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Post by Dave Homewood on May 18, 2008 15:10:42 GMT 12
I had to laugh at this editorial/news item in New Zealand Wings magazine dated July 1978.
"Reports about the possibility of F27 assembly here seem a little strangewhen one considers the probability of lessened Fokker services on Air NZ domestic runs. If the F27 Maritime were to be purchased for coastal patrol work the feasibility of assembly work could be higher, given Air NZ's sophisticated capabilities in Christchurch. But the chances of Maritime purchase don't seem high and talk of converting clapped out Air NZ units to semi-Maritime status seems unrealistic."
Hehe, those 'clapped out' F27's flew from 1980 till 1993 with the RNZAF and then moved on to another user.
The reference to Air NZ cutting domestic routes with F27's was earlier in the news that issue, saying that they were likely to replace them on some routes with Twin Otters, and other routes might go to privately owned airlines. It said Air NZ were also looking at getting the Twin otter for training crews with. Did Air NZ ever operate the Twin Otter in the end?
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Post by flyjoe180 on May 18, 2008 20:42:05 GMT 12
Air NZ steadily bought the three airlines that today make up Air New Zealand Link (Mt Cook, Air Nelson, Eagle Air).
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 18, 2008 21:11:12 GMT 12
Yeah, I knew that, but did they ever operate a Twin Otter?
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Post by nzompilot on May 18, 2008 21:30:20 GMT 12
Dave this may help you
Mt Cook operated 3 twin otters ZK-CJZ, ZK-MCO and ZK-TFS - mainly operated by their flightseeing tourist arm out of Queenstown, until this part was sold off in 1998. They all operated in Mt Cook livery but none made it into link livery.
Air New Zealand purchased twin otter ZK-KHA which it leased to Cook Island Airways for use in the Cook Islands, it was finally disposed of in 1992.
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 18, 2008 21:51:44 GMT 12
Thanks. I've never seen photos of any of these I don't think.
Getting back to the clapped out Friendships, who did the RNZAF sell them onto? Are any still flying?
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Post by Bruce on May 18, 2008 23:07:53 GMT 12
ZK-KHA pased briefly through Gulf aeronuatics whilst i worked there. Garth McGearty (one of the directors) was the ferry pilot who brought it back from the Cook Islands to SAFE air for refurbishment, then on the Malaysian Airways. We took it into the hangar to tweak the ferry fuel system and set up this fancy new piece of expensive kit that Garth had used on the ferry flights - A thing called a Global Positioning System (the first GPS I ever saw)
From Memory the RNZAF Friendships went to Malaysia as well - Merpati Nausantara rings a bell...
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Post by flyjoe180 on May 19, 2008 21:08:04 GMT 12
The fate of ex-NAC/Air NZ Friendships that went to the RNZAF are covered in an appendix of the NAC 60th Anniversary book. And also here nz-serials.adf-serials.com/nz2781.shtmlNZ2781 010167
Sixty seventh Friendship off the Fokker production line and previously PH-FCF Fokker test registration. Delivered to NZNAC on 27 February 1961 as ZK-BXB (Kotuku). Withdrawn from service with Air New Zealand on 01 December 1979. Entered Air New Zealand workshops for conversion to military configuration 02 December 1979. Registration cancelled 28 February 1980. To RNZAF Navigation and Air Electronics Training Squadron on 03 March 1980. Last RNZAF flight on 17 July 1992 with total airframe hours of 49181.5 and 60380 cycles. Sold by tender in July 1995 to Laoag International Airlines, Philippines as RP-C3888 and departed Christchurch for the Philippines on 22 July 1995. Still registered in Philippines and seen at Manila in February 2003 minus engines and other parts.
NZ2782 010168 Sixty eighth Friendship off the Fokker production line and previously PH-FCG Fokker test registration. Delivered to NZNAC on 07 March 1961 as ZK-BXC (Kerangi). Withrawn from service with Air New Zealand on 10 July 1980. To RNZAF Navigation and Air Electronics Training Squadron on 10 October 1980. Last RNZAF flight on 17 July 1992 with total airframe hours of 50528.6 and 62865 cycles. Sold by tender in July 1995 to Laoag International Airlines, Philippines as RP-C5888 and departed Christchurch for the Philippines on 22 July 1995. Sold to Presidential Airlines of Cambodia on 10 December 1998 and registered as XU-881. Still current with latest sighting in Bangkok.
NZ2783 010169 Sixty ninth Friendship off the Fokker production line and previously PH-FCH Fokker test registration. Delivered to NZNAC on 14 March 1961 as ZK-BXD (Korere). Withdrawn from service with Air New Zealand on 14 April 1980. To RNZAF Navigation and Air Electronics Training Squadron on 01 July 1980. Last RNZAF flight on 17 July 1992 with total airframe hours of 49633.2 and 61938 cycles. Sold by tender in July 1995 to Laoag International Airlines, Philippines as RP-C6888 and departed Christchurch for the Philippines on 22 July 1995. Badly damaged in a belly landing at Mactan, Philippines on 06 December 1995. Was under repair at Cebu on 01 March 1996 but shortly after was withdrawn from use and the registration was annulled in 2001. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 19, 2008 21:27:48 GMT 12
Wow, did they really leave the RNZAF as early as July 1992? I worked in the same hangar as them and thought it was at least six months later. The mind plays tricks again.
Nice to see one is still not clapped out!
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Post by Peter Lewis on May 19, 2008 22:18:08 GMT 12
After the Moorea DHC6 crash, I'm a bit leary about Twin Otters - they now say it was elevator control failure in F-OIQI that caused the crash, but are still arguing whether it was cable failure or electric trim runaway. However, there have been 8 Twin Otters registered in NZ, three for Mt Cook (as already noted), ZK-FQK and ZK-FQL for Royal Tongan, ZK-FQK/2 for Great Barrier, ZK-KHA for Cook Island Airways, and ZK-OTR for Coast Air Charter of Greymouth in the mid-1980s. The Cook Island livery was an attractive one (I was unaware that the aircraft was AirNZ owned, leased to Cook Island Airways - live and learn)  ZK-CJZ of Mt Cook was extant way back in 1969, the other two followed much later (1983 and 1995)  |
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Post by flyjoe180 on May 19, 2008 22:34:15 GMT 12
The Twin Otter is again in production by Viking.
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 19, 2008 22:45:17 GMT 12
Nice colour schemes on both there Peter. They're actually a nice looking twin for their age imho.
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