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Very Rare Waco Egsb Special Vh-cgf Has Been Withdrawn From The Australian Register. (bill Lines)
Civil Aircraft Register Update
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Register Review
Among the 37 aircraft listed in this issue’s New Allocations section are two locally built Kavanagh balloons, AKX and TKA. This brings the total number of hot air balloons flying in Australia to over 200, indicating the amount of interest in ballooning in this country. On the heavier side, seven turbine twins have been imported including the final Dash 8 for Surveillance Australia. All 13 Surveillance Australia aircraft are now active on the Coastwatch contract, comprising six Islanders, three Dash 8s, three Reims Caravan IIs and a single Commander 5008. Uzu Air of Cairns has imported a Dornier 228 to complement its fleet of two Islanders, a Cessna TU206 Stationair, a Cessna 310 and a Cessna 208 Caravan I. This is the first time that a Dornier 228 has been used in this country since the National Safety Council sold its in 1990. Other operators in this part of the world have been Milne Bay Air of Boroko, PNG, who still operates six of the type, and Tranzair of New Zealand, who used three for a short time during 1990. Swearingen UUA has at last been added to the register after flying using its Danish markings for some considerable time. While several other Swearingen models fly regularly in Australia, UUA is the only Merlin IV (a corporate Metro) to have been registered here. Three aircraft previously used in New Zealand appear in the listing: Cessna Turbo Centurion CRL, Kawasaki Bell 47G ZYZ and Beaver SWB. The Turbo Centurion was last owned by RK Palmer of Papatoetoe before being ferried to Australia via Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands on May 14. ZYZ is a Kawasaki-built Bell 47G first registered in Japan on March 13, 1969. It was used by Naka Nihon Koku and based at Tokyo Heliport before going to New Zealand during August 1993. After several Kiwi owners, it ended up with BA and JC Emeny of Inglewood who exported it to Australia. Beaver SWB spent most of its life, from 1965 to 1986, in New Zealand as a top dresser with Fieldair, first of Gisborne then Palmerston North. FR and MK Wright of Tauranga bought the aircraft in July 1992 but only kept it for seven months before selling it to Wilderness Wings of Hokitika. The Beaver returned to the Wrights to be refurbished prior to its sale in Australia, and new owner Steve Krug, along with copilot Jenny Belfield, picked the aircraft up from Tauranga just prior to its trans-Tasman delivery flight. It departed Kerikeri on May 10 and arrived at Bankstown on May 12 after tracking via Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands. Floats were to be fitted at Bankstown prior to continuing north to Darwin. China Southern WA Flying College has added another six Grob G 115C2s to its fleet based at Jandakot, WA. This brings to 30 the number of G 115C2s operated by China Southern, who also own four Cessna 310s, two Socata Tobagos and a single aerobatic G 115D. The Czech-built Zlin range of light aircraft has never been popular in Australia; however, Motokov of Melbourne is hoping to change that by importing several of the latest models and making them available for sale in the Pacific region. ZLA is a 142C Model and was shown at last year’s Avalon Airshow in its Czech markings. It becomes the third Zlin on the current register, whilst three unregistered 143L Models are also available through Motokov. Progressive Aerodyne Searey REY is the first completely new design to appear on the register for some time. A side-by-side two-seat amphibian designed by American Kerry Richter for the amateur builder, it can be fitted with a 65hp (50kW), 74hp (55kW) or 80hp (60kW) Rotax engine. The engine is positioned behind the high-mounted wing and powers a pusher propeller. The main wheels fold up clear of the hull for water landings and the two-piece sliding canopy ensures easy access to the cockpit from either side of the aircraft. The weight of the completed aircraft is around 480kg (1058lb), which is the maximum weight for an aircraft to be registered with the Australian Ultralight Federation; therefore, the fully optioned Searey with an 80hp (60kW) engine fitted will necessitate VH registry, while a basic model with a 65hp (50kW) engine fitted may be registered with the AUF. The only aircraft Returning to Register this month is Cessna 180C FDH. The 180 was a development of the 170 but using a 225hp (170kW) Continental engine in place of the 145hp (110kW) unit fitted to the 170. Unlike most Cessnas, which adopted a swept tail at some time during their production, the 180 retained its straight tail for its full production run. Over 6,160 Cessna 180s were built between 1953 and 1981 when production ceased, of which more than 120 have seen service in Australia, many on floats. FDH is a 1960 Model C which was delivered new to the RFDS in Perth during March of that year. The RFDS used the aircraft for 12 years before Mr R Robinson of Cardabia Station, Carnarvon acquired it in October 1972. Talbot Flying Contractors of Australind bought it during May 1981 but only kept it for five months before selling it to JA House Sawmilling and Grazing of Yallingup. The aircraft was eventually taken off the register on March 24, 1983, but has now been rebuilt and is flying again in the hands of Jan Ende of Gooseberry Hill. It is interesting to note that the aircraft has been based in WA for its entire life, an unusual situation for an Australian aircraft. Twenty-one aircraft make up the Deletions this issue, with the majority being listed because of a change of registration. Shrike Commanders EXI and EXY, previously used on the Skywest/Coastwatch contract, have been bought by General Aviation Maintenance of Essendon and reregistered UJX and UJZ respectively. General Aviation Maintenance, headed by Steve Knott, now operates 13 Commanders on charter work around Australia. Four aircraft have been deleted due to accident damage, including Super Cub CPI which crashed as long ago as 1991. Of the five aircraft exported, Enstrom AVM has gone to the USA, Air Tractor ODR is now in Malaysia, and Navajo AYS departed via Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands on May 28 heading for New Zealand. Bell LongRanger CKI and Bandeirante WPI are now flying in PNG with the latter registered P2-VAD. Waco EGC8 Special CGF is the most significant of the four aircraft listed as withdrawn from use. Wacos were only produced between 1931 and 1939, and as a result, they are becoming very rare aircraft. The Model EGC8 is a four- or five-seat cabin biplane with a single radial engine and tailwheel configuration. CGF first came to Australia during September 1938 when it was registered AAF. Country Air Services of Rockhampton, Qld, bought the aircraft in June 1962 and replaced the original 320hp (240kW) Wright Whirlwind engine with a 300hp (225kW) Jacobs. Five years later Mr LA Clarke acquired the machine, but unfortunately crashed it at Darwin on March 15, 1973. The Waco was repaired, reregistered CGF, and passed on to C Douglas of the Chewing Gum Field Aircraft Museum at Tallebudgera, Qld. CGF was one of only three Wacos flying in this part of the world and the only Model EGC8. It is hoped that the deletion is not a permanent one. In the Changes of CoR Holders section, Cessna 404 Titan has moved from Southern Australia Airlines to Rossair of Adelaide. The Titan first came to Australia during 1964 and since then has been seen in a number of airlines’ colours including Bush Pilots Airways, Air Queensland, Sunstate Airlines and Southern Australia Airlines. Flight West Airlines Bandeirante XFO has been leased to King Island Airlines for a short time pending the delivery of their own aircraft XFD. XFD is expected to replace XFO in the King Island Airlines fleet during July and be reregistered KGQ. Navajo Chieftain AUG has joined the Avtex Air Services fleet at Bankstown and brings the number of Chieftains operated by Avtex to four. The aircraft are being used on charter operations mostly between Sydney, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. Colt balloons LKZ and PVC have been acquired by Balloon Aloft at Canowindra in western NSW and bring the number of hot air balloons operated by Balloon Aloft to 26. The company, operated by 1983 World Ballooning Champion Peter Vizzard, uses a variety of sizes and types of balloons including Cameron, Colt, Firefly, Thunder and the Australian made Kavanagh. Klemm Swallow UUR has changed hands after more than 40 years of ownership by Alex Oliver of Port Macquarie, NSW. The rare machine was built by the Klemm Aeroplane Company of Stuttgart, Germany during September 1934 and delivered to Father Frederick Fiegler of Einsiedeln, Switzerland the following year. It was loaned to the Catholic Mission of The Holy Ghost based at Alexishafen, New Guinea for missionary work until sold to Madang Aerial Transport during September 1940. The aircraft was damaged when the tail skid struck a stone when landing at Mount Hagen on August 4, 1941, but was repaired and used to evacuate personnel from New Guinea during February 1942. The Klemm was finally flown to Australia on February 28 by Madang Aerial Transport pilot TS Johnson and stored near Archerfield until taken off the register on December 19, 1947. Mr C McLeod bought the aircraft during 1951 and flew it until 1953 when he sold it to Alex Oliver. Alex attended many airshows in the Klemm and was well known for throwing the elderly machine around the sky in a way that would outclass most modern aircraft, and pilots. Following up on three aircraft listed in the August issue that were exported to New Zealand, Robinson R22 LSW is now flying as ZK-HOI with Wing and Rotor Aviation at Ardmore airfield near Auckland, while Nomad DHF is based at the same airfield with Nationwide Helicopters and now registered ZK-NAD. Cessna 172N LJD went a little further south to Te Anau where it operates for Fiordland Aeromaintenance and only needed minimal sign writing to change it to ZK-LJD. Cessna TU206G Stationair XAA, which was deleted from the Australian register in the November 1995 issue, is now known to be flying in PNG with the Summer Institute of Linguistics at Ukarumpa and registered P2-SIG. The 1996 Australian Aviation Civil Aircraft Register is currently 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 $50 or as a complete stand alone database program at a cost of $70.
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