So what engine type do we have here then ?
Where would you normally find it ?
Where is it on this occasion ?

De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver , c/n 1541 , had a date of manufacture of 05-03-1964 and went to Australia to become VH-IDM with Aerial Agriculture from 06-07-1964. It was cancelled in April of 1969 as being sold abroad.
It became ZK-CZL with Fieldair Ltd at Gisborne on 16-05-1969 and first flew as such on the 26th.

ZK-CZL at Gisborne on 08-12-1970.

ZK-CZL at Gisborne on 08-12-1970/

ZK-CZL at Palmerston North on 20-11-1972.

It was damaged when it struck its loader at Gisborne on 20-09-1977 and damaged again on take off from the Rototahi Strip on 22-02-1979.
It went through the Company changes to Fieldair Holdings (Central) Ltd of Palmerston North on 18-11-1980 and to Fieldair Holdings of PN on 30-03-1984.
During 1986/1987 it was leased to Island Air Safaris of Tauranga.
It was shipped back to Australia and its NZ registration was cancelled on 25-10-1988 to allow it to become VH-OMO with L McArthur-Onslow of Walcha, NSW on 20-01-1989 and was operated by Aerial Agriculture of Armidale.
It was cancelled on 20-05-1998 and returned to Canada where it became C-GEDE on about 03-03-1999 with Recon Air Corporation of Geraldton, Ontario. Arthur Esquega of Gull Bay, Ontario features from 15-06-1999 and then 1383693 Ontarion Ltd of Thunder Bay are listed from 25-08-2000. I believe this is another way of saying NiiGaani Air of Thunder Bay, Ontario.

More pics can be found at:-

http://www.kiwibeavers.com/CZL.html

and

http://www.dhc-2.com/id449.htm

Adding a bit to the ZK-BDI/ZK-CPZ post,

Beaver ZK-BDI while with James Aviation, at Rotorua mid-1950s



and many years later, with Griffin Ag Air, at Milson mid-1980s

30% share of Montenegro Airlines on offer

The Montenegrin Government has announced the sale of a 30% stake in Montenegro Airlines. On Monday, the Government said that the nominal total value of the Montenegrin carrier amounts to 25.7 million Euros. All interested parties can send in their bids until December 15, 2010. Those interested must have had at least 5 years of experience in the aviation industry, a fleet of 10 aircraft and must have carried at least 2 million passengers in 2009. Such conditions immediately oust not only investment banks from purchasing the airline but also other airlines in the region such as Adria, Croatia Airlines or Jat. The Montenegrin Government has not set a starting price for the offered package of shares.

Last year, when there was talk of Montenegro’s sale, El-Al Israel Airlines expressed the most interest carrier. However, the Israeli national airline also requested the ownership of Podgorica and Tivat airports as part of the purchase, which was unacceptable for the Montenegrin Government at the time.

One of the lesser-known S-LSA I caught up with at the Midwest EXPO was the Rainbow Aircraft Cheetah XLS.  It's an ultralight-style flivver -- tube and ripstop Trylam fabric envelopes that are pre-sewn, pulled over the airframe components and laced up for tightness -- with a rakish look and some very nice features.
For those of us challenged by aviation budget considerations, the price of $53,000 ready to fly is certainly a draw and makes it the least expensive 3-axis, traditional planform S-LSA out there, to my knowledge anyway.  There are trikes (modified hang gliders with tricycle undercarriages) for less greenbacks, but the Cheetah is the cheapest "flivver" on the U.S. market.
The company that imports the Cheetah, Midwest Sport Aviation, was founded by three brothers who grew up going to the nearby Oshkosh airshows with their dad, a commercial-rated pilot.

The jazzy looking airplane is an import -- from South Africa -- and has a lot to offer for pilots looking for an entry-level LSA with lots of nice features.
Although you might be tempted to think of the Cheetah as more of a local flyer, it's far from incapable of XC flights.  Cruise at 65% power is 95 to 105 mph depending on engine choice, which ranges from an 85hp Jabiru 2200 to two Rotax models (65hp and 100hp).
My flight impression of the Cheetah?  Pleasantly surprised.  It's responsive and lighter on the controls than I expected of a laced-envelope airplane.  It doesn't have the same solid "airplaney" control feel as the Rans S6-ELS but I thought it coordinated with less effort than the X-Air -- and it's priced several thousand dollars less than either.
The fuel storage of nearly 25 gallons is a bit of a throwback to the early ultralight days: it's all carried in one fuselage tank behind the seats.

Gross weight of 1245 lbs. still allows a 628 lb. useful load, or upwards of 477 lbs. with a full tank.  That's a payload a lot of heavier S-LSA would be happy to own.

My report on the Cheetah will run in Plane & Pilot soon.
I put it through some cranking and banking with company co-owner Jon Syvertson and here's the short tell: it's a well-built and cleverly outfitted airplane with good performance and nice handling.  
Visibility is very good (the low overhead skylight gives a good look ahead even in medium banked turns.  
It's comfortable, easy to fly, readily climbs out at up to 1200 fpm depending on engine size and is easy to ground handle thanks to the steerable nosewheel.
It also sports full dual controls and four-point harnesses.  
All told, Cheetah XLS is a feature-packed airplane that gives you a real price option.

De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver , c/n 462 , was delivered to DH NZ Ltd on 14-07-1953 to become ZK-BDI with James Aviation Ltd from 03-09-1953 and first flew on 02-10-1953. It was blown over in a gale at Taupo on either 12 or 13-05-1958 and was cancelled on 22-08-1958. The wreckage went to Aerial Farming of NZ Ltd for it to be rebuilt.
It rejoined the register as ZK-BMO to Aerial Farming on 12-12-1958. It was crashed at Nihoniho on 02-09-1960 and was cancelled on 21-03-1961 with the remains being sold abroad.
In Australia it was rebuild by Aerial Agriculture Pty Ltd at Bankstown and was registered to them as VH-AAW on 15-08-1961. It transferred to Robby's Aerial Services Ltd of Parafield, South Australia and was re-registered as VH-RAS on 22-11-1962.
Its Australian registration was cancelled in March of 1966 and the Beaver returned to NZ to join the Fieldair fleet on 05-04-1966 as ZK-CPZ. It was damaged in a storm on 10-04-1968 (place unknown).

Two views of ZK-CPZ at Gisborne on 13-12-1970.

It did the Company name change thing to Fieldair Holdings (Central) Ltd on 18-11-1980
On 16-09-1983 ownership moved to Griffin Ag Air/Kairanga Aviation Ltd with the registration being changed to ZK-BDI on the same day.
It was moved to the Parakai Parachute Centre on 08-02-1988 and then to P Roberts on 26-09-1990 for cancellation on 20-11-1990 for export back to Australia.
On 10-01-1991 it became VH-BOS with Altair Aviation (P Roberts) of Bungador, Victoria and remains with them today.

Photos of c/n 462 can be found at:-
http://www.dhc-2.com/id1046.htm

Photos of this airframe as ZK-BDI can be seen at :-
http://www.kiwibeavers.com/BDI.htm

Photos as ZK-BMO can be viewed at:-

http://www.kiwibeavers.com/BMO.html

Additional ZK-CPZ view are at:-

http://www.kiwibeavers.com/CPZ.html

Jat investing into fleet, maintenance and “revitalisation”

After several months, the Serbian Government has finally given its backing for banks to issue a loan of up to 51.5 million Euros to Jat Airways. The Serbian national carrier will use 40 million Euros to “revitalise” itself, 9.5 million for fleet maintenance and 2 million for the lease of 2 Boeing B737-700 jets, the “Tanjug” news agency reports. Jat applied for the loan earlier this year but it took more than 6 months for the Government to give guarantees to the banks that are issuing the loan. The loan can be used within the next 6 years.

Jat will use part of the loan for some major changes it is planning to introduce, soon to be exclusively revealed on Source : EXYU aviation news : http://exyuaviation.blogspot.com. Because the loan has just been approved by the Government, the arrival of the first Boeing B737-700 aircraft might be pushed back by several weeks. Furthermore, the Serbian carrier is once again turning to the prospect of transatlantic operations. The last time the airline had such plans was in 2006. It believes that the only way it can resume long haul flights is by strengthening its regional network which is why Jat is signing new code share agreements with both Adria Airways and B&H Airlines.

De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, c/n 1609 , was shipped to Hawker-Siddelely of Wellington on 28-09-65. It was first flown on 03-12-1965 and was listed to Fieldair Ltd at Gisborne as ZK-CPS on 31-01-1966.

ZK-CPS at Masterton on 23-09-1969.

ZK-CPS at Gisborne on 26-11-1970.

It was damaged at Rakauroa on 28-10-1972. At about this time it carried the name "Captain Pugwash"

Two views of ZK-CPS at 03-10-1973

On 24-11-1976 it was involved in a fatal accident when it struck trees at Nikau.

The registration was cancelled on 13-04-1977.

Once again - more photos can be viewed at:-

http://www.kiwibeavers.com/CPS.html

and at

http://www.dhc-2.com/cn1609.html

Ohrid Airport

Ohrid’s St. Paul the Apostle Airport is one big construction zone as work on the expansion of the airport and the reconstruction of its terminal building, which commenced at the beginning of September, continues. The airport’s operator, TAV, plans for the construction work to be completed by March 2011. The project’s chief engineer, Jurgen Kurtaj from Tirana, told the “Utrinski Vesnik” newspaper that Ohrid will have the capacity to handle many aircraft. “During the summer approximately 15 aircraft landed at Ohrid per week but when the reconstruction is completed we expect the number to be much greater”. TAV is also hoping that passenger numbers will triple and that Ohrid will manage to steal away airlines and customers from nearby Priština and Tirana.

Currently, a 1.000 square meter hanger and a 2.000 square meter VIP lounge are under construction at Ohrid. The airport has already received a 6.000 square meter parking lot. The main terminal building is next to go under the hammer. TAV is investing 200 million Euros into Skopje and Ohrid airports. Currently, at Skopje, foundations are being laid for the new terminal building while its runway is being extended.

In July, Ohrid handled 7.341 passengers, a decrease of 4.2% from last year while Skopje welcomed 90.269 passengers, a strong surge of 17%.

The wonderfully run Midwest LSA Expo is history: Long Live Midwest.  The show was well supported by the industry, with many manufacturers and vendors attending to meet the public for the three day event.
All the industry and media reps I talked to, without fail, were universal in their praise for the enthusiastic, cheerful and unwavering commitment of the Midwest crew who bent over backwards to provide any and every service asked of them. 

Yet when the previous two days challenging weather (wind on Thursday, 95 degree heat and 25 mph + winds on Friday) finally gave way to a beautiful mid-70s, blue-sky day with light winds on Saturday, I'm sorry to report that the expected crowds failed to materialize.
All of the LSA dealers agreed that most of the folks who did turn out were more motivated and focused on LSA -- there were few nosewheel kickers in this crowd.
But hardworking Chris Collins, the point man in making this wonderful event happen, and the rest of us were disappointed in the turnout.
The consensus continues to support the belief that the aviation buying public just isn't ready to lay down the Grover Clevelands just yet, with the economy continuing to give mixed messages on the recovery.

That said, Chris is undaunted and plans to put this most excellent event on again next year.  He told me he'll recommend to the Mount Vernon Airport board of directors that the event run Friday through Sunday instead of Thurs-Sat as it did this year.
The airport is a fabulous venue.  The restaurant in the terminal served hearty buffet style breakfasts and lunches for $5 and $8.  More airshow-common fare such as bratwursts, burgers and corn dogs were for sale on the ramp.  The runways are long, in excellent shape, and there's ample smooth grass areas for taildragger operations.
iCub dealer Bill Canino, Prez of Sportair USA most agreeably gave me lots of grass time by treating me to landing practice for my upcoming pilot report on the lively bush critter with the Apple iPad on the panel.
Flying around the green and gold farm plains of southern Illinois is a treat in itself.  There are no shortage of emergency landing fields, so you can play around low or high and have a ball trying on the various designs.

More than 50 LSA were on display.  I had the pleasure to fly several of them, including the 3X Trim Navigator 600, an S-LSA I didn't know.  The unusual name is pronounced "three ex-treem" to denote the lovely, lively 3-axis handling.  I didn't know the Polish entry and was interested to learn it's a sister ship of sorts to the Remos GX, since the same designer created both original airplanes.  In handling, the two birds are certainly similar: light, responsive, harmonious, balanced.  The Navigator 600 was a real joy to fly.  Subjectively I find it less graceful in design than the Remos.  But inside it feels roomier, especially in headroom, and it occupies a much lower price bracket ($100K to $125K depending on equipment).  Those on a budget should give this all-composite fun flyer a close look -- as Dan Johnson noted, "it's a bit of a sleeper" that offers real value.

Another flivver I got some time in was the Rainbow Aircraft Cheetah, which at $53K is the lowest priced S-LSA I know of.  Report coming soon on that one too.
And I just head by email from Plane & Pilot Publisher Mike McMann, who is originally from the southern Illinois area.  He opined that there's just not enough population base around Mount Vernon.  Perhaps the organizers will find an airport next year closer to Chicago or St. Louis to draw from those huge population bases. 
Because in the end, like every other business, it always comes down to the numbers: the more you have to work with, the better your prospects.

De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver , c/n 1603 , was delivered to Hawker Siddeley International Ltd of Wellington on 16-07-1965. It first flew here on 17-12-1965 and was registered as ZK-CPE to Aerocraft Holdings Ltd of Wanganui on 25-01-1966. It was transferred to Wanganui Aero Work Ltd of Wanganui on 11-07-1967 with whom it carried the name "Moawhango". It ferried out of Wanganui on 08-04-1974 to join Airwork (NZ) Ltd at Christchurch from 15-05-1974. On 04-11-1977 it damaged the fuselage and wing when it slid on the strip at Hororata.

ZK-CPE at Rangiora 01-01-1978.





ZK-CPE, also at Rangiora on 01-01-1978.

Then on 01-09-1978, on Molesworth Station, it overturned following fuel exhaustion. A period of storage followed from 1980, until relisting with Virgo Fisheries Ltd of Kaikoura on 09-07-1982. 

Three views of ZK-CPE at Wanganui 15-07-1984

ZK-CPE at Ardmore on 09-08-1985

By 16-10-1985 it was with Ross B Jowitt of Auckland.
It then underwent a six year rebuild and emereged painted as a USAF L-20/U-6A.
Cancelled from the NZ register on 23-10-1998 it went back to Canada and became C-GTCF on 01-10-1998 with T C Leasing Ltd at La Ronge, Saskatchewan. and then to Points North Air Services Inc from 03-06-99. Current listed owner is Sotracom Ltee, Societe de Traduction de Communications at Cap-Sante, Quebec from 25-07-2000.

More photos can be viewed at :-
http://www.kiwibeavers.com/CPE.html

and

http://www.dhc-2.com/id484.htm

The battle for Ivan Mišetić’s successor begins

Ivan Mišetić, the CEO of Croatia Airlines, resigned a week ago with the managing board expected to approve his resignation within days. Meanwhile, the race for who becomes the new CEO has begun. “Nacional.hr” has named 35 year old Danijel Mileta as the front runner in the race. Mileta, who is currently working at the Ministry for Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, has a clean record and the backing of aviation experts. Mileta has worked on many projects in the field of transportation, his latest being the “Corridor X” project – a new, united, EX-YU rail company. Experts believe that Mileta has the energy to bring Croatia Airlines back onto the right path.

It is certain that whoever takes on Croatia Airlines has a difficult job ahead of them. In a recent nine page document, the Union of Croatian Pilots blasted Croatia Airlines and its managerial practices. The pilots are unhappy with the extremely low average cabin occupancy, the financial problems the airline has encountered and its decreasing share in the charter market. The document states that “While 102 charter companies operate to Croatia, the management of Croatia Airlines states that charter flights are not economically viable so it only operates 10 charters per week”. The document also reveals that Croatia Airlines only has a 2.4% share of flights from Croatia to Scandinavia, 7.7% to Spain and Portugal and no flights to Russia. Furthermore, lucrative ad-hoc charters operated for sports teams are decreasing rapidly as they flock towards other airlines. The document concludes that the only route Croatia Airlines dominates on is to Brussels.

Who should take on Croatia Airlines and which direction should the airline go in? Leave a comment with your thoughts.

De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver , c/n 1602 , came to Hawker-Siddeley at Wellington on 16-07-1965. It first flew from Wellington on 19-11-1965 (some say 15-11-65) and was registered as ZK-COV to Auster Air Services Ltd of Timaru on 22-11-1965.
It was fitted with a larger oversized hopper for poison bait work.

ZK-COV at Waimate 02-11-1967.

ZK-COV at Waimate 02-11-1967.

ZK-COV at Waimate on 13-11-1970

ZK-COV at Waimate 13-11-1970.

Auster Air Services became part of the Airwork establishment and the title was changed to Airwork (NZ) Ltd, Christchurch on 16-05-1974. The aircraft still carried the Auster Air Servises Ltd signage but had a small "An Airwork (NZ) Ltd Division" in small letters below, plus the AW badge on the fin.

ZK-COV at Waimate on 11-01-1975.

ZK-COV at Waimate 11-01-1975.

ZK-COV crashed with fatal results on 01-03-1975 in the Brothers Range, near Cave in South Canterbury.

A few more pics of ZK-COV can been view on :-

http://www.kiwibeavers.com/COV.html

and

http://www.dhc-2.com/cn1602.html

De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver , c/n 1084 , was delivered to DH Australia on 20-10-1957 and joined the Aerial Agricultural Pty Ltd fleet as VH-AAL3 on 19-12-1957. It moved over to Robby's Aerial Services of Parafield, South Australia on 24-01-1963 as VH-RAL.
Its Australian registration was cancelled on 10-08-1965 on export to NZ where it flew for the first time on 02-09-1965 and was registered to Air Contracts Ltd of Masterton on 04-09-1965 as ZK-CMW.
It had at least two accidents; both near Pahiatua; first was a wire strike on 14-03-1966. The second was on 19-06-1968.

ZK-CMW at Dannevirke 1967 or 1968.
Photo via Ray Deerness

It was sold damaged to Fieldair Ltd on 03-02-1969. After repair it was used as a training aircraft as it was dual control. It was withdrawn from use on 14-07-1975 having flown 8915 hours. Title moved to Fieldair Holdings (Central) Ltd of Palmerston North on 18-11-1980 until its registration was cancelled on 30-03-1984. It was transferred to the RNZAF Museum at Wigram in January 1986 and was reworked to represent the RNZAF Beaver NZ6001/NZ6010 , c/n 911 , which was lost in an incident on the Beardmore Glacier on 15-01-1960.

ZK-CMW as NZ6001 being prepared for display at Wigram 27-01-1987.

Two views of ZK-CMW as "NZ6001" as seen January 1999.

More pics can be found at:-

http://www.kiwibeavers.com/CMW.html

and

http://www.dhc-2.com/id614.htm

Adria Airways A320, S5-AAA, 1989 - 2010

Adria Airways has farewelled its final Airbus A320 which operated its last revenue flight on September 11, 2010 from Tirana to its hub, Ljubljana. The 21 year old aircraft, registered S5-AAA, was delivered from Airbus to Adria on May 16, 1989 under the registration YU-AOA. It was the 43rd A320 to be made by Airbus and the first to be powered by the new IAE Engines. Over the years, the aircraft was leased to several airlines, most recently the Libyan Afriqiyah Airways. The aircraft returned to the Adria fleet for the last time in November 2009. The aircraft has now been stored at Ljubljana Airport and is waiting to be scrapped.

Adria now has a fleet of 13 aircraft (six CRJ200s, four CRJ900s, two A319s and one CRJ100), with one order each for the CRJ900 and Airbus A319, which have replaced the aging A320s. Adria chose the A319s as a replacement for the A320s because the aircraft belong to the same category as the Airbus A320, which means the pilots, the cabin crew and the technical personnel needed no additional training. Furthermore, Adria explains that the new aircraft are more economical and environmentally friendly and are consistent with the carbon dioxide emission standard that steps into force in 2011.

De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver , c/n 1048 , was built in a 1957 and deliveered to DH Australia to become VH-AAI with Aerial Agriculture Pty Ltd from 29-07-1957.
Imported into NZ it first flew here on 29-07-1965, was cancelled from the Australian register on 01-08-1965 and listed as ZK-CMV to Air Contracts Ltd of Masterton on 18-08-1965.

ZK-CMV at Wellington 1966.

It was damaged at Weber on 18-05-1967. Then hired to Graham Stewart & Co Ltd only to suffer more damage. This time on 04-12-1967 in the Arawhata River area of the West Coast, South Island.
It then spent a while with Aviation Contracts Ltd of Invercargill during 1969 before returning to Air Contracts for cancellation on 26-01-1970 for export to Canada.

ZK-CMV with Aviation Contracts Ltd at Invercargill on 27-04-1969.

It became CF-AXC with Bannock Aerospace Ltd at Vancouver in May of 1970 and then moved to J Midgett and CC Clark who traded as C & M Airways of Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan from 27-05-1982. Its registration was amended to C-FAXC at some unknow date with Jacksons Air Service Ltd featuring. For some years now Canada has adopted a Company numbers system which makes it hard to know who actually owns what. In this case C-FAXC it was listed to 101014196 Saskatchewan on 01-08-2001 - which I believe translates to use by Ross Air Services of Sandy Bay. The latest change was on 23-10-2007 when MHA Enterprises Ltd of Theresa Point, Manibota became the registered owners.

More views of ZK-CMV can be found on :-

http://www.kiwibeavers.com/CMV.html

and

http://www.dhc-2.com/id613.htm

De Haviland Canada DHC-2 Beaver ZK-CMU was c/n 1590. It came to NZ courtesy of Hawker Siddeley of Wellington. It was first flown here on 21-07-1965 and delivered to Fieldair Ltd of Gisborne on the 23rd.

ZK-CMU at Masterton on 08-05-1971

ZK-CMU at Masterton on 27-02-1972

It followed the Company changes to Fieldair Holdings (Central) Ltd, Palmersaton North on 18-11-1980 and then to Fieldair Holdings Ltd, PN from 30-03-1984. It was withdrawn from use on 28-10-1994 and stored dismantled at Gisborne.
It was restored 1989/1990 and listed to Float Air Picton (1984) Ltd of Picton on 06-08-1990.

ZK-CMU on the hard at Picton on 10-12-1990

ZK-CMU. Picton 10-12-1990

During maintenaince at Picton on 17-09-1991.

It then went to Frank Wright at Tauranga on 15-05-1996 for rebuild and export.
Its NZ registration was cancelled on 23-07-1997 for it to became N97FW with F E Wright of Gardnerville, Nevada on 28-08-1987. On 10-12-1997 it was relisted to Barnstormer Classic Aviation of Fairford, Connecticut.
For addition pictures of ZK-CMU check out:-

http://www.kiwibeavers.com/CMU.html

and

http://www.dhc-2.com/id619.htm

With the Westland WA341G Gazelle ZK-HTB3 recently departing for "Russia" and with ZK-HTF3 having been revoked back on 24-04-2003; It is now the turn of ZK-HBH3 to shuffle off.
Westland Gazelle HT Mk2 , c/n 1418 , first flew on 24-02-1976 and was delivered to the Royal Navy as XX441 on 07-04-1976. It served with 705 Squadron and carried the code "CU-38". It was withdrawn into storage at Shawbury on 21-05-1997 and remained there until departing for NZ on 03-07-2001.
All three were re-assembled at Christchurch during October/November of 2001.
ZK-HBH3 was registered on 07-11-2001 to Brian Hall and John Butterfield and undertook its first NZ flight on 11-11-2001.

Gazelle ZK-HBH about to carry out its first flight in NZ.
Harewood Road, Christchurch 11-11-2001.

ZK-HBH in flight 11-11-2001.

It was fitted with its short legs and placed into a container at Heli Maintenance, Christchurch on 23-09-2010, bound for South Africa.



Two views of ZK-HBH being packed into a container for export.