Traffic

On April 9 Vh‑ogp, Which During Its Lay-up Was Named Forbes, Ferried From Richmond to Sydney as Flight Qf6100 Before Entering Service Later That Day as Qf449 From Sydney to Melbourne.

John Travolta’s Qantas Painted 707-138b N707jt Arrived in Brisbane From Kona and Nadi on April 13. The 707 Remained in Brisbane Until April 15 When It Departed for Auckland.

Jetstar Was Planning to Take Delivery of A321-231 Vh‑vwx at Newcastle on May 16. Planned for Delivery in Early June Are A321‑231 Vh‑vww and A320-232 Vh-vgz and Following in Late June is A321-231 Vh-vwu.

Airline News

in This Issue We Report the Delivery of a the Third 777‑300er to V Australia and the Second E-170 to Airnorth.

Air New Zealand 747-419 Zk-nbs, Which Was Withdrawn From Service in Auckland on January 7, Was Noted There in Late April With Its Air New Zealand Titles and Logo and Engines Removed.

Airnorth Took Delivery of E-170-100lr Vh-anv at Darwin on April 15 After the Aircraft Completed Its Ferry Flight From Sao Jose Dos Campos via Recife, Cape Verde, Ibiza, Luxor, Muscat, Male and Cocos. The E-170, the Second of Type in the Airnorth Fleet, Entered Service on April 18 When It Operated Flight Ano340 From Darwin to Kununurra and Perth.

Air Pacific 747-412 Dq-fjl Returned to Nadi as Flight Fji1 on April 7 After Completing Maintenance in Singapore. During Its Lay-up Dq-fjl Lost Its Special Colour Scheme and Returned to the Standard Air Pacific Livery.

Airwork 737-3q4(F) Zk‑tlb Had Ferried Out of Brisbane to Jakarta on February 6 and Was Later Noted in the United Arab Emirates at Rasal- Khaimah on March 4 and Dubai on March 16. Zk-tlb Was Cancelled From the New Zealand Register on March 25, and Has Reportedly Been Delivered to Axiom Air of Lagos as 5n-bma.

Alliance Airlines Placed Fokker 100 Vh-fkk Into Service on April 13 When the Aircraft Operated Charter Flight Uty550 From Brisbane to Rockhampton.

Vh-fkk, Then Registered N894us, Was Delivered to Alliance Airlines in Brisbane on August 10 ’07 and Was Initially Parked at Brisbane Before Being Moved Into the Alliance Maintenance Hangar in November ’08.

Fokker 100 Vh-fkl, Which Was Delivered as N895us on September 11 ’07, Has Taken the Place of Vh-fkk in the Alliance Maintenance Hangar.

Our Airline 737-33a Vh‑nlk Was Rolled Out at Melbourne on April 2 After Being Painted in the Colours of Norfolk Air. Our Airline, Trading as Norfolk Air, Commenced Services From Norfolk Island on May 29.

Skyairworld Erj-145mp Vh-szf, Having Been Re-possessed by Its Owner Gecas, Arrived in Shannon From Milan on March 30 Before Being Ferried the Following Day to Alverca, Portugal, Where It Joined the Other Skyairworld Aircraft – E-190-100lr Vh‑sxk, E-190-100lr Vh-sxo and Erj-145mp Vh-szh. All Four Aircraft Were Cancelled From the Australian Register on April 8 With Vh‑sxk and Vh-sxo Being Registered N161hq and N162hq Respectively, While the Two Erj-145s Were Placed on Theirish Register. E-170‑100lr Vh-swo Remained Parked at Brisbane as of Late April.

Skytraders A319-115 Vh‑vhd Operated a Roundthe- World Charter Recently, Departing Canberra for Honolulu on March 22. The A319 Was Later Noted at London/ Stansted Before Returning to Canberra From Singapore on April 5.

Skywest Airlines Fokker 100 Vh-fnj Arrived Back in Perth From Seletar on April 21 After Completing Planned Maintenance.

Fokker 50 Vh-fnd Departed Perth for Denpasar and Seletar on April 17 for Planned Maintenance.

V Australia 777-3zger Vh-vpe Was Ferried From Vacaville to Los Angeles on April 5 as Flight Va9090. The Following Day It Entered Service and Operated Its Delivery Flight to Australia as Va002 From Los Angeles to Sydney (Arriving April 8).

V Australia Commenced Services From Los Angeles to Brisbane on April 6 With 777-3zg(Er) Vh-voz Operating the Inaugural Va008 Which Arrived in Brisbane on April 8.

Virgin Blue Added 737‑8fe Vh-vuq to Its Fleet on April 3 When the Aircraft Was Transferred Across From Pacific Blue. The Former Zk‑pbl Was Withdrawn From Pacific Blue Service on March 28 When It Operated Dj83 From Christchurch to Brisbane. After Maintenance in Brisbane It Was Transferred to the Virgin Blue Fleet, Still Carrying the Colours of Pacific Blue, Entering Service With Virgin Blue on April 11 as Flight Dj950 From Brisbane to Sydney.

Virgin Blue’s Lease on 737‑bx Vh-vbt Was Terminated on January 31, and the 737 Was Registered N737ka to Nas Investments of Stamford, Connecticut on March 31. On April 7 N737ka, Which Was in an All-white Scheme, Departed Melbourne for Pago Pago, Kona and San Antonio.

Pacific Blue Painted E‑90-100igw Vh-zpm Was Planned for Delivery to Virgin Blue in Early May After Conducting a Demonstration of Possible New Pacific Blue New Zealand Domestic Ports.

Stategic Airlines Announced on April 29 That They Had Signed a Lease on Two A320-200 Aircraft for Delivery in June and July. These Aircraft Are Reported to Be N420bv Msn 420 and N436bv Msn 436.

Regional News

in This Issue We Report the Delivery of an Atr 72-500 to Air Tahiti and the Departure of Two Regional Express Saab 340as.

Air New Zealand Link/air Nelson Was Planning to Take Delivery of Dash 8-q315 Zk‑nfb Msn 670 in Early May and Dash 8-q315 Zk‑nfi Msn 671 in Mid June.

New Production Air Tahiti Atr 72-500 F-oiqr Msn 762 Ferried From Denpasar to Darwin, Cairns and Noumea Over-night April 26/27 on Delivery From Toulouse to Papeete.

Air Vanuatu Was Planning to Take Delivery of New Production Atr 72-500 Msn 876 in Late June. It Will Replace Atr 42‑300 Yj-av42, Which Recently Completed Planned Maintenance in Bangkok. The Atr 42 Transited Cairns on March 31 While en Route From Darwin to Port Vila.

Coral Sun Airways Bn‑2a‑21 T3-jmr Departed the Gold Coast on April 8 on Ferry to Its Tarawa Base via Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, Noumea/magenta, Nadi and Funafuti. The Islander Was Previously Operated by Skytrans as Vh-sqs and is the First of Two of Type to Join the Coral Sun Fleet.

Executive Turbine Beech 1900d Zs-pka Was Noted Operating for the United Nations Between Dili and Darwin on March 5.

Honk Aviation Has Sold Jetstream 41 Zk-jsm to an Operator in South Africa. On April 4 It Departed Nelson for Townsville via Auckland, Norfolk Island and Brisbane. The Jetstream Was Ferried Initially to Townsville for Painting Before Continuing Its Ferry Flight to South Africa.

Jaars Took Delivery of Quest Kodiak 100 N498kq Msn 0008 in the Us in January. The High Winged, Single Turbine Utility Aircraft Will Be Placed on the Png Register and is Planned for Delivery to Aiyura Later This Year.

Macair Saab 340b Vh-uyi Was Cancelled From the Register on March 10 as ‘aircraft Repossessed’, but Was Restored on April 17 With the Owner Shown as the Westpac Banking Corporation of Concord West, Nsw.

Mission Aviation Fellowship Took Delivery of Ga-8-tc 320 P2-mfk at Mt Hagen on April 21 After the Aircraft Ferried in From Mareeba via Horn Island. The Airvan Had Earlier Ferried Out of Latrobe Valley on April 7 for Bourke, Longreach and Mareeba Where It Arrived on April 8.

Maf Took Delivery of Quest Kodiak 100 N58nh Msn 0011 at Nampa, Idaho, on March 10. The Aircraft Will Be Placed on the Indonesian Register and is Planned for Delivery to Irian Jaya Later This Year.

Pel-air Express Took Delivery of Saab 340a(F) Vh-kdk in Brisbane on April 22 After the Aircraft Ferried Infrom Wagga Wagga as Flight Zl9876. Vh-kdk Had Been Withdrawn From Rex Service on February 28 – When It Operated Zl3262 From Melbourne to Wagga Wagga – Before Undergoing Its Freighter Conversion.

Vh-kdk’s Arrival Takes the Pel-air Express Saab 340a(F) Fleet to Three, but Its Metro Iii Fleet Will Be Withdrawn From Service by Late May With the Aircraft to Be Parked at Wagga Wagga.

Regional Express Announced on April 9 That It Had Sold Saab 340as Vh-zly and Vh-zrx to Sprint Air in Poland. First to Depart Was Vh-zrx Which Ferried Out of Wagga Wagga on April 14 Direct to Port Hedland Before Continuing to Male, Muscat and Warsaw/okecie. Vh-zly Ferried Out of Wagga Wagga in the Early Hours on April 24 on the Same Routing.

As of Late April Vh-ekd Was the Only Saab 340a Left in the Regional Expresss Fleet.

Vincent Aviation Beech 1900c Zk-vae Arrived Back in Wellington From Denpasar, Darwin, Brisbane and Norfolk Island on March 31 After Finishing a Contract in Myanmar.

West Wing Aviation Added Cessna 208b Vh-wzj and Bn-2b-20 Vh-wzp to Its Fleet on April 14.

Bizjet News

Learjet 45 Vh-cxj Has Joined the Careflight Fleet and Was First Noted Operating as Careflight 45 on April 7 From Its Gold Coast Base to Port Moresby. The Learjet 45, Which is Registered to Dramatic Investments of Beverly Hills, Nsw, Was Later Noted Carrying Cms (Careflight Medical Services) Air Ambulance Titles.

The Arrival of Vh-cxj Allowed Careflight to Relocate Learjet 36 Vh-cms to Townsville From April 15.

Citation I/sp N800dt Operated by National Business Review of Auckland Departed Bankstown for Lord Howe Island, Auckland and Ardmore on April 10 After Completing Maintenance With Cessna Pacific.

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation Demonstrator Hawker 4000 N455bp Arrived in Perth From Seletar on April 26. The Aircraft Was Brought to Australia by Hawker Pacific for Demonstration to Interested Parties in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide Between April 27 and May 6.

King Air 350 N412ka Was Delivered to Hawker Pacific at Brisbane/archerfield on April 14 After Completing Its Ferry Flight From Wichita via Denpasar and Darwin. The Ferry Flight Was Contracted to Rangeflyers With the Aircraft Routed Across the North Atlantic and Through the Middle East.

Commander 690a Zk‑pvb Operated by Nz Aerial Mapping Arrived in Darwin From Ambon on April 12. After Overnighting It Continued to Mt Isa and the Gold Coast.

Zk-pvb Later Departed the Gold Coast for Lord Howe Island and Auckland on April 15, but Returned to Australia on April 24 When It Departed Auckland for Lord Howe Island and Toowoomba.

Overseas Bizjets

Global Express N34u Registered to United Technologies Corporation of Hartford, Connecticut, Arrived in Sydney From Singapore on March 19 and After Overnighting Departed for Honolulu.

Global Express N90ew Registered to Ewa West of San Jose, California, Arrived in Melbourne From Kona on April 20 and Departed Sydney for Auckland on April 23.

Global Express N200a Registered to Exxon Mobil Corporation of Dallas Arrived in Melbourne From Honolulu on March 28 and Departed for Singapore on March 30.

Challenger 605 Oe-inp Operated by Vistajet of Salzburg, Transited Cairns on April 24 as Flight Vjs656, While en Route From Kuala Lumpur to Suva.

Learjet 36 N17lj Registered to Premier Jets of Hilsboro, Oregon, Operated a Medevac Flight Into Adelaide on April 26. It Crossed the Pacific From Portland/hilsboro via John Rodgers Field/hawaii, Majuro and Honolulu.

Falcon 900ex N47eg Operated by Bloomberg Services Arrived in Sydney From Nadi on March 30. The Following Day It Visited Melbourne Before Departing Sydney for Seletar on April 1.

Falcon 900ex N960sf Registered to the Bechtel Corporation of San Francisco Arrived in Brisbane From Nadi on March 22. The Falcon 900ex, Which Used the Callsignsequoia 01’, Was Later Noted in Perth and Adelaide Before Departing Essendon for Nadi on March 28.

Falcon 900ex Oe-idm Operated by the Flying Bulls of Salzburg Transited Darwin on March 28 While en Route From Chennai to Laucala, Fiji.

Falcon 2000ex N977cp Registered to Citgo Petroleum Corporation of Houston Arrived in Sydney From Nadi on April 26.

Gulfstreams Galore

Gulfstream 550 N661cp Registered to Wachovia Financial Services of Charlottte, North Carolina, Arrived in Brisbane From Honolulu on April 21 and Later Departed for Singapore.

Gulfstream V N73m Registered to the 3m Company of Saint Paul, Minnesota, Arrived in Sydney From Auckland on March 22 and After Overnighting Departed for Manila.

Gulfstream V N130tm Operated by Toyota Motors Visited for the Australian Grand Prix, Arriving at Melbourne/essendon From Nagoya on March 28 and Departing for Nagoya on March 30.

Gulfstream V N405lm Registered to the Lockheed Martin Corporation of Baltimore Arrived in Melbourne From Honolulu on March 28.

It Was Later Noted at Raaf Edinburgh and Adelaide Before Departing Sydney for Honolulu on April 2.

Gulfstream V N502qs Registered to Nji Sales of Oklahoma City Arrived in Sydney From Auckland on April 21. It Departed Sydney for Darwin and Mumbai on April 23.

Gulfstream V N545cc Registered to Colony Capital of Los Angeles Arrived in Sydney From Nadi on April 6. After Overnighting It Departed for Denpasar.

Gulfstream V N624n Registered to Itt Corporation of Newcastle, Delaware, Arrived in Canberra From Lihue on March 29. It Was Later Noted in Perth and Kalgoorlie Before Departing Adelaide for Kona on April 7.

Gulfstream 450 Vp-btb Arrived in Perth From Singapore on April 10 Before Returning to Singapore on April 12.

Gulfstream Iv N707ea Registered to Emmanuel Aviation of Wilmington, Delaware, Arrived in Melbourne From Singapore on April 14 and Remained There Until April 18 When It Departed for Port Moresby.

It Later Arrived in Perth From Nadi on April 24 and After Overnighting Departed for Mauritius.

Gulfstream Iv C-fhpm Operated by Barrick Mining Arrived in Perth From Male on March 30. It Later Departed Kalgoorlie for Cairns and Port Moresby on April 3 Where After Overnighting It Continued to Honolulu.

Us Marine Corps Gulfstream Iv/c-20g 165153, Callsign ‘ghost 53’, Arrived in Canberra From Pago Pago on March 29. It Later Visited Newcastle Before Departing Brisbane for Dili on April 2.

Gulfstream Ii N345gl Registered to Mjg Jetcorp of Bradenton, Florida, Arrived in Cairns From Guam on April 4 and Departed to Sydney on April 7. It Departed Sydney for Queenstown on April 9.

Heavy Metal

A340-642(Igw) A6-ehj Operated Etihad’s Inaugural Daily Service Into Melbourne From Abu Dhabi on March 30.

Emirates A340-541 A6-erg Sustained Tail Strike Damage on March 20 While Departing Melbourne on Flight Uae407 Direct to Dubai. After Dumping Fuel the Aircraft Returned to Melbourne Where It Was Still Hangared as of Early May.

Qatar Amiri Flight A340‑211 A7-hhk, Callsign ‘amiri 004’, Arrived in Sydney From Doha on April 1. It Remained in Sydney Until April 12 When It Departed for Narita.

Singapore Airlines A330‑343e 9v-stc Operated the Airline’s First Service by Type Into Brisbane From Singapore on March 30 as Sq255.

Kingfisher/united Breweries A319-133/cj Vt-vjm Arrived in Melbourne Direct From Mumbai in the Early Hours of March 27, Using the Callsign ‘kingfisher 11’. The Aircraft Was Visiting for the Australian Gp in Melbourne, and Departed for Sydney on March 29 Before Continuing to Hkt (Phuket) on March 31.

Royal Malaysian Air Force A319-115/cj 9m-naa Transited Brisbane on April 18 While en Route From Kuala Lumpur to Papeete. It Was Using the Callsign ‘mike One ’ Martinair 747-412(Bcf) Ph-mpr Arrived at Avalon From Munich via Sharjah and Singapore on March 22 Operating as Flight Mph091. The Freighter Was Operating an Inbound Charter for the Australian Grand Prix, and Departed Avalon on March 1 to Hong Kong as Flight Mph094.

Jett 8 Cargo 747-281f 9v‑jeb Arrived in Perth From Singapore on April 9 Using the Callsign ‘taipan 3009’. It Later Departed for Singapore as ‘taipan 3010’.

777-2q8er F-opar Operated Air Austral’s Inaugural Flight Uu771 Through Sydney on April 13 From Paris and Reunion Island to Noumea.

Thomson Airways 757‑228a G-oobd Arrived in Hobart From Christchurch on March 23 as Flight Tom978 Operating a Charter for Tcs Expeditions.

It Departed for Bandar Seri Begawan on March 26.

Uzbekistan Airways 757-231 Vp-buh Arrived in Sydney From Tashkent and Kuala Lumpur on March 29 Operating as Flight Uzb3511. The 757, Which Was Carrying the Uzbek Soccer Team for a World Cup Qualifying Game Against Australia, Departed Sydney for Kuala Lumpur as Flight Uzb3512 on April 2.

Usaf/afmc Kc-135r 63-7980, Using the Callsign ‘trout 99’, Arrived in Canberra on April 14 After a Direct Flight From Colorado Springs. Thenear 18 Hour Flight Required Inflight Refuelling. The Edwards Afb Based Kc‑135r Departed Canberra for Guam on April 17.

737-7es/wedgetail N359bj, the Future A36-003, Arrived at Raaf Amberley From Honolulu and Pago Pago on April 12. It Was Later Noted at Darwin on April 14 Where It Was Taking Part in Exercise Arnhem Thunder, Before Visiting Canberra Over May 7-8.

Je Ju Air Dash 8-q402 Hl‑5251 Arrived in Cairns From Biak as Flight Jja901m on March 24 for Maintenance With Hawker Pacific. It Remained in Cairns Until April 11 When It Departed for Biak as Flight Jja902m.

Royal Danish Air Force C-130j B-538 Visited Australia Recently to Take Part in Exercise Combined Strength. The Aircraft Arrived in Darwin From Medan as Flight Daf1550 on March 19 Before Continuing to Raaf Richmond on March 21. It Departed for Darwin and Halim on March 28.

United States Navy C-130t 165348 Callsign ‘convoy 3451’ Arrived in Cairns From Raaf Pearce on April 5. After Overnighting It Departed for Pago Pago.

Air Charter Express Dc‑8‑63f 9g-axa Arrived in Melbourne Direct From Mauritius on March 28 Operating Flight Ace501. The Dc-8 Was Operating a Horse Charter to South Africa, and Departed Melbourne Late on March 28 as Flight Ace502 to Perth and Mauritius.

Us Marines C-9bs 160046 and 160047 Arrived in Darwin From Manila on March 14. The Two C-9bs, Which Are Operated by Vmr-1 Squadron Out of Mcas Cherry Point, North Carolina, Remained in Darwin Until March 18 When They Departed for Singapore/paya Lebar.

Us Navy C-9b 160048 Arrived in Brisbane From Auckland on April 3 as Flight Cnv7141.

Ferry Flights

Highlights This Issue Include the Ferry of a Beech 17 Staggerwing From New Zealand to Australia and a Dc-3tp From Australia on a Trans-pacific Crossing to the United States.

Beech D17s Nc16s, Which is Registered to a Private Owner in Reno, Nevada, Crossed the Tasman in This Period. On April 9 the Staggerwing Departed Kerikeri for Norfolk Island, Before Continuing to Lord Howe Island and the Gold Coast Where It Arrived on April 12.

Duchess N6009k Was Noted at Bankstown on April 20. It Was Cancelled From the Us Register on April 9 and Became Vh-dvh on April 14.

Cessna 210n Vh-wsq, Which Had Been in New Zealand on a Holiday Flight, Departed Auckland for Norfolk Island on March 30. The Aircraft Later Continued to Lord Howe Island and Canberra Before Arriving at Essendon on April 8.

Cessna T210n G-seek, Which Was on a Round-theworld Flight, Arrived in the Gold Coast on March 24 After Completing Its Trans-tasman Crossing From Kerikeri via Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island.

The Cessna Visited a Number of Airports in Australia Before Departing Broome for Seletar on April 2. G-seek Originally Departed Cambridge, England, on December 31 ’08, Arriving Back There on April 14.

Cirrus Sr22-g3 N6144z Was Noted at Archerfield on April 15.

Dodson Aviation Dc-3tp Zs-ojj Arrived in Brisbane From Bathurst on April 4. After Overnighting It Departed for Honiara and Majuro and Onwards to the Us. The Turbine Powered Dc-3 Had Originally Ferried Into Camden From South Africa on October 5 ’06, but Then Spent Most of Its Time in Australia Parked at Goulburn.

Skywork Helicopters Kaman K-1200 Zk-hee Arrived in Perth From Forrest on April 24.

Pac-750xl Zk-kah Registered to Pacific Aerospace Departed Hamilton on March 24 on Delivery to an Operator in Jayapura in Irian Jaya. The Ferry Flight Was Contracted to Sd Aviation of Albury and Was Flown via Kerikeri, Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Island, Gold Coast, Emerald, Cairns and Horn Island.

Pac-750xl Vh-yif Was Registered to Australian Air Ferry of Kempsey, Nsw, on March 27, and Departed Hamilton for Pago Pago and Christmas Island on April 2. The Pac-750xl, Which Was on Delivery to Skyteam Aviation of Hinkley, Illinois, Was Earlier Noted at Hamilton Carrying the Registration N902st.

Airline Jet Departures Julydecember 2008

for the Six Month Period July to December 2008 Seven Jet Airliners Departed Our Region.

This, Combined With the Two Aircraft Which Left in the First Six Months of the Year, Brings the 2008 Departure Total to Nine. In 2006 and 2007 22 and 26 Aircraft Departed Respectively.

The July to December Departures Broken Down Into Types Were: Two 747-300s, Three 717-200s, One Bae 146-300 and One Bae 146-200.

September Saw Bae 146-300 Zk-nzk of Ansett New Zealand Scrapped at Melbourne on the 2nd, and Bae 146-200 Vh-jjt of International Air Parts Being Reduced to Spares Commencing on the 25th at Perth Prior to the Airframe Being Donated to the Airport Fire Service.

October Saw Former Qantaslink 717-2bd Vh-nxb Leave Adelaide on the 12th on Delivery to Hawaiian Airlines in Honolulu.

November Saw Qantas 747‑338 Vh-ebx Depart Sydney on the 22nd for Honolulu and Marana Where It Was Placed in Storage.

December Departures Were 717-2cm Vh-nxc of Qantaslink Which Left Adelaide on the 6th on Delivery to Hawaiian Airlines; 717-2bd Vh-nxf of Qantaslink Which Left Adelaide on the 21st on Delivery to Hawaiian Airlines; and Qantas 747‑338 Vh-eby Which Operated Its Final Service on the 29th as Qf25 From Melbourne to Auckland and Los Angeles Before Being Ferried to Marana, Arizona for Storage.