Jetstar Impulse Gerry McGowan
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Jetstar Impulse Gerry McGowan
Hi,
Would just like to know the early history of impulse, where they started from? First aircraft? and the line of aircraft they have used up until know?
I was told it started with Newspaper runs in Cheiftians or Titans, then went through J31's, 1900's and so on, can some on fill in the gaps with a bit of history or where I can find the info?
Thanks,
Roost
Would just like to know the early history of impulse, where they started from? First aircraft? and the line of aircraft they have used up until know?
I was told it started with Newspaper runs in Cheiftians or Titans, then went through J31's, 1900's and so on, can some on fill in the gaps with a bit of history or where I can find the info?
Thanks,
Roost
Well it's a big of a story. Gerry started out in aviation with 2 1900s, he got a contract with fairfax to run papers around the country at night, the papers he carried were the Sydney Morning Herald and the Australian Financial Review, thus the 1900s were registered SMH and AFR.
At that time a little regional airline called Oxley Airlines existed, based out of Port Macquarie with a fleet of PA-31s and eventually a King Air shared with the parent company who I believed own Norfolk Island Airlines. Around that time Oxley was struggling, but gerry offered daytime use of his 1900s as they sat around on the ground all day, Oxley used them for a while but continued to default on the payments, eventually they went under and as 'payment' for the 1900s the airline was given/passed to Gerry, thus Impulse was born. The PA-31s went and Gerry got Beech 99s, and increased the fleet of 1900s slowly, and more of the 99s went. He they had a brief facination with the Jetstream 41 which turned out to be a failure, and they were returned and they concentrated on the fleet of 1900s. From there the 717s started he sold that out to Qantas, the 1900s hung around for a while and disappeared, and thus Gerry and aviation came to and end...until he had another go where he started from with 1900s and caravans doing freight until he sold out of that again.
Believe thats a bit of a quick and easy, i'm sure to be corrected where i'm wrong
At that time a little regional airline called Oxley Airlines existed, based out of Port Macquarie with a fleet of PA-31s and eventually a King Air shared with the parent company who I believed own Norfolk Island Airlines. Around that time Oxley was struggling, but gerry offered daytime use of his 1900s as they sat around on the ground all day, Oxley used them for a while but continued to default on the payments, eventually they went under and as 'payment' for the 1900s the airline was given/passed to Gerry, thus Impulse was born. The PA-31s went and Gerry got Beech 99s, and increased the fleet of 1900s slowly, and more of the 99s went. He they had a brief facination with the Jetstream 41 which turned out to be a failure, and they were returned and they concentrated on the fleet of 1900s. From there the 717s started he sold that out to Qantas, the 1900s hung around for a while and disappeared, and thus Gerry and aviation came to and end...until he had another go where he started from with 1900s and caravans doing freight until he sold out of that again.
Believe thats a bit of a quick and easy, i'm sure to be corrected where i'm wrong
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Actually started as the Impulse Transportation Group and were using a couple MU-2, cant remember if they were the same ones used by the BK bank runners by day and ITG at night.
As to the dates, well it when Oxley was still on their own so 91/92ish
As to the dates, well it when Oxley was still on their own so 91/92ish
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It was a sad day when Oxley went under and here are the sorry details.
Oxley Airlines (VQ)
Owned by B Peel et al.
Began ops to Lord Howe Island 1974 with PA 31 a/c
Expanded on east coast regional airline ops with PA 31, B200 King Airs and E110 Bandierante a/c.
Wasn't doing too badly either though the B200 was making a big hole in the accounts through some poor finance deals.
In steps Gerry McGowan with his shiny new 1900s. Picking at the flailing carcus he helped to create, he takes control of all VQ ops in Dec 1992. Slowly phases out the PA 31/B200 to emerge with all 1900s in the fleet. Not such a bad move but he droped Lord Howe. Such a shame as VQ had built up some strong support from that small community over the years.
J41s arrived in 1995 or 6 i think and the rest is history and Gerry adds another bankrupt to his resume.
Oxley Airlines (VQ)
Owned by B Peel et al.
Began ops to Lord Howe Island 1974 with PA 31 a/c
Expanded on east coast regional airline ops with PA 31, B200 King Airs and E110 Bandierante a/c.
Wasn't doing too badly either though the B200 was making a big hole in the accounts through some poor finance deals.
In steps Gerry McGowan with his shiny new 1900s. Picking at the flailing carcus he helped to create, he takes control of all VQ ops in Dec 1992. Slowly phases out the PA 31/B200 to emerge with all 1900s in the fleet. Not such a bad move but he droped Lord Howe. Such a shame as VQ had built up some strong support from that small community over the years.
J41s arrived in 1995 or 6 i think and the rest is history and Gerry adds another bankrupt to his resume.
It was a sad day when Oxley went under
Began ops to Lord Howe Island 1974 with PA 31 a/c
Wasn't it their own Chief Pilot who stood up at the coronial inquiry of (one of) their fatal crash and said the company had breached CAOs "In every respect"?
Oxley should have been shut down years before it finally went under.
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otto,
I think you'll find Gerry did not go bankrupt form Impulse, but in fact did quite well out of selling it to QF (not to say he might have come very close had QF not been interested!).
puff,
he still does the night freight, but sub-contracts it to pel-air (hence the reason they are getting a Brasilia).
I think you'll find Gerry did not go bankrupt form Impulse, but in fact did quite well out of selling it to QF (not to say he might have come very close had QF not been interested!).
puff,
he still does the night freight, but sub-contracts it to pel-air (hence the reason they are getting a Brasilia).
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otto the grot
Impulse did not file for bankruptcy. It was sold as a going entity to QANTAS because the financial backing for Impulse (mainly Singaporean superannuation funds) had withdrawn their finance.
If McGowan had continued to trade then the company would most probably have gone bankrupt. I believe that at the time the 717 fleet was profitable but the 1900 fleet was not and it was dragging the company down.
I think I am correct in saying the company (Impulse) is still operating under QANTAS as JetStar.
Impulse did not file for bankruptcy. It was sold as a going entity to QANTAS because the financial backing for Impulse (mainly Singaporean superannuation funds) had withdrawn their finance.
If McGowan had continued to trade then the company would most probably have gone bankrupt. I believe that at the time the 717 fleet was profitable but the 1900 fleet was not and it was dragging the company down.
I think I am correct in saying the company (Impulse) is still operating under QANTAS as JetStar.
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Wizofoz
After the fatal in Coffs Harbour in the late eighties, Oxley was under continued heavy surveilance from the then CAA. All ops were legal including the Cheiftain flights to and from LHI. If they were'nt legal, the CAA would have shut them down very abruptly.
The Cheiftain ops to LHI were also very profitable as Oxley owned the aircraft and did not need to fill them with 9 pax every sector. In fact they often returned from the island with very light loads, still remaining "commercially viable" and very lucrative for the company.
I don't know the exact words used but good on him for doing so if that is true. You won't get that out of too many Cheif Pilots these days. That was a very painful period for everyone including the families of the victims involved.
Yes we all know that he didn't go bankrupt or file for bankruptcy as i incorrectly suggested, but my point is that if he didn't have Qantas there to conveniently take over the business, Impulse would have folded. Gerry was a very careless business man and had little concern for anyone but himself. He got paid very well by Qantas and laughed all the way to the bank and his mansion in Vaucluse, which i might add, was paid for with all the money he syphoned out of the airline.
After the fatal in Coffs Harbour in the late eighties, Oxley was under continued heavy surveilance from the then CAA. All ops were legal including the Cheiftain flights to and from LHI. If they were'nt legal, the CAA would have shut them down very abruptly.
The Cheiftain ops to LHI were also very profitable as Oxley owned the aircraft and did not need to fill them with 9 pax every sector. In fact they often returned from the island with very light loads, still remaining "commercially viable" and very lucrative for the company.
Wasn't it their own Chief Pilot who stood up at the coronial inquiry of (one of) their fatal crash and said the company had breached CAOs "In every respect"?
I think you'll find Gerry did not go bankrupt form Impulse, but in fact did quite well out of selling it to QF (not to say he might have come very close had QF not been interested!).
Impulse did not file for bankruptcy. It was sold as a going entity to QANTAS because the financial backing for Impulse (mainly Singaporean superannuation funds) had withdrawn their finance.
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Impulse was a good company to work for back then.
Pilots there had access to:
*Well okay only SM got a company car and that was because he was a "pole-climber"- in more ways than one.
So JM bought a house in Vaucluse... so what? He owned the airline at that stage, right? It wasn't publicly owned as far as I am aware so he's entitled to make money out of it and he did.
Pilots there had access to:
- Reasonably quick left seat
- Discounted fares with Ansett (while it lasted)
- Partially tax-free salary
- A boss who didn't hate us
- Not being over-worked
- Hangar-parties now and then
- A good bunch of guys to work with
- Company cars*
- A gym for pilots on the premises (heavily under-utilised)
- The Box at the Football Stadium (if you were part of "The Royal Family")
*Well okay only SM got a company car and that was because he was a "pole-climber"- in more ways than one.
So JM bought a house in Vaucluse... so what? He owned the airline at that stage, right? It wasn't publicly owned as far as I am aware so he's entitled to make money out of it and he did.
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23MIaR,
Rene was not used or burned easily. Get your facts straight (don't be one of those media types).
I will think that you'll find that ASIC probably asked GM who knew about the transaction with QF (as they do with many big business transactions) and Rene was just one on a long list of people who GM knew/had been informed about it.
Rene was the only one stupid enough (or mentally ill enough) to trade on it.
So Rene is not a victim, no matter how you look at it. That is how these extravagant stock-brokers make the big bucks, by knowing what is happening before the market does.
Rene was not used or burned easily. Get your facts straight (don't be one of those media types).
I will think that you'll find that ASIC probably asked GM who knew about the transaction with QF (as they do with many big business transactions) and Rene was just one on a long list of people who GM knew/had been informed about it.
Rene was the only one stupid enough (or mentally ill enough) to trade on it.
So Rene is not a victim, no matter how you look at it. That is how these extravagant stock-brokers make the big bucks, by knowing what is happening before the market does.
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...Gerry the rich?
Is there any truth in the rumour he married a Fairfax? that would explain the accsess to unlimited $ and those Fairfax contracts.
As pilots go the Impulse ones were the worst mannered and most selfish in the circuit.
As pilots go the Impulse ones were the worst mannered and most selfish in the circuit.
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I worked at Oxley as a baggage handler and as a tradesman's assistant for the engineering side when I first left high school. Brian Peel was very good to me, giving me the opportunity to work in the travel agency and as a fill-in VFR scenic pilot on a Cherokee Warrior.
I did some of the weight and balance on the Chieftains that went out to Lord Howe and it was very close, but it was always at max gross, not over. It's not that far to Lord Howe from PMQ, a lot of people forget that it's actually about the closest land point.
The only fatal accident involved a Chieftain, VH-HOX that crashed while circling to land at Coffs Harbour. The pilot was 29 year old Anthony Lester Bowan. Tony died of asphyxiation in the post crash fire along with several passengers.
There was some controversy at the time regarding the lack of installation of Australian VAN-X DME.
The Chief Pilot was Paul Hardy, he was shortly after employed by CASA and testified against his old employer.
Paul later died in a mid-air collision involving a CAA Bonanza, which he was riding in the right seat as a passenger, and a glider. The pilot of the Bonanza, Bill Lord, a respected examiner also perished.
Brian Peel still runs a travel agency in Port Macquarie. He has been recognised for his heroism in the rescue of four people who crashed a Seneca through the airport car park at Port Macquarie on a sunny Boxing Day morning in the late 80's. The entire crash site was still hot and covered with avgas.
I've never seen Brian threaten anyone, and I don't believe he ever did.
The saddest aspect of VH-HOX was that Tony was married with four children and was scheduled to start at Eastern the next Monday morning. It was to be his last flight with Oxley. He was less than 30 mins flight time from home.
I did some of the weight and balance on the Chieftains that went out to Lord Howe and it was very close, but it was always at max gross, not over. It's not that far to Lord Howe from PMQ, a lot of people forget that it's actually about the closest land point.
The only fatal accident involved a Chieftain, VH-HOX that crashed while circling to land at Coffs Harbour. The pilot was 29 year old Anthony Lester Bowan. Tony died of asphyxiation in the post crash fire along with several passengers.
There was some controversy at the time regarding the lack of installation of Australian VAN-X DME.
The Chief Pilot was Paul Hardy, he was shortly after employed by CASA and testified against his old employer.
Paul later died in a mid-air collision involving a CAA Bonanza, which he was riding in the right seat as a passenger, and a glider. The pilot of the Bonanza, Bill Lord, a respected examiner also perished.
Brian Peel still runs a travel agency in Port Macquarie. He has been recognised for his heroism in the rescue of four people who crashed a Seneca through the airport car park at Port Macquarie on a sunny Boxing Day morning in the late 80's. The entire crash site was still hot and covered with avgas.
I've never seen Brian threaten anyone, and I don't believe he ever did.
The saddest aspect of VH-HOX was that Tony was married with four children and was scheduled to start at Eastern the next Monday morning. It was to be his last flight with Oxley. He was less than 30 mins flight time from home.
Last edited by Chris Higgins; 15th May 2005 at 01:26.
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I have respect for GM, how many of us have always wanted to own an airline this guy did it.
end of discussion.................................................. .....................
look rene was in the business and in the business people burn each other i am sure he gave as good as he got
end of discussion.................................................. ......................
now all of you that are disgruntled and jealous of anything these two guys did in their time shut up...
end of discussion.................................................. .....................
look rene was in the business and in the business people burn each other i am sure he gave as good as he got
end of discussion.................................................. ......................
now all of you that are disgruntled and jealous of anything these two guys did in their time shut up...
