End of the line for Vincent in Australia?

Its been a sad day for Vincent Aviation's Australian entity and for regional Australian aviation, with receivers appointed who have ceased trading and flying while they investigate the business.

The grounding does not effect Vincent Aviation Limited the New Zealand based parent company.

At news of the shutdown Vincent Aviation's BAE 146 ZK-ECO which has operated FIFO charters mainly on the BNE-RMA-BNE route ferried from BNE back to WLG.

Vincent operated the 146 along with 4x Saab SF340's and 5 B1900Ds on RPT and FIFO rotes manly from their Darwin base but recently had launched the SYD-NAA (Narrabri) replacing former operator Brindabella who collapsed earlier this year.

This is a blow as I know a couple of people who work for Vincent who know have uncertain futures, my thoughts are with them at this time

Read the full announcement form the Receivers HERE and the article from Australian Aviation HERE

Here is a photo of ZK-ECO at YBBN last year during better times

A few changes for nzompilot

I don't often like making personal appeals via NZ Aviation Notes but nzompilot is facing a change.

Aviation has and always will be a big part of who I am, but I haven't been able to get into the left or right hand seat for quite a number of years due to medical reasons.

The past four years I have been working in admin for an IT and telecommunications dealer but was recently made redundant from that.

So I have decided the time is right to open my own business.  So Stord Trading from nzompilot was born.

Stord Trading is an ebay store based on the ebay.com.au platform and I am using it to offer consumers the same IT, electronics and technology that I have previously only sold to business and corporate customers through my previous role.

I am taking this opportunity to use the same suppliers and all my industry contacts to offer the same products and deals to you via ebay that my previous employer offers to its corporate clients, in fact in some instances I am offering you better deals than they are.

But aviation is not forgotten as there are a few aviation models available for sale via the store as well.  I am downsizing my own collection selling off all my international models to focus just on Australasian carriers.  If you want a good deal on some aviation models please click the link below.

Please help me out by visiting the store HERE - please bookmark the link and visit often as I am always uploading more stuff for sale.  You can also like the store's Facebook page HERE.

If you have any aviation models you would like to sell off I do sell on commission and am happy to  help you sell off any models you no longer want.  The same goes for quite a lot of things.  If you are interested please contact me via email ebay at nzompilot dot info

p.s. I am hoping I will have more time to update this blog as well when I get the wheels fully in motion on this business venture

QF upgrade QF7/8 and axe BNE

In what can not be described as any unexpected move Qantas today have announced that they are replacing their daily SYD-DFW-BNE-SYD Boeing 747 flight with a 6 weekly SYD-DFW-SYD A380 flight, with no service on Tuesdays.

The new QF7/8 will take flight from Monday 29-September-2014

To facilitate this the mix of A380s and B747s on the SYD-HKG services will change.

Qantas have also retimed their QF9/10 MEL-DXB-LHR-DXB-MEL flights from Sunday 20-July-2014 with QF9 now departing MEL at 2255 and QF10 returning to MEL at 2055+2

Qantas are spruiking the fact the retimed arrival into LHR will now offer passengers onwards connections to 17 european destinations in under 4 hours transit time, compared to the previous 4.

Its another sad day for spotters in Brisbane who from September will be down to the daily B744 flight to Los Angeles as the only scheduled B747 flight into the airport.  With Qantas replacing the B747 on it SIN route with an A333.  However we should still see the odd freight charter, and possibly a last Air New Zealand B744 on a NZ135/136 if they need to up-guage capacity, but this is unlikely with their retirement so close.

Below is a video released by Qantas to promote the new A380 service to Dallas, it is presented by Qantas head of International engineering Alan Milne

You can read the full Qantas media release HERE

Qantas have also released a fact sheet about the QF7/8 changes HERE

ZQN after dark

After years of trials, tests and even a few close calls, and the trial of a Pacific Blue pilot who took off after sunset, Queenstown Airport will now be allowed take off and landings after dark thanks to RNPAR.

Queenstown now has consent for flights until 10pm.  This means currently only flights in Summer (during Daylight Saving) will be able to land late due to the lack of suitable runway lighting, however the airport will look at this.

It is expiated it could cost up to $10M NZD to upgrade the runway, taxiway, approach path and off airport lighting as well as widen the runway from 30m to 45m.

Flights wanting to take advantage of the evening arrivals aren't likely to start until winter 2016 and will need to operate under the strict RNPAR conditions.

Queenstown Airport have released an excellent video which showcases how the RNPAR (Required Navigational Performance Authroisation Required) flights work. (below) there is also a NZ Herald article on this HERE