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After years of deliberation, the NZ Government has finally announced its intention to procure four Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime partrol aircraft to replace the six vintage Lockheed P3K Orions with 5 Squadron from 2023. The base of operations for the aircraft will be located at Ohakea making use of the facility's longer runway complex.
Then addition of the Beech King Air 350i to the RNZAF inventory will allow this light twin to be utilised for maritime training and inshore patrol activities thus allowing the more costly P8 platform to deploy potentially less frequently than the current fleet of P3 Orions.
Over the last few years we've posted several times on the subject aircraft
Nadi-based Fiji Airways introduced their most recent acquisition to its operation 08 July when Airbus A330-200 DQ-FJP "Island of Vatulele" operated as FJ411 from Nadi to Auckland, returning to Nadi as FJ410.
DQ-FJP, in full Fiji Airways livery but still wearing its previous identity of S7-VDM, touched down at in Nadi on 27 June as SEY9778 after a direct flight from Abu Dhabi where pre delivery maintenance was carried out at the conclusion of its flying with Air Seychelles.
With a serial number of 807, this A330-200 was first flown in late 2006 and entered service with Jet Airways in January 2007 as VT-JWE. While retaining its Indian identity, the A330 was sub-leased to both Gulf Air and Oman Air before exiting the fleet to become A6-EYZ with Etihad from 2013 but was then sub-leased to Air Seychelles who in turn re-registered the aircraft S7-VDM until its retirement from operations in April this year.
It is with pleasure we announce the delivery to New Zealand of a North American T-28B Trojan bringing the local population of the type to three.
>>> The T28 was registered ZK-TPV on 08 October 2018 to Vause Trusts Partnership, New Plymouth. <<<
Built for the United States Navy in 1955 and assigned BuNo 137801 with a construction number of 200-0164, this T28B was imported to Australia in 2004 where it became VH-DUD. Following its military service the Trojan was registered N57973 and spent time with owners in Oregon then moved to Arizona before its move to Australia. Its first flight post import was conducted from Albury/NSW on 09 September 2004 painted as US Navy 137801/NJ-973 and it retains these colours.
The warbird departed Archerfield/QLD for Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island 05 July 2018 then onto Kerikeri and Ardmore 07 July before its final push to its new home of New Plymouth maybe today or Monday.
There it will join New Zealand's other airworthy T28, ZK-JGS marked as BuNo 140563/NJ-563.
Our third T28, ZK-TGN, is still undergoing repair works following its undercarriage issues and subsequent wheels-up landing at Ardmore in late September 2016.
Last month's visit by the PLAAF IL76 evoked memories of the first of its type to visit Whenuapai, a Pacific Express operated charter flight delivering a GR3 Harrier for the Air Expo '92 event.
Here is a YouTube video of a video (!) including TV advertisements from that era. Well worth a watch on a dreary, winters day.
Across the wires earlier this week is the rather unusual use of a United States Air Force Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bomber employed in a search and rescue role!
The B52 may well be the same aircraft that passed through Darwin last month. 60-0062 "Cajun Fear" arrived in the Northern Territories 17 June 2018 from Diego Garcia as "BULGE01" and departed the following day for Guam/Andersen.
Bulge 01 departing Darwin 18 June 2018.
In a Dramatic Open Ocean Search an Air Force Crew Finds Paddlers Missing Six Days. The lost canoe was located by the crew from one of the B-52H after it was compared to a similar one that appeared in a Disney cartoon.
A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress crew from the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, and deployed to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam are being hailed as heroes. The B-52H located the lost crew of an open ocean Polynesian-style canoe after they were missing at sea for six days.
The traditional Pacific Island-style canoe carrying six paddlers had become lost after sailing from nearby Piagailoe Atoll on June 19. The journey from the atoll to Guam was only supposed to take one day — meaning the paddlers, who had minimal supplies had been missing at sea for nearly a week.
Following the location of the canoers from the USAF B-52H, the six-member crew of the ocean-going canoe rendezvoused with a merchant vessel in the area that was directed to their location to effect rescue. The merchant vessel provided the canoers with water, food and navigational assistance so they could safely return to land.
The eight-engine, long range B-52H bomber joined the search when the crew from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., was on a routine flight during a deployment to Guam. The heavy bomber crew responded to a call from the Coast Guard for assistance in the search on June 25.
“This was a unique situation for us,” Capt. Sean Simpson, one of the bomber’s crew, said in an Air Force statement. “It’s not every day the B-52 gets called for a search and rescue.”
Initially the crew of the B-52H was unfamiliar with the type of vessel they were searching for. Coast Guard personal compared the small, difficult to spot indigenous canoe with the boat from the Disney cartoon “Moana”. Capt. Simpson told media, “We asked for more details about the vessel and the dispatcher told us, ‘It’s just like the boat from [the Disney film] ‘Moana.’”
The B-52H crew were able to locate the canoe and its crew at sea only three hours after being called into the search and rescue operation.
“We spotted this vessel from about 19,000 feet,” 1st Lt. Jordan Allen told Air Force media in the statement. “It’s really a small miracle that we were able to see it, because there was quite a bit of clouds.”
Six passengers aboard a canoe were located in a joint search and rescue mission June 25, 2018, in the Pacific Ocean Southwest of Guam. Crew members flying a B-52H Stratofortress assigned to the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron (EBS), stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base (AFB), La., and deployed to Andersen AFB, Guam, successfully located six passengers who had been missing for six days and relayed their location to the U.S. Coast Guard. (courtesy photo)
“Search and rescue isn’t something people typically think of when they talk about the B-52, but our training and adaptability really paid off,” Lt. Col. Jarred Prier, the bomb squadron’s director of operations, said in the statement. “Being a part of this successful search and rescue operation speaks to the diversity of our skill set and shows our importance here in the Pacific.”
Unfortunate news out of Belgium in the last 24 hours following the landing accident of Lockheed L12A Electra Junior NC14999 MSN 1252. The vintage twin was caught in a gust of wind on landing at Zwartberg Airfield, veered off the runway and collided with a hangar. It appears the aircraft has sustained significant damage but thankfully no injuries to those onboard or on the ground.
The Kiwi Connection harks back to the 2000's when the Twelve was shipped to New Zealand from the USA by American owner Pat Donovan who temporarily re-located to Blenheim at the top of the South Island. The aircraft was overhauled at Omaka and from memory debuted at the Easter 2006 Warbirds over Wanaka airshow arriving at the event 11 April. On 17 April the L12 was badly damaged at Forest Field, a grass airstrip in Canterbury. Near the end of its landing roll the starboard main undercarriage collapsed. Aircraft veered off the runway and suffered substantial damage to the fuselage, flaps and propellers when the other main undercarriage leg sheered off. It was subsequently dismantled and trucked back to Omaka three days later where JEM Aviation were tasked with bringing this fine aeroplane back to life.
Pat and his beloved aircraft returned to the USA in early 2009 with N14999 flying from Omaka to Auckland 23 January, then onto Pago Pago 24 January, to Christmas Island 25 January then to Hilo/HI 26 January. The long trip from Hilo to Santa Maria/CA was conducted 03 February.
Vistajet Malta Global Express 9H-VJO arrived at Auckland 23 June from Hong Kong as VJT889. It departed on the evening of 27 June heading to Kona/HI. From there the Global flew south to Papeete 29 June (NZ date). It then crossed the Pacific to Cairns arriving 01 July.
This is only the second visit by this airframe to NZ. The first was in October 2016 when it visited Napier arriving from and returning to Newark/NJ via techstops at Honolulu in each direction.
9H-VJO arrives at Auckland 23 June 2018.
Avwest PTY Global Express N599CH returned to Christchurch 23 June from its part-time Perth home. After a brief layover the Global continued to Queenstown. From Queenstown to Canberra 26 June, then the next day to Sydney from where it arrived back at Christchurch via Queenstown 28 June.
Chilling at Queenstown.
Textron Aviation Inc Cessna 680A Sovereign Latitude demonstrator N985BC arrived at Auckland 24 June from Sydney. It departed Auckland mid morning 25 June for Wellington and carried media from TVNZ current affair's show "Seven Sharp". A few hours later the jet conducted a Wellington-Wellington demonstration flight. The Latitude departed Wellington 26 June for Melbourne/Essendon. It conducted a demonstration flight 27 June before flying upto Sydney. It later flew to Brisbane before exiting the region 30 June flying from there to Darwin and Singapore/Seletar.
It had flown from Singapore/Seletar to Darwin and Sydney 23 June.
N985BC during its brief visit to Darwin 23 June 2018.
Arriving at Auckland 24 June 2018.
And inbound Wellington on a stunning winter's day, 25 June 2018.
SG Aviation Global Express VH-SGA touched down at Auckland late 26 June from Melbourne/Essendon having arrived there earlier in the day from Singapore/Seletar. It departed Auckalnd mid morning 28 June for Essendon.
Royal Australian Air Force Challenger 604 A37-001 arrived in Wellington late 28 June from Canberra. It returned to Canberra the following evening.
Business Aviation Solutions Falcon 50EX VH-FJQ paid its first visit to New Zealand arriving during the very cold, dark hours of 30 June from the Gold Coast and Rockhampton. https://www.navair.com.au/new-aircraft-dassault-falcon-50/
VH-FJQ was delivered to Bankstown just over a year ago arriving on 19 June 2017 from Hilo via Pago Pago and the Gold Coast.
Express Freighters Boeing 767-300 freighter VH-EFR returned to service 30 June and after positioning from Brisbane to Sydney headed off to Auckland arriving in the early hours of 01 July. With its return to work, Boeing 767-300 freighter N647GT wound up its "down under" experience and departed Sydney 01 July for Taipei as PAC9630.
Sydney-based Express Freighters, operating on behalf of Qantas Freight, fly Boeing 767-300(ER) freighter VH-EFR on scheduled cargo operations between Sydney-Auckland-Christchurch-Sydney 6 times per week and a one a week trip between Australia and Hong Kong. The aircraft flew a delayed Sydney-Auckland-Christchurch routine 17 June 2018 before then heading to Brisbane where it has presumably been inducted for a planned maintenance visit.
Arriving at Sydney 18 June 2018 as substitution for VH-EFR was split personality Polar Air Cargo/Atlas Air Boeing 767-300(ER) (BDSF) freighter N647GT. Operating as QF7542, the 767 was ferried from Cincinnati via Los Angeles and Honolulu. It entered service on the "milk run" from Sydney to Auckland that same night.
The BDSF designation is to distinguish this freighter conversion as that conducted by Israeli Aerospace industries (IAI) Bedek Aircraft Group.
Sadly the current Qantas Freight schedule does not provide daylight viewing of their aircraft as they visit our shores so thanks to www.16right.com for this image of N647GT arriving into Sydney.
However, on night/day one of operations its departure from Christchurch was delayed until around 0900 affording the opportunity to catch it in partial daylight!
