f REGISTERED FOR POSTING AS A PERIODICAL CATEGORY B t JO UR IVAI AVIATION HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA I PRICE $1.55 ill ■ 11 1;: ili lilil ■I ■iii III ■ ■llii*■1 ili ill ili ■■III ill ill BfSflliiBli MOTES MONTHLY NOTES MONTHLY from May 1975. This further expansion by the airline follows the intro­ duction into service of their third Piper Navajo Chieftain VH—RNC. Murray Valley Airlines expanded services from 31 May when new THIRD LEVEL flights commenced between Albury-Shepparton to Melbourne and both Shepparton and Griffith were included on the airline's route between Albury and Adelaide. The new Melbourne service is operated twice daily Monday to Friday, while Shepparton has three flights weekly and Griffith five flights weekly on the Adelaide route. Newcastle-based Aero Pelican accepted delivery of the ex-Mac- Skyway Airlines commenced a service to Goondiwindi in south­ Robertson Miller Airline Services DHC Twin Otter VH—MMY at Perth western Queensland from Sydney early in June. Flights are operated three during April and it departed Perth on delivery to it's new base at Belmont times per week, two being direct services while the third is via Quirindi. on 14 April. It was quickly put into service and operated it's first flight on To promote the new service, the airlines offered fares at half price to the morning of 16 April. The owner of the airline, Mr. K. Hilder, said the Goondiwindi for the month of June. new aircraft with it's 19 seat capacity was needed to meet demand at peak periods, and had cost more than $350,000. Aero Pelican now operate The commencement of a commuter air service to Bunbury, Western 87 return flights weekly between Sydney and Newcastle, their only route, Australia, took a step closer on 5 June when the Western Australian with Cessna 402 and the Twin Otter aircraft. Government announced that it would contribute $10,000 to the cost of upgrading the local aerodrome. (The commencement of a regular Following the report that Ansett Airlines of New South Wales was service has been held up because the Department of Transport will not considering reducing the number of weekly flights to Narrabri, the local licence the aerodrome for regular services). I Municipal Council decided to write to Skyways Airlines requesting what ^ services it could provide the town.^The Tamworth newspaper, 'The North­ Bush Pilots Airways Ltd celebrated 25 years operations on 23 June ern Daily Leader' for 24 April, reported that the Council had received an after having been registered as a public company on 22 January, 1951. The indication from Skyways that it could provide more suitable services and first commercial flight by the new company was a charter flight to George­ extra services to the town if A.A.N.S.W. reduced theirs. town from it's base of Cairns with it's only aircraft, DH90 Dragonfly VH-AAD which was registered to the company on 14 June, 1951. Wagga-based Kendell Airlines announced on 29 April, that they were extending their route network to include Narrandera and Merimbula The Walgett Shire Council in north-western New South Wales as from 10 May. Narrandera in the NSW Riverina area would be included announced on 29 June that it had called a public meeting for 2 July to in the airline's Wagga-Griffith-Melbourne route while Merimbula would be discuss air services to the centre and surrounding areas. The Shire had connected through Canberra and have five direct return services to Melb­ asked executives from both Ansett Airlines of New South Wales, who ourne weekly. A commuter licence to operate this latter route is also held currently serve the town, and Skyway Airlines to address the meeting. by Melbourne-based Executive Airlines who have in the past, only operated Skyway Airlines had advised the Shire that it was willing to provide up to services during summer months. a daily return service compared to the three days a week service by Air­ lines of New South Wales. The New South Wales Minister for Decentralisation and Develop­ ment, Mr Milton Morris, announced on 29 April that the State Government Arriving in Australia within three days of each other recently were had granted a licence to Clubair Pty Ltd to operate a commuter air service two North American Rockwell Commander 690A aircraft. Both aircraft between Maitland and Sydney. The owner of the company, Mr. G. Swanson were flown to Australia from the United States — one by the Pacific said he was waiting for the Federal Government s approval before services ferry route and the other via the Atlantic and Far East. The first aircraft could commence and the satisfactory conclusion of negotiations with TAA to arrive was N57101 c/n 11101 which is a second-hand 690A on delivery to use their Terminal at Sydney Airport. Clubair own Cessna 402B to Advance Airlines and will be registered to them as VH—AAG. This VH—FTR which is normally based at Williamtown Airport new Newcastle. aircraft will join Advance Airlines other 690A VH—ATF on their run between Sydney and Lord Howe Island. N57101 was flown to Australia In an effort to negate the common complaint that aircraft used by Ferry Air Inc., of Oakland, California and was piloted by John Carlson by commuter airlines are small "and noisy". Bush Pilots Airways advertised one of their pilots. It departed Oakland on 29 August and stopped en- in the Brisbane newspapers during April that the Trislander aircraft used route at Seattle, Alaska, Wake Island, Midway, Ponape, Honiara, Brisbane on their new Central and West Queensland routes "had individual headseats to Sydney, Mascot where it arrived at 0300 hours on 8 September. with piped music and the aircraft had sound insulated windows"! Three days later on 11 September another 690A, this time a new A new commuter air service operating between Camden-Sydney aircraft, arrived in Australia. This was N81430 c/n 11321 and it was ferried Airport-Bankstown commenced on 1 May when the Bankstown charter here by Downtown Airpark Inc., Oklahoma City being flown by one of operator, Navair Pty Ltd commenced the services under the operating their pilots Richard Kukuk. N81430 was on delivery to the South name of Navair Commuter. Flights operate twice daily, Monday to Friday Australian Government and before leaving the United States had been using either a Piper Navajo, Aztec or Twin Comanche aircraft. fitted out with additional equipment as it will be used for aerial survey and Coffs Harbour-based North Coast Airlines extended their network photographic work. N81430 departed Oklahoma City of 31 August and to Armidale and Tamworth from 16 May. A Coffs Harbour-Armidale- made stops at Gander, Azores, Palma, Crete, Luxor, Dabai, Bombay, Tamworth service is operated six nights per week with a corresponding Colombo, Singapore, Darwin to Essendon where it arrived on 11 Sept­ early morning departure from Tamworth to Coffs Harbour, where flights ember. The last leg from Darwin to Essendon was flown in six hours 18 connect with the airline's coastal services to Brisbane. Extensive advertising minutes at an average speed of 285 knots. N81430 c/n 11321 has been in the Tamworth and Armidale press highlighted the fact that their flights registered VH—DLK. gave an early arrival in Brisbane where connections could be made to northern Queensland. These flights are in direct competition to the flights operated from both Tamworth and Armidale to Brisbane by New England Airways, who like North Coast, also serve Coolangatta. A report in the NEW GUINEA Tamworth newspaper "The Northern Daily Leader" quoted the General Manager of New England, Mr. A Patten as saying: "he had lodged a protest Due to heavy committments with it's own engineering facilities. Air with the Department of Transport about North Coast Airlines' efforts to Niugini sent three of its's Fokker F27 aircraft overseas for maintenance, run a parallel service to those of New England". Also, Mr. Patten stated during February, March and April. The first aircraft, P2—ANF went to North Coast had been forced to overfly Armidale at least 50% of the time New Zealand National Airways Corporation at Christchurch, departing because of fog at the local airport. In a later issue of the same paper, for Lae on 13 February, returning Lae 8 March. The second aircraft , P2—ANE 8 June, the owner of North Coast, Mr. Ross Davies, claimed the complaints also went to N.Z.N.A.C. at Christchurch, departing Port Moresby 6 March by New England were unfounded and that the New England services from and returning to Lae 26 March. The third aircraft, P2—ANB went to Newcastle were in parallel with his company, and that the claim that East-West Airlines at Tamworth, it departed Port Moresby 26 March and flights did not land at Armidale were grossly ill-founded — only three returned to Lae 11 April. flights out of 30 could not land and besides, the informant airline failed to say that their flights were similarly affected. In another expansion. The Papua New Guinea Minister for Transport, Mr. Bruce Jephcott North Coast Airlines announced on 7 June that they had been granted a announced in Port Moresby early March that all Air Niugini's scheduled commuter licence to service Lord Howe Island from Coffs Harbour, DC3 routes would be handed over to third level operators as these services with services starting on 1 August. The airline has been operating charter were unprofitable to the airline. Both Talair and Douglas Airways gained services to the Island from September 1974,with regular contract services a number of new routes ex-Port Moresby, while the recently formed ——------------------------------------------continued on page 17 2 HSA -JOURNAL VOLUME 17, NUMBER 5 lUOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1976 CONTENTS Page Jx MONTHLY NOTES ................................................