KWK Transport...Derby WA
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VH KXK
I know this is an old post .. but it would be interesting to see any
shots of the old baron KXK ... many happy hours in the log book!
Also any contact with Kevin Kent .. I spent nigh on three very happy
years with KWK AIR TRANSPORT employed by Lou Kent in Derby .. many
happy memories .. 'cept they dug me a grave! .. another story.
Best wishes to all including Kevin .. Peter ..
shots of the old baron KXK ... many happy hours in the log book!
Also any contact with Kevin Kent .. I spent nigh on three very happy
years with KWK AIR TRANSPORT employed by Lou Kent in Derby .. many
happy memories .. 'cept they dug me a grave! .. another story.
Best wishes to all including Kevin .. Peter ..
Join Date: Jan 2011
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Hi
My grandfather still flys KXK it is is tip top condition he bought this quite a few years ago, if i could get some old pictures that would be great, it lives in a hangar at Jandakot and he flies it once a week.
I’ve only just discovered this posting, hence my belated response.
I got to fly KXK occasionally in Derby. I flew the RFDS Queen Air for about six months in 1967 (when CFS got the RFDS contact after MMA and their contract pilot had so mishandled it) and again in 1969 when the then permanent pilot, the very grumpy John Whiting, went on leave. Because FDV had to be ferried to Perth for her 100 hourlies, it was occasionally necessary to eke out the hours so as to arrive at Jandakot on a certain day. To achieve this (at my suggestion) the RFDS dry-hired KWK Transport’s Baron. It was a very pleasant change for me after the Queen Air; again I appreciated the Baron’s nimble handling and bags of grunt. I note too that in 1967 B.33 KZK and B.35 KWK appear in my log book as “local flights” too, though I can’t recall why,
I have so many fond memories of Boab Balls (escorting a very surly Miss Boab on one memorable occasion), the Spinny Hotel, the Nurses Quarters, Flying Sisters etc etc
I don’t know what happened to John Whiting, as we never really got along, but when I walked into the Griffith Aero Club 40 years’ later there was his photo on the wall – aaagh!
Brian Jones, one the excellent Derby FSO’s, went to King Island and I used to see him frequently there in the early 70’s.
The RFDS Beech 65, FDV, still survives! This is the last remaining straight-tailed Queen Air in the country now, and until very recently was operating out of Caloundra. I really got the owner’s attention by telling him I’d joined the Mile-High Club in that aircraft! Nice to know too that KXK is still active; so few of the lighties I flew in the 60’s are still around.
Fat Black Harry O’Neil – so many exploits there, a larger-than-life character if ever there was one, best remembered by me for landing his Cessna 206 onto the platform especially constructed on one of the ore-carriages on the (moving) Pt Headland – Newman train!
146boy – are you the “terribly diabolical” Peter _____?????
I got to fly KXK occasionally in Derby. I flew the RFDS Queen Air for about six months in 1967 (when CFS got the RFDS contact after MMA and their contract pilot had so mishandled it) and again in 1969 when the then permanent pilot, the very grumpy John Whiting, went on leave. Because FDV had to be ferried to Perth for her 100 hourlies, it was occasionally necessary to eke out the hours so as to arrive at Jandakot on a certain day. To achieve this (at my suggestion) the RFDS dry-hired KWK Transport’s Baron. It was a very pleasant change for me after the Queen Air; again I appreciated the Baron’s nimble handling and bags of grunt. I note too that in 1967 B.33 KZK and B.35 KWK appear in my log book as “local flights” too, though I can’t recall why,
I have so many fond memories of Boab Balls (escorting a very surly Miss Boab on one memorable occasion), the Spinny Hotel, the Nurses Quarters, Flying Sisters etc etc
I don’t know what happened to John Whiting, as we never really got along, but when I walked into the Griffith Aero Club 40 years’ later there was his photo on the wall – aaagh!
Brian Jones, one the excellent Derby FSO’s, went to King Island and I used to see him frequently there in the early 70’s.
The RFDS Beech 65, FDV, still survives! This is the last remaining straight-tailed Queen Air in the country now, and until very recently was operating out of Caloundra. I really got the owner’s attention by telling him I’d joined the Mile-High Club in that aircraft! Nice to know too that KXK is still active; so few of the lighties I flew in the 60’s are still around.
Fat Black Harry O’Neil – so many exploits there, a larger-than-life character if ever there was one, best remembered by me for landing his Cessna 206 onto the platform especially constructed on one of the ore-carriages on the (moving) Pt Headland – Newman train!
146boy – are you the “terribly diabolical” Peter _____?????
Hey Tn man,Al Adkins still flies for Nobham & the sherriff of nottageham on the B717,great thread,the only time I spent in Kunnanurra was a couple of days in the sun in the mid 80's changing cylinders on a C210,cheers,Pete
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Pictures of KXK
Hi I do you still have the pictures of KXK at woodie I would like to get a copy my grandfather owns and still flys KXK out of jandikot if you could email me the pic would be most apriciated [email protected]
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I joined KWK Transport in 1964 after meeting Lou Kent doing a bit of gardening at home in Derby. I had recently arrived from the UK and was working as a Traffic Officer for MMA. Luck was on my side when they sent me to Derby as a relief for holidays. The pilot at the Port Hedland base,Dave Scanlon, was leaving to join MMA as F/O on the DC3. Lou was looking for a replacement and offered me the job. I had a great time there flying a Cessna 205 VHRLN and later Cessna 205 VHKXK. My wife joined me in PHD and we made friends with some very nice people. I think the population was about 2000 at that time. The RFDS Baron flown by Jim Smith was the only other aircraft based there,so Jim and I had a hangar each to ourselves. Another friend was Ray Mac Laughlin in the Met Office. He eventually got a CPL and went to Darwin. Later, he wrote to me in England and told me he was flying a floatplane out of Geraldton.WA. We lost touch after that. Would love to hear of anyone still around from those days. I see that Kevin Kent posted a thread back in 2009. Are you still there Kevin? B.M.
KZK is a Beech 35/C33 Debonair and was based at Jandakot in 1970/71 where I hired it for approx. 100hrs for travel around the wheatbelt. Nice aircraft and good for 145KTAS.
I have recently seen it again at Cowra, NSW: this time it has a new paint job and some updated avionics.
I have recently seen it again at Cowra, NSW: this time it has a new paint job and some updated avionics.
Join Date: Jan 1999
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Ah yes, some memories.....
At that time around 69-70, the RFDS had B65 FDV and the pilot back then was Jan Ende, who now resides in PER. Jan married the flight sister (Penny) and moved to WM/KU. I understand that he spent most of his career with the RFDS. He was replaced by Peter Brooke who later flew with the RFDS in Qld, retiring in 2010 with an OAM.
Peter Reid was a pilot then for KWK (?) then TWAC and moved to their new base in WM/KU and after a while started his own business as all the customers asked for him and not the company! Sadly Peter was killed in an accident and his wife took over the business... Ord Air Charter if my memory serves me correctly.
There were 2 MMA pilots in DB flying MMY the Twotter, Geoff (James?) & Jim ?? at one stage. Both had very different backgrounds and went back to MMA in later years.
TWAC had FXK a C205 and DRI a C337. Dick Robby had AEP a C337 and DSP a C207. His pilot then was Winston Usher who I understand later went to PNG and West Papua. His 337 must have been the only one that ever returned from a days flying with no oil on the rear cowl! He had another 337 after that. There was a Victa up there for a while, owned by a Telecom Tech. Can't remember the name or rego. There was some 5 FSO's there, some of whom flew from time to time. A good gang then.
There was a Twin Pioneer in the BHP hangar (shared by Dick Robby and later taken over by him) for some time (VH-AIS?) but I never saw it outside. It had a sister (VH-BHJ) which was written off at Koolan Island by a cyclone in 1960. Thats about the limit of the memory now!!
At that time around 69-70, the RFDS had B65 FDV and the pilot back then was Jan Ende, who now resides in PER. Jan married the flight sister (Penny) and moved to WM/KU. I understand that he spent most of his career with the RFDS. He was replaced by Peter Brooke who later flew with the RFDS in Qld, retiring in 2010 with an OAM.
Peter Reid was a pilot then for KWK (?) then TWAC and moved to their new base in WM/KU and after a while started his own business as all the customers asked for him and not the company! Sadly Peter was killed in an accident and his wife took over the business... Ord Air Charter if my memory serves me correctly.
There were 2 MMA pilots in DB flying MMY the Twotter, Geoff (James?) & Jim ?? at one stage. Both had very different backgrounds and went back to MMA in later years.
TWAC had FXK a C205 and DRI a C337. Dick Robby had AEP a C337 and DSP a C207. His pilot then was Winston Usher who I understand later went to PNG and West Papua. His 337 must have been the only one that ever returned from a days flying with no oil on the rear cowl! He had another 337 after that. There was a Victa up there for a while, owned by a Telecom Tech. Can't remember the name or rego. There was some 5 FSO's there, some of whom flew from time to time. A good gang then.
There was a Twin Pioneer in the BHP hangar (shared by Dick Robby and later taken over by him) for some time (VH-AIS?) but I never saw it outside. It had a sister (VH-BHJ) which was written off at Koolan Island by a cyclone in 1960. Thats about the limit of the memory now!!
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Hi
Bring back memories in Derbs...I was FSO in 1970 -1972
Use to fly RTE around station on RDO's for Couple of the chaps that owned it.
Last I heard the C182 was in Broome languishing on the aerodrome then it was trucked down to Perth.
I bought VH-MUF in Jandacot and flew back to Mildura and stayed there til they closed down in 1990.
Been so many changes here, was great back in the 70's and 80's, now all fenced off an paid parking everywhere.
Many acft owners use Wenty. (NSW)
even the Warbirds Museum is gone, made way for car rentals etc.
Nice to hear about old times, pity about Jan Ende's restored C180.
Hope you are well, many of my old workmates have gone.
Regards
Bob Amos
Bring back memories in Derbs...I was FSO in 1970 -1972
Use to fly RTE around station on RDO's for Couple of the chaps that owned it.
Last I heard the C182 was in Broome languishing on the aerodrome then it was trucked down to Perth.
I bought VH-MUF in Jandacot and flew back to Mildura and stayed there til they closed down in 1990.
Been so many changes here, was great back in the 70's and 80's, now all fenced off an paid parking everywhere.
Many acft owners use Wenty. (NSW)
even the Warbirds Museum is gone, made way for car rentals etc.
Nice to hear about old times, pity about Jan Ende's restored C180.
Hope you are well, many of my old workmates have gone.
Regards
Bob Amos
