Civil Aircraft Register Update

Register Review

Seventy one aircraft are listed in the New Allocations this issue covering the final two months of 1995. With four being brought back onto the register and a further 76 being deleted, the status quo remains at 10,651 registered aircraft in Australia including gliders but not including ultralights. Three balloons are listed, a Thunder and two Australian made Kavanaghs, along with four helicopters. Three of the four helicopters have come from Japan including Kawasaki Bell 47G AHQ which was deleted from the Japanese register as long ago as April 4 1990 when owned by Nishi Nihon Kuyu. Robinson HVB was previously operated by Hiroshi Ashida of Chiba before export to Australia and LongRanger CKP was obtained from Minami Kyushu Kaihatsu of Kagashima. The LongRanger joins a Jet Ranger and Beech Baron in the Curry Kenny Aviation fleet at Maroochydore on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Also from Japan is Islander LHA which flew as JA5265 with Nagasaki Koku of Omura before coming to Australia. This Islander made its first flight in Romania on August 31 1977 and was delivered to the UK for interior fittings on October 9. It was converted from a BN-2A-6 to a BN-2A-26 before delivery to the Japanese agents Kyoei International on February 23 1980 who then leased it to Nagasaki Koku. Robinson YRY, Cessna U206 MPA and Ayres S2R UDG have all been imported from New Zealand. The Robinson has been flying as ZK-HLB since September 1990 and was last operated by Wing and Rotor Aviation in Auckland. Cessna Stationair MPA was delivered new to Australia in 1979 and was registered IBI in June of that year. It was exported to New Zealand on September 27 1994 and became ZK-JDZ with Pionair Adventures of Christchurch but returned via Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands on November 2 last year to take up its new markings of MPA. Ayres UDG has spent even less time in New Zealand being registered ZK-UDC on April 9 1995 and then deregistered on December 21. The Ayres flew Christchurch/Lord Howe Island/Sydney on December 20 on delivery to Gwydir Air Charter at Moree NSW. AAZ is a brand new Bellanca Decathlon and is only the second new Decathlon to come to Australia in the last 15 years. When the other major light aircraft manufacturers started to produce metal skinned aircraft, Bellanca stayed with tube and fabric construction and concentrated on aerobatic designs. The 8KCAB Decathlon was basically an updated 7KCAB Citabria (airbatic spelt backward) fitted with a 150hp (110kW) or 180hp (135kW) engine with an airframe stressed for unlimited aerobatics. Twenty four 8KCAB Decathlons came to Australia between 1972 and 1980 when production ceased due to falling sales figures and financial problems. 1992 saw Decathlons back in production in limited numbers and a single aircraft, MRM, was imported during that year. AAZ joins MRM and 18 of the original 24 Decathlons still flying in Australia. The 19th production Gippsland GA-200, SAV, and three more Skyfox Gazelles, LNU, NGM and NRG, are listed along with four amateur built aircraft. Three states and four types are represented by the home built machines with Rand KR2 DUB and Vans RV6 DUO constructed in WA, Kevin Haase’s Corby Starlet DKV in Queensland and Bill Smith’s Bushby Mustang HBM in Victoria. Rod Hall’s Winjeel BUM is one of four of the type auctioned at Williamtown on October 28 and no doubt all four will end up on the civil register and therefore will appear in this column sometime in the future. Navajo Chieftain BCM has been static at Bankstown marked as HS-SKC for some time awaiting sale whilst Cessna 402C HOR has returned from eight months in PNG. Originally registered AMU on April 17 1984, the Cessna 402 has spent the last eight months of 1995 with KSS Aviation at Madang flying as P2-KSR. Aero Commander N801AC (now MDW) was delivered via Honolulu, Pago Pago and Norfolk Island to Sydney as long ago as late August 1995 and made the journey in company with Cessna 208 Caravan N2648Y which is now flying as SHW. Caravan amphibian 9M-FBA was delivered via Charleville and Archerfield to Coolangatta on November 23 where it received attention before becoming LMD. The big single has now replaced a Cessna Stationair on the Hollywell to Lady Musgrave Island route for Seair Pacific. Four aircraft have been restored to the register this issue. Beech Musketeer DPB was damaged in an accident during August 1994 but has now been repaired and Lloyd Helicopters Bell 212 LAM has returned from Sweden where it has been on a 12 month contract flying as SE-JBY. Beech 400 BJD changed its registration to LAW on November 22 but has returned to its old markings after less than a month flying as LAW. Only 11 MU300s were built before Beech took over production and converted nine of those to Beech 400 standard. Beech produced another 54 aircraft from Japanese components before complete production moved to the USA. Less than one hundred Beech 400s had been sold by the end of 1994 however the US Air Force and the Japanese Air Self Defence Force ordered the type as the Jayhawk, stimulating civil sales. Two aircraft were imported into Australia during 1992/93 and both are still flying, IMP with Impulse Airlines and BJD with McRoss Developments in Sydney. Comanche 400 REQ has rejoined the register after sustaining damage in an accident near Mount Gambier on October 13 1982. The 400 series Comanche is fast becoming a collectors item and its history is quite interesting. Piper first began experimenting with a higher powered version of its 260hp (195kW) Comanche in 1961 when they fitted 380hp (285kW) Lycoming engines into two standard Comanche airframes. The first, N8380P, flew during May 1961 but was damaged in a forced landing on July 11 and did not fly again. The second prototype, N7511P, flew on June 8 and completed the test flying programme. Piper decided to use the 400hp (800kW) Lycoming engine in production aircraft and moved the standard Comanche wing slightly forward to compensate for the heavier powerplant. The first production aircraft was N8400P and it was completed on August 15 1963, however by the end of 1964 production had ceased with only 146 aircraft built. Ten Comanche 400s have been on the Australian register with seven still current. Seventy six aircraft are listed in the Deletions section with almost one third due to accident damage. Several of these accidents resulted in fatalities with the majority of these fatal accidents happening in SE Queensland. Two people lost their lives when Cessna 172 DDW plunged into the sea off Bribie Island on January 5, whilst four people died in the crash of Cessna 182 DFR near Kolane Qld on December 6. The pilot of Commander UJP did not survive when his aircraft crashed at Horn Island during December and the pilot and three children died when Wilga PZS crashed at Dunwich airstrip on Stradbroke Island in January. The two people on board Tiger Moth FAS were lucky to escape injury when their aircraft plunged into the water at Fremantle in November and the two occupants of SCZ were even luckier when the Cessna 152 developed engine problems and crashed first into powerlines and then into trees at Castle Hill on a flight from Archerfield to Bankstown. Fourteen aircraft have been withdrawn from use and with the exception of the four Mohawks, HEI, HIX, HKS and HKT, most are expected to be back on the register after lengthy maintenance. The Mohawks have been successful only in sending almost all the companies that operated them broke, and are not expected to fly again. National Jet Systems has decided to register all their jets in the NJ block and all their turboprops in the JS block which is why Dash 8s LAR, NJD, NJT and NJU have been re-registered JSI, JSJ, JSQ and JSU respectively. National Jet’s newly acquired Jetstream IMQ has also changed to JSX to fit the same policy. Bell 47G AEO has changed to MGF, Metro KDR to IAU and Grumman Mallard LAW to PPE to reflect their new owner’s initials whilst Super King Air RFX had to wait until Cessna 180 Skywagon FDO was sold in New Zealand before it could join the rest of the RFDS fleet in the FD block. Three amateur built aircraft, Corby Starlet JCE, Quickie JHA and Monnett Sonerai UJB have been transferred to the Australian Ultralight Federation register. Sixteen aircraft have been exported including Beavers IDB and IDC, and Grobs AYB, AYE and JVL, to unspecified countries. As soon as more information is available about these five aircraft it will be reported in this column. Robinson HEE has gone to PNG, Twin Otter FNX to Western Samoa, Sikorsky EMM to South Africa and Jetstream JMR has returned to the UK for onward sale 90 Australian Aviation March 1996 or lease. AirServices Australia BAe 125 JFT has also returned to the UK although its final destination will be the USA. Learjet ELC and Enstrom JAX are also heading for the States. Hughes 500E BOL, Beaver IMD and Beech Duke EZR have been sold in New Zealand with the latter online with the New Zealand Aviation College at Ardmore and registered ZK-FRA. Noticeable in the Changes of CoR Holders section this issue is the number of Aero Commander entries. Steve Knott who owns General Aviation Maintenance at Essendon has transferred three Commanders, UJA, UJU and YJR, from his own name to the company name resulting in all his 11 Commanders now registered to General Aviation Maintenance. Equipment Leasing of Hallett SA has acquired Shrike Commander KAK from Twynan Pastoral and Trailfinders of Cairns have bought Commander EPN. EPN was one of six Skywest Aviation Commanders offered for sale by auction at Bankstown on November 8 by Pickles Auctioneers. The six were half of Skywest’s Commander fleet used for the Coastwatch contract and made redundant last year when National Jet Systems took over the contract. Two other Commanders from the same auction listed are EXB, which joins the Heli-Muster fleet at Bankstown and EXF which has gone to Tasair in Hobart. Of the other three, one is believed to have been sold in Canada and one in New Zealand so we can expect to see these in the Deletions section soon. Tiger Moth CKF has been acquired by the Royal Aero Club of WA to replace FAS which crashed at Fremantle during November and RFDS Navajo FMO has gone to Great Western Aviation at Archerfield. FMO joins two other Navajos, KTU and DEH, in the Great Western fleet servicing western Queensland’s gas and oil exploration sites. Details have come to light about aircraft recently exported from Australia and as predicted BAe 125 PAB is now in the USA flying as NI50SA with Ray Thurston of Scottsdale Arizona. Also in the States is Baron ORP, now flying as N79AP, and Aero Commander 500 WGY which is flying for BGM Airborne Surveys of Houston TX and is registered N3054. Jetstreams AFR and SMH were registered G-BWIC and G-BWIH respectively on their return to the UK but have since been leased to The First Security Bank of Utah, to be operated by Trans State Airlines as N436JX and N434JX. Beech 1900D N8217L, which was to come to Australia and be registered IMC with Impulse Airlines, instead has gone to Nigeria and is now flying for Mobil Oil as 5N-MPA and Cessna 172N KJJ, which was deleted in the May 1995 listing, is now registered F-OIAB with NAF Locavia at Magenta, Noumea. Sud Aviation Lama FJS, which first came to Australia during April 1969, was re-registered PDU in June 1973. After spending two stints in PNG as P2-PDU from 1974 to 1978 and again from 1981 to 1984, the aircraft was sold in Monaco as 3A-MLB on April 6 1989. The elderly helicopter is now operating in France, registered F-GIXV and working for Fin Air Trade of Albertville. Beaver Floatplane ZK-CCY, which flew in Australia between 1990 and 1992 as XIX before returning to New Zealand has recently been sold in Germany. The aircraft was delivered from its water base at Picton, on the north coast of New Zealand’s south island, to Tauranga airstrip to be crated for its delivery to Germany. The pilot, Jim Anderson, made a perfect landing on the grass runway at Tauranga with no wheels and no damage to the floats. The brand new 1996 issue of the Australian Aviation Civil Aircraft Register is now available. This is the only publication that lists registration, type, construction number and the CofR Holder’s name and address in an easy to read tabulated format. Over 10,500 aircraft are listed including those registered with AirServices Australia, the Gliding Federation of Australia and the Hang Gliding Federation of Australia. The register is only available from AustAirData, PO Box 1142, Toombul, Qld 4012 (phone and fax 074 983 757) at a cost of $11.00 including postage within Australia (add 50% for overseas air mail). Credit card facilities are available and the Register is also available on IBM compatible computer disk in ASCII format at a cost of $50.00 or as a complete stand alone database programme at a cost of $70.00.