Civil Aircraft Register Update

The most interesting aircraft in this month’s listing has to be Hawker Hunter FGA. The Hunter FR.74B is one of six that Geoff Moesker obtained from the Republic of Singapore Air Force in 1995. Six sets of wings arrived at Archerfield during June last year and these were followed by six fuselages in July. FGA is the first to be assembled and, although not having flown at the time of going to press, it is 99% complete and should have flown by the time you read this. A second aircraft is expected to fly as XHH and a third has been sold in New Zealand.

Fokker Friendship WAN returns to Australia after six years of service in New Zealand. Originally delivered to Ansett during December 1966 as FNQ, it operated in this country until November 1990 when it was sold to Rex Aviation, Wellington, New Zealand. Rex Aviation was renamed Tranzair in 1993 and the Fokker continued to work alongside several expatriate Bandeirantes on freight work around New Zealand for three more years. Still configured as a freighter, WAN is now owned by Independent Air Freighters of Melbourne but is based in Perth and utilised on Ansett Air Freight routes in Western Australia.

Of the five helicopters listed, Helicopter Resources Squirrel HRB is a 1991 model from Japan where it was operated by Tokita Unso of Niigata. UTB is one of four Agusta Bell 47Js and four Agusta Bell 47Gs that were obtained from the Italian Army and came to Australia during 1991. UTB is the fifth of the batch to be registered leaving one 47G and two 47Js unaccounted for. BPT is a brand new Air Tractor 502 for Aircair Aviation at Moree NSW. The 502 model is the most popular Air Tractor model in Australia and Aircair now has five of this type in its fleet along with a smaller 400 series machine. Air Tractor has just launched the 602 model equipped with a larger hopper to complement its range of 400, 502 and 802 aircraft.

Six aircraft have been re-registered including Turbo Saratoga NCM which is an interesting machine as only nine of the type are in this part of the world, eight in Australia and a single example in New Zealand. Piper developed the PA-32 Cherokee Lance from the Cherokee Six in the early 1970s using the retractable undercarriage from the Seneca and the retraction system from the Arrow. During 1977 Cherokee was dropped from the name and the aircraft became known as the Lance. The Lance II was developed during 1975 and utilised a T-tail which, in theory, produced smoother and quieter flight. A turbocharged version followed in 1978.

The T-tail theory that Piper developed on the Lance and Arrow and indeed Beech followed on the Duchess and Skipper had inherent problems of their own and during August 1978 Piper started work on a Lance with a conventional tail and a semi tapered wing with increased wing span, fuel capacity, cruise and maximum speed. This aircraft became the Saratoga SP (Special Performance) and a normally aspirated and turbo version were developed using a 300hp (225kW) Lycoming engine. The first Turbo Saratoga SP flew on January 29 1979 and deliveries began from Piper’s Vero Beach facility during January 1980. NCM was the 29th of 114 Turbo Saratoga SPs built during 1981. A total of 364 Turbo Saratoga SPs were produced between 1980 and 1987 when production was phased out after only two aircraft were sold during 1981.

Two aircraft are shown in the Returning to Register section this month, an elderly Cessna 172A and an even older Gipsy Moth. Cessna 172A RKN was delivered new to Australia during 1960, the first year of 172A production and 12 months before Cessna adopted the name “Skyhawk”. It was originally registered IAE and operated by Air Training at Bankstown. Two years later the aircraft was sold to Masling Aircraft Sales at Cootamundra and as Air Training wanted to use IAE on future aircraft of its fleet the Cessna was changed to RKN. In 1963 the aircraft moved on to Southern Riverina Flying School at Albury then during 1967 to a syndicate at Myrtleford Vic. After three months with Bib Stillwell’s Civil Flying Services and 10 months with John Hewitt of Moorabbin, the aircraft found its way to Toms Lake Pastoral at Booligal. Just over a year later it was back at Moorabbin, this time with Schutt Aircraft Sales who sold it to D Woolstencroft at Meredith Vic. RKN stayed at Meredith for the next six years, firstly with Mr Woolstencroft and then G Finn and finally B Finn before being withdrawn from use on November 18 1981. After 15 years of inactivity RKN has been rebuilt and now flies with John Price of Tregeagle NSW.

Gipsy Moth AAQ was built in 1928 and was originally given the British markings G-AUHQ. It was shipped to Australia and uncrated and test flown at Essendon during 1929. Officially registered to the Civil Aviation Branch, Department of Defence, it was on loan to the Australian Aero Club, NSW Section at Mascot. By 1937 the aircraft had taken up Australian markings of UHQ and on July 27 1937, with the formation of the Royal Aero Club of NSW, it became part of its fleet. On December 10 1939 the aircraft crashed at Wagga when the left wing struck the ground and the undercarriage collapsed on landing. Instructor Darcy Wentworth and flying student Ian Cork were uninjured and back at the club house recovering from their ordeal when a dull explosion was heard and the machine burst into flames.

The aircraft was all but wrecked but some parts were used to build another Gipsy Moth. The Civil Aviation Branch considered it to be a new aircraft and refused to re-register it UHQ, hence it became AAQ on December 31 1943. The CAB also insisted that it be given a new construction number so officially it became number 1, although for historical correctness we still use its original number 878. Unfortunately the Gipsy Moth crashed again on September 12 1945, this time at Mascot, and the aircraft did not fly again for over 50 years.

In the Deletions section six aircraft are shown as being withdrawn from use, supposedly indicating that they have simply run out of useful life and will not be flown again. Unfortunately this term is often used to indicate that no reason has been given as to why the aircraft has been deleted from the register. Whilst Colt OLA and Robinson JIU may well have been scrapped, we can expect to see King Air MTG and Auster RCA back in the air in the future. As usual a number of aircraft have been exported to New Zealand including Nomad DHF and Cessna 172 LJD, both of which were predicted in this column in previous issues.

The departure of Stearman HLV to New Zealand has left 11 of the type still flying in Australia, still a healthy number, but has increased the Kiwi Stearman population to two. The big biplane will become ZK-XAF (Ex Air Force) when officially registered by its new owner Jon Anda of Motueka. Another interesting export is Cessna A-37 Dragonfly IVI. The ex Vietnamese Air Force jet was rebuilt by Col Pay and made its first flight at Scone only three weeks before being crated for shipment to the USA. It is believed to have been sold to Jim Smith of Fortine, Montana, the same person who purchased Col Pay’s Kittyhawk KTH.

Two aircraft have been deleted due to accidents including Cessna 337 FAM. The crash of FAM, near Albany WA, claimed the lives of four people including pilot John Bell. John, a former whale spotting pilot, was a keen aviation enthusiast and was in the process of restoring three historic RAAF aircraft, a Catalina, a Vultee Vengeance and a Sikorsky Kingfisher. John joins the roll of enthusiasts killed in crashes this year which includes Father Jeremy Flynn and Captain Brian Millis who died when Father Flynn’s Beech Baron went missing on a flight from Bankstown to Flinders Island. Brian and Jeremy were two of the pilots of the restored HARS Constellation EAG and their deaths reduced the number of pilots rated to fly the aircraft by half.

Not a great deal of interest in the Changes of CoR Holder listing this month. McKinlay Air Charter at Colwell Station Qld has acquired Metro CUZ from Airnorth Regional. The aircraft was registered ANW when it was imported during July 1994 but was changed to CUZ on August 30 1995 to allow Airnorth’s new Metro 23 to become ANW. CUZ joins McKinlay Air Charter’s other aircraft, Cessna 402 TIV, at Colwell Station and is used principally to service the developing mines in Western Queensland.

Twin Pioneers AIS and EVB are now operated by South Sea Air of Brisbane after a chequered career. Australian Iron and Steel brought AIS to Australia in 1961 to service its mine at Whyalla. The Twin Pioneer moved on to Dampier Mining in Perth during May 1966 and then to I McRostie of East Prahran Vic in December 1970. Aerial Agriculture bought the aircraft during October 1971 and began to convert it to a crop sprayer at its Bankstown hangar. Initial trials of the aircraft indicated that there was a potential market for such an aircraft and as a result Aerial Agriculture acquired another four Twin Pioneers from the Malaysian Air Force. One of these machines embarked on an American sales tour after it was converted but no sales were obtained and the aircraft was put into storage in the USA rather than bring it back to Australia. The other three aircraft languished on the grass at Bankstown slowly decaying and were later joined by AIS.

During 1982 Aviation Industries bought one of the Malaysian Air Force machines and rebuilt it to VIP standard, including leather seats and bar, registered it EVB, and began sightseeing flights around Sydney. The flights proved to be quite successful and during 1986 Aviation Industries also bought AIS and rebuilt it to the same standard as EVB. After moderate success with the two aircraft around Sydney, QM Properties acquired the machines and moved them to Coolangatta to fly tourists to Tangalooma Resort on Moreton Island. The Twin Pioneers were replaced on the Tangalooma route by a fleet of BN Islanders last year and the aircraft are now with a new company, South Sea Air.

Catching up on some Australian aircraft now flying overseas, Cessna 402 CWG, Cessna 150G KOK and Nomad DHO were exported to New Zealand recently. The Cessna 402 now flies as ZK-MAP with the ACK Gilbert Trust of Drury, the Cessna 150 is now ZK-ONO with J Ogilvie of Kirwee whilst Nomad DHO is based at Ardmore, near Auckland with Nationwide Helicopters and is registered ZK-OUT. In America another Nomad, DHR, is now flying as N62573 and Enstrom F-28F Falcon AYN has become N19BZ. Further north Fokker Fellowship FKC, which was deleted in last month’s issue, has joined the Time Air fleet at Calgary, Canada and is now marked as C-FFKC. In South America Bolkow BO 105 JXO, which flew in Australia between July 1991 and October 1994, is now with Aeromil of Argentina flying as LV-WJX.

Moving across to Africa TAA Boeing 727 TJF, which was sold in Barbados during 1979 after almost a decade in Australia, is now in Uganda with Skyline International and registered 5X-AMM. In neighbouring Kenya Beech 200 Super King Air 5Y-BLA is the former AKV. In Europe Bell 222U LAJ is now on the German register as D-HCED with Deutsche Verkehrs Leasing whilst Bell 206 JetRanger SJJ now operates in the UK as G-OPNI. The JetRanger is owned by RCR Aviation and is based at Thruxton where many ex RAF Tiger Moths were converted to Thruxton Jackaroos in the early 1960s. Bell 206L LongRanger CVN was only on the Australian register for about two weeks during August 1982 before returning to the USA. After spending some time in Japan and then Mexico it has again moved on, this time to Sweden where it flies as SE-HOR with Ostermans Aero at Barkarby. In more unusual locations are Eastern Australia Jetstream LJR and TAA Boeing 727 TJE. The Boeing 727 is now in Jordan flying as JY-HS1 while the Jetstream is now resident in Poland with PL Tasawi and registered SP-FTH.

Details are now at hand of three accidents reported in this column as long ago as May 1994. Volmer VJ22 TUB was conducting a water takeoff from Cape Naturaliste, Tasmania, on January 29 1994 when the aircraft yawed violently. The right wing hit the water, the aircraft cartwheeled and came to rest inverted in the water. Both occupants were rescued but the aircraft sank and was not recovered. The pilot of Bell JetRanger LHA was manoeuvring to enable passengers to photo crocodiles near Gove NT on February 15 1994 when the tail rotor blade struck the tail boom, severing it. The helicopter hit the water and floated upside down for a while, enabling the occupants to evacuate and swim to shore. After sinking the aircraft resurfaced and floated out to sea on the tide but was recovered the next day.

The pilot of Queen Air AMG also had a lucky escape when his aircraft lost power and crashed on an island near Palau about half way between PNG and the Philippines. The aircraft was being ferried to the Philippines and was left on Palau Island for about a month prior to the second part of the ferry flight. When the flight resumed and on departure from Palau Island the right engine failed and the aircraft was force landed onto a sandbar on an adjacent island.

The 1996 Australian Aviation Civil Aircraft Register is now available. This is the only publication that lists registration, type, construction number and C of R Holder’s name and address in an easy to read tabulated format. Over 10,500 aircraft are listed including those registered with CASA, 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 $70.00.