31 August 2017

Kaikoura Air Service Extended



Sounds Air have announced that they have officially extended their Blenheim - Kaikoura route until the 31st of October! Sounds Air has up to 5 flights per week on the Blenheim to Kaikoura Route.



30 August 2017

Jetstar conceding regional business traffic?



Regional travellers may have to alter their plans thanks to a change in Jetstar flight schedules that cut a number of early flights from the regions. Jetstar recently published its new regional schedule, which starts on October 29. The airline currently operates a seasonal schedule of 104 return services a week across its five regional routes. This will increase to between 107 and 114 with the new schedule, but with several of its early morning services cut. A Jetstar spokesman said the airline regularly operated seasonal schedules to match seat capacity with travel demand. "We're making some adjustments to our regional schedule to better align our flights to when our customers want to fly," he said. "Jetstar's regional network has been a success story for New Zealand travellers, bringing low fares to areas that had previously lacked competition and choice." Under the current flight schedule, Jetstar operates early morning flights between 6am and 8am out of New Plymouth, Nelson, Napier and Palmerston North. However under the incoming schedule, the earliest flight out of New Plymouth would be 11.45am. Napier would also lose its early morning flight to Auckland with customers set to arrive there at 10am instead of the current 7.35am. Nelson's 6.30am flight to Auckland would also be changed to depart at 10.15am with Palmerston North's first flight also pushed out. The spokesman said the earlier flights had been shifted to later in the day, however the airline was putting on earlier flights out of Auckland for business people travelling to the regions. "New Plymouth is more a leisure market for us so we have the mid-morning and mid-afternoon flights all week with the extra two weekend return services, on Friday and Sunday evenings," he said. "These services are targeted at weekend travellers coming to New Plymouth or locals heading to Auckland." This time last year Jetstar operated 122 return flights a week on the regional routes. That was reduced in July this year to the current seasonal schedule of 104 return flights. Hawke's Bay Chamber of Commerce chief executive Wayne Walford said he hoped this wouldn't impact on business travellers too much, but said Jetstar may be looking to fill a gap in the market at that time. "There are a lot of people that fly in and fly out early in the morning - I'm not sure what the numbers are but it is very busy. There's certainly a lot flying out of here," he said. "They may be trying to avoid competing directly with Air New Zealand because you see Jetstar and Air New Zealand in at the same time and going out within five minutes of each other so that direct competition may not have paid off for them." Air New Zealand operates early morning flights to and from Nelson, Napier, New Plymouth and Palmerston North during the week.

In the Inbox

Thanks to the three photographers who sent in some pics over the last week or so...

DShutter sent this pic of Fly My Sky's BN Islander before its recent rebranding. Photo taken on Waitangi Day, 6 February 2017 at Auckland.
AgairNZ records the sad demise of Convair 580 at Auckland on 27 August 2017
Grayson caught FlyStark's Gippsland Airvan at Tauranga on 29 September 2017. I'm looking forward to the relaunch of services over the summer.

28 August 2017

Fly My Dark Sky Islander



Thanks to MRC Aviation for these photos of Fly My Sky's Dark Sky Islander, ZK-PIY taken at Auckland on 28 August 2017





A Gloomy Hamilton Day

It's stayed a fairly gloomy day today after the rain passed through Hamilton on 28 June 2017
Visiting the city is Cessna 650 Citation III N163JM
On air ambulance duties from New Plymouth was the Taranaki Air Ambulance Trust's Cessna 421 Golden Eagle ZK-TAM 
In for maintenance was HeliA1's Aerospatiale Squirrel ZK-IUU


26 August 2017

Airlines and Aircraft Types...

Nothing to post so I thought I would share my flight log of airlines and aircraft types I have flown on...

It makes quite a list...

In terms of NZ airlines I have flown on the following domestic services...

Air Albatross
Air Chathams
Air Napier
Air Nelson
Air New Zealand
Air West Coast
air2there
Ansett New Zealand
Barrier Air
Bell Air
Coast Air
Coastair
Eagle Air
Flight Hauraki
Freedom Air
Golden Bay Air
Great Barrier Airlines
Jetstar
Kiwi Regional
Mount Cook
NAC
Newmans Air
Origin Pacific
Originair
Pacific Blue
Qantas
Qantas NZ
Salt Air
Soundsair
Southern Air
Sunair
Tasman Pacific
Westland Flying Services


I've flown into the following NZ airports on scheduled services

Kaitaia
Kerikeri
Whangarei
North Shore
Auckland
Hamilton
Tauranga
Whakatane
Rotorua
Taupo
Gisborne
Wairoa
Napier
New Plymouth
Whanganui
Palmerston North
Paraparaumu
Masterton
Wellington
Picton
Blenheim
Nelson
Takaka
Westport
Greymouth
Hokitika
Kaikoura
Christchurch
Timaru
Oamaru
Mount Cook
Wanaka
Queenstown
Dunedin
Invercargill
Stewart Island
Chatham Island
Pitt Island


In terms of International airlines I have flown on the following on their international or domestic services...

Aegean Airlines
Aer Arann
Air Dolomiti
Air India
Air New Zealand
Air One
Air Rarotonga
Alitalia
American
Britannia
Cathay Pacific
Central Wings
China Southern
Easyjet
El Al
Emirates
Freedom Air
Frontier
KLM
Korean
Lufthansa
Malaysian
Manx2
Qantas
Qatar
Royal Tongan
Ryanair
Singapore
SkyEurope
Sunflower
Swiss
Thai
THY-Turkish
Transavia
Turtle Airways
United Airlines
US Air
US Air Force
Virgin Australia
Virgin Express
VLM


And for aircraft types I have flown on

Aerospatiale ATR 42
Aerospatiale ATR 72 -200 -500 -600
Airbus 300
Airbus 310
Airbus 319
Airbus 320
Airbus 321
Airbus 330 -200 -300
Airbus 340 -300 -600
Airbus 380
Alpha R2160
Auster
Beech 1900 -C -D
Beech 99
Bell Jetranger
Boeing 727 -200
Boeing 737 -100 -200 -300 -400 -500 -700 -800 -900
Boeing 747 -200 -300 -400
Boeing 757
Boeing 767 -200 -300
Boeing 777 -200 -300
Boeing 787 -8
Boeing C-17
British Aerospace 146 -100 -200
British Aerospace Jetstream 3x -31 -32
British Aerospace Jetstream 41
Britten Norman Islander
Britten Norman Trislander
BRM Aero Bristell LSA
Canadair Regional Jet 700
Cessna 172
Cessna 180
Cessna 185
Cessna 206
Cessna 207
Cessna 208 Caravan
Cessna 402
Cessna 404 Titan
Convair 580
De Havilland 104 Devon
De Havilland 82 Tiger Moth
De Havilland 83 Fox Moth
De Havilland 84 Dragon
De Havilland 89 Dominee
De Havilland 90 Dragonfly
DHC-3 Otter
DHC-6 Twin Otter
DHC-7 Dash 7
DHC-8 Dash 8 -100 -300
Dornier 228
Douglas DC-3
Embraer 170
Embraer 190
Embraer 195
Embraer Bandeirante
Fairchild Metroliner II III
Fokker 100
Fokker 50
Fokker Friendship -100 -500
Gippsland Airvan
Hawker Siddeley 748
Hiller UH-12
Let 410
Lockheed Hercules
Lockheed Starlifter
McDonnell Douglas DC-10
McDonnell Douglas MD-82
Mitusubishi Mu2
NZAI Fletcher
Pilatus PC12
Pilatus Porter
Piper Pa18 Cub
Piper Pa23 Apache Aztec
Piper Pa28 140 161 181 235
Piper Pa31 Navajo Chieftain
Piper Pa32 Cherokee 6 Saratoga
Piper Pa34 Seneca
Piper Pa38 Tomahawk
Robin
Saab 340


How does your list look?

25 August 2017

Two Jetstreams picked up


Appearing on the CAA register for air2there are the two Inflite Charter BAe Jetstream 32s ZK-ECI and ZK-ECJ. Air2there operates Originair's services and so I presume they are for Originair instead of air2there. BAe Jetstream 31 ZK-JSH is also registered to air2there. ZK-ECI is already in Originair colours having been used by Originair while Air Freight (NZ) operated their services. It has been parked at Auckland for the past year. ECI flew to Nelson yesterday.

Originair is currently operating air services between Nelson and Palmerston Noth and commences operations between Nelson and New Plymouth on 29 September 2017.

Any predictions of what they might do with three Jetstreams?

BAe Jetstream 32 ZK-ECI in Originair colours at Auckland on 28 January 2017
BAe Jetstream 32 ZK-ECI in Inflite Charter colours at Tauranga on 7 November 2016

Return to Tauranga

Cessna 172 ZK-COS at Tauranga on 25 August 2017

Vans RV-8 ZK-MRM at Tauranga on 25 August 2017

Registered earlier this month, Cessna 172 ZK-OEM at Matamata

22 August 2017

Tauranga Day 5

A nice hour at Tauranga this morning before heading home

Classic Aviation Adventurer CA18 ZK-CMR

Eagle Flight Training's Diamond DA20 Katana did a touch and go
Piper PA28-140 Cherokee ZK-DGQ
Robinson R44 Raven ZK-HRR
Tauranga Helicopter Training's Guimbal Cabri G2 ZK-IIF
Bombardier Q300s ZK-NEP and ZK-NEW

Sunair 20 Whiskey departs for Hamilton operated by Piper PA23 Aztec ZK-PIW 
Very sharp looking Cessna 206 ZK-RPM
Tauranga Aero Club's Cessna 152 ZK-TAC  
Mount Maunganui shipping

21 August 2017

Tauranga Day 4

Day 4 at Tauranga, Monday 21 August 2017

The last photo of the day... Cessna 172 ZK-DPN operating as Sunair 13 November arriving I presume from Whitianga or Great Barrier Island
A better shot of Eurocopter AS350BA Squirrel ZK-ITA
Airbus Helicopters MBB-BK117 D-2 ZK-ITF was a new one for me
Piper PA31 Navajo ZK-LWN was visiting from Blenheim 
Cessna 185 ZK-MCR nearing the end of its rebuild
Vans RV-7A ZK-MIS was another new one for me
Rutan Varieze ZK-NCD enjoyed a taxi around in the sunshine
 

A couple of Bombardier Q300s, ZK-NFB...
and ZK-NFI
Another new gyrocopter for me - AutoGyro Cavalon ZK-OHF
Magni Gyro M24C ZK-PLW
Cessna 152 ZK-SWC was in the circuit
Robin R 3000/160 ZK-TJH departed
And some views out the window...