Doing a Nelson-Palmerston North-Nelson run this afternoon was Originair's BAe Jetstream ZK-JSH... It looks as if the airline is getting ready to return its own aircraft to service!
This blog started off by focussing on NZ's smaller 3rd level airlines, past and present. It has evolved to trying to present some record of NZ's domestic airline operations and some of the larger charter operators, interesting NZ international airliner movements and photos I have taken around the country. Comments, corrections or contributions are welcome, Steve - westland831@gmail.com
31 May 2017
Originair's Jetstream in the Air Again
Doing a Nelson-Palmerston North-Nelson run this afternoon was Originair's BAe Jetstream ZK-JSH... It looks as if the airline is getting ready to return its own aircraft to service!
On the Journey Home
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| At the Franz Josef helipad were Fox Franz Heli Services' Aerospatiale AS350-BA Squirrel ZK-HGE... |
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| and company stablemate Hughes 369D 500D ZK-IDD. |
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| Over at the Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters' pads were Aerospatiale AS350-B2 Squirrel ZK-IKO... |
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| and Aerospatiale AS350-B2 Squirrel ZK-IVW |
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| My ride back to Christchurch, Air Nelson Bombardier Q300 ZK-NES at Hokitika on 30 May 2017 |
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| Out of the window of my Hamilton flight, ATR 72-500 ZK-MCJ at Christchurch on 30 May 2017 |
30 May 2017
At the Fox...
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| Skydive Fox's Walter conversion NZ Aerospace FU24-950 ZK-DJE at Fox Glacier on 28 May 2017 |
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| My first photo of Wilderness Wings' new Cessna 206 ZK-ETN at Fox Glacier on 28 May 2017 |
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| Early morning against the sun... Mountain Helicopters were using Inflite Charters' Aerospatiale AS355-F1 Squirrel ZK-HKY. Photo taken at Fox Glacier on 29 May 2017 |
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| Mountain Helicopters' Hughes 369E 500E ZK-HCC at Fox Glacier on 29 May 2017 |
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| The Helicopter Line's Aerospatiale AS350-B2 ZK-HDL on the Fox Neve on 29 May 2017 |
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| Glacier Helicopters' Aerospatiale AS350-B2 ZK-HFK at Fox Glacier and on the Fox Neve on 29 May 2017 |
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| Glacier Helicopters' Aerospatiale AS350-BA ZK-HJE at Fox Glacier and on the Fox Neve on 29 May 2017 |
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| Glacier Helicopters' Aerospatiale AS350-BA ZK-HJQ on the Fox Neve on 29 May 2017 |
28 May 2017
Hokitika South...
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| My ride to Hokitika - Air Nelson Bombardier Q300 ZK-NEQ on 27 May 2017... I arrived 40 hours late after fog had closed Hamilton on Thursday and Christchurch till after 12 on Friday... Late running meant I missed the Hokitika flight. |
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| The only other traffic at Hokitika was the second Q300 flight operated by ZK-NEC |
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| Hughes 500D ZK-HHO was at Whataroa |
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| At Franz Josef Skydive Franz's Pilatus Porter ZK-MCK was arriving back from a drop flight. |
26 May 2017
Originair still using Air2there
Despite my suggestion that Originair was to resume Jetstream operations, http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.co.nz/2017/05/jetstreams-to-fly-again.html, the company continues to use air2there's Cessna Grand Caravan ZK-MYH on its Nelson-Palmerston North service.
25 May 2017
Potential Air Route Number 4
There is not a lot happening in the regional airline scene at moment and so I have been doing a bit of day dreaming and have had a few thoughts on potential new air routes for our regional airlines...
Suggested Route : Palmerston North-New Plymouth
Suggested Operator : Sunair
Rationale :
This is not a route I would have thought of... but yesterday I was flying Hamilton-Palmerston North-Wellington and there were passengers transhipping from Palmerston North to New Plymouth... Inter-regional flying is still happening but it is all via Auckland and Wellington at present. Recently I was on a flight to Gisborne and heard a couple of passengers talking about the potential for Gisborne to get connections to Napier and other North Island centres.
So what routes are there? New Plymouth-Hamilton and Gisborne-Napier-Palmerston North, Napier-Hamilton and maybe Palmerston North-Rotorua-Tauranga. The airline could perhaps be called Air Central!
Previous Operators on Route :
Air Central
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| Air Central Mitsubishi Mu2s at Tauranga on 25 November 1982 |
Eagle Air
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| Eagle Air Piper Chieftain ZK-EIE at Palmerston North on 18 May 1984 |
Tyrell Aviation
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| Tyrell Aviation's Beech King Air ZK-TAL at Hamilton on 27 September 1995 |
Lean routes, the danger of high fares. Air Central seemed to get okay loads. Again, maybe the PC12 maybe the machine to get a bit of passenger appeal run on the Sunair air taxi model
Check out this Youtube clip :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVKRu5dF71M&t=169s
If you have a suggested route send me an email with your thoughts on it...
westland831@gmail.com
24 May 2017
Potential Air Route Number 3
There is not a lot happening in the regional airline scene at moment and so I have been doing a bit of day dreaming and have had a few thoughts on potential new air routes for our regional airlines...
Jarden has suggested the following two routes and I have added the third one.
Suggested Route : Christchurch-Wanaka, Christchurch-Te Anau, Christchurch-Alexandra
Suggested Operator :
Rationale :
Central Otago, in particular is experiencing spectacular growth with Queenstown leading the way. However, Alexandra, Cromwell and Wanaka are all experiencing tremendous growth and further south Te Anau is also experiencing growth. In the past Alexandra has been linked to Dunedin and to Christchurch by various operators, Wanaka has been linked to Christchurch by various operators and Te Anau was linked to Christchurch with flights operating via Queenstown and Mount Cook by Mount Cook Airlines. At present Queenstown is the regional airport but the other communities have their own aspirations. for air services. With a major airport with lots of cheap fares nearby the question is how might this work? Perhaps a Sunair air taxi model, but certainly not using Aztecs. with flights operating out of Te Anau and calling into Wanaka or Alexandra if passengers were offering. A similar model might work for flights to Dunedin and including Queenstown as a pick up/drop off point. Suggested equipment might be the Pilatus PC-12 using a Sounds Air model of fares.
Previous Operators on Route :
Goldfields Air
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| Goldfields Air's Piper Navajo ZK-JGA at Christchurch on 9 April 1986 |
Pacifica Air
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| Pacifica Air's Piper Chieftain ZK-FQW departs Alexandra on 1 December 1988 |
Air New Zealand - operated by Eagle Air
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| Eagle Air's Beech 1900 ZK-EAR at Wanaka on 8 January 2013 |
Queenstown and its cheap air fares
Check out this Youtube clip :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvn3QK8IGRo
If you have a suggested route send me an email with your thoughts on it...
westland831@gmail.com
23 May 2017
RAAF Caribous in Hokitika...
On the 12th of November 1983 two Royal Australian Air Force De Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribous visited Hokitika... I took a whole film of photos of them only to have the processor ruin the film and the photos didn't turn out. While scanning my negatives the computer was able to fix the ruined negatives and I was delighted to get these pics...
22 May 2017
Potential Air Route Number 2
There is not a lot happening in the regional airline scene at moment and so I have been doing a bit of day dreaming and have had a few thoughts on potential new air routes for our regional airlines...
Suggested Route : Masterton-Auckland
Suggested Operator : Air Chathams
Rationale :
Previous Operators on Route :
Wairarapa Airlines
http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.co.nz/2010/11/wairarapa-airlines-revisited.html
Air Wairarapa
Negatives :
Suggested Route : Masterton-Auckland
Suggested Operator : Air Chathams
Rationale :
Air Chathams has proved itself to be a real community airline as seen on its services from Whakatane and Whanganui to Auckland services to say nothing of the Chathams service. The Wairarapa continues to grow as indicated with more and more commuters using the train service to Wellington, Presumably many of these are business people choosing to live in the Wairarapa who would have need for flights to Auckland. Flying from Masterton would save the up to 2 hour commute to Wellington Airport and parking at Wellington Airport which costs up to $29 per day or $55 for 2 days. The other interesting feature of the Masterton route is the vast majority of people are flying on a domestic sector only to Auckland so there is no issue with transhipping to another airline.
Previous Operators on Route :
Wairarapa Airlines
http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.co.nz/2010/11/wairarapa-airlines-revisited.html
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| Wairarapa Airlines' Piper Chieftain ZK-WAI at Masterton on 16 January 1986 |
http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.co.nz/2010/11/air-wairarapa-and-air-kapiti.html
Air New Zealand - operated by Eagle Air
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| Air Wairarapa's Piper Chieftain ZK-KIM at Wanaka on 30 March 2002 |
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| Eagle Air's Beech 1900 at Masterton on 24 January 2011 |
Negatives :
Masterton's runway may need extending for Metroliners...
Check out this Youtube clip :
If you have a suggested route send me an email with your thoughts on it...