No Convairs for Whakatane

The prospect of large planes taking off from Whakatane Airport has come to a shuddering halt. New regulations around aviation certification has prevented Air Chathams from launching a service that would see a 50-seater aircraft fly between Whakatane and Auckland. This ruling has arisen from a project involving Wellington Airport trying to extend its runway by 355 metres so it can draw more international flights to the city. Air Chathams general manager Duane Emeny says this move cuts off their development potential to be able to test the effectiveness of large planes. He says there was a time when they didn't have to worry about these restrictions. 

Source : http://www.1xx.co.nz/news, 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

At the Franz Josef helipad were Fox Franz Heli Services' Aerospatiale AS350-BA Squirrel ZK-HGE...

and company stablemate Hughes 369D 500D ZK-IDD.

Over at the Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters' pads were Aerospatiale AS350-B2 Squirrel ZK-IKO...

and Aerospatiale AS350-B2 Squirrel ZK-IVW

My ride back to Christchurch, Air Nelson Bombardier Q300 ZK-NES at Hokitika on 30 May 2017

Out of the window of my Hamilton flight, ATR 72-500 ZK-MCJ at Christchurch on 30 May 2017

At the Fox...

Skydive Fox's Walter conversion NZ Aerospace FU24-950 ZK-DJE at Fox Glacier on 28 May 2017

My first photo of Wilderness Wings' new Cessna 206 ZK-ETN at Fox Glacier on 28 May 2017

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

Mountain Helicopters' Hughes 369E 500E ZK-HCC at Fox Glacier on 29 May 2017

The Helicopter Line's Aerospatiale AS350-B2 ZK-HDL on the Fox Neve on 29 May 2017

Glacier Helicopters' Aerospatiale AS350-B2 ZK-HFK at Fox Glacier and on the Fox Neve on 29 May 2017

  

Glacier Helicopters' Aerospatiale AS350-BA ZK-HJE at Fox Glacier and on the Fox Neve on 29 May 2017

 

Glacier Helicopters' Aerospatiale AS350-BA ZK-HJQ on the Fox Neve on 29 May 2017

Hokitika South...

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.

The only other traffic at Hokitika was the second Q300 flight operated by ZK-NEC

 

Hughes 500D ZK-HHO was at Whataroa

At Franz Josef Skydive Franz's Pilatus Porter ZK-MCK was arriving back from a drop flight.

 

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.

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

http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.co.nz/2013/11/air-central-north-island-commuter.html

Air Central Mitsubishi Mu2s at Tauranga on 25 November 1982

Eagle Air  

http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.co.nz/2013/01/eagle-airways-part-1-fledgling-eagle.html

http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.co.nz/2013/05/the-eagle-spreads-its-wings.html

Eagle Air Piper Chieftain ZK-EIE at Palmerston North on 18 May 1984

Tyrell Aviation

dlevelnz.blogspot.co.nz/2012/03/tyrrell-aviation-flying-between-new.html

Tyrell Aviation's Beech King Air ZK-TAL at Hamilton on 27 September 1995

Negatives :
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

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

http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.co.nz/2010/09/goldfields-air-alexandras-airline.html

Goldfields Air's Piper Navajo ZK-JGA at Christchurch on 9 April 1986

Pacifica Air  

http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.co.nz/2010/10/pacifica-air-profile.html

Pacifica Air's Piper Chieftain ZK-FQW departs Alexandra on 1 December 1988

Air New Zealand - operated by Eagle Air

http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.co.nz/2013/01/final-boarding-call-for-wanaka.html

Eagle Air's Beech 1900 ZK-EAR at Wanaka on 8 January 2013

Negatives :
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

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...