Civil Register Update

The McDonnell Douglas MD80s represent a milestone in Australian aviation history. Apart from the publicity generated by Compass II, the aircraft will be the first of this type to be used internally in Australia. LNI is a brand new machine which has been in storage at Long Beach since its manufacture earlier this year whilst LNH was built in 1990 and was delivered to Irish Aerospace, one of the biggest aircraft leasing companies in the world. They leased it to La Tur of Mexico who operated the aircraft under the name Aerocancun based at Mexico City (refer Traffic, this and last issue).

In a triple shuffle of Ansett aircraft, BAe 146 JJX comes from New Zealand where it was delivered to Ansett NZ in July 1989. The 200 series 146 has been replaced in the Ansett NZ fleet with a 300 series model from Eastwest EWN, which has in turn been replaced in the Eastwest fleet by a larger capacity Boeing 727 from the Ansett fleet.

Homebuilt aircraft account for more than 20% of the new allocations this issue and include another Stits Skycoupe, a Druine Turbi and a third Karatoo. The Skycoupe ACH is the second such aircraft to fly in Australia, the first being FPE which first flew over 17 years ago. Of tube, wood and fabric construction, the Skycoupe was designed as a simple to construct and economical to run two seat touring aircraft that could incmporate either tailwheel or tricycle undercarriage. Turbi NVP is also the second of its type to be seen in Australia and like the Skycoupe the first Turbi, CPD, was completed some time ago, 1977 in fact. Designed by Frenchman Roger Druine, it was a logical development of the very popular single seat Druine Turbulent. Like the Turbulent, it incorporated a rectangular box section fuselage, plywood covering with a one piece spruce spar.

Its wingspan was increased by over 2m and it was more than 1. 5m longer than the Turbulent so as to accommodate two people. ‘

XRM is the third Karatoo to be VH registered and has taken about two years to build by Brisbane enthusiast Mr R Molyneux. Constructed of chrome molybdenum tube with fabric covering, it is of classic high wing, two seat, taildragger design but utilises a 1800cc Subaru car engine. The modified Subaru power plant enables the aircraft to be run on pump fuel and reduces the cost of spare parts dramatically. The aircraft is hangared at Caboolture, a fast growing private airfield about 60lan north of Brisbane, where several other homebuilts are based along with a couple of antiques. Under rebuild at Caboolture are a MiG and a Trojan, and as well there are seven ex Italian Army Agusta Bell 47s, the first of which, FLI, made its first flight in Australia a short time ago still in its Army camouflage. Caboolture also boasts a very enthusiastic aero club, training and social facilities as well as active gliding and parachuting clubs.

Another new type in Australian skies is the only bizjet listed this month, the Beechjet 400A BBJ. Beech acquired the Mitsubishi Diamond programme in 1985 in an attempt to break into the highly lucrative bizjet market. Sold as the Beechjet in the USA it was not as successful as Beech would have liked and even though an early production model 400 was demonstrated in Australasia during 1988 no sales in the Pacific area were forthcoming. Last year Beech won a contract for the supply of the military version, known as the Jayhawk, to the US services and this has helped rekindle interest in the type worldwide. As a result local distributors Hawker Pacific have imported BBJ for resale while a second of the type, N81661, has also been seen locally and may also be destined for use in this region. (Refer p34 Aug 92 AA for Airtest report. )

Only two helicopters are shown this month, a third Bristow Helicopters Super Puma BHT for use in Western Australia and yet another new type to Australian skies, the Rotorway Exec 90 ROT. The Exec 90 is the very latest development of the Rotorway Executive kit built helicopter which owes its ancestry to the 1958 American designed Javelin and Scorpion models. The aircraft is powered by a 145hp Rotorway engine and is being marketed by a consortium including Aerostar Aviation of Caloundra and Radial Engines of Archerfield. It is the first kit built helicopter to be registered in Australia although seven of the earlier Executive models are flying in New Zealand and one was reportedly completed in Western Australia but never made it to the registration stage.

PA-28-235 Cherokee LYC has been imported from Thailand. It was built in 1970 and is one of only 78 D models ever built. An even earlier Piper is Tri-Pacer ADP which came off the Piper production line at Lock Haven in 1952. The Tri-Pacer was basically a PA-20 Pacer with a nose wheel and was Piper’s first venture into the tricycle undercarriage concept. It was the first aircraft to have the Piper rudder/aileron interconnect system and the two prototypes and first 530 production aircraft were fitted with a 125hp Lycoming engine. In June 1952 the first PA-22-135 was built fitted with a 135hp Lycoming 0-290-D2 engine and this became the standard engine until 1955 when the 150hp model was introduced. ADP becomes one of the oldest Tri-Pacers to grace our skies, second only to RJM, a 125hp model.

Two aircraft, a Nomad and an Auster, return to the register this issue. The Nomad, AUN, was built during 1976 and used by the then Government Aircraft Factory as a demonstrator for nine years before being put into storage and deregistered in May 1985. It is one of three stored Nomads that have recently been restored to flying condition and AUN is expected to follow the other two aircraft to a NZ operator.

Auster BNQ was built in 1946 and was one of 44 J/2 Arrows that came off the Auster production line at Rearsby England. The J/2 Arrow was a two seater version of the popular J/1 Autocrat and used a lower powered 75hp Continental engine. The names Arrow and Autocrat were the result of a competition held amongst Auster staffto find suitable names for the first two types of what would become a very well known family of aeroplanes. In an effort to produce a more economical machine, Auster fitted a 65hp engine into a J/2 airframe but it was found to be underpowered and the type was not proceeded with. The prototype, known as the J/3 Atom went on to be converted to J/4 standard. Some of the original J/2s engines were boosted to 85hp by a carburettor modification although BNQ was not one of these aircraft and was entered onto the English civil register on 29 November 1946 as G-AIJU. After only three years of flying in England it was exported to Australia and was registered BNQ on 11 February 1950. Just over one year later, on 26 March 1951, it was badly damaged when it crashed at Mount Perry Qld. After a lengthy rebuild it was put back on the register on April 16 1958 and designated a J/4 Archer due to the use of a Blackburn Cirrus Major engine (the name Archer was given to Australian J/4s and this name was later adopted by the factory for all aircraft of this type). On March 4 1960 BNQ’s markings were changed to KFF and again to CGF on August 1 1962. It was eventually withdrawn from use on January 6 1975 and stored but after seventeen years of inactivity it is back in the air using its original Australian registration. Although officially registered as a J/2, BNQ retains its Blackburn Cirrus Major engine which in effect makes it a J/4 Archer.

In the Deletions section three aircraft have changed markings and two have been transfered to the Australian Ultralight Federation register. Cessna 310 BNR has become JOI with Air Swift at Cairns and joins two other Cessna 310s, two Cessna 402s and one Cessna 421 in the Air Swift fleet, all registered in the JO series and Bird Dog LPM has changed to CAM to reflect its owners initials. Learjet SLJ has become FSX to publicise its owners, Fleet Support, and so we can expect the other four Lears used on a target towing contract by Fleet Support to change to more appropriate markings shortly.

The two aircraft transfering to the AUF register, Jodel AME and Skyfox IPL, are presumably doing so to reduce their CAA charges.

The Australian Aviation College lost one of its Trinidads when LQE crashed at Ceduna killing two overseas student pilots, and Kendell Airlines Saab 340 EKT was damaged when it overran the runway at Devonport Tas. The Saab is being repaired and has been joined in the Kendell fleet by a brand new 23 model Metroliner KDJ (see New Allocations section). A second Metro 23 is on order and will become KDT. (Refer Traffic)

In the September issue of Register Review we noted a magnetometer equipped Cessna Titan CBM returning to Australia after a survey contract in Chile. This aircraft is now working on another contract, this time in Brazil, and some doubt exists as to whether the machine returned to this country for the two months between contracts in South America

Other aircraft to be sold overseas are Duchess BKK to New Zealand and Cessna 421 DKT, Learjet LEQ, King Air LLS, Baron HKF and Boeing 727 TBI have all gone to the USA. Cherokee NER has returned to Germany where it will probably take up its old markings of D-EMGU and UH-lH Iroquois UHE, which BH Pacific used to demonstrate an Iroquois update package to the Australian Army, has gone to the PNG Defence Force.

Three more DC-3s appear in the Changes of Ownership section as a result of the auction in Sydney of the Air Rambler fleet. EDC, which over the years has been owned by the DCA, Qantas, Fiji Airways and Connair, has gone to South Pacific Airmotive, PWN which has been used by Qantas, Eastwest and Bush Pilots is now with Mr Lang of Adelaide and SBL which has seen service with TAA, Air New Guinea and Forrestair is now owned by P Starr of Gosford NSW. Two Navajo Chieftains have changed hands, DVG from Hazelton Airlines to TNT Couriers of Archerfield and OCF from Queensland Pacific Airlines to Kakadu Air Services of Jabiru NT. OCF has become the largest aircraft in the Kakadu Air fleet working alongside mainly Cessna 207 Super Skywagons.

Dash 8 FNQ required only a change of titles when it joined the Sunstate fleet from Australian Regional as both airlines are wholly owned Australian feeders and use similar colour schemes to the national airline. Brolga Air of Katherine NT have added Centurion SQU and Stationair UWL to their large fleet of mainly single engined Cessna 210s.

Following up on some entries previously listed in Register Review, Fletcher HWR, officially withdrawn from use in the June column, actually returned to New Zealand as ZK-DZE but has since been sold to Indonesia where it is now in use with PT Global spraying bananas. We have also heard from Mr R Furness whose Jodel BNF appeared in the August issue. It seems that the aircraft was entered onto the official register incorrectly by the CAA as a DR1050M. In fact it is a Dl50 Sky Prince, a two seat version with long range fuel tanks, wider undercarriage and flaps. Although BNF is amateur built many of this type were constructed in France by SAN (Societe Aeronautique Normande) and the machine is basically a Jodel Dll7 but with a DRlO0 wing and swept vertical tail.

All the details listed in this issue are included in the 1992/93 Australian Aviation Civil Aircraft Register which is now available ‘at a cost of $10. 95 from AustAirData, PO Box 1142 Toombul Qld 4012, Phone (074) 95 8496. The register can be kept up to date each month using the information contained in Register Review, so be sure to obtain your current register and either renew or take out an initial subscription to Australian Aviation now.