Civil Register Update

Meanwhile, Aeropower’s Hughes 500 PLL has been acquired from Pacific Helicopters of PNG, to whom it was delivered new in April 1978, and Twin Squirrel SEV has come from Japan, where it has been operating with Kogin Leasing of Kawagoe since October 1989. Single-engined Squirrel HBK was delivered new to New Zealand in October 1990, where it has been active as ZK-HDV before coming to Australia. Both the Squirrels have been imported by Eurocopter at Bankstown for resale, and HBK has had an engine change to bring it up to AS350BA standard.

Proposed policy changes to the single-engined IFR RPT rules in Australia have resulted in an influx of Cessna 208 Caravans, one type that would benefit greatly from the changes. N9728F and N9824F were ferried via Honolulu, Tarawa, and Norfolk Island during early June and have since become PRW and NGD respectively, and a third aircraft, N3212D, is now flying as MMV. Another machine, this time a B model, is also believed to be in Australia and if the proposed changes do go ahead, and the industry fully expects them to, we will no doubt see even more of this type in this part of the world.

AVQ is a 1980 model Piper Warrior that has been imported from Vanuatu by Ian Baillie Aircraft Sales. The Warrior is, of course, a development of the venerable Piper Cherokee, whose origins date back to the early 1950s when Piper were considering a four-seat metal low-wing replacement for the Tri-Pacer. Piper looked at purchasing a Mooney design, the Thorp Sky Scooter, and also the Ercoupe, but eventually decided to build an aircraft of its own design and engaged Thorp to do the preliminary work. The aircraft became the PA-28 Cherokee and first flew during January 1960 using a 150hp (112kW) Lycoming engine. Over the next three decades, the aircraft was developed through the Cherokee 140, 150, 160, and 180, Challenger, Archer, and 181 Archer II.

During October 1973, Piper announced the PA-28-151 Cherokee Warrior, using the longer fuselage and large all-moving tailplane of the Challenger and a 150hp (112kW) engine and a new wing. It was originally to be called the Lance, but Piper decided that name should be used for the retractable Cherokee Six. During 1977, the first PA-28-161 Cherokee Warrior II came off the production line using the 160hp (119kW) Lycoming, and for the 1979 model, the Cherokee name was dropped in favour of just Warrior II and in true Piper tradition each year the exterior colour scheme was changed, enabling the more enthusiastic “spotters” to pick the year of manufacture by the colour scheme.

Although CEG and SSC are the first Jabiru ST models to be registered in Australia, the type is not new to Australian skies. The ST is in fact exactly the same as the LSA 55 model, more than twenty of which are active in this country on the AUF register. The ST designation is simply the model name that will be given to aircraft that will appear on the VH register. All ST machines will be powered by the latest Jabiru 1600C aero engine and CEG and SSC are the first two ST aircraft. The third aircraft from the Bundaberg facility will be on line with the Darwin Aero Club and registered OSI, and the fourth machine will become NQA with the North Queensland Aero Club at Cairns whilst the fifth aircraft will go to the Royal Aero Club of WA.

Four aircraft are listed in the Restoration section this month, the largest being Fokker 50 FNF. This machine was one of three Ansett Fokker 50s that were to be leased to new Indian airline Raj Air. It was cancelled from the Australian register on October 11, 1993 and delivered to Raj Air as VT-RAA; however, due to the airline’s financial problems, it did not enter service with them and has therefore returned to this country. The other two aircraft, FNE and FNH, which were to become VT-RAB and VT-RAC, did not leave Australia and both have since returned to the Ansett fleet.

Grumman Mallard JAW was one of two of the type originally delivered to Air Whitsunday during May 1983. Whilst LAW, equipped with normally aspirated engines, remained in Australia, JAW, a turbo-engined example, went to the USA during May 1990 to become N73AH. It returned to this country via Honolulu and Cairns on June 3/4 and again joins LAW at Darwin with Paspaley Pearling. Of the two smaller aircraft, Piper Warrior PZH has returned to the register after being withdrawn from use on August 16, 1991, and Cessna 150 RZE returns after accident damage on March 19, 1990. RZE was involved in mustering operations near Tieyon Station when it ran out of fuel and had to make a forced landing in scrubland. During the landing, the aircraft collided with a tree stump and overturned.

Seven aircraft have changed markings this month and can therefore be found in the Deletions listing under their old registration and the New Allocation section under their new markings. Beech Super King Air APA has changed to LKB to reflect its change of ownership from Asia Pacific Airlines to Skippers Aviation, whose other aircraft are also registered in the LK series. Newly registered Maule Tri-Gear EGT was changed to IBD to allow the Eastern Goldfields Section of the RFDS to use EGT on their new Cessna 425 Conquest, while Fleet Support Learjet FSW had to change to FSU to allow Cessna 170A FSW to continue to use its original markings. Well-known Perth pilot Mr I Rear has bought Rockwell Commander 690 NPT from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and reregistered it PJC, which was the registration that was on his Aerostar for many years before he sold it to World Geoscience Corporation who changed its markings to the more appropriate WGK.

Of the four machines that have been withdrawn from use, Piper Colt is to be fully restored and therefore can be expected to return to the register sometime in the future, whilst Beech Baron AOM will definitely not as it is to be dismantled for parts. Kawasaki Bell 47G HFV and Robinson R22 HZP were both damaged some time ago although the paperwork has only just caught up, whilst Piper Arrow JEG and Beech Baron CFG are only recent victims of crashes. The occupants of the Baron were very lucky to escape from the wrecked aircraft at Halls Creek, WA, but unfortunately four people died in the Arrow crash near Mittagong, NSW.

Qantas Boeing 747 EBA has been stored in the USA for some time but has only just been taken off the register, while Bell 412 EEH has gone to Sweden following its replacement in the Esso fleet by a brand new Sikorsky S76C. Col Pay’s Kittyhawk KTH has been sold in the USA. The pristine Kittyhawk will be sadly missed at local airshows, although it will be replaced in time by Kiwi P-40E Kittyhawk NZ3094, which has recently arrived at Col’s hangar at Scone for a complete rebuild. Going the other way across the Tasman and in exchange for the P-40 was the Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa that has been resident at Scone for some years. The Alpine Fighter Collection at Wanaka intends to restore the rare WWII Japanese Army fighter to airworthy condition.

Meanwhile, Cessna 172 WPO and Cessna A150 Aerobat EUH passed through Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands on June 3 on their delivery flights to Auckland with the Aerobat’s new owner being Fielding Aviation. Also exported to New Zealand during the period covered have been Cessna 172 UWE and Cessna U206 UWL. The U206 was delivered via Norfolk, Lord Howe and Auckland on June 29/30 and is destined to become ZK-SDG with a Waimate farmer. After several delays, Bandeirante WDF has at last been delivered to Airlink where it joins WDI and HVS on internal flights around PNG.

Two aircraft in the Change of Ownership section that are now owned by overseas interests are Cessna 414 THB, based in Singapore, and Bandeirante FCE. After service in Fiji with Air Pacific, FCE came to Australia and has operated with several third-level airlines in this country, including Sunstate, Shuttle, and Oxley. It has now moved on to PNG to join the Islands Helicopter Services fleet. Islands was founded in 1984 to provide helicopter services from Rabaul but has expanded to include fixed-wing operations and now operates a mixed fleet of DH Twin Otters, BN Islanders, Bell LongRangers, and a single Cessna U206.

Beech Super King Air SKN has returned to Flight West Airlines after a short lease to Skywest in Perth, ex-RAAF Falcon 20 JSZ has moved from Pel-Air to the new Christmas Island Resort, and Metro WGX has gone from Kendell Airlines to International Air Parts. The Metro has since been sold to Newcastle Aviation as a replacement for SWP, which crashed near Tamworth recently. Flight West has sold Baron EGE to famous swimmers Lisa Curry and Grant Kenny, who will operate the aircraft from the Sunshine Coast of Qld, and Kawasaki Bell 47G ATU has been bought by AMT Helicopters of Caboolture, Qld for rebuilding after it ditched into the sea off Fraser Island on June 27 while filming a commercial for a local resort.

Following up on some Australian aircraft that have been exported to New Zealand during the last three months, Beaver EPY is now appropriately registered ZK-BVR with Air Ventures of Auckland; Cessna 172M WTU is now ZK-JPB owned by Waitepuia Holdings of Te Puke; and Piper Chieftain JLC now flies with Air Manawatu of Palmerston North as ZK-KVW. Fletcher FU24 DCM is now ZK-SAJ with Johnson Aviation of Hastings and not ZK-CTQ as we expected it to return to, and Beech Baron WLV easily became ZK-WLV and is now operated by Paraparaumu-based Associated Aviation.