Register Review

The Beech 100 King Air made its maiden flight on March 17 1969 and was a stretched version of the 90 King Air with two extra cabin windows on each side. The model A100 followed in 1972 with the B100 being introduced during 1976. It was fitted with 715shp (533kW) Garrett TPE-331 engines as an alternative to the Pratt & Whitneys PT6s that powered previous King Air models and had an increase of MTOW to 5350kg.

The aircraft was produced concurrently with the A100 for three years but by 1979 sales of both types were dwindling and the A100 was dropped from the Beech line-up in favour of the higher powered B100.

By 1974 the Beech 200 Super King Air was available and it used the basic fuselage of the Beech B100 with minor modifications to accommodate the T-tail.

MK Air has replaced its Falcon 900EX with a later model 7X. The 900EX changed from MQK to MQR before being exported to the US to enable the new 7X to take up MQK.

Dassault was one of the first aircraft manufacturers to build a bizjet with the Mystere XX taking to the air during January 1965. The aircraft was christened Fan Jet Falcon XX for the American market but this was quickly shortened to Falcon 20.

The aircraft had significant sales success in Europe and the US, not only as an executive transport but with Federal Express who used it as a high speed transcontinental small package freighter. 1973 saw the smaller Falcon 10 unveiled and the three-engined Falcon 50, with intercontinental range, was released during 1976.

The Falcon 200 twin was released in 1981 but 10 years later other manufacturers had entered the market and competition, especially in America, was at an all-time high. Dassault found sales were lagging behind types such as the Hawker 125 because they were being marketed as the series 700 and 800 whereas the Falcons were 10s, 20s and 50s and prospective buyers thought the bigger the number the more advanced the aircraft.

Dassault hit back with the Falcon 900 in 1983 and Hawker responded with the 125-1000 and in 1989 came the Falcon 2000.

Thankfully this trend has now ceased before the names got longer than the fuselages and the very latest Falcon is simply the 7X which was released at the 2005 Paris Air Show.

The Falcon 7X was the first fly-by-wire business jet and was designed to travel faster, further and higher then its competitors the Gulfstream G550 and Bombardier Global Express and at a cheaper initial cost. The aircraft is configured with two crew and up to 14 passengers and is powered by three Pratt & Whitney Canada PW307A turbofans.

Skytraders has replaced its Airbus A319-115 VHD with VCJ, an A319-132 model, and although the new aircraft is actually an older production machine it is believed that the IAE V2524 engines that power VCJ are more fuel efficient and easier to maintain than the CFM56s that are fitted to the A319-115.

The fourth and final new type is AS355NP Twin Squirrel ZXX that Microflite has added to its all- Eurocopter fleet of 11 helicopters.

The single Squirrel first flew in during June 1974 with the Twin Squirrel available from September 1979. The Squirrel soon became the best selling turbine helicopter in the world, outselling the Bell 206 JetRanger which had become the industry standard.

The AS355 was known as the Ecureuil 2 in Europe, the TwinStar in the US and the Twin Squirrel to the rest of the world, and despite the introduction of the Eurocopter EC130 the Twin Squirrel is still selling well.

The AS355NP was introduced in 2007 and features two Turbomeca Arrius 1A1 turboshaft FADEC engines coupled to an AS350B3 main gearbox increasing MTOW to 2,800kg.

Thirteen entries are shown in the Aircraft Returning to Register section although 11 of t hese have only been off the register for a few days.

This has become an increasing problem and comes about by owners not completing the required paperwork within the prescribed time limit after acquiring an aircraft. CASA de-registers the aircraft but as soon as the owner is advised they very quickly complete the relevant forms to get the aircraft back on the register.

Air Tractor FFB is returning after seven months fighting fires in Canada and Sikorsky S-76 LAQ is back after a three-year sojourn in the Philippines with its parent company CHC Helicopters.

The Deletions listing contains the usual reregistrations, revoked registrations, aircraft withdrawn from use and three aircraft transferred to the RA-Aus register, most of which are still flying or will be flying again in the future.

Seventeen aircraft have been exported with six of these not going very far.

Aerospatiale Twin Squirrel ELS is now resident in Fiji where it now flies as DQ-IHL and joins five other helicopters and two PAC 750XLs with Island Hoppers at Nadi. Piper Navajo Chieftain RDA has gone to Unity Airlines at Port Vila, Vanuatu where it is now marked as YJ-OO7.

The Unity Airlines website shows the Navajo, an Islander and a Trislander in its fleet, but they did have two Islanders so the Navajo may be the replacement for the second aircraft.

Pacific Rim Services at Port Moresby, PNG has acquired Kawasaki BK117B NGH and registered it P2-CAC. Pacific Rim also operates a Bell 212 on charter and industry support flights around PNG.

Three helicopters have been exported to New Zealand where the number of helicopters registered almost outnumbers fixed-wing aircraft.

Kawasaki BK117B BKS is now ZK-IRU with Search and Rescue Services at Taupo which also operates five Squirrels, a Bell 222, a Navajo and a Mitsubishi MU-2 – one of the very few still flying in this part of the world.

Bell 47J JEY has gone to HFT at Auckland which own six other helicopters including another 47J which are becoming quite rare. Aerospatiale Squirrel DEA was quickly acquired by James Scott of Fox Glacier after his previous Squirrel was heavily damaged recently. The new helicopter takes up ZK-HBI which is the same as James’ damaged Squirrel and is the fourth use of the same markings.

Moving further afield Cessna Stationair EFI is now in the Philippines, MD 500E INM in Canada and Virgin Boeing 737 VOV is now active in South Korea. BN Islander ZZU has gone to Indonesia where it now flies with the very appropriate registration of PK-FLY.

Eight aircraft have been exported to America including two new turbo charged GippsAERO Airvans.

Both Airvans are heading to GippsAERO sales agents, EWH to Muncie Aviation at Muncie, Indiana, and NBK to Flightline Group at Tallahassee in Florida.

Global Express VLA and Falcon 900EX MQR have both returned to the US after a relatively short time in Australia, with MQR now registered N6VF with VF Group of Greensboro, North Carolina.

SOCATA TBM700 CZM is now flying as N80NE although it is registered to N60CB Holdings of Wilmington, Delaware, and Qantas Boeing 767 ZXB is now with Aersale at Coral Beach, Florida as N283AS.

Formula Aircraft’s Beech Super King Air EDX was only registered as such for one day before becoming N560GT with Gateway Air Centre at Merced, California but may eventually end up back as EDX if it was just a paperwork glitch that prevented it from becoming EDX in the first place.

Finally, a correction to the last issue’s column. The Found FBA-2C3 NEF is not a Bush Hawk but an evolution of that model known as the Expedition E350. It is fitted with a tricycle undercarriage, as the photo showed, and a Lycoming 315hp (235kW) engine. It is capable of seating five with a 52-inch wide cabin. With a claimed 607ft landing roll and a 54kt stall speed it is marketed as a serious competitor to the Cessna 206 Stationair.

Pilatus PC-12 VH-MDH is a new allocation to the register. russell legg

Register Review

View the Register Review listing [email protected]/register