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Skystar320
18th May 2009, 04:14
I was too young to remember these airline, but scratching the surface makes me want to know more.

I know there are some good 'oldies' out their with wealth of knowledge but fill in the blanks

- Routes?

Sydney - Hamiliton Island, Tasmania hobart?

- Fleet?

BAe 146-300, F27-500 & B727-200 Ansett fleet The good old 'conrad' jupitar

404 Titan
18th May 2009, 05:44
And before the BA146 and B727 they had the mighty F28. As a kid I use to jump on the F27 from Sydney to Grafton to go stay on the farm for the school holidays. :ok:

Numbers Up
18th May 2009, 05:51
They were the days!

The Saturday mystery flight, walking out to the Friendship on the Syd ramp shared with the Masling Queen Air's ( think thats what they were..) I lost count on how many mystery flights i did - enjoyed everyone of them!!:)

Skystar320
18th May 2009, 05:59
Ahhh The F28!

Lovely aircraft, well advanced for its age....

Those who are more knowledgeable then me, where did they fly>?

THRidle
18th May 2009, 06:00
In the days when you used to do the base checks in the actual aircraft.

Up at Tamworth, doing a single engine go-round from dot feet on crackle power !!! scaring the crap out of all the chickens. I understand they still lay square eggs to this day.:ok:

Buster Hyman
18th May 2009, 06:17
A great airline once Abeles took control of it..... :E


(Ooooh, LocoBloko's gonna berate me for that!):eek:

Pinky the pilot
18th May 2009, 06:26
(Ooooh, LocoBloko's gonna berate me for that!)

And you'd deserve it too Buster! :=:D

Chief galah
18th May 2009, 06:41
Anyone know the whereabouts of John Kelly who was my
PPL instructor at Stawell in Victoria circa 1969? ($15 per/hour dual or solo)
He left there for EastWest in the 70's.
I remember the EWA F28's on the SY-Tassie routes but can't recall if they went thru' ML.
Thread drift
DCA's F28's that did the navaid checks were always impressive with their gear up go-rounds from 50' AGL.
DCA also had a weekly training flight to Tassie from EN on Tuesdays, which was good for a cheap holiday down there.

Stationair8
18th May 2009, 06:47
East-West Airlines goes back to the post World War 2 days using Avro Ansons, Lockheed Hudsons, Douglas DC-3'S before moving into Fokker Friendships, Fokker Fellowships and Abeles Curse the BEA-146 and then Ansett's crosshired B727's.

East-West also operated a Twin Bonanza on behalf of the CSIRO for rain making, a Lockheed Hudson on an aerial mapping contract, expressed an interest in manufacturing the Victa aircraft, a DC-3 for survey work and supplied pilots for the NSW Air Ambulance contract up until Ansett purchased them in 1987.

In 1987 East-West serviced the following ports Port Headland, Karrathe, Perth, Ayers Rock, Cairns, Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Inverell,
Kempsey, Glennn Innes, Tamworth, Armidale, Grafton, Norfolk Island, Port Macquarie, Taree, Sydney, Canberra, Albury, Melbourne, Wynyard, Devonport and Hobart.

Alomg the line they also started East Coast Commuters with some Piper Chieftains and Titans which then became Eastern Airlines, which is now Qantaslink.

EastWestLoco will correct me if I am wrong but the F-28 used to leave Hobart in the morning go via DPO to Syd then Gold Coast - Brisbane -Cairns and another one would do the reverse run.

Thanks Mr Abeles!

CharlieLimaX-Ray
18th May 2009, 07:06
Also owned Skywest at one stage in the 1980's.

Wanted to buy B737-200 QC, but Mr Abeles the PM at that stage disallowed that silly idea.

Used to run flight Sydney-Hobart in the F27's in the 1970's bypassing the cosy two airline duopoly.

Tmbstory
18th May 2009, 07:20
Numbersup:

The Masling Queen Air's were an A65 model VH-MWH and A70 model VH-MWI and MWJ, from memory.

Tmb

tinpis
18th May 2009, 07:27
The other twinny (JH )retired now? And what of Dave "Sambo" Bastic? (sp)

alangirvan
18th May 2009, 07:37
The first East West F-28s arrived in 1983 when Bryan Grey was there. They had been ordered earlier, but postponed. They were used between Sydney and Albury, and then you could get into an East West F27 and fly Albury-Melbourne, giving you a special offer fare of $120 return between Sydney and Melbourne. This was revolutionary for 1983. The F28s were used to Maroochydore, Gold Coast, Devonport, Hobart and Alice Springs/Ayers Rock. It was at the end of 1983 that Bryan Grey sold East West to the Skywest Group. There was a cheap fare between Perth and Sydney via Ayers Rock, when the F28 was ferried back for checks at Tamworth.

The Ansett competition for the Sydney Albury Melbourne service was an AirNSW F27 service. AirNSW did not have the right to fly Sydney to Albury, so their plane landed at ABX, went to the end of the runway and took off again, without dropping or picking up passengers.

BPA
18th May 2009, 08:11
They also placed orders for 2 or 3 F100's:ok:, however when Ansett took control they F100's were sold in Canada and Eastwest ended up with the 146:{

Capt EFIS
18th May 2009, 08:21
First ever flight in an aircraft was on their F27 going from Port Macquarie to Sydney.

mostlytossas
18th May 2009, 11:34
Masling Queen Airs and EW Fockers now that takes me back. I used to catch the Masling flights from Cootamundra (Jack Maslings home town) to Sydney back in the 70's. In those days the run was from Coota to Young then Sydney and was often the case passengers getting on at Young had to be limited due to weight,especially if someone was connecting with a international flight and had 30odd KG's of bags. The poor soul/s that had to miss out then was hurriedly driven to Cowra to catch the East West friendship to Sydney. Those were the days, but we all somehow coped with it without any turmoil.

clear to land
18th May 2009, 12:08
'Sammy' Bastic was at RFDS Cairns a few years ago, but I believe may now be retired?

zlin77
18th May 2009, 18:14
Flew Masling's Queen Airs, including VH-CLH (Straight tail) before joining East -West in the air ambulance, which in it those days was possibly one of the best run G.A. operations in Australia. After 3 years of that and a 20db hearing loss jumped to the right seat of an F27, this produced a further 10 db hearing loss over 3 years before the pleasure of R.H.S. on the F28, now that was a fun machine with a great network, East-Coast pilots did SYD-DPO-HBA, SYD-OOL-BNE-CNS,SYD-ROK-MKY,SYD-YLA-SYD, SYD-TMW-BNE etc. nothing better than a CNS overnight, generally with cabin crew who were party animals(Debbie, Margie & Nora) followed the next day with a leisurely early afternoon departure CNS-BNE-OOL-SYD-DPO-HBA for a night in The Wrest Point Casino! Ah, flying used to be such fun.......

mates rates
18th May 2009, 23:06
Buster hope you are joking!!! Abeles destroyed a great airline.

Frank Arouet
19th May 2009, 00:48
Who can forget the "champagne flight" Sydney to Coolangatta via Newcastle. Free bubbly and became more well known as the "vomit comet".

They also flew Orange, Bathurst because one microburst put one onto the paddock there. Everyone walked away.

Buster Hyman
19th May 2009, 01:06
You are wrong there mates rates...he destroyed 2. :(

twodogsflying
19th May 2009, 01:54
CharlieLimaX-Ray

Actually it was the other way round.

Rick Stowe owned Skywest and then bought East West when Skywest was the biggest GA outfit in the country.

Ables was always interested in East West but the government at the time, ACCC or whatever it was called in the 80's blocked any move for East West to directly sell to Ansett.

However that in itself was a loophole so in August 1987 Stowe sold Skywest and East West to a used car dealer in Perth who the very next day sold both to Ansett and Hawke let it go ahead setting inplace 89.

Ables put his plans down in 1980 just after he bought Ansett in an interview published in "Australian Aviation". Makes intersting reading.

Razor
19th May 2009, 03:02
East West also did SYD-YBOK(Oakey)-SYD servicing Toowoomba in 1979 using F27. My Dad was the East West rep in Toowoomba. Remember going out to Oakey to watch the planes then ended back there flying for the Army about 5 years later.
My Dad also worked in Armidale. I remember many a long night for him busing the pax to/from Tamworth due to the fog at Armidale. Only a NDB apch back then. Also with the height the F27 was weight limited off the runway. Many a day spent juggling the load and balance sheet to make it work.

twodogsflying
19th May 2009, 03:11
Another story about East West:

In those days - well before ASIC, the various companies issued there own ID's to staff. They would take a Passport photo and laminate it into a credit card sized ID with the company logo.

A particular F28 Captain in Sydney took his home and took a photo of his Dog with Sunglasses, Company Hat and Headset over the lot. He then put this inside the laminated ID and used it for about 3 years before he was finally pick up on it. I heard that he got the full treatment from the "Smiling Assassin" (berated for an hour, nothing more).

Times where different then!!!:E

zlin77
19th May 2009, 04:29
That same Captain with Doggy ID also held the unofficial record from OOL-BNE (old airport) ,I believe it was 9 minutes airborne, on The Norfolk Island flights with a 45 minute turnaround he was known to organise a car to be ready for his arrival, drive to the local beach, swim and arrive back on board at the last minute, the F/O was left behind to prepare for the departure and our Capt. would slide into his seat with the A/C door closing behind him commanding "start 2", with another on time departure!!
Also memories on the SYD-YLA flights if arriving early, to do a lap or two of the rock for the benefit of the pax, Japanese tourists loved it.

CharlieLimaX-Ray
19th May 2009, 06:22
twodogsflying, thanks for that it was the age of GordonGecko and airlines got bought and sold over liquid lunches!

A number of pilots did very well out of being in Skywest at the right time and finally finished up with Ansett seniority numbers.

One would have EastWestLoco, Fantome and DogOne would have been in on this thread?

Fris B. Fairing
19th May 2009, 07:34
I originally posted this on another thread but this is a better home for it

http://www.adastron.com/aviation/vault/F27-VH-EWA.jpg

Anyone wanting to read about East-West's use of the Hudson can find chapter and verse here (http://www.adastron.com/lockheed/hudson/ewa-pt1.htm)

It needs to be said that EWA had a remarkable safety record with the Hudson.

Rgds

aerodyne47
19th May 2009, 07:40
Eeny Weeny was based in Tamworth and had very strong Country Party links. (chairman Sir Donald Shand whoes son is/was a prominent QC, I think). In the 60s/70s their network was extensively throughout NSW with the market split between them and Airlines of NSW (Ansett).

They were handled in Sydney by TAA until an expansion of the terminal was possible when the International terminal moved to the western side of the airport and TAA expanded around the corner. Some of the TAA terminal staff moved to EW. Are you still around Buddy Holly?

EW routes from Sydney were something like Albury, Cowra/Young/Grenfell, Bathurst/Orange/Parkes, Tamworth, Glen Innes/Inverell, Port Macquarie/Taree.

Aside from the microburst at Orange I think they also put a DC3 into The Lakes golf course just NE of KSA one night. "Feather No1", "Roger, feathering No2" Oops!

Jabba the Hut had a large hand in their demise, methinks

peuce
19th May 2009, 21:23
IIIIII rememberrrr ....

Travelling SYD - Norfolk in an EWA F27-500 ....
The first 6 passenger rows were removed and replaced with tarp covered freight.

I also remember that on the return leg, the aircraft was taxied back behind the bitumen runway to nearly the boundary fence, the brakes jammed on, the dog whistles screaming ... then brake release ...and getting airborne just before going over the cliff at the end of the (old) runway.

They were great days ...

B772
20th May 2009, 02:05
Alangirvan. The SYD-ABX-MEL services you refer to were operated by AN, not WX and were designated Air Coach services. You correctly point out no passengers were dropped off or picked up at ABX.

When the Wx was 'bad' at ABX or the flight was running late the a/c overflew ABX at cruise altitude which resulted in formal complaints from EW. A few crew did touch and go landings at ABX before the practice was outlawed by the company after customer complaints.

During a fuel dispute in the 80's an AN F27 picked up fuel at ABX which resulted in a complaint from EW to the fuelling agent.

An F27 under the command of the KMart kid (G.... S....) 'left' the runway after landing at ABX citing control problems. Engineers could not fault the a/c and further flights were event free.

Buster Hyman
20th May 2009, 02:33
I'm worried now. :uhoh:

LocoBloko hasn't responded...I'm thinking he's on his way up to MEL to kick the living suitcase out of me!!!:eek:

Skystar320
20th May 2009, 06:03
The 146-300's were 6abreast, not the ordinary 5 made for a very cramped feeling....

CharlieLimaX-Ray
20th May 2009, 07:24
Didn't the fuselage of the F-27 damaged at Bathurst finish up residing at Bankstown for a number of years?

Did East-West operate the F-27 to Melbourne-Mt Gambier -Adelaide during the early 1980's?

East-West operated the F27-500 on the Sydney- Alice Springs run for a while, when they were trying to circumnavigate the two airline agreement.

judge.oversteer
20th May 2009, 11:28
Thanks guys for such an interesting and nostalgic thread. Keep 'em coming.

I was born and bred in Tamworth and learnt to fly at Tamworth Aero Club on Victa's age 17. John Henry was the CFI and the instructors were Brian Raven and Graham Brett. John was ex EWA DC3 skipper. Also John Neuce (?). John sadly died in car accident some years later. Remember the DC3's and the Hudsons. Also remember the Hudsons at the old (Racecourse) airport, I was about 6 then. Remember the first F27 they received. Many happy trips in them.

I am now a retired B744 skipper (21,000+ total hrs) and I can remember John had about 12,000 hrs on DC3's which seemed an enormous amount of hours to me at the time.

EWA certainly went through some indifferent times early on but became probably the strongest and best mid-sized independant airline in the country. Great days then. However, that all changed when Abeles and Co got their hands on the airline. Very sad indeed.

Thought I'd add my pennethworth. Keep the stories coming. Thanks.

JO

PS Great photo Frisbee.

1746
20th May 2009, 11:40
The fuse of EWL(?) did lay at Bankstown for quite a while. Post accident a team of guys from Nationwide Air Services (Bankstown) went to Bathurst to strip the aircraft into major sub-sections, fuse, outer wings and wing centre sections. This was done for Noel Vinson and his company Aviation Salvage, I believe.

roadie
20th May 2009, 12:55
Ah yes- EastWest Airlines- that brings back some memories for me...

Circa late 1980s, my first flight in a 'big' plane- (bigger than a C172 anyway!) was in a EWA Fokker Friendship from Sydney to Grafton, mid-January and the temp on departing sydney was over 40 degrees....

The flight (which was continuing on to Maroochydore) was delayed for over an hour whilst waiting for the temp to cool, as I was told.... I stood looking out the windows of the old ground-floor terminal at KSA wondering what was going on.....

Finally underway, my memories are of the deafening noise from the engines, and the peanuts in a sachet..... and of the different atmosphere of arriving at KSA for departure after being driven through big city suburbs, compared to being met by relatives at GFN, bumping over the cattle grid in their elderly HQ Holden on the way out of the airfield!

Times have changed, eh? Nowadays, folks flying to GFN travel in the much more modern SF340, and those going to Maroochydore can fly direct!

tasdevil.f27
23rd May 2009, 09:06
My first introduction to the world of aviation was a primary school trip to Wynyard airport where we jumped on an EW F27 & taxied down the old runway & back, followed by a tour of the flight services unit.

Was hooked on aircraft from that moment onwards.

EWL where are you? your absence from this thread is concerning :confused:

Pinky the pilot
23rd May 2009, 10:43
EWL where are you? your absence from this thread is concerning

Agreed! I have attempted to contact EWL to alert him of this thread.

Standing by.....

Eastwest Loco
23rd May 2009, 13:02
Pinky and Buster - the Loco Bloko has entered the building!

Hi everyone.

EW did indeed operate MEL MGB ADL in the 80's. It was not an overly successful service, as we had to park half way to Hackham at ADL.

During a pilots strike when I was seconded to Melbourne we were picking up AN and TN MEL ADL passengers on coupon value. One dude on a United ticket in First Class asked for a rebate. I told him I would bvlock out the seat next to him, sat him in the back row (propellor first) and worded up the girls not to let him off sober.

When the aeroplane returned I got the report that they had one happy camper who needed assistance to the terminal. Disgraceful:E

There was an earlier mention of the dog on the ID card - that would be Mad Mike. He also cut the Crown off his wings as he was not a royalist. Gotta love that.

An idiot savant with the F27 and the F28. He could fly the rivets off them and holds the SYD DPO record at 70 minutes chock to chock. It was EWG (F28-3000) from memory and they passed above a TN SYD MEL 727 at one stage.

One of my staff Lance Baldock was abord that flight. He looked down as they breezed past the 727.

I was on the deck, and the girl must have been coming over 300 knots on downwind, washed off on turn to base leg - fastest i have ever seen in the DPO circuit.

Abeles had to buy us as our 1st 3 F100s were rolling down the production line at Schipol, and that silver haired slime bucket with the junkie daughter delayed the processes that would have allowed us to move upward.

May the latter soon join the former.

best all

EWL

Buster Hyman
23rd May 2009, 13:58
Ahh...I think this thread is complete now! :ok:

ad-astra
23rd May 2009, 22:32
The F28's had more lives than a cat.

Having scattered in the wind in 1989 I found myself 10 years later doing a test flight and acceptance checks on Air Niuginis 'NEW' F28 that we were purchasing from Flight West.

They could no longer operate in Australia due to the Stage 3 noise Regulations.

Air Niugini though had a 2 year dispensation care of a little PNG-Australian Government agreement to accommodate some new 'visitors' to Australia's shores on one of PNG's finest tropical islands (Manus).

Anyway as the air stair door opened of the newly painted all white Air Niugini F28 I spied that the back of the last step in the air stair which extends just as the door approaches the tarmac was still painted in that brilliant green that East West was famous for.

Both a very wide smile for what was and a twinge of anger for what had occurred.

That green step lasted for as long as I did in PNG.

The F28's are no longer flying in PNG but I truly hope they were given one more life somewhere else.

Nicest aircraft I ever flew.

Dog One
23rd May 2009, 22:50
Why - these threads are great

Eastwest Loco
24th May 2009, 03:49
Devonport Airport was in its glee when Eenie Weeny and AN/WX were operating.

On one particular day we has 2 EW F28s and one F27 plus that WX flying heaemorage FKD on the deck with another F28 joining the circuit.

Kings cup rowing at Lake Barrington from memory and we were running like crazy.

Great crews, great ground staff and even better times.

One of the prettiest flights I have ever done was DPO HBA in a F28-4000, just on sundown over the Lakes. Absolutely stunning.

The scream of Darts and the crackle of Speys are blazed in the memories of all who worked on or around the girls.

Real aeroplane noise!!

Best all

EWL

Exaviator
24th May 2009, 04:53
Would one of you EWA enthusiasts be Charley W who gained his license at the SCAC Albion Park ? If so drop me an email Charley, it would be great to catch up. Cheers :ok:

Dog One
24th May 2009, 04:54
When AN decided to run DPO - MEL with the 28, while EW was still running the 27. Sitting at DPO one morning, watched 5 or 6 pax board the 27, while we were full. This was probably part of the long term plan to control EW by the ownwr of AN.
The NW coast was very well looked after in those days, minimun a F27, and or a F28. DPO - SY was a popular route and indeed atrracted pax from LST and the far NW coast.
Burnie council pressured AN to run the 28 out of Wynyard at least two days a week, as their passenger numbers dropped noticeably on the days that the 28 was operating out of DPO.
A interesting time that the NW coast won't see again!

Stationair8
28th May 2009, 07:23
judge.oversteer, information passed onto Brian Raven via various sources.

Send me a private e-mail if you want Brian's adress.

An old FSO told me a story about the Ansett NSW and East-West pilots playing games in their F28's giving dodgy DME's etc, and that resulted in an F28 finishing up on the upwind leg of the circuit at 10,000'!

judge.oversteer
1st Jun 2009, 13:40
Many thanks, please check PM's.
JO

topdrop
2nd Jun 2009, 02:36
An old FSO told me a story about the Ansett NSW and East-West pilots playing games in their F28's giving dodgy DME's etc, and that resulted in an F28 finishing up on the upwind leg of the circuit at 10,000'10,000 - F28 would just about get in from there on a wide circuit - can't think of any other RPT jet that would come close.

Fantome
4th Jun 2009, 05:54
The aforementioned Charlie W, native of Stoke, who escaped from the steelworks to train at Albion Park and piled up the ripping yarns as he progressed from Wagga Air Taxis (Brian aka 'Andy' Cairns) and EWA , then after the war, various DNA and Leech B737 exercises, was a hoot to fly with. When Thatcher gave the Arjoes 2 days to quit the Falklands, Chas and I were heading up to Maroochy with the door open on the Frugal so folk could wander up and take in the splendid view of the coast. One visitor was a quietly spoken dark complexioned young lady with a strong Latin accent. 'So where are you from?' asks Chas. 'I am from Argentina.' 'Is that so, well you don't have 2 days or even 2 hours to get off my aeroplane. We'll kick you off in half an hour. Count yourself lucky.' 'Oh pleez. I am not... what you call ? ....political.'

Another time en route home from Norfolk Is. (aka 'no poke') he's gazing out his window silently pondering something and finally turns and inclines his head and says in cultured tones, 'You know what my friend ? ..... we really have only one thing to look forward to - our nostalgia.'

And loco, remember the time when you had some trouble with a Swede was it who'd been to Rowallan for the rowing and is at the stairs and too shickered to climb them and Chas is demanding some decisive action out his window at the same time harranging the quiet mild mannnered Richard B in the R seat to hop out and sort it out. As Chas described it , Richard had switched off and was fixatedly stairing at the centre of his wheel, counting the screw heads, like the pig farmer in 'The Road to Nhill' , staring stolidly at the end of his broken shovel.

Today, for the old brigade, shades of the old EWA , later referred to when the firm was in the horrible Hungarian's grasp, as Least Best Airlines, fulfil in many ways Chas's nostalgic prophecy.

(Oh, and postscript, do you know how to make an Hungarian omlette? First - steal two eggs.)

Exaviator
4th Jun 2009, 07:46
Hi fantome, (http://www.pprune.org/members/113406-fantome)

As one who enjoyed Charlie's company and wit at both Albion Park and Wagga, can you shed any light as to his current location or contact. Would really like to catch up with him and some of the others who shared the same route to success. Cheers Exaviator.:ok:

mates rates
28th Sep 2009, 05:31
I think you will find Chas is living in Wagga.Don't know anymore details.I used to love it when you flew with Charles and Gilesie "any chance of a cup of tea for a couple of weary travellers"?

Ascend Charlie
28th Sep 2009, 06:21
First ride in an Eenie Weenies plane was in a DC-3 out of Inverell in 1960, flown by Kevin Crowe and the famous A-A-A-A-Chris Braund, he of the s-s-s-stammer which has made it into many magazines. (Chris owned 2 Mustangs which he used to fly to country airshows. His "orbit" of the Harbour Bridge gave the DCA heartburn.)

Because my father used to fly with Kevin, I got to stand between the seats up front and listen in on a spare headset. Before descent to Sydney, I returned to my seat to find that the girl in the next seat had barfed copiously all over my empty seat. EEeeeeeew!

Kevin's son Geoff also joined EWA and was in the C&T section.