New Zealand News

Lottery Grant Board Withdraws Rescue Helo Funding

New Zealand’s Lottery Grants Board will withdraw its $NZ1m annual funding of the country’s air ambulance services. The decision has, not surprisingly, drawn a considerable amount of flak from helicopter rescue service operators. 94 Australian Aviation April 1995. The Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust said that the money is used to fund vital lifesaving equipment such as defibrillators and ventilators, while the Christchurch Air Rescue Trust says the decision to withdraw the funding will severely affect rescue operations. The Lottery Grants Board advised the ARHT that it will withdraw the funding as of June 1996.

Terminal Extensions For Christchurch

Stage One of Christchurch Airport’s 20 year development plan, involving expansion of the international and domestic terminals, is set to begin early next year. The expansion of the passenger terminals follows strong and consistent growth in passenger movements at Christchurch over recent years. International and domestic traffic increased by 14% and 12% respectively for the year ended last June. Construction work will begin early next year pending the approval of the airport’s board of directors and planning authorities.

Anz 737 Inflight Dramas

Air New Zealand 737s have been involved in two separate inflight incidents recently, one a near mid-air collision with a Cessna, the other an engine failure after takeoff, reports Michael Short. In the first incident a 737 with 117 people on board came close to colliding with a light aircraft carrying an inexperienced instructor and student pilot, according to a Transport Accident Investigation Commission report. The 737’s flightcrew estimated the Boeing passed about 150ft (45m) over the Cessna near Dunedin airport. The airliner’s pilots saw the Cessna as they were descending to land after a flight from Wellington. After spotting the Cessna, the crew increased power and the 737 levelled off to pass over the light aircraft at an altitude of 1700ft. The Cessna had been flying across the jet’s path while on a training flight from uncontrolled Taieri aerodrome, north east of Dunedin. The student was having his fourth lesson. The TAIC’s report said the close encounter jeopardised the safety of the occupants of both aircraft. “The avoiding action taken by the Boeing crew may have been instrumental in averting a collision.” The Commission found the Cessna strayed beyond a boundary by up to 1nm (1.9km), bringing it into the approach path for incoming traffic to Dunedin. The report also noted that the Cessna instructor, who had logged 440 total flying hours, had only 25 hours instructing time. The pilot in command of the 737 had 10,000 hours experience. “The combined tasks of supervising his student, who was handling the aircraft, and trying to sort out a radio problem, led the Cessna instructor to overlook the position of his aircraft as it flew past the boundary,” added the report. The Commission reported that the Cessna instructor had twice called Dunedin tower but did not hear any reply, although he had checked his headset connections. Later he succeeded in making two way contact with the tower. Meanwhile in the second incident, relieved passengers cheered and applauded the flightcrew of a 737 when it landed at Queenstown after it had suffered an inflight engine failure. Soon after takeoff there was a loud bang from the right engine and the fuselage filled with smoke. An Air New Zealand spokesperson said damaged turbine blades and the engine’s hushkit were found to be the cause of the emergency. He said the pilots had made a textbook landing. Refer Newsdesk/Airline Affairs this issue for an update on the ANZ Hushkit problems.

Citation For Air Nelson

Air Nelson has leased a Cessna Citation III business jet which it will in turn offer for charter flights from this March. The Citation is leased from the same US company that Air Nelson leases its Metroliners from and it arrived in New Zealand in February. The aircraft has been available for charter since March. The company decided to bring the aircraft to New Zealand to cater for what it saw as growing demand for a business jet that was available for hire, and rising business confidence. Citation IIs typically seat six or seven passengers in the main cabin, and have a range with four passengers of 2345nm (4350km).

Wanaka Display Pilot Probably Improvising

A Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) report has found that a display pilot who crashed and died at the Warbirds Over Wanaka airshow in April last year was probably improvising his aerobatic routine before the fatal manoeuvre, reports Michael Short. Jan Reynolds, 46, of Auckland died when his 1950 de Havilland Canada Chipmunk crashed in front of the large crowd at the popular Wanaka airshow. The TAIC’s report found that Mr Reynolds was probably relying on memory and experience to fly the display rather than following the recommended practice of adhering to a written or preplanned aerobatic routine. The investigation, in part based on video recordings and evidence from onlookers, found the pilot’s display different from that he had flown the previous day, and that given at an earlier airshow. The Chipmunk crashed after performing a half roll and pull through manoeuvre from about 600ft. The Commission’s report found no definitive reason for Mr Reynold’s decision to undertake the manoeuvre at such a low height. The report also said he had departed from the expected routine without advising the pilot of another Chipmunk flying part of the display with him.

Briefs

Work has begun on a $NZ13m training wing at the RNZAF’s Woodbourne base to house the service’s trade training schools. The trade schools are being relocated because of the staggered closure of the Wigram base. Work will be completed next year. Air Pacific plans to commence a new direct Nadi/Wellington 737 service from April 8. The new flight would take Air Pacific’s weekly frequencies to New Zealand to 12. Former Air New Zealand Chief Executive Morrison Davis died aged 70 in Auckland in early February. Mr Davis headed the airline at the time of the 1979 Mt Erebus disaster, later resigning from the airline’s top job in 1981. A poll conducted by British travel magazine Travel Weekly has voted Air New Zealand its Best Airline to the Pacific for the second year running. The magazine readers, including travel agents and airline staff judged airlines on service, customer satisfaction and industry support, and reflected the views of the magazine’s readers and the readers’ customers. Tourism Sightseeing (a joint venture between Mount Cook Group & Fiordland Travel) has acquired a second DHC Twin Otter for sightseeing flights largely from Queenstown to Milford. The DHC-6 entered service in late January.