frigatebird
5th Dec 2009, 00:27
Was in Blackall, Western Queensland recently - the entrances to the town at each end on the Matilda Highway have signs that say 'Keep Australia Beautiful - Fill The Paddocks With Santa Gertrudis'.
Departing, heard a Qantas-Link departing Longreach, and another on descent into Emerald. A Transair was in the circuit at Birdsville.
Attached is my copy of a short item that had limited distribution ages ago, reproduced with the approval of the author. Some may find it interesting, for the views and the history, and what it took to get things started.
It must be pointed out that it was written BEFORE the events of '9/11' or the 11th.September '01, and before the time Ansett collapsed..
How Long……..?
How long is a piece of string? How long is the normal life of an airline before it folds, or is swallowed? How long before new employees joining a growing carrier no longer empathise with the old hands who built it to the stage that it was an attractive airline to put their application for employment to?
The bigger they are, the longer they have been around, usually, and the more, smaller, opposition companies they have swallowed along the way. Ansett is a proud Australian company that has been in business since the ‘30’s, but a check on its lineage will show a list of once-proud regional airlines that are household names no more. And as their Operations Staff struggle to do the job they know best, under the ‘financial management’ of the Whiz Kids at Company, State and Federal Government level, they are now a pawn in an End-game played with New Zealand and Singapore.
And if the Singaporeans get Ansett this month, to go with their links to Virgin, will it be Qantas turn next year to sell their soul further. British Airways has a substantial stake there, and the public is always being fed the line that the airline needs to capitalize and get bigger to remain competitive. I am sure if they keep focused to their core business and provide the needed services in their areas of responsibility, without wanting to be giants on a world stage, they will see off any would-be challenge from foreign owned competition.
And so to my own connection, - how long - for the record.
Sunstate Airlines as a brand name has virtually disappeared, as it is now a Qantas-Link. So How Long……?
I was an Instructor doing part-time work at week-ends at Maryborough and Bundaberg in April 1971, and my logbook records intermittent trips to Rockhampton, Gympie and Archerfield in the Club Cherokee 140 over the next several months. What had happened, was that club member Geoff Moller, a road transport operator, had suggested to Bevan Whitaker, owner of Whitaker Pty. Ltd., the local Maryborough International Harvester truck and tractor dealer with branches in Gympie and a new one in Rockhampton, that he should consider flying to these places instead of driving.
Bevan took the advice, forwent the Mercedes, and crammed himself in with me, and sometimes a driver who had driven, or was required to pick up a new truck, and started an association with aviation that changed his and many others lives.
A Gayndah grazier, Peter Bambling, drew a balloted Central Queensland Brigalow block, and had a need for some trucks and tractors. He owned a 1959 straight tailed 182 Skylane VH-BXO, so Bevan took that in trade, and acquired his first aircraft. I did a check on it on the 25th. August 1971 with Bill Parsfield, and further circuits at Archerfield on the 3rd. September, before ferrying it back to Maryborough. It was used much more frequently than the Cherokee, for company flights on set days to Rockhampton, and Archerfield (to visit the IH Head Office), and on weekends to Fraser Island so Bevan and his friends could stay at his caravan there and do some fishing.
In October 1971, I didn’t renew my Instructor rating as I was now an employee of Whitaker Pty. Ltd., and worked in the paintshop as a spraypainter’s offsider when I wasn’t required to be away flying or driving trucks. In November, I did the course, and we upgraded the aircraft to Night V.M.C., so we could use it more.
By March 1972, my logbook shows charters in the aircraft to Bogimba on Fraser Island, so by this time the company had a charter licence. Fraser Island was the mainstay of the early charter operation, firstly into Bogimba, then later landing on the beaches on the surf coast when the tide was at least half out. The large opposition charter company, Island Airways, owned by Don Adams and Sir Reginald Barnewall, and operated from their private strip at Aeroasis (all subdivided now) at Hervey Bay, would not allow us to charter into Orchid Beach, so we had to land on the beach there.
On 24th. November 1972, I ferried Beech 36 VH-FWZ from Rockhampton to Maryborough. It had been acquired in a similar deal to the first one from closed airline Williams InlandAir. An owner, Stacy Rosenblatt, needed trucks and machinery to operate his mechanical gemstone lease at Rubyvale in Central Queensland and had two aircraft to trade. I hoped for the Cessna 310, but in the event got to ferry home the B.36. It had about 100 hours left on the engine, so after the engine was overhauled and the aircraft returned to service, and put on our charter licence, the 182 was sold to Fraser Island tourist operator and barge operator, Sid Melksham, of Eurong. For a while, until he got his own charter licence and pilot, I flew the B.36 for Bevan during the week, and joyflights off the beach at Eurong for Sid’s customers on the weekend.
In September 1973, I left the company for the first time, and the new chief pilot was Jack Fisher. In about December ‘73 or January ’74, Bevan sold the B.36 and bought an ex-aerial ambulance B.55 Baron VH-ATB. Later they added Cherokee 6 VH-PYD and another pilot Don Anderson, to handle the Fraser Island work, while Jack and the Baron did the company flights and long charters.
Jack left the company just before I rejoined it in July 1975. Sid Melksham’s pilot Rick Gooderham was the nominated chief pilot for a short period, until Don Anderson got his approval.
Don was the chief pilot in December 1975, when Bevan, at the instigation of his friend, Sandpiper Motel owner and commercial pilot, Graham Allen, built the private Noosa Airport, bought a new Islander and started twice-daily VFR(Reg 203 Exempt) commuter services to Brisbane to connect with Ansett services to bring in holidaymakers.
After two years with them as the senior pilot (only one most times) at Noosa Air on Islanders, Baron, Queenair 65, Cherokee 6 and 172 (for joyflights over the nudist beaches of the National Park), I left again in mid 1978 to go overseas to work.
The company kept growing. The first turbine was a Twin Otter, and 402’s and Chieftains were used from Brisbane to Maryborough, Bundaberg and Hervey Bay for Ansett connections.
With the namechange to Sunstate Airlines, affiliation to T.A.A./Australian, and Bandeirante aircraft about 1981, with Shorts 330 and 360 later, the company had arrived as an airline of choice for South-Eastern Queenslanders.
And the rest – as they say – is (probably well known) History.
Bevan sold the airline to Australian about 1987, only keeping Lady Elliot Island Resort and a couple of Islanders to service it from Bundaberg. I was Whitaker Air Charter chief pilot again for a period, and we introduced Nomad 22 VH-WRT to the route.
Now as a Qantas-Link, the old Sunstate Airline identity is submerged,
so - for this company -
How Long……?
My guess, - about 30 years..
(P.S. .. Written before 11 September ’01 and the Ansett collapse)
:)
Departing, heard a Qantas-Link departing Longreach, and another on descent into Emerald. A Transair was in the circuit at Birdsville.
Attached is my copy of a short item that had limited distribution ages ago, reproduced with the approval of the author. Some may find it interesting, for the views and the history, and what it took to get things started.
It must be pointed out that it was written BEFORE the events of '9/11' or the 11th.September '01, and before the time Ansett collapsed..
How Long……..?
How long is a piece of string? How long is the normal life of an airline before it folds, or is swallowed? How long before new employees joining a growing carrier no longer empathise with the old hands who built it to the stage that it was an attractive airline to put their application for employment to?
The bigger they are, the longer they have been around, usually, and the more, smaller, opposition companies they have swallowed along the way. Ansett is a proud Australian company that has been in business since the ‘30’s, but a check on its lineage will show a list of once-proud regional airlines that are household names no more. And as their Operations Staff struggle to do the job they know best, under the ‘financial management’ of the Whiz Kids at Company, State and Federal Government level, they are now a pawn in an End-game played with New Zealand and Singapore.
And if the Singaporeans get Ansett this month, to go with their links to Virgin, will it be Qantas turn next year to sell their soul further. British Airways has a substantial stake there, and the public is always being fed the line that the airline needs to capitalize and get bigger to remain competitive. I am sure if they keep focused to their core business and provide the needed services in their areas of responsibility, without wanting to be giants on a world stage, they will see off any would-be challenge from foreign owned competition.
And so to my own connection, - how long - for the record.
Sunstate Airlines as a brand name has virtually disappeared, as it is now a Qantas-Link. So How Long……?
I was an Instructor doing part-time work at week-ends at Maryborough and Bundaberg in April 1971, and my logbook records intermittent trips to Rockhampton, Gympie and Archerfield in the Club Cherokee 140 over the next several months. What had happened, was that club member Geoff Moller, a road transport operator, had suggested to Bevan Whitaker, owner of Whitaker Pty. Ltd., the local Maryborough International Harvester truck and tractor dealer with branches in Gympie and a new one in Rockhampton, that he should consider flying to these places instead of driving.
Bevan took the advice, forwent the Mercedes, and crammed himself in with me, and sometimes a driver who had driven, or was required to pick up a new truck, and started an association with aviation that changed his and many others lives.
A Gayndah grazier, Peter Bambling, drew a balloted Central Queensland Brigalow block, and had a need for some trucks and tractors. He owned a 1959 straight tailed 182 Skylane VH-BXO, so Bevan took that in trade, and acquired his first aircraft. I did a check on it on the 25th. August 1971 with Bill Parsfield, and further circuits at Archerfield on the 3rd. September, before ferrying it back to Maryborough. It was used much more frequently than the Cherokee, for company flights on set days to Rockhampton, and Archerfield (to visit the IH Head Office), and on weekends to Fraser Island so Bevan and his friends could stay at his caravan there and do some fishing.
In October 1971, I didn’t renew my Instructor rating as I was now an employee of Whitaker Pty. Ltd., and worked in the paintshop as a spraypainter’s offsider when I wasn’t required to be away flying or driving trucks. In November, I did the course, and we upgraded the aircraft to Night V.M.C., so we could use it more.
By March 1972, my logbook shows charters in the aircraft to Bogimba on Fraser Island, so by this time the company had a charter licence. Fraser Island was the mainstay of the early charter operation, firstly into Bogimba, then later landing on the beaches on the surf coast when the tide was at least half out. The large opposition charter company, Island Airways, owned by Don Adams and Sir Reginald Barnewall, and operated from their private strip at Aeroasis (all subdivided now) at Hervey Bay, would not allow us to charter into Orchid Beach, so we had to land on the beach there.
On 24th. November 1972, I ferried Beech 36 VH-FWZ from Rockhampton to Maryborough. It had been acquired in a similar deal to the first one from closed airline Williams InlandAir. An owner, Stacy Rosenblatt, needed trucks and machinery to operate his mechanical gemstone lease at Rubyvale in Central Queensland and had two aircraft to trade. I hoped for the Cessna 310, but in the event got to ferry home the B.36. It had about 100 hours left on the engine, so after the engine was overhauled and the aircraft returned to service, and put on our charter licence, the 182 was sold to Fraser Island tourist operator and barge operator, Sid Melksham, of Eurong. For a while, until he got his own charter licence and pilot, I flew the B.36 for Bevan during the week, and joyflights off the beach at Eurong for Sid’s customers on the weekend.
In September 1973, I left the company for the first time, and the new chief pilot was Jack Fisher. In about December ‘73 or January ’74, Bevan sold the B.36 and bought an ex-aerial ambulance B.55 Baron VH-ATB. Later they added Cherokee 6 VH-PYD and another pilot Don Anderson, to handle the Fraser Island work, while Jack and the Baron did the company flights and long charters.
Jack left the company just before I rejoined it in July 1975. Sid Melksham’s pilot Rick Gooderham was the nominated chief pilot for a short period, until Don Anderson got his approval.
Don was the chief pilot in December 1975, when Bevan, at the instigation of his friend, Sandpiper Motel owner and commercial pilot, Graham Allen, built the private Noosa Airport, bought a new Islander and started twice-daily VFR(Reg 203 Exempt) commuter services to Brisbane to connect with Ansett services to bring in holidaymakers.
After two years with them as the senior pilot (only one most times) at Noosa Air on Islanders, Baron, Queenair 65, Cherokee 6 and 172 (for joyflights over the nudist beaches of the National Park), I left again in mid 1978 to go overseas to work.
The company kept growing. The first turbine was a Twin Otter, and 402’s and Chieftains were used from Brisbane to Maryborough, Bundaberg and Hervey Bay for Ansett connections.
With the namechange to Sunstate Airlines, affiliation to T.A.A./Australian, and Bandeirante aircraft about 1981, with Shorts 330 and 360 later, the company had arrived as an airline of choice for South-Eastern Queenslanders.
And the rest – as they say – is (probably well known) History.
Bevan sold the airline to Australian about 1987, only keeping Lady Elliot Island Resort and a couple of Islanders to service it from Bundaberg. I was Whitaker Air Charter chief pilot again for a period, and we introduced Nomad 22 VH-WRT to the route.
Now as a Qantas-Link, the old Sunstate Airline identity is submerged,
so - for this company -
How Long……?
My guess, - about 30 years..
(P.S. .. Written before 11 September ’01 and the Ansett collapse)
:)