On this grotty drizzle soaked morning (10-06-2011) I captured these two strays (although the Navajo has been seen around for a few days),

Piper PA31-325 Navajo ZK-NOW2 (c/n 31-7912032) came to NZ from Australia and became ZK-WSB with Rob Borrius-Broek on 10-04-2000. and was based in Christchurch. It was re-registered as ZK-NOW on 24-04-2006 and joined Air West Coast in December of 2006. About a year later (22-11-2007) it was listed to Brick Securities Ltd of Auckland. It still wears the dayglo lower outer wing panels from its earlier Christchurch days.

On the tie downs beside the Canterbury Aero Club hangar was the Tecam P2008 demonstrator ZK-JAX3 (c/n 005) of Ardmore Aviation Services Ltd. It has been getting its share of exposure in the local aviation rags recently.

Mike Kindon's Aeros Ukraine Skyranger Swift ZK-SKS (c/n 815) was out for some taxying trial today (09-06-2011) with its new motor and propeller combination - checking on engine cooling. It originally had a 92 horse power Simonini engine and a three bladed 72 inch Ivo propeller. This was an ideal set up for short strip work but proved to be overpowered for normal use as the when operated within the smooth power operating range (about 5500 rpm) the airspeed was very close to the aircrafts VNE. It has now been fitted with a rebuilt Rotax 582 using a Brent Thompson two bladed prop.

Parked behind is the Aeros Ukraine Skyranger Swift ZK-SRS (c/n 816) of Wayne Wilson. This has the Aerovee 80 hp engine.

Egypt Pyramid
Egypt Pyramid
Egypt Pyramid
Egypt Pyramid
Egypt Pyramid
Egypt Pyramid

Egypt House
Egypt House
Egypt House
Egypt House
Egypt House
Egypt House

Egypt Hotel
Egypt Hotel
Egypt Hotel
Egypt Hotel
Egypt Hotel
Egypt Hotel
Egypt Hotel

09 Juni 2011

CL-415 amphibian plane of the MMEA (photo : Militaryphotos)

PUTRAJAYA, (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), which celebrated six years of its existence last February, will soon be the sole law-enforcement agency in Malaysia's waters.

Before MMEA was established, there were eight maritime agencies that enforced more than 100 federal laws, regulations and agreements. These were the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN), Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), Marine Police, Royal Malaysian Customs Department, Marine Department, Department of Fisheries, Department of Environment (DOE) and Immigration Department.

The MMEA was established on Feb 15, 2005 to resolve the overlap in maritime functions, jurisdictions and operations of these agencies. With the formation of MMEA, enforcement is now better coordinated than earlier.

The agency, however, needs to overcome several shortcomings to effectively police over 614,000 square km of the country's waters.

Among them are the issues of inadequate personnel, equipment and airbases. At present the MMEA operates only one airbase in Subang.

In a recent interview, MMEA Director-General, Admiral Datuk Mohd Amdan Kurish, said the agency has implemented several measures to enable its efficient functioning.

Acquiring Assets

Mohd Amdan said the MMEA has plans to procure more patrol ships, aircraft and other assets from the government, to increase its efficiency.

These assets include a new airbase for the maritime enforcement agency's aircraft to operate from.

"A single airbase in Subang is definitely not adequate ...we should have one here (in the peninsula) and another base in the east region (for Sabah and Sarawak)."

"But we are yet to identify the location of the airbase (for Sabah and Sarawak)," he said.

The agency was established after the enactment of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency Act 2004. Its role is to ensure safety, security and sovereignty of the Malaysian Maritime Zone. MMEA is also tasked with protecting life and property in sea waters.

The agency's jurisdiction consists of the Malaysian Maritime Zone, including internal waters, territorial sea, continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone. The air space over the Malaysian Maritime Zone is also the responsibility of the MMEA.

New Ships and Vessels

Patrol crafts of the MMEA (photo : Faizal Omar)

Mohd Amdan added that the agency's assets are currently inadequate and outdated. He said procurement of additional equipment from the government was crucial as it would enable the agency to perform smoothly, tasks such as patrolling waters and conducting rescue operations. So far, the MMEA operates 130 boats and vessels, and eight helicopters. Most of these assets belonged earlier to the Royal Malaysia Navy (RMN), and some of them are in a run-down condition.

MMEA's ships are named Marlin, Sipadan, Langkawi, Malawali, Gagah, Penggalang, Peninjau, Pelindung, Penyelamat and Kilat.

"Our assets (ships) have surpassed their age limit... the ships we got from the Royal Malaysia Navy are 38-40 years old... it is time for us to get new ships," he said.

Mohd Amdan said the vessels need to be replaced as they are inefficient and have high-maintenance costs.

For administrative purposes, the MMEA is divided into five regions namely the Northern Region, Southern Region, Eastern Region, and Sarawak and Sabah.

The Northern Region includes Perlis, Kedah, Penang and Perak. Its head office is in Penang. The Southern Region includes Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and Johor, with a head office in Johor Baharu.

The Eastern Region covers Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan, with a head office at Kuantan. The MMEA's head office for Sarawak is in Kuching while the head office for Sabah and Labuan is at Kota Kinabalu.

MMEA also has district offices and bases at locations around the coastal waters of Malaysia.

Stamping Out Smuggling

Mohd Amdan said the MMEA is currently focusing its efforts on eradicating smuggling of contraband such as drugs and firearms.

One of the crimes MMEA deals with is the rampant smuggling of consumer goods like cooking-oil and diesel in the country's northern region. This happens because the goods are cheaper here compared to neighbouring nations.

Among the biggest challenges faced by the enforcement agency is human trafficking, which requires the MMEA to conduct regular patrols and station surveillance units.

(Bernama)

Today was the first time that I have seen the immaculate Cessna 180 ZK-BDE (c/n 30459) out of its hangar.

This has been a major rebuild project by Arnold Gallagher and Malcolm Price over the last couple of years. It was re-registered to Arnold on 19-01-2011 having, I believe, been damaged near Cheviot in July and cancelled in September of 2008.

This is how it looked in November of 2008.

Turkish Airlines’ interest in Jat fades away

Despite the fact that local media has been ripe with suggestions that Turkish Airlines is keen on purchasing Jat Airways or a new national airline Serbia might create as a substitute for Jat, the CEO of Turkish Airlines, Temil Kotil, said that the airline has little interest in acquiring airlines and wants to concentrate on its own operations. “We are not as interested in acquiring airline investments as suggested by media reports”, Kotil told the “Wall Street Journal”. He outlined that the airline prefers organic growth rather than growth based on airline takeovers.

The Serbian Government has sent out facts and figures about Jat to 60 potential bidders but the exact way in which Jat will be sold depends on what the airline’s privatisation advisor, Deloit, suggests. If all goes to plan a tender for the privatisation of Jat Airways could begin in August. However, there is little hope the airline will be sold, as was the case in 2008 when it was also put up for sale. “If this tenders fails Jat will stay in government ownership but the Serbian Government will have to find a way to renew the airline’s fleet”, a government source told the “Novosti” newspaper.

Turkish interest in Jat has been speculated over the past 2 years, with various ministers, Jat CEOs and even the Serbian Prime Minister saying that the Turks are keen on purchasing Jat. One government minister went as far as saying that Turkish Airlines wanted to set up an airline called Balkan Airways which would be the national carrier of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia. However, this most recent statement from Turkish Airlines’ CEO is just the latest in a string of similar announcement denying the airline’s interest in Jat. Turkish Airlines flies to every single EX-YU country and owns 49% of B&H Airlines.

In a recent Source : EXYU aviation news : http://exyuaviation.blogspot.com poll, 88% or 258 people said that Jat won’t be sold by the end of 2011. Do you think there is any hope of selling Jat? Send a comment with your thoughts.

09 Juni 2011

RAN Westland Sea King Mk 50 (photo : Arquell01)

Preserving our Sea King Helicopters

Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare was at the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Nowra to announce that Sea King Shark 07 would be preserved at the Museum given the significant role the Sea King has played in Naval Aviation over the last 36 years.

“The Sea King has served our nation well over the last 36 years and it is fitting that an example of this Navy work horse is preserved here in Nowra,” Mr Clare said.

“Nowra was chosen to receive the Sea King helicopter because it has been the home base for the Navy’s Sea King operations with 817 Squadron since 1974.

“Sea King Shark 07 was chosen because it has the most operational history of all the Sea King helicopters, having served in the Middle East and East Timor.

“The Sea Kings are known as the workhorse of the Navy, large enough to pick up loads heavier than a Land Rover. They have flown in excess of 60,000 hours in a range of operations both at home and abroad.”

The permanent display of a Sea King in the Museum will also honour the nine Defence personnel who perished when Sea King Shark 02 crashed on the Indonesian island of Nias on 2 April 2005. They were in Indonesia to provide humanitarian assistance to the Indonesian people in the aftermath of the 2005 earthquake.

The community in Nowra was hit hard by the Nias disaster as four of the nine Defence personnel were members of the 817 Squadron based at Nowra.

“Sea King Shark 07 will be a permanent memorial to the seven young men and two young women we lost that day.

RAN Sea King Shark 07 (photo : Naemick)

“Not only does Australia owe them a great debt, so to do the Indonesian people.

The aircraft has also come to the assistance of many Australians.

In 1994 the Sea Kings were involved in one of the largest fire fighting efforts in Australia’s history. The aircraft used water buckets to fight fires raging near Grafton, Gosford, Bulahdelah, and Sydney’s western suburbs.

The Sea Kings have also been used for rescue operations at sea.

In 1998, two of the helicopters were involved in rescuing yacht crews in disastrous weather conditions during the 1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

One of the Sea Kings’ last operations was to South West Queensland to provide response and recovery efforts during the Queensland floods.

As recently as 17 May they were involved in the dramatic rescue of a climber on Lord Howe Island.

A Sea King helicopter will also be offered for display at the Australian War Memorial in recognition of the Sea King’s role in combat operations in Timor and the Middle East.

Sea King helicopters will be withdrawn from service in December 2011.

The remaining aircraft and associated support equipment will be offered for sale by tender. Announcements regarding the tender and sale will be made in the coming months.

(Australian DoD)

Think you don’t have the money or the time to learn to fly? Training to be a pilot can mean expensive instruction fees, high gas prices and maintenance charges, and it can require many hours of flight time. But becoming a pilot doesn’t have to be out of reach. By planning ahead and making strategic decisions, anyone can become a licensed pilot. Just follow these steps:

1. Research, research, research
Many aspects of the student pilot process require you to do your homework, and with all of the information available on the internet there is no excuse for you to spend a penny more than you have to. By accessing free pilot resources online (at FAA.org, for example) you will save on the cost of expensive printed materials. And if you do enough studying on your own you may not need to pay for ground school to pass the pilot’s test.

2. Explore every optionBy investigating all of the ground schools and pilot programs in your area and weighing all of the associated costs, you will get the best possible instruction for the least amount of money. Small, rural airports often give quality instruction and lower rates than bigger airports. Also, flight schools in places like Florida, Arizona, and Texas have good weather year-round that will enable you to train two to three times a week. Consistent training is crucial to making progress and will help you retain new skills from week to week. If you go to Arizona or Florida you can actually get your Private Pilot License for $5k to $8k in 14 to 30 days. Choosing the right place to learn can save you money, get you better instruction, and give you more flexibility with flight schedules.

3. Become a part of the aviation community
Get engaged in the aviation world by visiting websites and blogs online and participating in discussions. Join the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) to stay informed about the latest issues affecting the flying community. Get involved with the Experimental Aviation Association (EAA), an excellent source of information about homebuilts like the light sport aircraft (LSA) so popular right now. Or join a local flying club. Networking with other aviation enthusiasts both on- and offline will create more flying opportunities.

4. Use a flight simulator
While practice flying a real plane is ideal, it’s not always practical. Flight simulators are a great way to keep your mind in flight mode and to sharpen your aviation skills. Student pilots who exercise their flight skills frequently using methods like flight simulators often learn faster and perform better than pilots who rely solely on actual flight time.

5. Buy an older airplane
Buying a brand new piston or jet aircraft is probably not financially feasible for many would-be fliers, but don’t let that stop you. There is a big market for older, used aircraft, and with determination and discipline, anyone can save up and purchase their own plane.

Source: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=24546&ca=Career

08 Juni 2011

The Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile launches from the Vertical Launch System on board HMAS PERTH. HMAS PERTH is the first RAN ship to utilise the Australian designed and developed Phase Array Radar to detect, track and engage the remotely piloted air target (all photos : Australian DoD)

Step forward for Navy’s Anti-Ship Missile Defence

A major milestone in the delivery of an upgraded Anti-Ship Missile Defence for the Royal Australian Navy’s Anzac Class frigates has been achieved with the completion of a successful trial of the system.

Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare said the project involved a comprehensive upgrade of the HMAS Perth’s anti-ship missile defence systems including a new phased array radar.

“This technology was developed and designed here in Australia by CEA Technologies,” Mr Clare said.

“It’s cutting edge technology which will improve the ability of our frigates to detect and track targets.”
“It also means the Ship is now capable of engaging multiple targets at the same time.”

Test firing was conducted at sea last month and involved the successful firing of an Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile using the phased array radar system.

The Ship leaves today for the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii to conduct operational testing.

HMAS Perth is the lead Ship in this project. Defence will now prepare a business case for Government to upgrade the other seven ANZAC Class frigates.

(Australian DoD)

Croatia Airlines sees passenger growth

Croatia Airlines has seen its passenger numbers significantly increase in the first five months of the year compared to the same period last year. By the end of May the Croatian national carrier carried 634.867 passengers, an 18% increase compared to the same period in 2010. Therefore, Croatia Airlines carried almost 100.000 passengers more than last year and recorded the best start to the year since operating its first service 20 years ago.

In international traffic a total of 445.625 passengers chose Croatia Airlines while domestic traffic accounted for a further 176.201 passengers. This represents an increase of 20% on international flights and 13% on domestic services. All indicators point to a record summer season with the number of bookings for Croatia Airlines flights showing an increasing trend. Already 63% of all seats have been sold for upcoming seasonal summer flights offered by the airline.

Croatia Airlines has been the largest EX-YU carrier in terms of passenger numbers for years and the positive trends recorded so far in 2011 will make the carrier unreachable in this domain once again.

Bristol B170 Freighter ZK-EPG (c/n 13135) has been resting quietly at Ardmore since 31-08-1978. Built in 1954,[allocated the UK civil marks (but not taken up) of G-AMPK], as NZ5911 for the RNZAF with whom it was taken on charge on 05-05-1954 (I also have 22-04-1955). It had a short burst of civilian life when it was registered as ZK-BJP on 30-03-1955 to the Air Department for loan to S.A.F.E. This was cancelled on 27-06-1956 when it was returned to the RNZAF. It was withdrawn fron use at Whenuapai on 14-12-1977 and sold, along with several others to R S Dwen of Ardmore. It re-joined our civil register on 17-08-1978. It was never converted to civil duties and was cancelled on 18-01-1991.

Top photo taken at Ardmore on 27-02-2009.

Two lower photos taken on 07-06-2011 during its move by "Bravo Papa Delta".

This is the first time it has been off the ground for many a year

For most people sunglasses fulfill one, or both, of two purposes: as a fashion statement to look "cool," and to help cope with bright sunlight. The choices available are seemingly endless, and can range from polarized to photo chromic to colorful tints and shades.

But for pilots sunglasses are much more than a fashion statement. Sunglasses help safeguard a pilot's most important sensory asset in flight - vision. A quality pair of sunglasses is essential in the cockpit environment to optimize visual performance. They help reduce the effects of harsh sunlight, decrease eye fatigue, and protect ocular tissue from exposure to harmful solar radiation. Additionally, they protect the pilot's eyes from impact with objects such as flying debris from a bird strike, sudden decompression or an aerobatic maneuver.

The choice of tints for sunglasses is almost infinite, but the three most common tints are gray, gray-green, and brown, any of which would be an excellent choice for the aviator. Gray is recommended the most because it distorts color the least. Many pilots, however, report that gray-green and brown tints enhance vividness and minimize scattered blue and violet light, thus enhancing contrast in hazy conditions.

For pilot, sunglass lenses should screen out only 70-85% of visible light and not appreciably distort color. Any tints that block out more than 85% of visible light are not recommended for pilots due to the possibility of reduced visual acuity which could result in difficulty seeing the flight instruments, written checklists and data inside the cockpit.

While polarized lenses are very popular, they are not recommended for use in the aviation environment. While they are useful for blocking reflected light from horizontal surfaces such as water or snow, polarization can reduce or eliminate the visibility of flight instruments that incorporate anti-glare filters like the new glass cockpit environments. These polarized lenses may also interfere with visibility through an aircraft windscreen by enhancing striations in laminated glass and mask the sparkle of light reflected off of another aircraft's fuselage or wings, which in turn can reduce the ability of pilots to "see-and-avoid" other aircraft.

Photo chromic lenses automatically darken when exposed to ultraviolet light and become lighter in dim light. The majority of the darkening takes place within 60 seconds, while lightening may take several minutes. While most photo chromic lenses can get as dark as regular sunglasses, direct sunlight or warm temperatures above 70 degrees Fahrenheit can seriously limit their ability to darken, and reduced ultraviolet light exposure in a cockpit can further limit their effectiveness. Further, the faded state of photo chromic lenses may not be clear enough to be useful when flying in clouds or at night.

The selection of frames is more a matter of personal preference; however, bayonet style temples are the most popular because they are easy to put on or remove while wearing headsets or a helmet. Smaller lenses may not be practical because they allow too much visible light and ultraviolet radiation to pass around the edges of the lenses. Finally, use of a strap is recommended to prevent the sunglasses from being accidentally dislodged.

In summary, while sunglasses may add to the mystique of a pilot, sunglasses are the most important method to protect the pilot's eyes from glare associated with bright sunlight and the effects from exposure to solar radiation. Since sunglasses are such an important asset, careful consideration should be used when selecting an appropriate pair for flying.

Since 1982, Randolph Engineering has been standard issue for U.S. military pilots. Not only are their sunglasses made in the USA, but quality of materials and the precision of manufacturing the Randolph Aviator, their flagship product, actually surpass the exacting standards of the military. So when NASA Astronauts lift off the launch pad and head for outer space, Randolph is right there with them. When America's Top Gun Pilots step into the cockpit of a sleek jet fighter or the magnificent Stealth Bomber, Randolph is the priceless pair of sunglasses that helps those pilots safely navigate the skies.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/644001