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Friday, May 6, 2011

Air Services Australia

Calibration of aeronautical navigation equipment was once carried out by the then Department of Civil aviation  who provided such equipment, the maintenance thereof and subsequent checking along with the provision of Air Traffic Control services. 

During the mid 80's, the NZ Government went about privatising a number of functions managed by the state and a result of this was the creation in 1987 of the Airways Corporation of New Zealand.  The Airways Corporation took on the responsibility of providing air traffic control, flight information and flight planning functions once managed by the NZCAA and also became responsible for the navigational equipment across the country and in the Pacific at Tonga, Samoa and the Cook Islands.

The Department of Civil Aviation, based out of Paraparaumu, operated a fleet of aircraft for the purposes of providing calibration flight testing and for the transportation of staff around the nation.  This was accomplished by the use of  three F27 Friendships, ZK-DCA, DCB and DCG, with these aircraft on occasion also employed for VIP duties including the carriage of HM The Queen.  They also operated Cessna 421 Golden Eagle ZK-DCN and a number of PA34 Seneca's and Cessna 182's.

With the demise of the flight operation following privitisation, the Airways Corporation put up for tender the provision of a calibration function and Air Services Australia were successful in their application to provide such services using another Fokker type, the F28 Fellowship along with the smaller Aero Commander 695.

The first aircraft visits associated with the contract to calibrate our airways from across the Tasman took place in May 1991.  The contract remained until around 1997 when Air National took over the operation using an Auckland based MU2, see http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2011/03/au-revoir-air-national-1-early-turbo.html.

Check out the following link for some interesting history behind the Air Services Australia fleet:
http://www.airwaysmuseum.com/departmental%20aircraft%20menu.HTM

Data thanks to AHSNZ Aerolog Volume 6 Number 3 June 1991 collated by M J Richardson.

Fokker F28-1000 Fellowship VH-ATG
08/05/91 Essendon-Wellington
09/05/91 Wellington-Dunedin
11/05/91 Dunedin-Invercargill-Alexandra-Christchurch
12/05/91 Calibration at Christchurch
13/05/91 Christchurch-Hokitika-Christchurch
14/05/91 Callibration at Christchurch
15/05/91 Christchurch-Chatham Islands-Wellington
16/05/91 Calibration at Wellington
17/05/91 Wellington-Woodbourne-Nelson-Wellington
18/05/91 Layover at Wellington
19/05/91 Wellington-Paraparaumu-Palmerston North-Ohakea
20/05/91 Ohakea-New Plymouth
22/05/91 New Plymouth-Hamilton-Tauranga-Whakatane-Rotorua
23/05/91 Rotorua-Whenuapai-Auckland
24/05/91 Auckland-Norfolk Island

Nelson 17 May 1991

Nelson 03 November 1993 - contract must have paid well with this new livery recently applied
Aero Commander 695 VH-LTM
22/05/91 Essendon-Christchurch
23/05/91 Christchurch-Oamaru-Timaru-Christchurch
24/05/91 Christchurch-Westport-Hokitika-Christchurch
25/05/91 Christchurch
26/05/91 Christchurch-Woodbourne-Palmerston North
27/05/91 Palmerston North-Paraparaumu-Napier-Taupo
29/05/91 Taupo-Gisborne-Whakatane
30/05/91 Whakatane-Tauranga-Whenuapai-Auckland
31/05/91 Auckland-Sydney
Nelson 04 April 1997

VH-ATD at Nelson 09 October 1995.
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