Traffic

Impulse Airlines took delivery of Beech 1900D N10326 at Sydney on January 29. Later registered VH-SMH, the Beech 1900D, which is the fifth of its type in the Impulse fleet, entered service on February 1. Impulse plans to take delivery of Beech 1900D VH-AFR msn UE-200 in late April.

Kakadu Air has added Cessna 402B VH-FCL to its fleet.

Kendell Airlines took delivery of the former Skyways, Sweden Saab 340B SE-KVO at its Wagga base on March 9. Later registered VH-KDQ, the Saab entered service with Kendell in late March. Kendell Airlines’ Saab 340Bs replaced the Ansett Australia Fokker 50 flights between Canberra and Sydney from March 31. Kendell has scheduled 72 return services weekly between Canberra and Sydney in competition with the Dash 8s of Eastern Australia. Kendell will use its two ex-Swedish Saab 340Bs VH-KDQ and VH-KDV on the route with both aircraft carrying small ‘Capital Shuttle’ titles.

King Island Airlines were noted to be using the Executive Air PA-31-350 Chieftain VH-DMV on its flights in March.

National Jet surprisingly took delivery of Dash 8-200 VH-JSH at Adelaide on February 23 after the aircraft completed its ferry flight from Canada via Europe and the Middle East. For a new aircraft, VH-JSH has already had an interesting life. Dash 8-202 msn 411 was built on order for the Indian airline Archana Airways and was noted at Downsview in September ’95 registered C-GHRI and carrying the colours of Archana Airways. In late November, C-GHRI departed Downsview on its delivery flight to Archana in New Delhi. Due to reasons unknown, C-GHRI returned to Downsview where the aircraft was then prepared for delivery to National Jet Systems.

Southern Australia Cessna 404 VH-BPO, which was operated on contract to the Victorian Air Ambulance Service, was noted parked at Essendon in late March with all its markings removed.

King Air Fleet Update

Local Raytheon agents Hawker Pacific continues to import and sell a growing number of King Air aircraft. Hawker Pacific recently added the Philippines and Thailand to the area it covers for Raytheon and already sales have been recorded in these countries. King Air 350 N1555E msn FL-118, which was purchased by Hawker Pacific in January ’95 and was displayed at the 1995 Australian International Airshow at Avalon, has been sold in the Philippines. The new owner of N1555E is the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company of Manila, which previously operated King Air 200 RP-C22 msn BB-162. RP-C22, which was traded in to Hawker Pacific on the King Air 350 N1555E, is now resident in Perth where it awaits a buyer.

King Air B200C N1012S msn BB-1512 was delivered to Hawker Pacific at Bankstown in early February. N1012S in turn has been sold to the Italian/Thai Development Co Ltd of Bangkok with delivery planned in May. Hawker Pacific also has on order a number of King Air B200 and King Air 350 aircraft for delivery during 1996. King Air B200 msn BB-1524, which is currently operated by Raytheon, is planned for delivery in May along with King Air B200 msn BB-1536. King Air 350 msn FL-137 is due for delivery in June while King Air 350 msn FL-150 is expected in Australia in late October.

King Air 200C N43CE, which was delivered to Bankstown on December 21, has been registered VH-CWO to the Royal Flying Doctor Service/Western Operations. After VH-CWO completes its conversion work with Hawker Pacific at Bankstown, it will be flown to Moorabbin in late April and there the aircraft will be painted and outfitted by Aerospray. On delivery to the RFDS base at Port Hedland in late May, the King Air 200C will replace Chieftain VH-AYS.

King Air 300 F-OHRT msn FA-226, which was purchased by the Tahiti-based operator Wanair, was noted at Noumea on February 22 on the last stages of its delivery flight from Wichita to Papeete.

Hawker Pacific has also been active in selling Beech 1900D aircraft to operators in Indonesia and Malaysia. Indonesian Air Transport purchased two Beech 1900D aircraft through Hawker Pacific with the aircraft then being used on contract to Mobil Oil. Beech 1900D N3237H msn UE-177 was delivered in early February and was followed later in the month by N3233J msn UE-186. These aircraft were later registered to Indonesian Air Transport as PK-TRW and PK-TRX respectively. Business Focus in Malaysia also ordered two Beech 1900Ds through Hawker Pacific with the aircraft planned for use in the formation of a new Cambodian airline.

Airline News

Air New Zealand is reported to have terminated its lease on Boeing 737-2Y5s ZK-NAF and ZK-NAH with the aircraft to be returned to Indigo Aviation AB of Malmo, Sweden. ZK-NAF and ZK-NAH, which were previously operated by Air Malta, were delivered to Air New Zealand at Christchurch in October and November ’94 respectively. The departure of ZK-NAF and ZK-NAH will reduce the Air New Zealand Boeing 737-200 fleet to just 10 units.

Ansett Australia planned to take delivery of Boeing 767-324ER VH-BZF at Melbourne on March 28 with the aircraft ferrying in from Seattle/Paine Field via Hilo as AN4290. Fokker F28-3000 VH-EWG was withdrawn from Ansett service at Brisbane on March 16 after it operated flight AN261 from Mackay. Later that day, VH-EWG (as AN4280) was ferried to Melbourne where the aircraft was placed in storage.

Freedom Air International will terminate its lease on Boeing 757-204 G-BYAF in late April with the aircraft being required by its owners Britannia Airways for high season operations out of the UK. As of late March, Freedom Air was assessing replacement aircraft with types ranging from the Boeing 737-300 to the Airbus A300. Freedom Air will add Palmerston North to its network from April 24 with the scheduling of two weekly flights to Brisbane and Sydney via Hamilton.

Kiwi Travel International Airlines will terminate its lease on the Air 2000 Boeing 757-2Y0 G-OOOU in early May. As of late March, Kiwi International was assessing different types of aircraft to replace the Boeing 757. Kiwi International took delivery of the Boeing 757-2Y0 G-OOOU at its Hamilton base on November 21 last with the aircraft entering service on November 24 from Hamilton to Sydney. Kiwi is also reported to be considering the lease of a DC-10-30 for operations from New Zealand through Australia to Japan. Prior to operating the Boeing 757, Kiwi commenced scheduled operations with Boeing 727-225(A) N805EA, which they leased from Avatlantic of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. On termination of its lease, N805EA departed Hamilton in late November ’95 on its return ferry flight to Florida. It is interesting to note that in February, N805EA commenced operating on lease to a Republican Party candidate for the United States Presidency, Robert Dole. N805EA, which is named ‘Leader’s Ship’, operates in a basic all-white scheme with ‘Dole For President’ titles on its roof.

National Jet Systems has terminated its lease on Boeing 737-3Q8(F) VH-NJE with the aircraft returning to ILFC in early March. National Jet took delivery of the Boeing 737-3Q8(F) VH-NJE at Adelaide in April ’94. Later that month, National Jet leased VH-NJE to Australian air Express and for the following 12 months the Boeing operated four nights weekly between Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne. In April ’95, Australian air Express terminated its lease on the Boeing 737-3Q8(F) due to a sudden change in the curfew conditions at Sydney Airport.

Pacific Transair took delivery of its first Boeing 737-291, N737RD, at Sydney on March 25. Pacific Transair had previously leased N737RD and Boeing 737-291 N7375F from International Air Leases of Miami, Florida on February 1. Boeing 737-291 N7375F was last operated by Lao Aviation as RDPL-34125 while N737RD was with Continental Airlines as N16254.

Qantas took delivery of Boeing 737-476 VH-TJX at Melbourne on February 27 when the aircraft ferried in from Seattle via Honolulu, Apia, and Nadi as QF6902. VH-TJX was later named Trust before entering service with Qantas on March 8 when it operated flight QF454 from Melbourne to Sydney.

Qantas has wet-leased a Boeing 747-338 to Garuda Indonesia for three months to assist in the annual Haj uplift. Boeing 747-338 VH-EBW was painted in Garuda colours and fitted out in a 481-seat all-economy class configuration prior to its departure from Sydney on March 21. While on lease to Garuda, VH-EBW will be based in Jakarta from where it will operate a daily service to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

Qantas Airbus A300B4-204 VH-TAA ferried out of Melbourne in the early hours of February 21 destined for the British Aerospace facility at Bristol, England. Unlike previous A300s that have ferried to Europe, VH-TAA travelled the long way round via the Pacific and North America. As QF6024, VH-TAA was routed from Melbourne to Filton via Nadi, Honolulu, Vancouver, and Montreal/Mirabel.

Boeing 707-138B N707XX of TAG Aviation was an interesting visitor to Sydney during March. We make special mention of this aircraft as in 1964 the Boeing was built on order for Qantas. Registered VH-EBM and named City of Launceston, the Boeing was delivered to Qantas at Sydney in September ’64. VH-EBM had a relatively short life with Qantas, being retired from service in November ’68. After a period of storage at Sydney Airport, VH-EBM was sold in June ’69 to Braniff International along with sister aircraft VH-EBI, -EBJ, and -EBL. Before its departure from Sydney, VH-EBM was registered to Braniff as N108BN and was painted in an all-over blue colour scheme.

Friendship Fleet Update

The Fokker Friendship has been well accepted by airlines in Australia and New Zealand over the years and to date in excess of 100 aircraft have been registered in the two countries. Now numbers are dwindling, we do not often get to mention the Friendship in our column. In recent weeks, however, a few changes to the fleet have taken place, so this gives us the opportunity to comment on the remaining aircraft in both countries.

In Australia, there are still six Friendships extant, with three in service and three in storage. Details on these aircraft are as follows:

F27-100 VH-NLS is with Aircruising Australia and over the last few months this aircraft has been busy operating tours on both sides of the Tasman. We should also mention that VH-NLS was the third of its type to fly and the first of its type to be delivered to an airline.

F27-100 VH-CAT is operated by Australian Flight Test Services out of Parafield, while F27-500 VH-EWP is owned by Associated Airlines at Essendon. VH-EWP is on long-term contract to the Royal Australian Navy and currently spends most of its time working out of Cairns.

F27-700 VH-JCC is registered to Aircruising Australia, however the aircraft has been hangared for some months in Brisbane. Currently, VH-JCC is being advertised for sale by Peter Taylor Aircraft Sales.

F27-600 VH-TQT is registered to International Air Parts of Narrabeen, NSW, however the aircraft has been in storage at Brisbane since April ’91. In early March, however, VH-TQT was noted at Brisbane carrying MBA (Milne Bay Air) titles and by the time this is read it is expected that VH-TQT will be operating freight services in Papua New Guinea.

F27-600 VH-TQS is also registered to International Air Parts of Narrabeen, NSW and has been in storage at Brisbane since February ’91.

In New Zealand, there are also still six Friendships extant, and again we have a similar situation with three operational and three stored.

F27-500 ZK-NAN and F27-500 ZK-NAO fly with Air Post on freight work within New Zealand.

F27-600 ZK-RTA of Tranzair is also involved in freight work, however this aircraft is planned for transfer to Australia during April. ZK-RTA has been part of the New Zealand scene since early November ’90 and was previously operated by Ansett as VH-FNQ. It is reported that when ZK-RTA returns to Australia, it will be based in Perth with Ansett Air Freight.

F27-100 ZK-BXG is currently stored at Wigram, where it was moved by road from Christchurch Airport in October ’93. The RNZAF plans to restore ZK-BXG for display in its museum once time and money permits.

F27-100 ZK-BXH and F27-100 ZK-BXI, which were last operated by Air New Zealand, have both been parked at Christchurch Airport for a number of years and are in poor condition.

F27-100 ZK-BXF of Air New Zealand was parked at Christchurch Airport in late December ’94 after operating its last passenger service with the Mount Cook Airline. On February 24, ZK-BXF, now registered RP-C8889, departed Christchurch on delivery to Laoag International Airlines in the Philippines.

Bizjet News

BAe 125-800B VH-XMO was delivered to Southern Commander at Essendon in mid-March. VH-XMO was previously operated by Shell Aircraft of the UK as G-SHEB and carries the yellow and red colours of the Shell Oil Company. From Essendon, the BAe 125-800B will be operated for Shell Australia by Southern Commander. Prior to the delivery of the BAe 125-800B VH-XMO, Southern Commander operated the BAe 125-700B VH-HSS for Shell Australia, and though nothing had been decided at time of writing, it would appear that VH-HSS will be sold overseas. BAe 125-700B VH-HSS has been part of the Essendon scene since June ’82 when it arrived from Hatfield on delivery to the Shell Oil Company of Australia.

BAe 125-700B VH-HSP of the Coles Myer Group has been sold to Oberoi Hotels International with the BAe 125-700B planned to depart Essendon for New Delhi in late March. VH-HSP was originally delivered to Westfield in Sydney in November ’84 before being purchased by Coles Myer in August ’86.

If in fact Southern Commander does sell VH-HSS, we will have the situation where all three Essendon-based BAe 125-700B aircraft VH-HSS, -HSP and -JFT will have left the country within a period of four months.

Beechjet 400A N8167Y msn RK-67 was registered to Hawker Pacific of Sun Valley, California in January. N8167Y had previously been operated by the Australian Flying College at Parafield for three months in late ’95. N8167Y was then flown to Bankstown before it attended the Singapore Airshow in early February. It was then expected that the aircraft would be sold in the United States, however N8167Y returned to Parafield in April on an indefinite lease to the Australian Flying College.

Beechjet 400A N8279G msn RK-79 was also registered to Hawker Pacific of Sun Valley, California in January. Although no buyer has been defined for N8279G, Hawker Pacific is currently retaining the Beechjet 400A as a stock aircraft.

Cessna 525 CitationJet VH-MOJ msn 525-0138 is planned for delivery to Pearl Coast Airways in May.

Learjet 25B VH-OVS, which was operated by Shortstop Jet Charter out of Essendon, was cancelled from the register in February with the aircraft being sold overseas.

Learjet 36A N71CK, which is operated by Kalitta Flying Services of Ypsilanti, Michigan, was noted at Cairns on March 13. N71CK is, however, better known to us as VH-BIB, an aircraft which was initially imported by Stillwell Aviation in January ’78 and was operated by them until August ’79. After being sold in the United States, VH-BIB returned to Australia in June ’86, then to be operated by Lloyd Aviation Jet Charter until March ’91. Only 64 Learjet 36As were constructed and VH-BIB had the honour of being the only one of its type to be registered in Australia.

Ferry Flights

Gwydir Air Charter took delivery of Ayres S2R-G10 N3299G msn G10-119DC at its Moree base on March 18. The story behind the delivery of this aircraft accentuates the vagaries of long-distance overwater ferry flying. N3299G departed the Ayres factory at Albany, Georgia in early February with the aircraft proceeding to Santa Barbara, California via Midland, Texas and Santa Ana, California. The Ayres then sat at Santa Barbara for nearly a month while waiting for favourable winds, which are critical on the long overwater flight to the Hawaiian Islands. Finally, on March 7, N3299G departed Santa Barbara for Honolulu with the flight taking the Ayres 14.8 hours. From Honolulu, N3299G continued its trans-Pacific ferry via Tarawa and Honiara to Brisbane where it cleared Customs before proceeding to Moree. Total flight time for the ferry from Albany to Moree was 58 hours, with the trans-Pacific crossing from Santa Barbara to Brisbane taking 42.3 hours. Prior to entering service with Gwydir Air Charter, the Ayres S2R-G10 was registered VH-NFN.

Skywest Aviation were preparing GAF N24A VH-DHF at Darwin in late March for its ferry flight to the United States, while Skywest N22 Nomads VH-CEI and VH-CEK were parked at Darwin while awaiting sale.

Shorts 330 VH-LSI, which had been in storage at Townsville, was sold to Chartair Alice Springs in February.

RC-500S VH-EXY was sold to General Aviation Maintenance with the aircraft being delivered to General Aviation’s Essendon base on February 24.

NEPC Airlines F27-500 VT-NED ferried through Brisbane on March 22 en route from its Madras base to Christchurch, where heavy maintenance had been contracted to Air New Zealand.

Pacific Island News

Air New Zealand Link/Air Nelson took delivery of its 13th Saab 340A at Nelson on February 23. The former Crossair Saab 340A, which was delivered as HB-AHT, was later registered to Air Nelson as ZK-NLS.

Air New Zealand Link/Mount Cook Airline BAe 748-2B ZK-MCH departed Christchurch on March 5 on its return to the UK. Mount Cook has also added two Kawasaki BK 117 helicopters to its fleet, with one known to be ZK-HLU.

Air Rarotonga sold its EMB-110P1 ZK-TRL to Tranzair on February 20.

Bell-Air Intercity Commuter Airlines ceased RPT operations between Auckland and Whakatane in January, with Tranzair taking over the route. Bell-Air then sold its Beech 99 ZK-LLA in the United States, with the aircraft, now registered N399JZ, departing Auckland for Pago Pago on February 10.

Solomon Airlines added Ramata, which is on the North Eastern tip of New Georgia Island, and Kangau, which is at the Southern end of Choiseul Island, to its domestic network on March 30.

Tranzair purchased EMB-110P1 ZK-TRL from Air Rarotonga on February 20, with the aircraft later being registered ZK-REZ. This completes the circle for this particular Bandeirante which, as ZK-TRL, was operated by Tranzair until July ’93. Tranzair then terminated its lease on the aircraft with ZK-TRL being ferried to Aeromech at Maroochydore. In October ’93, ZK-TRL departed Maroochydore on its delivery flight to Air Rarotonga.

Tranzair withdrew EMB-110P2 ZK-REX from service in early February with the aircraft being reduced to spares.