Register

ILB is the first Sukhoi SU-26MX to be seen on the local register. It was built during 1991 and has been imported from the US where it flew as N26DN. The “X” designation indicating that it is an export model.

During 1984 Soviet aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi broke with tradition and, after producing only high speed military jet fighters, designed the SU-26 single seat aerobatic aircraft powered by a single radial engine and fitted with a fixed tailwheel undercarriage and mid wing. Main construction was of steel tube, titanium and aluminium with fibreglass and carbon fibre non-critical parts. The original SU-26 was powered by a 370kW (360hp) Vedeneyev M-14P radial engine with a two-blade propeller however the production SU-26M model was fitted with the uprated 430hp M-9F engine driving a German made MTV-9 three-blade propeller.

The aircraft was an instant success and won both the men’s and women’s team events at the 1986 World Aerobatic Championships and the later SU-26M3 model dominated the 2003 and 2004 European and World Championships. The type was also used extensively by formation display teams such as the UK based Red Bull Matadors who flew SU-26s between 1994 and 2010 before they changed to German made XtremeAir XA41s.
Sean McBain’s Titan T-51 Mustang MJS is the third to come onto the CASA register and has been imported from New Zealand where the type is very popular with 16 currently flying.

The Titan Mustang is a three-quarter scale replica of the famous North American P-51 Mustang designed by John Williams in Austinburg, Ohio, and is available as a kit or a factory built aircraft although all the examples in this part of the world are kits. The aircraft is fitted with two, tandem seats, and dual controls and can be fitted with a variety of engines including the Rotax 912 and 914 or the Suzuki V6, the Honda V6 or Mazda rotary car engines. Performance depends on the engine fitted but a stall speed of 63kph and top speed of up to 317kph are claimed by Titan. The airframe is capable of +6g to -4g.

The main reason for the aircraft popularity in New Zealand is the enthusiasm and professionalism of local agents Ivan and Sandy Campbell who run Campbell Aero Classics at Loburn, North Canterbury in New Zealand. Ivan has sold, built, helped built or had a hand in each and every Titan Mustang in New Zealand and continues to market and modify new kits to their new owners specifications.

MJS is one that Ivan helped build for Len Thompson of Auckland with the kit being delivered during 2005 and taking around five years to complete. A used Suzuki V6 engine was obtained and completely rebuilt by Ivan for the project with only a small amount of metal work to be fabricated to fit the new engine.

Two aircraft are listed as Returning to the Register, PG Brumby CYI and Cessna 182 Skylane ROP, although the latter is returning to its old markings. The Brumby was first registered on August 17 this year, was cancelled on October 11 and has now returned to the register on November 16 so it may be only paperwork that has necessitated these changes. The Cessna Skylane is a lot more complicated being brought to Australia new during July 1962 and registered ROP on August 17 of that year. It was cancelled on sale to PNG during August 1975, shortly after independence, and like many others it was a simple change to P2-ROP. When it returned to Australia in March 2010 the original marking were being used by a Stoddard Hamilton GlaStar so the Skylane took up the very similar RQP. Unfortunately the GlaStar was damaged and deleted during March this year so RQP is now able to return to its original markings.

Thirty seven aircraft are listing in the Deletions section this month with almost half of these being exported. Cessna 172s MHG, SYO and WYG have joined JGZ, listed in the November issue, with the South Pacific Aviation Training Institute (SPATI) fleet at Nausori in Fiji. Whilst other training organisations have been active in Fiji at Nadi SPATI is believed to be the first to be based at Nausori, the capital Suva’s international airport. The flying school is part of Northern Air and is owned by Mrs Vidhya Pati Jattan whose son Rainjesh San is chief executive and chief flying instructor of the school. JGZ is now flying as DQ-SPA and it is expected that the three new additions to the fleet will become DQ-SPB, SPC and SPD. Several aircraft have been exported to New Zealand including Bell JetRanger COW, which is now flying with Opie Equipment at Silverdale marked as ZK-IMB, Cessna T206H Stationair NVC which made an easy transition to ZK-NVC with Mr G Bostock at Hastings and Eurocopter EC120 LWK which has become ZK-IRO with Volcanic Air Safaris at Rotorua.

In the past Volcanic Air Safaris were well known for operating fixed wing aircraft, especially Cessna 206s and 207s, on sight-seeing tours around the Rotorua area but now they have more helicopters in their fleet than fixed wing aircraft. In the US Cessna CitationJet MIF is now N523CB with Click Bond at Carson City, Nevada, Cessna 208 Caravan PON is operated by TJ Air at Wilmington, Delaware, as N212CP and Beech Premier VHP is now marked as N59PA and flies with Premier Air Transport at Wilmington, North Carolina.

Three aircraft are noted as being involved in accidents including Air Tractor LIK which was destroyed in a fatal impact with terrain near Walgett, NSW, during November and Schweizer 300C NTZ which hit power lines at Deloraine, Tasmania, in July. Both these accidents happened whilst on crop spraying duties and underline the danger of low level operations by light aircraft. In the third accident, involving Aero Commander 500 WZV, the quick thinking and professionalism of the pilot enabled the six people on board to walk away unharmed.

The pilot gave the passengers a very thorough pre-take-off safety briefing prior to the flight which proceeded normally through the start-up, taxying and initial take-off run. Unfortunately just as the aircraft became airborne the pilot noticed a significant loss of power from one engine and decided to abort the take-off. The aircraft settled back onto the runway but was heading for a steep slope and trees at the end of the strip so the pilot steered off the runway to more open and level ground. The aircraft collided with a fence and some bushes resulting in substantial damage but none of the occupants were injured.