Register review

Jetstream 32 ACV is back in Australia following its third overseas lease, this time to Real Tonga Airlines. The aircraft was built at British Aerospace’s Scottish facility at Prestwick and had its first flight on October 29 1992 using UK B-Class marking of G-32-974. It was to go to an undisclosed French airlines where it was to be registered F-OHFT but the sale fell through and it was registered in the UK as G-BURU on January 1 1993. One month later it was sold to Regional Air of Nantes, France, who registered it F-GMVH and used it for five years before sub-leasing it to Air Normandie. It was then stored at Southampton, England, from July 2001 until Trident Aviation Leasing (Ireland) obtained it during October 2001 and moved it to Zaragozo in Spain for further storage.

The aircraft was then bought by IAP Group at Bankstown during May 2007 and it was registered OTP. It was leased to Mid-Sea Express at Cebu, Philippines, and registered as RPC-863 between December 2011 and September 2012 and then to Vincent Aviation, New Zealand, from November 2012 until May 2015 where it was registered ZK-VAI. Its last move before coming back to Australia was to Real Tonga Airlines as A3-SKY who operate RPT and charter flights from their base at Fua’amotu.

Real Tonga Airlines have been surrounded in controversy since it was set up during March 2013 after the Tongan government was gifted several Xiam MA-60 aircraft from China. The New Zealand government heavily subsidised the small island nation and in return New Zealand companies were well represented in Tonga. When Real Tonga Airlines took over the routes previously operated by New Zealand company Air Chathams, and were using Chinese aircraft with a less than complimentary safety record, the New Zealand government suspended subsidy payments and advised Kiwi visitors not to fly on the MA-60s. This effected the island’s main industry, tourism, dramatically and the airline are now using SAAB and Jetstream equipment.

Seletar Jet Charter’s Learjet 60 AND is the third of its type currently flying in Australia and before coming to Australia it spent all its life with European operators. It was built during 2004 and made its first flight in early 2005 registered to Learjet as N5013U. It was sold to Air Executive in Austria and registered OE-GTF but it was initially mis-painted at the Learjet plant at Wichita, Kansas, as OE-GTS. It moved to Germany with Vistajet as D-CGTF and then to Finland where it was owned by Aeronautica but operated by Jetflite as OH-GVE. During September 2010 it was sold to Panaviatic in Estonia who registered it ES-LVC. From there the aircraft went to Turkey where it became TC-RKS with Rixos Turizm Yatcilik Havacilik and most recently it ended up back in Germany where it joined the fleet of FAI Rent-a-jet at Nuremberg as D-CFAG. FAI Rent-a-jet have a fleet of more than 20 aircraft including Global Express, Learjet 60s and Challenger 604s.

Four more Air Tractors have joined the local register, FMV an AT-502B for Rural Air Work at Moree, NSW, FHE a 2013 built AT-502B for Flyiton at Cowra, NSW, and two AT-402Bs FZD and FZP for the Australian Air Tractor sales agents Field Air at Ballarat, Vic. The Air Tractor was originally designed for aerial topdressing, spreading and spraying but it has found a new niche, especially in Australia as an aerial fire-fighter due to its large hopper capacity, its powerful engine and manoeuvrability in the air.

There are currently more than 170 Air Tractors on the local register with at least another two know to be in the country but not yet registered. The most popular is the AT-802 with 77 examples closely followed by the AT-502 on 51 with the remainder make up of 401s, 402s, 504s, 602s and a single AT-400.

Heliflite has been busy imported new and used Robinson R22 Beta II helicopters with four more shown in this issue’s listing, EGE, a 2005 model from New Zealand, HHO, a 2013 model from the US and BQR and NMI which are factory new examples. Meanwhile AMT Helicopters at Caboolture have imported a batch of R22 Beta IIs from the Philippines. One, JUK, has already been on-sold to Skyline Aviation with two more becoming SJI and UDY.

Two amateur built aircraft worth a mention are Piel Super Emeraude IMP and Corby Starlet ITT. Robert Milton’s Super Emeraude was built by Mr Born-Nies in the USA during 1980 and came to Australia in 2009 but why it has taken so long to come onto the local register is unknown.

Bryan Law’s Corby Starlet started life as DGV in December 1987. It went onto the RA-Aus register as 28-0483 five years later and had two years as CDW between June 1997 and June 1999 before returning to 28-0483. Bryan obtained virtually a “box of bits” in 2003 and built a new fuselage from plans supplied by John Corby. He then registered it BRY but before it was completed he sold the project to a friend who intended to put it back on the RA-Aus register. Unfortunately that friend then had health problems and the project returned to Bryan who has now almost completed the rebuild.

The aircraft, now registered ITT, is very close to flying and is powered by the original converted 1700cc VW engine, although completely rebuild to course.

Fox Helicopters in Melbourne have reregistered their older AgustaWestland AW169 FOX to LHH in order to register their newer Finmeccanica AW169 FOX. This is the 13th re-use of FOX which makes it the most re-used Australian registration just pipping AVM by one.

The Deletions section this issue is roughly divided into thirds with one third of the aircraft being exported, one third re-register within Australia and one third cancelled as withdrawn from use.

Of the exports Diamond DA-20 VCK has gone to Vietnam and so we are unlikely to find out its subsequent markings, GippsAero Airvan ANE is now in Poland and Cirrus SR22 SRS is now in the US where it is owned by a trustee of Avcorp US Registrations LLC marked as N455MV.

BK117 VSA has been sent to New Zealand where it is now ZK-IWL and flies with Helicopter Otago at Mosgiel. Helicopters Otago have a very large and varied fleet of helicopters including Robinson R22s, BK-117s, Bell 206s and a Squirrel.

JMC Investments, who have been handling the sale of the Virgin Australia Regional Airlines Fokker 50 fleet, have sold FNE to Mexico and after spending time stored firstly at Perth and later Alice Springs the aircraft departed late last year for its new home.

Cessna 182H Skylane PQR is now in Fiji with Joyce Aviation Services and is marked as DQ-JOY. Joyce Aviation Services is part of the Joyce Aviation (Fiji) group with also includes Heli-Tours, Skydive Fiji, Sunflower Aviation and Pacific Flying School. Owned by Tim and Susan Joyce the company now has six aircraft and DQ-JOY is expected to be used by Skydive Fiji as it has been used in the parachuting role in Australia before going to Fiji.

Elderly Cessna 402 BUS, SZD-9 glider GNL, Yak-52 YJK and Grumman Cougar OMG have all been withdrawn from use with the Cessna 402 resident at Dennis Beahan’s hangar at Charters Towers, Qld, and being used as a spares source for other projects since at least 2005 and the SZD glider now with the Australian Gliding Museum at Bacchus Marsh, Vic.

The Yak-52 and Grumman Cougar are listed as destroyed with no indication of whether this was a result of an accident or the aircraft have come to the end of their useful life and have been broken up.