request info on TAMAIR

[ding duck]

g'day all

I have been looking for info on TAMAIR, airline based out of tamworth during 1990's flying metros.
Interested in how they got started, who started the company, fleet, routes they used to fly etc.

would be good to hear from any ex TAMAIR pilots who might be able to shed some light for me.

dd.

[Veruka Salt]

GDay Ding,

I was working there when they folded in Aug 98.

At the time, they had 1 x Metro 23 which flew TMW-SYD and return and a couple of Chieftains, 5 x C310s used primarily on freight runs, plus flying school fleet of 3 x C152s, 1 x Warrior and 1 x Arrow and a Hawk XP.

At the time they went into Voluntary Administration (June 98) they had a second Metro which flew SYD-GLI-IVL-SYD and also SYD-West Sale-SYD.

Great company to work for, with a real family atmosphere. The CEO/owner is now CEO of Aviation Australia in Bris, and the CP is a CASA FOI in Tamworth.

With few exceptions, all the ex-Tamair guys have gone on to bigger and better things.

Cheers.

[nig&nog]

To any ex-Tamair pilot out there missing a picture of two Tamair Chieftans flying in formation which was left at a House at Thangool near Biloela leave me your details so I can give it back.

Nig not Nog

[Veruka Salt]

I know of an ex-Tamair bloke who was based in Thangool flying Barons for Jetcraft, don't have his contact details but believe he's a Captain with Sunnies. . . .

That'd be your culprit!!

[Shitsu_Tonka]

Do Dah, Do Dah!

[topdrop]

I learnt to fly at Tamworth Aero Club in 78. Tamair seemed to be going pretty well at the time with Charter and Flying School. Owners first name was John and I think surname was Rowland. He was a local businessman (Electrical supplies I think it was). Sorry can't be any more help.

Edit:
Subsequent posts are correct - surname was Roworth. Had a girlfriend with surname Rowland in Tamworth - lovely lass.

[OzExpat]

I started my flight training with Tamair in 1972. Ken Trotter was CFI and also my instructor. A perfect gentleman. While this info is probably less useful than all the other posts to date, the other instructor was Mike, but can't remember his surname. Is anyone able to advise?

I have many good memories of Tamworth Aero Club too!

[captk]

Tamair that brings back memories! I did my cpl with Tamair in the mid 70's with Jan Newby (who was CFI) and Mike O'brien. I think Jan Newby came on as CFI after Ken Trotter. After completing my cpl they gave me part time work flying paper runs and a bit of charter work which seemed to be the norm with their newly fledged cpl's. A great start to a career.
I think at that stage the company was owned by John Roworth and Jim Parker or Packer. (My memory is a bit foggy on those names). It was a good little company back than with a very friendly atmosphere and the machines were very well maintained. From memory they had a couple of C150's, couple of C206's and C210's, a PA28, a C310 and a Twin comanchee. Someone mentioned VH-EGG on another thread in this forum and it was one of their C206's when I was there. Also seem to remember a Piper arrow and C182 but not sure if they were there aircraft or just on line with their fleet.
Anyway I didn't hang around for too long after getting my cpl and went on to bigger and better things in the rotary wing world so lost track of their growth after that!
Hope this helps to fill in some of the gaps in Tamair's history!

[Woomera]

I wonder if John Roworth is still with us? I haven't seen him for almost 20 years. Eastern Airlines grew out of John's operation.

The last owner of Tamair is till around. PM me for name and contact number.

Sunny Woomera

[OzExpat]

captk, thanks for filling in the name for me. Mike O'Brien... I should've remembered that. I'm pretty sure that Jan Newby was around in 1972, but can't remember what he was doing at the time... perhaps instructing at TAC?

[Veruka Salt]

OzExpat,

Mike O'brien was CFI of Tamair Flying School right up until the end. He didn't travel too far!!

Did my instrument rating with him in the twin commanche.

CaptK,

I'm fairly sure I met Jim Packer in 1998; if so, then he was still with us until fairly recently.

[Capt Wally]

tamair

.................I did my IR with Mike at Tamair, I used to remember he smoked quite a bit & always had a butt not too far from his mouth, what a charactor he was/is, that was back in the late 80's during one long hot summer flying 'twin cans'. There was this fixed base flight sim that Mike used for the IF part of the training & the very first ILS I did in anger was with him during my IR flight test down to CB, never done a real ILS before & the wx at CB was very ordinary indeed, tnxs Mike for 'coaxing' me thru it :-)
Bill Bryant (aircraft engineer of whom I engineered for there once) was about then (probably still is) he was the guy that owned the hangar that Tamair operated from in the 80's before they built the 'castle' just up the rd. Many a good time was had there with lots of grass roots flying & learning, something that would be hard to experience these days in this fast ever changing world of ours.

Capt Wally:-)

[captk]

OzExpat
I think Jan Newby was the CFI at a large flying academy based at Cessnock before he joined Tamair. Not sure on the name of that academy but they had initials like NASA or something similar. I guess that would have been early 70's.
I think Jan was an ex British army pilot. Seem to recall some of his interesting stories about flying Austers in Borneo during the communist uprising over there.
Last I heard Jan is living in Inverell.

[OzExpat]

Veruka Salt and captk, my thanks to you both. I left TW in 1973 and, in the intervening years, lost track of things there. I worked for NASA, for a while, some years later but before it became CATA. That would've been after the time of Jan Newby so, if he wasn't in TW 72-73, I'll have to think about where I saw him. Methinks I'm suffering from too much brain cell assassination by alcoholic drowning...

[rmcdonal]

Capt Wally Yep Bill is still there. And still in the same place to. I dont think the aeroclub still flys (but there is a lot of drinking done down there). The old TAMAIR building is being used by APEC(?) and TAFE... I think.

[Tinstaafl]

In the early- to mid-80's Jan Newby & his son, john, were owners of New England Aviation & Charter (NEATAC) in Armidale. They became involved in some sort of affilliation or business arrangement with some other parties and were eventually forced out or chose to leave. Can't remember the exact details.

Jan retired in the 90's (I think) & John became the CP/CFI. At some point they set up shop in Inverell.

I finished my UPPL with Jan in '84 having commenced training elsewhere then moved house. A really nice bloke.

Next I bumped into anything Tamair related was when I was CP/CFI of a small start-up school & charter firm at Quirindi. Did a couple of DG courses there & the like. Got to know Judy McKenzie as well. She was instructing at Tamair at the time. Still send her chrissy cards. A really good sport, she is.

Don't think Bill Bryant will ever move. While I was working at BAe/Ansett I hired his C310 once to take my parents & gran. to my brother's wedding in Vic.

That was some time around the time of the Metro crash during a night training sorty. Was that Tamair's beginning-of-the-end or the final straw, I wonder?

[rmcdonal]

Yep John Newby is in Inverell with his own charter/instructing school.
Judy McKenzie retired from full time flying on Friday after teaching countless HUNDREDS how to fly .