3rd Level New Zealand

21 October 2024

Four pics from Ardmore today

Flight 2000's Douglas DC-3 ZK-DAK at Ardmore on 21 October 2024

Robinson R66 Turbine ZK-HNG at Ardmore on 21 October 2024

Interesting - CAA says ZK-IDU is an Airbus Helicopters MBB-BK117 D-3

But here is Airbus Helicopters H145 ZK-IDU at Ardmore on 21 October 2024

Delighted to capture Canadian Home Rotors Safari ZK-IOU at Ardmore on 21 October 2024

20 October 2024

Boeing 737 ZK-JJD

While preparing another post some time ago I came across a New Zealand registered Boeing 737 I had never heard of, Boeing 737-2H6 ZK-JJD which was on the New Zealand register for 10 weeks in 1998.

ZK-JJD/1 Boeing 737-2H6 Line No. 559 c/n 21732

9M-MBJ 28/02/1979 First flight

19/03/1979 Malaysian Airline System, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

05/04/1991 International Lease Finance Corp, California, USA

05/04/1991 Malaysian Airline System, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...leased

00/07/1993 Registration cancelled

PK-IJF 19/07/1993 Bouraq Indonesia Airlines, Jakarta, Indonesia

00/07/1998 Registration cancelled

ZK-JJD 10/07/1998 Air New Zealand Ltd, Auckland

31/07/1998 Air New Zealand Engineering Services, Christchurch

29/09/1998 Registration cancelled

3B-LXM 29/09/1998 Air Gabon, Libreville, Gabon

00/00/2000 Registration cancelled

PK-IJO 05/12/2000 Bouraq Indonesia Airlines, Jakarta, Indonesia

00/00/2001 Registration cancelled

PK-ALH 00/09/2001 Star Air, Juanda, Indonesia

00/00/2002 Registration cancelled

PK-KJM 18/09/2002 Bali International Air Service, Jakarta, Indonesia

00/00/2004 Registration cancelled

PK-RIN 00/09/2004 Mandala Airlines, Soekarno, Indonesia

00/01/2006 Withdrawn from use and stored Jakarta, Indonesia

I had never heard of this aircraft so I contacted ex-Air New Zealand's John Mounce who was able to fill me in with the details.

John writes, Here she is. It was a deal arranged with one of the company Lessors........Indigo Aviation (Sweden) and was to facilitate maintenance on the aircraft prior to going to Air Gabon. Norm Taylor handled it for Indigo and pulled in some favours to make it happen. Air New Zealand was the only legal entity recognised by CAA (rather than Air New Zealand Engineering Services) but it was never intended to be more than a project for enabling maintenance.

Here is the aircraft on delivery.........Norm was on the flight and took this image.

Beyond that I have memory fade!

On its delivery flight to Gabon and carrying a New Zealand registration, Air Gabon's Boeing 737 ZK-JJD at Honiara, Solomon Islands, in September 1998. The aircraft became 3B-LXM in Gabon. Photo : N Taylor

19 October 2024

Westport's New Schedule

Originair's new Westport schedule gives an impression of what the region's air service will look like. Sadly Westport's daily service won't be suitable for business people and it more or less returns to what Air New Zealand offered back in 2015 and before.

Originair will operate flights to and from Westport six days a week, Sunday to Friday with a daily service each day.

Wellington to Westport
Sun and Fri 1430-1530
Mon-Thu 1040-1140

Westport to Wellington
Sun and Fri 1720-1820
Mon-Thu 1230-1330

An index my posts on air services through Westport can be found here

https://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2015/04/westport-index-of-posts.html

A post on the last Eagle Air operated Air New Zealand flights to Westport can be found here

https://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2015/04/end-of-link-westport-farewells-air-new.html

A post on the commencement of Sounds Air's flights to Westport can be found here

https://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2015/04/sounds-airs-westport-service-takes-off.html

18 October 2024

Westport says, Good Bye Sounds Air - Hello Originair

A new operator has been revealed on the Wellington-Westport regional route after Sounds Air confirmed it is dropping the service from December 31. Nelson-based Originair has stepped into the void, flying six times a week between the centres from January 3, down from the 15 that Sounds currently operates. Originair uses the 18-seat British Aerospace Jetstream, while Sounds mainly used the PC12 which can carry nine. Originair currently operates flights from Nelson to Palmerston North, Wellington and Hamilton, and between Palmerston North and Hamilton. Tania Armstrong, Originair’s customer service manager, said the airline will provide more than 11,200 seats annually. “Morning flights will connect Westport with Wellington from Monday to Thursday, while afternoon services on Fridays and Sundays will cater to leisure travellers, aiming to grow the weekend market between both destinations. These weekend flights alone will offer over 3700 seats per year.” CEO Robert Inglis added that depending on passenger demand, the airline could include connections to Nelson in the future. Blenheim-based Sounds has been operating the route since April 2015, but is leaving after “reviewing the sustainability of its regional network”. CEO Andrew Crawford admitted to Stuff Travel it was a “sad day“. “We've been doing it now for nine years and really feel we've given Buller tremendous support and they admit that, but the economic climate is such that it's just not tenable. It’s depressing really.” The service had a “pretty reasonable” 65% capacity on flights. The aviation market is the toughest he has seen in his 21 years at the airline: “Post Covid, the combination of staggering jet fuel costs, a weak NZD exchange rate, increasing landing fees and CAA charges, wage pressures, high interest rates, and the dramatic international escalation in the costs of servicing engines have been crippling. This coupled with ongoing supply chain disruptions has been brutal for us, as it has been for Air New Zealand. We currently have two aircraft grounded awaiting parts, with no known delivery dates.” He also stressed a frustration with a lack of government support, having been encouraged to apply for funding through the Provincial Growth Fund and the Regional Infrastructure Fund, but had been rejected twice. Sounds Air confirmed it is dropping the route from December 31. “I don't have the time or the energy (to apply again). It's just (a) very, very long and painful process and I'm not doing it again. When you see the support that the national carrier has gotten over the years and (with) regional aviation, the regional operators are expected to mortgage their properties to support regional connectivity in this country. Frankly, I find it embarrassing.” But he added: “There's no shame in pulling out. I mean at some point you got to make business decisions and this is a decision.” Sounds had recently announced it had overhauled its schedule, which took more than a year of planning, and it had factored in the loss of the Westport service. Buller Mayor Jamie Cleine thanked Sounds Air for its nine years of service, saying it had been “instrumental in connecting Buller with the capital. We recognise the challenging market conditions that have impacted the route and truly appreciate the great service they have provided over the years”. “We're looking forward to working with Originair to ensure this essential connection continues. I’m very pleased that Originair share in our aspirations to grow the Buller as a destination in its own right.” Tourism in Buller is on the up, with visitors staying 330,800 nights in the year to June 2024, that’s an increase of 8000 guest nights from the previous year.

Source : https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/350454691/big-changes-coming-wellington-westport-route-new-operator-steps

A Moot Point

I keep a list of the aircraft types I fly on... Last weekend I flew on a Q400...

My question is, a Q400 a new type or a variant of a Q300???

Any thoughts???

ZK-NEY Dash 8-100 before flying Rotorua-Christchurch on 25 March 1987

Bombardier Q300 ZK-NEE before flying Kerikeri to Auckland on 10 December 2023

Bombardier Q400 VH-QOM before flying Canberra to Sydney on 12 October 2024

My type list at present is...

Aerospatiale ATR 42

Aerospatiale ATR 72 -200 -500 -600

Aeroprakt A-22 Foxbat

Airbus 220

Airbus 300

Airbus 310

Airbus 319

Airbus 320

Airbus 321

Airbus 330 -200 -300

Airbus 340 -300 -600

Airbus 350 -900

Airbus 380

Alpha R2160

Auster

Beech 1900 -C -D

Beech 99

Bell Jetranger

Boeing 717 -200

Boeing 727 -200

Boeing 737 -100 -200 -300 -400 -500 -700 -800 -900 -Max 8

Boeing 747 -200 -300 -400

Boeing 757

Boeing 767 -200 -300

Boeing 777 -200 -300

Boeing 787 -8 -9

Boeing C-17

British Aerospace 146 -200

British Aerospace Jetstream 3x -31 -32

British Aerospace Jetstream 41

Britten Norman Islander

Britten Norman Trislander

BRM Aero Bristell LSA

Canadair Regional Jet 700 900

Cessna 172

Cessna 180

Cessna 185

Cessna 206

Cessna 207

Cessna 208 Caravan, Grand 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 Piston Turbo

DHC-6 Twin Otter

DHC-7 Dash 7

DHC-8 Dash 8 -100 -300 -400

Dornier 228

Douglas DC-3

Embraer 110 Bandeirante

Embraer 145

Embraer 170

Embraer 190

Embraer 195

Fairchild Metroliner II III 23

Fokker 100

Fokker 50

Fokker 70

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 Archer 161 181

Piper Pa28 Cherokee 140 235

Piper Pa28 Warrior

Piper Pa31 Navajo Chieftain

Piper Pa32 Cherokee 6 Saratoga

Piper Pa34 Seneca

Piper Pa38 Tomahawk

Piper Pa39 Twin Comanche

Piper Pa46 Meridian

Rans Courier

Robin

Saab 340

Waco F series

17 October 2024

POE Departs

Air Chathams' Fairchild Metro 23 ZK-POE is in the final boarding process before departing Auckland in an Australia-bound container. A big thanks to Alex Parker who caught it being loaded at Auckland on 17 October 2024. Alex writes...

I was dropping someone off at Auckland Airport today and I noticed something interesting - POE with her wings and empennage snipped being prepped for a shipping container! Not shown in the photo was the empennage itself, lying just behind the shipping container. I apologise that the photo couldn’t be clearer, I wasn’t expecting to see anything that required a camera!

ZK-POE was cancelled from the New Zealand civil aircraft register as "withdrawn" on the 6th of June 2024 and was placed on the Australian civil aircraft register as VH-AC5 on the 19th of July registered to EastWest Aviation Pty Ltd and being operated by Sharp Aviation Pty Ltd.

A full history of ZK-POE's New Zealand history can be found here : https://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2024/06/zk-poe-cancelled-from-register.html

Wellington Monday of Last Week - Last Photos

More Wellington on 7 October 2024... This time a look at the last odds and sods taken from Koru

Sunair's Piper Aztec ZK-ECM was a surprise visitor

Air Whanganui's Beech King Air ZK-MKG... Interestingly it is not wearing titles not that I have photographed it in the last 8 years... https://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2019/05/air-wanganui-and-piper-mojave.html