Register #386 | Bonza’s first 737 Max

Three more Embraer ERJ-190s are now in this country — two for Alliance Airlines and one for National Jet Express. The Alliance pair, UZK and UZQ, have very much the same history having been delivered in 2008 to US Airlines as N965UW and N967UW respectively. After short-term leases to Republic Airways, Midwest Airlines, and Frontier Airlines, US Airlines merged with American Airlines during October 2015. Both aircraft have been in storage at Roswell, New Mexico since April 2020 due to the world aviation downturn during COVID-19. The third ERJ-190, ULQ, took a slightly different and shorter route to Australia, going to Mandarin Airlines as B-16823 in August 2007 and remaining with them until being delivered to National Jet Express during May this year.

Jetstar Airways has added another three Airbus’ to its extensive fleet. A320s XNP and XNW were built during 2013 and delivered to Jetstar Asia as 9V-JSU and 9V-JSV respectively, and both have been in storage for the last two years before coming to Australia. The third, OFE, is a brand new A321 built during 2020 and stored until its first flight on 21 July 2022, marked with test registration D-AVZS.

With nine BAe 146s and six Embraer 190s in their fleet, National Jet Express has added two more Dash 8s — bringing the total for that type to eight. IYO and IYZ were built during 2015/16, and after initial testing as C-FJXB and C-FNXF respectively, they were delivered to Nok Air in Thailand as HS-DQE and HS-DQG — both aircraft being leased through AerCap Leasing/GE Capital Aviation Services. With the downturn on aviation due to the pandemic, both aircraft were returned to the leasing company and registered in the Cayman Islands as VP-CRD and VP-CRE. After six months of storage in Tainan, Taiwan, they have now joined the expanding National Jet Express fleet.

Pionair Australia has added two more British Aerospace 146s to its fleet with significant histories. Built during 1991, HZU was registered G-BTDO after initially flying with UK B-class markings G-6-188. It was then delivered to Air Jet, an Air France subsidiary, as F-GLNI before going to TNT Jet Services to be operated by Axis Airways of Belgium as OO-TAZ. During April 2012 it was obtained by 32 Transport Squadron RAF for VIP duties, registered ZE707 and based at Northolt in the Greater London Area. The squadron was earlier known as The Queens Flight due to its role in transporting Queen Elizabeth II to her official functions. The aircraft was returned to G-BTDO and passed on to Aircraft Maintenance Services in May 2022, which prepared it for its delivery to Pionair. The second aircraft, IJZ, followed the same path with its sequence of markings being G-6-211, G-BVCD, F-GOMA, OO-TAY, ZE708, and G-BVCD before ultimately taking up IJZ.

LCR is the first Cirrus Vision to be delivered to Australia, although an earlier example is on a world tour before taking up residence in this country. The Vision is a seven-seat, single-engine personal jet with a low wing and a retractable tricycle undercarriage. It is powered by a Williams FJ33 jet engine mounted above the rear fuselage with the jet efflux exiting between the ‘V’ tail unit. The aircraft is fitted with a parachute recovery system. The prototype made its first flight on 3 July 2008, but development was slow due to lack of funds. During 2011, Cirrus was bought out by Chinese company CAIGA, which provided the capital to progress its development work. Early deposit holders were given a drawing of the aircraft in the form of a jigsaw puzzle — one piece at a time — until the puzzle was complete and the first mock-up was unveiled the following day. The type certificate was issued by the US CAA on 28 October 2016, and deliveries started two months later. From 2018 onward, the Vision has been a best-selling business jet and, with 86 being delivered last year, a total of around 400 have been built so far.

Four more piston engine Cirrus’ are also listed — an SR22T-G6 GTS INW and three SR22-G6 GTSs PSU, YQF, and ZDE. This brings the total number of Cirrus aircraft in Australia to 222 (14 in New Zealand) comprising of 152 SR22s (13 in New Zealand), 46 SR20s (one in New Zealand) and 24 SR22Ts. This is a very commendable number for an aircraft that only began delivering aircraft during 1999.

The Cirrus Vision is the first of four new types listed this issue, with the Tecnam P2012 VNV and the ViperJet VWZ being the other two. The P2012 Traveller is a twin-engine, eleven-seat commuter high-wing aircraft that can be used for freight, parachuting, medivac, or VIP transport. It is similar in appearance to the smaller Partenavia/VulcanAir P68. In 2009, Cape Air of Massachusetts, after being shunned by larger American manufacturers Cessna and Piper, contacted Tecnam looking for a replacement for its fleet of 83 Cessna 402s. Tecnam saw a massive market for a Cessna 402 and Piper Navajo-size aircraft to replace the thousands of aging 10–15 seat aircraft being operated by commuter airlines around the world.

By 2011 the basic design work was complete and the project was unveiled at the AERO Friedrichshafen show of that year. The first prototype was rolled out on 1 April 2016 and its first flight took place three months later. The first production aircraft was handed over to Cape Air during March 2019, and Zil Air of the Seychelles received its first P2012 in November of the same year. Cape Air is expected to receive up to 100 aircraft with customers in Argentina, Russia, and the South Pacific also ordering aircraft during 2018 and 2019. Tecnam forecast demand to be over 11,000 aircraft over the next ten years and is hoping that the majority are from the Tecnam factory at Capua, near Naples, Italy. Having personally inspected the aircraft at the recent Brisbane Airshow, I can understand Tecnam’s optimism.

Bryan Jacobs’ ViperJet VWZ is an amateur-built low wing monoplane with swept tail and wings and seating for two in tandem under a bubble canopy. It is powered by a single General Electric J85 turboshaft engine with the power turbine removed and has a retractable tricycle undercarriage. It is of full composite construction and the air intakes are mounted on the fuselage sides, making it look like a modern jet fighter/trainer. Brothers Dan and Scott Hanchette began work on designing and building a prototype in 1996, with it initially being powered by pusher piston engine. However, vibration problems with the pusher engine convinced the brothers to go for a jet engine located in the rear fuselage. The Continental flat-6 piston engine was replaced by a Turbomeca Marbore jet engine, and later by the General Electric T58 and then the General Electric J85. The ViperJet first flew in October 1999 and made it first public appearance at the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh the following year.

Business jets are prominent in this issue’s listing with three new Cessna 510 Mustangs, ACH, NFP, SEQ, an Embraer Phenom HQK, a Cessna 525 CJ3 TCS, and two Cessna 680A Latitudes — ACC and UCE. The Latitudes are the first of their type to join the Australian civil register, with both based in Queensland. The prototype first flew on 18 February 2014, with the first deliveries beginning the following August. The $15 million Latitude is designed to fit into the Cessna range between the $13 million Citation XLS+ and the $18 million Citation Sovereign, although you can expect to spend around an extra $3 million when fully equipped. It retains the Citation Sovereign wing, twin Pratt and Whitney PW306D turbofans and cruciform tail, but has a completely new stand-up circular fuselage with a flat floor and up to nine seats.

Two more Kavanagh hot air balloons are listed, bringing the total of balloons produced by this family-owned Australian manufacturer to over 600. Sunshine Coast Ballooning has added FJP to its fleet of three, while Red Centre Ballooning at Alice Springs now has 10 Kavanaghs.

In an unusual move, Bob Keys had registered two elderly DHC Beavers UWJ and UWK — unusual because both aircraft were reported as being written off some years ago. UWJ crashed onto a beach after hitting a tree in Klemtu, British Columbia on 26th July 1993. The aircraft was completely burnt out and all occupants were killed. UWK crashed on take-off from Tofino Harbour, British Columbia on 29th January 1987 when a wing tip contacted the water due to a wind gust. The aircraft cartwheeled onto its back and sank during low cloud, rain, and foggy conditions.

Three aircraft are listed as returning to the register this issue with Cessna 206 Stationair JDX back after being revoked by CASA only three months ago, while McDonnell Douglas 520 Notar INY is returning after two years in the US flying as N520NY. Cessna 510 Mustang FNI was damaged when it ran off the taxiway at Airlie Beach, Queensland on 18 April but was quickly repaired and is now flying again.

Of the 21 aircraft that are listed as being exported, seven of those have gone to the US: AgustaWestland GrandNew BRB is now N57HR with Seminole of Florida in Davie, Florida; Cessna 172S ZFD now flies as N330PM with Practical Education in New York; Virgin Boeing 737 VOS is now N380WS with UMB Bank in Salt Lake City, Utah; and Global Express UBX is N954JJ with a company named SN 9103 LLC in Dover, Delaware. Global Express YAI has N598CH reserved for it, with no further details known as yet.

Beech Staggerwing WEE has taken up its former New Zealand markings of ZK-AMU, while also in New Zealand, Vulcanair P68C TZN has become ZK-RAT with Union Airways and is based in Milford. Bell 412EPs YQB, YQF, and YQL are from a batch of seven that were imported from Saudi Arabia during March last year. Three of these were exported to Bahrain the following August, with another three listed as joining them in July this year. The seventh machine on its way to Cameroon. V8 Supercar driver Todd Kelly’s Piper Navajo, which was converted to a Colemill Panther, TKA, has gone to the Philippines, while Eurocopter Squirrel FJP and Bell 222 RLI are now active in PNG and Virgin ATR-72s FVQ and FVY have been sold to Olympic Air in Greece. Olympic Air, a subsidiary of Aegean Airlines, operates three ATR-42s, nine ATR-72s, two Dash 8-100s and two Dash 8-400s. The two ex-Virgin aircraft will replace the two Dash 8-400s and will be registered SX-OBO and SX-OBN.

Two aircraft are listed as being involved in accidents with Cessna 172 EIY making a forced landing on Lake Eyre after engine problems on 17 May this year and Mooney DJU crashing near Coffs Harbour on 20 September 2019. The Mooney was on a VFR flight from Murwillumbah to Taree in marginal weather conditions with the pilot not familiar with the area when it crashed. While there were no injuries in the Cessna 172s forced landing, two people died in the Mooney accident.