world market and 67% of that in Europe. Both manufacturers build regional turboprop airliners, DHC the 36 passenger Dash 8-100 and 50 passenger Dash 8-300 and ATR the ATR42/72 series. The decision has been condemned in most quarters including by both the major players involved.

Fare Wars Boosts Perth:

Most Australian domestic air destinations have seen an increase in passenger traffic since deregulation and the heavy fare discounting which has accompanied it, but none more so than Perth.

Figures released by the WA government show that in August this year, about 68,000 interstate passengers used Perth Airport compared with just 38,000 in August 1990. This represents a 77% increase.

South Africa Services to Resume:

After a break of more than four years, direct air links between Australia and South Africa are set to resume following the recent Commonwealth. Heads of Government Meeting in Zimbabwe’s resolution to lift sporting, cultural and transport sanctions against the African nation.

Despite the lack of direct air services, air travel between Australia and South Africa has shown healthy growth over the past few years with passengers able to take indirect routes, normally via Zimbabwe. The number of Australian visitors to South Africa grew by nearly 11% to almost 20,000 in 1990. South African Airways and Qantas plan to operate an initial one flight per week each between Johannesburg and Perth, with expansion expected as more sanctions are lifted. Hopefully, one of the early flights will have the Springboks Rugby team on board!

Americans Returning:

American tourists are starting to come to Australia again after an 18 month slump mainly due to dollar movements, the Gulf War and the lingering distaste left by the pilots’ dispute.

Golfer Greg Norman’s ‘fair dinkum’ advertising campaign in the USA and cheaper fares have contributed to the improvement. Norman’s TV and magazine campaign resulted in 270,000 inquiries and a further 72,000 responses came from a campaign on New York taxis. US tourists spent about $520m in Australia last year.

RB211 Record:

A Rolls-Royce RB211-524 engine installed on a Delta Airlines L1011 Tristar in March 1987 has set a new record for uninterrupted service.

The engine has beaten the previous record, 20,004 hours without removal from the aircraft and has undergone its normal and routine checks and services ‘on the wing’. Another RB. 211-524 (also on a Delta Tristar) has logged over 19,000 hours without removal, while the old record was also held by an RB211-524, this time on a TWA Tristar.

Learn to Fly At School:

The combination of Kooralbyn International School, Griffith University and the Royal Queensland Aero Club has come up with a great opportunity for secondary students wishing to embark on a career in aviation.

Students of the school will be able to gain an Unrestricted Private Pilot’s Licence flying two hours per week and studying theory for a further two hours a week. Thus qualified, they will then be able to follow up with Griffith University’s Bachelor of Science with Aviation degree.

Soviet Cuts, Yak-141 Continues:

Post-coup cuts in the Soviet Union continue, this time affecting production of the Sukhoi Su-25 close support aircraft and the MiG-29 fighter.

Both will be out of production for the Soviet forces by the end of the year, although production of the MiG-29 will continue to fill export orders for 40-50 aircraft. The MiG-29 factory in Moscow will be converted to build the Ilyushin Il-114 turboprop airliner.

Meanwhile, the Yakovlev Design Bureau will continue flight tests of Yak-141 supersonic V/STOL fighter/bomber despite earlier announcements from the Soviet government that development would cease. Yakovlev regards the 141. (the world’s first supersonic aircraft of its type) as extremely important and is continuing the flight test program largely from internal funding. Powered by two lift and one vectored lift/cruise engine, the Yak-141 first flew in March 1989 and is capable of Mach 1. 7.

 Parafield Flight Centre Open:

A new aviation facility approved to train commercial pilots has been set up at Adelaide.

Parafield Flight Centre has developed a program in association with the local. TAFE so as to provide the highest possible standard of training. The centre says it will offer a friendly “club” style environment for all aviation enthusiasts and also offers aerobatic training from basic to advanced levels.

Better Maintenance Training:

In a bid to provide the aviation. industry with a better alternative in the fields of both Type and Basic training for aircraft maintenance, four former leading lights in the Qantas engineering training school have got together to form JTP Aircraft Training Services.

The company’s aim is to offer the best possible quality instructional and administrative skills at short notice, allowing maintenance organisations to better compete for contracts. JTP’s main area of operation will probably be the Asia Pacific Region, although the company believes a demand exists to develop and conduct training programs in Australia.

JTP has already carried out training for ASTA, Air New Zealand and AMECO Beijing, a maintenance organisation established jointly by Air China and Lufthansa. For details contact (02) 548 1988.

Ansett Inflight Video:

Ansett Australia has begun installing inflight video entertainment systems in its Boeing 767 and Airbus A320 fleet with the remainder of its aircraft being fitted over the next six months.

The airline’s five 767s and 11 A320s. should be fitted with the equipment by the time these words are read. It will be available to passengers free of charge and is based on the use of ceiling mounted screens placed through the cabin. Programming will comprise safety information, news, current affairs and general entertainment. Previous to this, Compass was the only domestic airline to offer an inflight video service.

 Axis Building Open:

Bankstown based air charter, flying training and FBO operator Axis Aviation has opened its brand new multi storey headquarters.

The distinctive building (in front of the old Royal Aero Club premises) is designed to present a modern and professional impression to visitors and customers and contains within it class- rooms for the company’s expanding fly- ing training activities as well as lounges, offices, briefing rooms and other facilities.

Axis has won a contract to train Korean students to CPL standard including a jet endorsement on the company’s own Citation. Seventeen Korean students are. presently in residence and current contracts allow for a minimum of 35 per annum. If options are taken up, this could increase to as many as 100 per annum.

Tulla Expands:

Work has begun on a $57m expansion program for Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport.

The program is designed to help the airport cope with expected passenger increases. Currently, 1. 8 million international passengers use Tullamarine each year- this is expected to increase to 4. 2 million in 20 years’ time. The work is scheduled to be completed in 1996.

Another Victorian airport, Avalon, near Geelong, has had its 11pm to 6am curfew lifted, clearing the way for it to become a competitive commercial airport which could relieve some of the load on Tullamarine, particularly in the areas of freight operations, international passenger charters and regional airline services.

 Piper Staggers On:

Trying to reorganise whilst operating under the USA’S Chapter 11 bankruptcy laws, Piper Aircraft is continuing with some small scale production including that of spare parts.

Some new aircraft will also be built (from existing parts and assemblies), comprising four Malibu Mirages, four Arrows one Seneca and one Cheyenne IIIA. The company’s workforce has increased from 45 to 95 and negotiations continue with various interests to save the company.

It will be remembered that talks with France’s Aerospatiale reached an advanced stage earlier this year but then ended primarily to the spectre of long term product liability obligations. Piper has until late January to submit its full reorganisation plan to the bankruptcy court.