10th Jul 2016, 16:57 - Wikipost
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Flight West Reunion
From the FS article I see pilot Shorty Bartrum featured. He went on to fly the C90 CMT for Thiess Brothers and later brought the first B200 THS to Aus. Noel Bellamy was a great guy, didn't realise he wrote the OM
Thread Starter
Puff.
SKC came from the Philippines, ex RP-C200 owned by the Bank of the Philippine Islands.
SKN was a nice machine, from New Zealand.
XRP, initials of the Chairman, Bob Paul.
XDB, Dennis initials, came from Oklahoma.
XRF for the GM and for the CP.
SKC came from the Philippines, ex RP-C200 owned by the Bank of the Philippine Islands.
SKN was a nice machine, from New Zealand.
XRP, initials of the Chairman, Bob Paul.
XDB, Dennis initials, came from Oklahoma.
XRF for the GM and for the CP.
Last edited by Torres; 22nd May 2016 at 21:38.
Thread Starter
The first two operational King Airs were VH-TNQ and VH-SPQ, leased from SkyWest in Perth.
VH-TNQ operated the first flight from Brisbane to Longreach on 1 June 1987.
VH-SPQ was based in Townsville for the Townsville to Mt Isa service.
Next Tuesday 1 July 2016 marks the 29th Anniversary of the first Flight West flight.
Oh, what could have been had sanity prevailed............
VH-TNQ operated the first flight from Brisbane to Longreach on 1 June 1987.
VH-SPQ was based in Townsville for the Townsville to Mt Isa service.
Next Tuesday 1 July 2016 marks the 29th Anniversary of the first Flight West flight.
Oh, what could have been had sanity prevailed............
Didn't one of the B200 pilots in TL, star in Penthouse magazine about having open heart surgery and then back flying in record time, and also flying Mig jets for some dictator during some war in a third world country?
Thread Starter
"...flying Mig jets for some dictator during some war..."
Star in Penthouse....?? The mind boggles at the thought.I'm surprised about the alleged open heart surgery. No knowledge at all.
Torres, the younger generation probably thing Penthouse is some sort of real estate magazine.
Didn't the said gentleman write a book about his adventures?
I can't read so only looked at the pictures in that publication!
Will the other gentleman that posed as a Flight West Captain along with being senior base pilot at Maroochydore and complete with lovely business card that was presented at checkin desks while trying to con jump seat rides or free rides in the south be attending? Or has moved on to some other profession these days?
Didn't the said gentleman write a book about his adventures?
I can't read so only looked at the pictures in that publication!
Will the other gentleman that posed as a Flight West Captain along with being senior base pilot at Maroochydore and complete with lovely business card that was presented at checkin desks while trying to con jump seat rides or free rides in the south be attending? Or has moved on to some other profession these days?
Noel Bellamy's ops manuals, funny CASA seemed to have no problems accepting them in those days. If you got a new aeroplane type or needed something else added in to the ops manual you sent all the stuff down to him and it was approved asap.
Then ops manual became a black art, Chief Pilots would lock themselves away in a room for months trying to get the mighty tomb approved- bit like getting a new pope only more complicated!
Wouldn't have a copy of the original Flight West Timetable from that era, that can be put on Pprune?
Why did FWA replace the B200 with the Jetstream?
Then ops manual became a black art, Chief Pilots would lock themselves away in a room for months trying to get the mighty tomb approved- bit like getting a new pope only more complicated!
Wouldn't have a copy of the original Flight West Timetable from that era, that can be put on Pprune?
Why did FWA replace the B200 with the Jetstream?
Thread Starter
I heard there was a book written but didn't see it myself. A few that did read it wondered whether it was fact or fiction! 
Don't know who was from Maroochydore. No w-----s in the company in the time I am familiar with.
Noel Bellamy had contacts!! An illustrious previous Air Force career helped significantly with DCA...........
Well, why not? It was obviously a logical decision by later company management, based on the following supporting facts:
I'm sure there are other supporting factors in favour of the decision to acquire Jetstreams.
In later years it was all a disaster looking for a place to happen.
Don't know who was from Maroochydore. No w-----s in the company in the time I am familiar with.
Noel Bellamy had contacts!! An illustrious previous Air Force career helped significantly with DCA...........
Why did FWA replace the B200 with the Jetstream?
- TAA operated three Jetstreams very unsuccessfully in Western Queensland, using chartered Navajos to carry the baggage.
- The company only had Continental IO-520, PT6A-27, -34, -41, -42, PW118, PW120 turbines and RR Speys, why not a few Garret turbines that would be temp limited in the Western Queensland Summers?
- Barons, King Airs, Bandits, Twotters, Dash 8s, Brasilias, Fokkers - a few Jetstreams would nicely round out the fleet types.
- Half the payload, higher operating costs and slower speeds than the Brasilia, certainly made the Jetstream attractive to Company management.
- Previous Garret turbine operating experience in the Solomons that ended in tears was probably the deal clincher for the Jetstream purchase.
I'm sure there are other supporting factors in favour of the decision to acquire Jetstreams.
In later years it was all a disaster looking for a place to happen.
If FWA had been better managed in later years it would have been interesting to see where it was today.
As XRF once commented over a beer, the fashion catalogues or what was on sale at Katie's seem to be more important!
No copies of the timetable from that era?
As XRF once commented over a beer, the fashion catalogues or what was on sale at Katie's seem to be more important!
No copies of the timetable from that era?
Flight West Reunion
