Golden Bay Glitch

A Takaka-based airline which links Golden Bay to Wellington is chartering services from rival airlines after it lost the ability to carry passengers. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the air operator certificate of Golden Bay Air had "lapsed". Initially, a spokeswoman said the regulator had undertaken an audit but would not give details. "We're working with them to have it re-issued." Shortly after a story on the situation was published, CAA clarified that its recent contact with Golden Bay Air included a special purpose audit, which can be initiated "as a result of information received". According to documents on the CAA website, this type of audit is undertaken "to establish the cause of poor safety performance, or to identify a particular problem within an organisation". The CAA would not discuss what issues prompted the audit. "We can't comment on details of the issues we're currently working through with the company." Initially based in Wellington and called Capital Air, the airline changed its name to Golden Bay Air and relocated to Takaka in 2009. It operates two single-engine and one-twin engine Piper aircraft, with services from Takaka to Wellington, Nelson and Karamea, as well as scenic and charter flights. Golden Bay Air director, Richard Molloy, said the air certificate lapsed on March 20. "In this case we haven't finished fulfilling the requirements of that recertification process," director Richard Molloy said. Where customers had made bookings, the airlines had chartered flights from other airlines, including Picton-based Pelorus Air. "We're not operating any flights ourselves. What we're doing is that people that we've got booked, we are chartering other operators to do our work for," Molloy said. "We're working our way through it with the CAA at the moment and hope to be operating ourselves again soon." He was not aware of anyone raising concerns around safety or maintenance. The process which led to the licence lapsing was "routine", Molloy said. "This is a five-yearly event that every operator goes through. It's a routine five-yearly recertification event."

Source : https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/102943240/golden-bay-air-chartering-from-rivals-after-operator-certificate-lapses

More from Port Moresby

A desperation shot of Air Niugini De Havilland Canada DHC-8-311 Dash 8 P2-ANO at Port Moresby on 6 April 2018

Air Niugini Boeing 737-800 P2-PXE at Port Moresby on 6 April 2018

Air Niugini Boeing 767-300 P2-PXV at Port Moresby on 6 April 2018

More from Brisbane

A sister ship to what I was in... Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800 at Brisbane on 6 April 2018

Another Boeing 737-800, Tigerair's VH-YUD

A desperation shot of McDonnell Douglas MD-82's VP-CBH and VH-CBI

Southern Courier - Aerial Charter (Southland)

Aerial Charter (Southland) Ltd was incorporated as a private limited liability company in Christchurch on the 13th of November 1975. The five shareholder/directors, G M Orbell, A N Eccles, N J Robertson, A C Mitchell and G B Orbell, the "Piper Comanche Partnership", owned Piper PA39 Twin Comanche ZK-ECS for their own private use as well as hiring out the aircraft to training organisations for advanced flying instruction and for private charter.

In 1976 the new company applied for an air service licence to operate an Air Charter and Air Taxi Service from Invercargill to any licensed aerodrome in New Zealand using the Piper Twin Comanche. Several local companies and individuals submitted evidence letters of support and public interest. Supporting evidence also claimed that local sporting, farming and cultural groups members wished to travel to areas not served by scheduled airlines. The company was duly granted its air services Licence on the 10th of June 1976 with the service shall commence not later than 1 July 1976. 

By September 1976 Aerial Charter (Southland) Ltd had inaugurated a weekday Invercargill-Dunedin-Christchurch freight service on behalf of Airfast Freight Ltd, which leased Aerial Charter's Twin Comanche. This service was usually flown by company pilot Jeff Sly. A connection was made with Capital Air Services’ courier services at Christchurch. During the weekend the Twin Comanche was available for general charter work. However, the courier service was short-lived and had ended by the 31st of March 1977. At that date the aircraft had flown 523.7 hours and carried 211 passengers and 47,856kg of freight. 

Air Charter (Southland)'s Piper Pa39 Twin Comanche at Timaru on 29 February 1979

With the service ended the company applied to temporarily replace the Twin Comanche with a Cessna 185. The aircraft in question was operated by Hollyford Air Travel and due to the seasonal nature of Hollyford Air's business in Northern Fiordland the aircraft was not required by that company until the spring. On the 1st of May 1978 the Licensing Authority approved an amendment of the company’s licence by deleting the Twin Comanche in favour of the addition of a Beech Baron, ZK-SUN, to the fleet.  

  

In November 1978 Aerial Charter (Southland) successfully returned to the Air Services Licensing Authority seeking permission to add a Cessna 177 Cardinal, ZK-DRC, to their fleet to "exclusively for work contracted by Hollyford Tourist and Travel Company Ltd". 

However, without the regular courier service there was no real demand for the company’s charter and air taxi services and these ceased in 1981. On the 29th of  November 1982 Aerial Charter (Southland)’s licence was revoked. 

Fokker Jets

Yesterday, 6 April 2018, was a real day for Fokker jets for me... 7 photos and my first flight on a Fokker 70...

At Brisbane Alliance Airlines' Fokker 100 VH-JFB was giving way to us...

Alliance Airlines' Fokker 100 VH-FGB was on push back - wearing a 90th anniversary of Sr Charles Kingsford Smith's Trans Pacific flight

At Port Moresby were Air Niugini's Fokker 100s P2-AND (above) and P2-ANF (below)

and Fokker 70s P2-ANT (above) and P2-ANU (below)

And my ride to Mount Hagen, Fokker 70 P2-ANV at Mount Hagen

I will never complain about Hamilton traffic again...

Talk about horrendous... trying to get to the Auckland International viewing park yesterday from the city... gridlock!

So late in the late with variable conditions but one or two nice pics...

Air Chathams Saab 340 ZK-KRA

Air New Zealand Boeing 787-9 ZK-NZF

Air New Zealand Boeing 777-300 ZK-OKM

Air New Zealand Boeing 777-300 ZK-OKP

Barrier Air Cessna Grand Caravan ZK-SDB

Fly My Sky BN Islander ZK-SFK

Jetstar Bombardier Q300 VH-TQK

Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800 VH-VOR

Sunair - Comments on the Grounding and Future Plans

Sunair Aviation has won the right to fly again after being grounded for six months. Owner Dan Power said the lengthy time out of the air had cost the airline "millions" and it could be several months more before it could resume full passenger services because of an acute pilot shortage. The company will recommence daily flights between Whangarei and Kaitaia, Hamilton and Tauranga on April 21 but difficulty recruiting at least four pilots would delay resumption of flights between Hamilton, Tauranga, Rotorua and Gisborne. Power is  upset about the time it took the Civil Aviation Authority to work through maintenance and other issues which he said should never had resulted in suspension of the airline's air operators certificate, and the certificate of airworthiness for its fleet of 13 aircraft. Sunair says the pilot shortage will make it difficult to resume full services following a lengthy grounding by the Civil Aviation Authority. "It's been a long winded affair to return to the skies and the down time has been expensive for the company." "I complained to the authority that they were not working with us in a timely fashion but they are of the view that they were, and did all they could." Irene King, part of a group of aviation consultants who worked unpaid with Sunair to help them get back flying, is also critical of CAA's handling of the case. "We didn't get a response to letters, we got told that staff are not available, they're on leave, they're too busy. "We've got a pretty good idea of what unsafe looks like, but we've not been able to see anything of any significance or substance anywhere and we have been over it [Sunair​] for months." CAA deputy director of air transport Mark Hughes is adamant that Sunair's suspension was warranted due to safety concerns which arose during a comprehensive audit and subsequent investigation of the company's operations. He said those concerns had been addressed by a change of senior management, improved maintenance control procedures, rectification of aircraft airworthiness deficiencies and improved management systems. 

For the full article see : https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/102828064/sunair-wins-right-to-fly-again-but-says-lengthy-grounding-cost-millions