Newsdesk – General Aviation

Hoxton Will Stay

The Federal Airports Corporation (FAC) has gone on the record to say that Hoxton Park Airport in Sydney’s west will not close when the new airport at Badgery’s Creek becomes operational. Hoxton Park’s importance has increased with the closing of Schofields, leaving the Sydney area with only two general aviation airfields, Bankstown and Hoxton. Camden is also available, but is further away from the city. According to the FAC’s general manager of general aviation, Barry Thompson: “The greater Sydney area is exceedingly short of airport capacity compared to other metropolitan centres in Australia and even with Badgery’s creek and Hoxton Park, Sydney will very quickly approach peak capacity for general aviation traffic. Projections indicate that the existing GA airports of Bankstown, Camden and Hoxton Park will reach their capacity within a decade. Even with the addition of Badgery’s Creek this will not be fully accommodate projected demand growth”.

Mcdonnell Douglas Has Licensed Sun Valley California Based Sheffield Manufacturing To Provide Weapon Systems Support For The F-4 Phantom.

McDonnell Douglas has licensed Sun Valley California based Sheffield Manufacturing to provide weapon systems support for the F-4 Phantom. Sheffield will use the license, which grants the company unlimited access to technical data and engineering support for the F-4, to perform repair services, design and develop modifications and manufacture spare parts. Approximately 1100 Phantoms remain in service worldwide, and many operators are upgrading their aircraft for service past the turn of the century. Germany for example is fitting its F-4Fs (pictured) with the Hughes APG-65 radar as on the F/A-18 Hornet, while Japan and Israel are also upgrading their aircraft. (Paul Merritt)

More Impulse Orders

Sydney based regional operator the Impulse Transportation Group is continuing its recent buying spree with an order for two additional Beechcraft 1900D 19 seat turboprops. The airline will retain its current fleet of two Beech 1900Ds and four C99s, but its single 1900C will be traded in. The new aircraft have been ordered as part of Impulse’s expansion plans and are in addition to the 10 Jetstream 41s and two HS.748s recently ordered, some of which are already in service. The 748s are to be used for freight work.

Another Churchill Fellowship

Further to our report of the award of a Churchill Fellowship to Chris Townsend, CFI of Townsend’s Helicopter Training School (refer p79 Nov 94 AA), Dan Kennedy of Goulburn Air Services has advised that he has also been awarded a Qantas Churchill Fellowship. The award is to study air safety in the US and UK with particular regard to agricultural flying. Dan is the first Ag pilot to receive such an award which also honours the Aerial Agricultural Association of Australia, of which he is a Director. Dan’s programme will be built around a two week course at Cranfield University on Accident Investigation for aircrew. He will also be attending conferences in Seattle and Las Vegas and meeting with experts in air safety. Our congratulations go to Dan who will be passing on the benefits of his study tour to the aerial ag industry on his return.

Hazelton Expands Fleet

Australia’s only publicly listed airline, regional carrier Hazelton Airlines, took the opportunity of its first annual general meeting of shareholders to announce an order for three new Fairchild Metro 23 nineteen seat turboprops. The first two aircraft are scheduled to enter service this month with the third following in February 1995. The new Metros will allow Hazelton to offer early morning services to Sydney direct from the Latrobe Valley and from Griffith and Narrandera while similar early morning services will be introduced between Sydney/Dubbo and Sydney/Orange. They will also allow Hazelton to introduce a totally Metro service to the NSW south coast, introduce exclusively Saab 340 services to Wagga, progressively phase the Shorts 360 out of the fleet and also remove the nine passenger piston engined Piper Chieftain from service. The new Metros will bring Hazelton’s fleet to five Saab 340s, four Metro 23s, one Shorts 360 and seven Chieftains.

Rossair Calls For Aircraft Servicing Committee

Leading South Australian based general aviation firm Rossair has called for a top level user committee to advise the Federal Government on raising standards in the aircraft servicing industry. Seasons Greetings: The crew at Australian Aviation would like to take this opportunity to thank all our readers for their support over the past year and to wish you a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy 1995. Just a reminder also that the next edition of AA is our March issue which will go on sale February 15 with (as usual) subscribers having it up to a week earlier. As always, there is no January or February edition. See you then next February’s Country Club Casino Skyrace Tasmania. Leading contenders include the reigning champions in most classes, among them Mike Falls (Harvard), John Weymouth (Trojan) and David Cooper (Grumman Special). Entries are also expected from 1994 Unlimited champion Rob Booth and runner up Guido Zuccoli, both in Sea Furies. An interesting battle is expected in the Radial Under 1500hp (1120kW) class, where father and son John and Paul Weymouth will compete against each other in their T-28 Trojans. The Around Tasmania Navigation Race which is run in conjunction with the pylon races has attracted a few entries so far with many more expected by the time entries for all events and classes close on 31 January 1995. For more Skyrace details call (003) 36 3236.

Seaview Crash Preliminary Report

The Bureau of Air Safety Investigation (BASI) has released its preliminary report on the crash of Seaview Air Rockwell 690B (VH-SVQ) into the sea en route to Lord Howe Island on October 2. Although the report draws no positive conclusions, it does state that several of the aircraft’s components which were recovered showed signs of heat distress or the effects of fire and indicate the possibility that the aircraft suffered an inflight fire before it went down. Interesting points in the report are that the pilot of the doomed aircraft had advised Sydney Flight Service he had instigated a descent from 20,000ft to 13,000ft but had offered no reason for this. He later advised he was maintaining 16,000ft but again no explanation was offered. At no time did the pilot indicate any distress to Flight Service. A conversation on the company radio frequency with another company aircraft (flown by Seaview’s chief pilot) which was following provide the only clues. In that conversation, the pilot of VH-SVQ complained of a vibration which was put down to propeller icing. About ten minutes later the pilot transmitted that he had “lost it” and no more was heard.