Axe to grind .....Nah, just was there...oh and somewhat moved on (lifted out of the quagmire).

However, do find the OA /HeavyLift new love amusing considering the comments when Heavylift ( O7) were competing with OA.

OA/HeavyLift/NLK, wow a great love in.

I'm intrigued, where/when were Our Airlines competing with Heavylift? One is a pure freight operation, isn't it?

And what link are you talking about S320? Other than the photograph, none of the recent posts has a link. Is it relevant?

we cannot see the picture

I'd take a punt on that as follows.

Our Airline/Air Nauru used to carry a heck of a lot of freight to Honiara and probably still do. I know they are RPT, but most of the hold and a fair few seats upstairs were traditionally dedicated to freight and there was usually a low pax load when compared to other pacific carriers, although it always went out chockers.

Heavylift also ran freight to Honiara so hence the competition, although Our Airline carried the self loading as well, and even the most dedicated LCC bogan wouldn't have wanted to sit in the back of the HVY (or wouldn't have been allowed to:E). The ramp nickname for ON used to be the Coles Express, because it carried everything from meat and vegies to ceiling fans and engine parts. The other joke was that one day you'd see them taxiing out with fully loaded roof racks. I'm not having a go at them by any means, but they certainly loaded more freight than the average carrier.

Word round the campfire is that HVY are now sharing the OA AOC? No idea if that's true and would appreciate any better info, if only for the Morbid Curiosity file.

P.S. I can't see the picture either.
P.P.S. where's a smelly ol' AN-12 when you need it? I mizz ze Ukraines...:}

dodo

Lets see....Once upon a time OA had the NLK operation, but lost it to O7 as they could not comply with the contract (their aircraft was repo'd). Next 07 was sold to HeavyLift and thus HeavyLift through OJ held the contract.

O7/HeavyLift then went into receivership and OA (who now had an aircraft again) got the NLK operation back and were happy again (actually OA got it back a few days before the receivership thing happened, but that is another story)

Note though, supporters of OA (via this forum) kinda got consumed by it all and bagged OJ/HeavyLift et all to the nth degree.


AND now it has come full circle and all are just lovvey fwiends.

How cute. :eek:

The moral of the story being:
No long term money in flying to Honiara or Norfolk. By the sounds of it, that's the case even if you run the Coles Express. Still, every two years or so (it's a weary, ever-repeating cycle) someone decides to launch a jet based airline to/from Honiara and everyone gets Very Excited, particularly if there are a couple of other marketable destinations thrown in :}.

There's no money in the Windorah/Birdsville/Bedourie/Thank-God-we-got-to-the-Isa epic either, which is why the route is government subsidised, otherwise the whole thing would be back to camel trains. Of course, you have to be able to feed the camels :}. Didn't the Norfolk government subsidise their flights? Even with that, is it still an unviable route?
Hope camels can swim...:ooh:

Van you provide a picture of the aircraft that actually works

http://southeastqldaviation.********...bne-today.html

And how would you like that prepared Sir:hmm:

I've been a long time traveller to/from Honiara and I have come to know a lot of the Our Airline people as well as the local Solomonese ground staff over many years. I've picked up a lot of information as a result by watching, asking and listening and feel I am able to comment.

Worrals etc. your comments are not correct. Our Airline do carry a lot of freight from Brisbane and, as you say, some loaded in cabin seat packs. However, very little of this is for the Solomon Islands instead being almost all for Nauru. That "they certainly loaded more freight than the average carrier" is because of the island's isolation and the fact that they have an irregular shipping service. By comparison, HeavyLift only went as far as Honiara, and not beyond, so it is not a valid comparison. HeavyLift typically could carry in 16 plus tonnes whilst the typical offload I've observed from Our Airline is usually only a baggage trolley full, at best 6-700kgs possibly?? They also uplift freight from Honiara to Nauru because no-one else goes there, not even HeavyLift.

To suggest they were in competition is fanciful.

Fair enough, thanks for the clarification. As I said, it was a guess.
So are they now sharing an AOC or was that airside rumour incorrect?
What's the nature of the 'love in' (to pinch a phrase)?

Doleque, I'm a bit amused at your naivety, plenty of companies get together even though they are competitors otherwise. Rio Tinto and BHP-Billiton attempted that (got beaten by forces greater than themselves) but do you think they would have even tried going down that path if it wasn't worthwhile? (Incidentally, BHP-Billiton is the product of a merger in itself.) Several examples of banks merging (Commonwealth Bank and Colonial, for one) tell a similar story as does something like the merger between biofuels company Farmacule and AquaCarotene - the list goes on-and-on. That OA and HL are apparently joining forces in a not unusual manner in the real commercial world could well be of mutual benefit to both.

Otherwise, what is unusual in the fact that OZ took over from OA when they lost the contract on legitimate grounds, or that OA took over when OZ suffered a similar fate? Somebody had to take over, that's just the cut and thrust of business in the real world. I understand that the Norfolk contracts are awarded by the Norfolk Administration/Norfolk Air so they could have gone to anyone who'd put in a valid and attractive tender. The fact that the tender opportunities came up because of the termination of the then existing contracts is another fact of life in business. Maybe there's some intrigue, as you indicate, in the way things happened but such stories would abound in every industry worldwide.

"AND now it has come full circle and all are just lovvey fwiends. How cute. http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...milies/eek.gif"

Nothing cute about it at all, just business.

====================================================

"Note though, supporters of OA (via this forum) kinda got consumed by it all and bagged OJ/HeavyLift et all to the nth degree."

Maybe, but those views doubtfully represent those of the respective managements. What's the relevance?

I would like to know why is the Belfast/slow sitting on taxyway Golf in Cairns. A wonderful old girl nonetheless. I think it is the last of it's kind, correct me if I am wrong. I bet it has some stories to tell. I last saw it fly about 3 years ago. I assume this is the same company. It must be costing a bomb to have it sit there. Does give Cairns a sort of exotic look tho'. I seem to remember the old 727 being chopped up, an inglorious end. They were registered it seems in some port/country of convenience, like The British Virgin Islands.
I have to agree that the Solomons and Norfolk do appear to be a graveyard and kiss of death for Ailines/operators. Good luck fellas.
Craven

still awaiting the picture

You'd be the only one, then. The post was edited about 6 hours ago. You should look harder!!

well I'll be dammed. Wonder how long these will be here for

No, I don't believe you can do that nowadays. That's one thing the Clowns Against Sensible Aviation got right. Got rid of all the operators who couldn't get an AOC in their own right.

Regarding the aircraft are they owned or lease?

If they are a lease, then questions raise to 'whom' pays the aircraft rental?

This one does have a VH rego, unlike the 727s and the Belfast.

Sorry, S320, you've lost me. What does it matter by whom the lease is paid, as long as it is?

The aircraft is VH registered (and THAT would have been a rigmarole knowing the hoops CASA put you through), and, it will have to be on someone's AOC and therefore comply with all that goes with that - what is your concern?

May I stick my beak in and ask if anyone knows what it ferried across the Pac as?

Reason I ask is I heard "Heavy 1/Heavylift 1" being repeatedly called by Nandi on HF between 2142-2148 utc on 27 Jan, so that would be around 0745 local time on 28th I think? Would VH-JWL be the aircraft in question? Can anyone confirm for me please?

Thanks a lot. :)