Register review

The AW169 is a medium sized, ten seat, twin engine helicopter built by the Anglo-Italian company AgustaWestland and designed to fit between the company’s AW109 and the larger AW139. Power is provided by two Pratt and Whitney Canada PW210A engines and it is the first production helicopter in its class to be fitted with electronically actuated landing gear. In the cockpit is a Rockwell Collins glass avionics system featuring three displays with touchscreen interfaces, digital maps and dual radar altimeters. A four axis digital automatic flight control system and dual flight management systems incorporating terrain and traffic avoidance have allowed the helicopter to be certified for single pilot IFR operations. There is no APU installed but instead the transmission features a clutch allowing the rotors to be stopped while the engines continue to run providing power to the avionics and electrical systems. The maiden flight was on May 10 2012 and to keeps costs down the aircraft was designed to share many components and the cockpit configuration with the larger AW139 – twenty four of which are flying in Australia with a further three in New Zealand.

During July 2015 the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certified the helicopter for use in Europe and later that year the FAA issued its own certification. Early production aircraft were manufactured at Vergiate, Italy, with the British factory at Yeovil coming on line a few months later and a third production line in Philadelphia providing helicopters for the North American market.

Rob Bellert’s Dream Tundra UDL is a four seat, single engine, high wing kit aircraft produced by Dream Aircraft in Quebec, Canada. The all metal aircraft has four-position Fowler flaps and horn balanced rudder and elevators and it can be built with conventional undercarriage, either tail wheel or tricycle, as well as standard floats, amphibious floats or skies. As with most Canadian aircraft, and true to its name, the Tundra is renowned for its ruggedness and durability and as such only solid rivets are used in its construction. The Tundra first flew on May 12 2001 powered by a 134kw Lycoming O-360-A engine but the 150kw IO-360 or 175kw O-540-B4B5 flat six can be fitted. The maker’s claim the aircraft has extreme STOL performance with a useful load comparable to the Cessna 182 Skylane.

Robert has been a pilot for almost 30 years and has owned several aircraft before. Four years ago, along with wife Anne, they decided to build a Vans RV-7 and after that was complete they sold their Cessna 172 to finance a four seater kit aircraft. After looking at the RV-10 and Tundra they chose the latter and have been very happy with the quality and ease of construction of the aircraft. Rob and Anne’s Tundra is a tail wheel version fitted with a 135kw Lycoming engine, Cato three blade composite propeller and spring steel landing gear. The Tundra has taken six years to build and is expected to fly during the life of this issue in a beautiful basic dark blue and white with light blue and silver grey highlights. Rob and Anne’s fleet now comprises of a Cessna 180 and Auster along with the RV-7 and now the Tundra.

Stephen Johns’ Titan T-51 Mustang is only the second of its type to appear on the CASA register although there are another two on the RA-Aus register and 15 flying in New Zealand. The Titan Mustang is a three-quarter scale replica of the famous WWII North American Mustang. Designed by John Williams and built at his factory in South Austinburg, Ohio, the aircraft is an all-metal two seater with dual controls and Titan claim a stall speed of 63kph and top speed of up to 317kmh depending on the engine fitted. The airframe is designed to withstand +6g to -4g and is available as a complete kit, a basic kit which does not include the engine, propeller and instruments or a complete aircraft ready to fly from the factory. A retractable undercarriage option is available and the aircraft can be fitted with the 75kw Rotax 912 or 86kw Rotax 914 with several owner/builders opting for larger power plants such as the Mazda rotary or 136kw Suzuki H27A 2.7 litre V6.

Steve Pierce’s Zlin Z-143LSi Genius VHZ is a single engine, four seat, low wing aircraft with a tri-cycle undercarriage and built by Morava in the Czech Republic in 2013. Developed from the Z-43, which in turn was a development of the two seat Z-42, it was built as a touring and training aircraft but its all-metal rugged design found favour with the air forces of Cuba, East Germany, Hungary and Macedonia. Additionally during 2008 the Tamil Tigers converted several Z-143s to carry four, undercarriage mounted, bombs to fight Sri Lankan forces and even conducted a suicide mission on Colombo the following year using two Z-143s.

Three interesting used helicopters have been listed, a Bell Iroquois and two Aerospatiale Squirrels. Tom Osborne’s Bell UH-1B Iroquois NYJ was built during 1953 and delivered to the US Army with serial 62-04592. After leaving the Army it became N1386L before coming to Australia late last year. The helicopter was immediately shipped to New Zealand where it arrived on Boxing Day to be operated by Beck Helicopters at Eltham. Beck already have three Iroquois in their fleet, along with two Bell JetRangers and it is understood that their latest Iroquois will be operated under a lease agreement and will retain its Australian marking for the foreseeable future.

Aerotech Helicopters’AS350B3 Squirrel HRG was delivered new during 2009 to Heliflight Panama and registered HP-3008HF. It was later transferred to sister company Heliflight Mexico and became XA-UOD before coming to Australia. The second Squirrel, Professional Helicopters’ PHU has come from Japan where it was damaged during the 2011 tsunami in Sendai. Pacific Crown Helicopters imported the damaged aircraft during 2014 and have rebuilt it to their usual very high standard at their Caloundra, Queensland, facility. It has now become PHU and replaces and earlier Squirrel, also registered PHU, which has been taken out of service and reduced to spares at Moorabbin.

In another “double shuffle” The Aero Club of Western Australia have obtained Partenavia P68 IXC and reregistered it PNT replacing the earlier PNT which will be used for parts.

Quite a large Deletions section this month with only a very few exports and, unfortunately, almost half the entries being cancelled due to accident damage. CASA C-212 MQE and Beech Baron OMS are now in the US with the CASA becoming N217BH with Bighorn Airways of Sheridan, Wyoming, and the Baron now flying as N122EE with Echo Echo LLC of New York. Also now registered in the US are Qantas Boeing 767s OGR/N208CR and OGV/N376CM with the former registered to Wells Fargo Bank at Salt Lake City, Ohio, and the latter with Cargo Aircraft Management at Wilmington, Ohio, who will convert it to a freighter. Two aircraft have crossed the Tasman to New Zealand with Agusta A119 Koala UCL returning to its previous markings of ZK-ISR with Heli-Solutions of Tauranga and Maule M-9-234 VFR easily converting to ZK-VFR with Capital Aviation at Wellington.

A few aircraft have been withdrawn from use including Supermarine Aircraft Spitfire ORZ which is now believed to be mounted on a pole at the entrance to Heck Field airfield in Queensland.

A brief rundown of some of the accidents. Cessna 172 EUU was badly damaged in unusual circumstances whilst taxying at Moorabbin. Piper Cherokee TXH had taken off a short time before but had reported engine problems and was returning to land. As the Cherokee landed it veered off the runway and collided with the Cessna 172 on the taxiway. Cessna Citation FGK overran the end of the runway at Lismore, NSW, after a rejected take off due to flight control issues during September last year and SOCATA Trinidad HBB was destroyed in the same area during November 2012 when control was lost during circuit training. Tiger Moth TSG broke up in mid-air during December 2013 in a much publicised accident whilst conducting a joy flight from Pimpama, Queensland. As the aircraft commenced aerobatics the left wings failed after both the aircraft’s fuselage tie rods, which assist in transferring flight loads through the fuselage, had fractured due to pre-existing fatigue cracks. Unfortunately a second Tiger Moth UZB, operated by the same organisation, crashed during December last year, thought to be due to engine failure, and the company has now suspended operations.