DECEMBER 2017 AUSTRALIAN AVIATION 81TONY ARBON
Register Review australianaviation.com.au/registerF
or the second issue in a row
one of the most interesting
aircraft in the New Allocations
listing is a Westland Gazelle
helicopter. OIX has a similar
history as OIZ, listed last
edition, however, a little more is now
known about both aircraft – with a
mysterious three-year gap between
2014 and 2017.
The latest Gazelle was marked
as XX409 with the British Army
before becoming G-CHYV on the
British civil register with Kemet
Global, London. OIX and OIZ,
along with another pair of ex
British Army Gazelles, were then
believed to have been acquired by
Paramount Aviation and taken to
Africa where the other pair were
operated by the Malawi Defence
Force. Some sources quote all four
going to the Malawi Defence Force,
but there is photo proof as well
as documentation showing two in
Malawi Defence Force markings
but not the other two, so it seems
unlikely that all four were in Malawi.
Another source quotes the second
pair going to South Sudan, but
there is no proof and the South
Sudanese military has only ever
operated Russian types so that also
seems unlikely. What we do know
is that OIX and OIZ were in storage
in Uganda for two years prior to
coming to Australia.
Jim Whalley, owner of
Boomerang Aviation, advises that
he will probably sell OIX which
has relatively low hours on it – just
under 6,800, and keep OIZ for
airshows and potentially warbird
adventure flights. Jim is currently
seeking permission from the UK to
return both aircraft to their original
British Army colours and markings.
John Maslin’s Pipistel Virus
SWiS DAB is the first of its type on
the CASA register, although there
are four currently on the RA-Aus
register. The Virus is a high-wing,
cantilever monoplane with pod and
boom configuration, a T-tail, air
brakes and a cabin that seats two
side-by-side. It is built in Slovenia
of all-composite construction and
is available from the factory in kit
form or flyaway. The aircraft comeswith a tail wheel or tricycle fixed-
undercarriage, short wing (10 metre)
or long wing (12 metre) and can be
fitted with an 80hp (60kW) or 100hp
(75kW) Rotax powerplant. DAB is
a short wing version with a Rotax
912Is fuel-injected engine.
Cessna Grand Caravans TQF and
TQV are interesting as they were
delivered new to Myanmar Airways
during 2013 as XY-AJK and
XY-AJL respectively to be used for
business and private charters based
at Mandalay. Myanmar Airways
operates three Airbus A319s and one
A320 on domestic and international
routes, but it appears that its venture
into corporate charters was not that
successful as both aircraft have
been sold to Acena Nominees in
Adelaide.
The two aircraft arrived in Perth
on October 16 via Denpasar, Bali
and Port Hedland, with Airflite
providing pre-delivery checks – TQF
at their Perth facility and TQV at
Jandakot.
A Cessna 172 and a Boeing 737
are shown in the Aircraft Returning
to the Register section this issue.
Cessna 172R Skyhawk LWE was
part of the Royal Queensland Aero
Club/Airline Academy of Australia
fleet before it went into liquidation,
and the aircraft was deregistered on
September 14. Less than one month
later it was back on the register with
Rapair Aircraft Hire at Archerfield.VZF was one of eight Qantas
Boeing 737-800s which spent a
short time on the local register
during August 2009 before going
to Jetconnect in New Zealand.
The wholly-owned subsidiary of
Qantas has used the aircraft on its
trans-Tasman routes as well as on
its New Zealand domestic network
before Jetstar Airbus A320s took
over the domestic services.
Thirty-eight aircraft are shown
in the Deletions section this
issue, although this number is
not indicative of a decrease in the
number of aircraft in Australia as
five have been reregistered and can
be found in the New Allocations
section, two have been transferred
to the RA-Aus register, and 12 have
been withdrawn from use and may
re-join the local register at a later
date.
But that’s not so for the two
elderly Skytrans Dash 8s, QQA
and QQC, as they were broken up
at Cairns during October. Of the
exports, Dornier 228 VJD has gone
to Kenya, Cessna Caravan UTJ and
Bell LongRanger IQY to South
Africa, AgustaWestland AW169
LHH to the Philippines and Hiller
UH-12E ECK is now in Canada.
Closer to home five aircraft have
crossed the Tasman including PA-42
Cheyenne 400LS BUR which is
now flying as ZK-FIS with Airways
Corporation of New Zealand basedat Auckland. The departure of the
Cheyenne leaves only one other
400LS and two Cheyenne IIIs on the
local register.
Meanwhile, Fletcher FU24
HVP has taken up its original
markings of ZK-EUA and is now
with Aerial Spreading at Amberley,
and Aerospatiale Squirrel LLP is
now marked as ZK-ILW flying with
Murchison Heli Tours at Richmond.
Gippsland Airvan LPX is now
with Southern Lakes Aviation at
Queenstown and joins two other
Airvans, a Cessna 172 and a PA-32
Cherokee Six in the Southern Lakes
fleet. The Airvan is very popular in
New Zealand with 25 currently on
the New Zealand register. With its
large windows and one for each seat
it is ideal for tourist flights.
Five aircraft have been exported
to the USA including Beech Baron
EPO which is now N16BK with
Bay Leasing at Richmond, Virginia,
and Cessna 208 Super Cargomaster
IOV which flies now with Pacific
Air Holdings at Shawnee, Oklahoma
as N842PH. Also in America is
Beech Super King Air 350 WXC,
which came from the UK to
Australia during February 2011,
and is now marked as N506KB
with Aerosolutions Group at
Willmington, Delaware.
Only two aircraft have been
deregistered due to damage. Cessna
T188 Aghusky was damaged by
fire at Bronte Park, Tasmania
on October 13 2014, while
Liberty XL2 CZX crashed 2km
south of Luddenham, NSW on
September 24 2008. The Liberty was
observed by witnesses in a steep,
low-speed descent before hitting
trees. The ATSB report found no
mechanical fault with the aircraft,
the weather was benign and the
pilot had no pre-existing medical
conditions. However, traces of
cannabis were found in the pilot’s
blood although this was not believed
to be factor in the crash.Register Review
View the Register Review listing online
@ australianaviation.com.au/registerKing Air N506KB, the former VH-WXC, departing Cairns for
the US on November 6.ANDREW BELCZACKIN436RP at the Cirrus fly-in at Ayers Rock prior to becoming
VH-ECT.TONY ARBON