New Zealand News

The RNZAF has ruled that all flying training at Wigram will end and the functions transferred to Ohakea (lower North Island) by July.

In a few weeks the RNZAF’s evaluation study on the future of Wigram and Woodbourne, 200km north, should be completed. Project Recast, as the study is known, was set up in December to determine which base, Wigram or Woodbourne, was more cost efficient, and which would be the cheaper to have its facilities relocated to the other. Either Wigram or Woodbourne will close, says the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal John Hosie (a Wigram trainee). Many Australians interested in aviation have visited the RNZAF museum at Wigram. The museums, future is unaffected, whatever the decision on Wigram.

At present the RNZAF is seeking to sell its three ex-Air New Zealand Friendships, used for a decade by the now defunct navigation training squadron at Wigram, as well as four Airtourer training aircraft.

While the air over Wigram gradually becomes quieter, the number of helicopters operating from Hobsonville air base in West Auckland, has increased significantly. Hobsonville has ten Iroquois and soon two from Wigram will join them. Five Sioux helicopters from Christchurch will operate from Hobsonville from June.

One of the Hobsonville Iroquois is back in the air following more than $NZ500,000 to get it airworthy after a crash nearly three years ago. About $NZ300,000 was needed for parts and labour costs at the Woodbourne base accounted for another $NZ280,000. It is the third Iroquois to be rebuilt following a crash. The 23 year old machine has new blades, engines and transmission gear.

Unfit Pilot Danger

The captain of a commuter airliner vomited over his instruments after landing recently, having previously complained to his copilot that he was not feeling “100 per cent”.

The copilot was flying the aircraft on the last two sectors of the day after the sick captain had returned with flight documentation saying he was “feeling okay”. The aircraft hit turbulence and after it was landed and parked the captain vomited over the central console.

The director of the Civil Aviation Authority Kevin Ward, has confirmed the flight was a third level passenger carrier but would give no other details. Releasing information other than a summarised version of the incident “would preclude the possibility of getting accident reports in the future”, he said.

New Zealand’s third level carriers include Air Nelson, Air Safari, Associated Air, Bell Air, Eagle Air, Coromandel Air, Southern Air, Sounds Air, Trainzair and Water Wings.

The incident was reported in the Civil Aviation Authority’s Flight Safety magazine which said it highlighted the need for pilots to be aware of the danger of flying when not fit.

“These aircraft”, the magazine said, “are designed to be operated by two pilots and if the performance of one is impaired, the resulting work load and other factors would cause serious problems. If someone is not feeling 100 per cent, confer and judge wisely on whether to continue”.

In another case last year, a passenger died in plane accident believed to have been caused when the pilot became violently sick from an acute stomach upset. Flight Safety also detailed a third incident in which a student solo pilot practising aerobatics pulled out of a loop and immediately felt pain behind his eyes, ringing in his ears and a loss of sensation in his hands and feet.

The pilot said he was physically distressed and decided to level off and return to the airfield. . He also said he felt faint, “hot, grey and sweaty” and had difficulty reading the cockpit instruments. During this time the aircraft climbed above the upper limit of the training area. When questioned after landing he said he had felt a cold coming on but thought he was fine to fly. A doctor told the pilot the effects were temporary and were the result of a cold in his sinuses.

Legal Action by Cabin Crew

Air New Zealand domestic cabin crew have asked the Employment Court to set aside their collective contract as harsh and oppressive.

The action has been begun by two Christchurch pursers independent of their union but they have notified the court that others will join them as plaintiffs. A petition of cabin crew opposed to the airline’s new training requirements showed overwhelming support for their stand, the pursers’ instructing solicitor said in Auckland.

At issue is a contractual clause which they say includes a requirement for all pursers and flight attendants to requalify for their existing jobs by completing prescribed training modules in their own time.

Their statement of claim says cabin crew generally have been under considerable stress from the requirement and female staff have felt pressured to attend training modules while on maternity leave to ensure their jobs remain secure. The pursers also allege in their statement of claim that the requirement to requalify for their own jobs was harsh and oppressive in that if could lead to demotion or dismissal. They have asked the court to either set aside the entire contract or the clause, including the training requirement. The pursers also seek any such compensation as the court thinks fit.

Christ church Hosts Big Aviation Gathering

More than 420 people from 30 countries will be in Christchurch soon for a major aviation conference, with some delegates coming from as far away as Iceland and Scandinavia.

The annual conference of the International Federation of Air Traffic Control Association gathering in Christchurch follows a lot of hard work over three years by a group of air traffic controllers in the city.

The conference is between April 19-23 and will also feature a technical exhibition.

Conference chairman Rob Irwin, an air traffic control supervisor at the Christchurch radar centre, told AA that major sponsors are Air New Zealand, the Airways Corporation of New Zealand and Thomson CSF.

“New Zealand”, said Mr Irwin, a former RNZAF Orion navigator, “is one of the world leaders in air traffic control. The first reason for this is the recently completed Airways modernisa- tion programme which has updated our air traffic control system. It’s the first time a whole nation has had its complete air traffic control system updated in one contract so there is a lot of interest around the world.

“The second reason we are in the spotlight is that New Zealand is the first nation to run its air traffic control services as a commercial business with the Airways Corporation being a state owned enterprise. There’s a lot of interest internationally in how we have successfully gone about the process of changing from a government department to a profitable company”.

Mr Irwin and his committee have worked hard for the conference. But there were some light moments during the presentation of their case for Christchurch. Some wags in aviation circles here have suggested that the price of beer might have been the determining factor why Christchurch beat the Japanese delegation.

Rob Irwin recalls: “We tried to finish the presentation on a light note by showing a cold glass of Steinlager, giving delegates the price in US dollars. Beer is cheaper here than in the United States. “When the Japanese made their presentation they were asked how much a glass of beer cost-it’s much more than here. The vote was taken and Christchurch got the conference,” beamed Rob.

First Stage of Expansion for Auckland Airport

Work on the first stage of the extension at Auckland airport is nearly complete.

The stage cost $NZ23m and features an international arrival and departure finger. The project will extend the existing concourse by about 50% and allow air bridge access for 10 aircraft at a time. The entire development plan will cost about $NZ300mand provides for as many as 21 gates by the year2010.

Busy Time for Emergency Services

Two aircraft making forced landings at the same time in separate parts of Auckland kept emergency services extra busy recently.

An Airtourer piloted by engineer Tom Watson made a hard landing on a playing field at Takapuma. It was not quite the race finish he and navigator Peter Rolfe had planned but both men were more than happy to touch down and to be able to walk away uninjured.

The crew were on the last leg of the Great Northern Air Race -involving 36 other aircraft and about 120 entrants over three days when the Airtourer’s engine lost oil pressure.

Pilot Watson lost control after touchdown when the nose wheel broke off. The plane skidded to a halt after about 50m, leaving the propeller and remaining wheels bent.

A little later a gyrocopter pilot ran out of fuel and managed to land on top of a mountain where there was a 30m gap between two stands of pine trees. The pilot of the Australian made craft was waiting to land at Parakai airfield when the machine ran out of fuel.

Ice Touchdown With Wheels

The 1992-93 Antarctic summer season ended in late February- and US Navy Hercules pilots are delighted with some special flights. A Hercules made the first landing using wheels on the huge Ross Ice Shelf.

The aircraft, which normally use skis in the Antarctic, landed on a specially prepared “blue ice” runway at a new airfield called Pegasus.

The US National Science Foundation which administers the US Antarctic programme, began work on the “blue ice” runway in 1989-90 near the Williams Field skiway. For more than quarter of a century Hercules have landed on skis on the Ross Ice Shelf (as opposed to the sea ice).

Success with the “blue ice” runway at Pegasus follows work by ice engineers with the US Army’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory and Russian experts from the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute in St Petersburg.

Dr Charles Paul, the NSF representative in New Zealandsaid a Hercules owned by the USA made several touch and go landings before passengers boarded. The NSF says that Hercules which takeoff on wheels, as opposed to the heavy skis and their associated drag, can carry 3630kg more cargo and 51 passengers instead of 30 from Williams Field.

“In addition,” Dr Paul told Australian Aviation, “the Hercules can now carry 12,240kg of cargo from Pegasus to the South Pole, a three hour flight away, as opposed to 4530kg from Williams Field”.

In a five week period from mid January, the American Hercules carried some 1500 people to Christchurch from several bases in Antarctica, including the South Pole base, occupied year round by American civilians.

The Pegasus strip will enable more people per flight, reducing the number of aircraft movements. Several flights from Pegasus were made before the season ended.

Next season, which gets underway with several flights in late winter, attempts could be made to compact the ice sufficiently to allow US Air Force C-141 Starlifter operations in January- February. A C-141 could carry more people and cargo than a Hercules taking off from Pegasus. The Starlifter’s tyre pressure is significantly higher than that of a Hercules, presenting more problems in terms of ice compaction, said Dr Paul.

The Pegasus site is named after an aircraft which crashed nearby years ago.

Fuel Robbers Almost Crash Plane

A Northland top dressing plane came close to crashing after fuel thieves contaminated its fuel tanks.

Pilot Murray Hargreaves spoke about his 18 month ordeal where he has been sleeping in and around his aircraft to deter thieves. His wife, Kathy, said 1700 litres of fuel, worth about SNZ2000, had been stolen in the 18 months. Murray has spent close to $NZ5000 on alarms, locks and floodlights.

While piloting a Fletcher top dressing aircraft, the machine lost power for about 10 seconds-only seconds after clearing trees. Police have charged a Kaitaia man in relation to the theft of aviation fuel.

NZ Inspector Probes Crash

New Zealand’s chief inspector of Air Accidents, Ron Chippindale, is one of a team of five international investigators appointed by the United Nations’ aviation organisation to probe the loss of the Korean Boeing 747 shot down by a Soviet fighter ten years ago.