Tinstaafl...

The Islander is/was a good aircraft... and it made money for the boss... thus keeping me paid... and I never heard a pilot complain about them - and they would 'cos we were well away from Head Office!!

I had many a close call in one... and that as a passenger!!

Speaking of Burnett Airways, here is a photo of VH-BSP in their livery. The photo was taken from Burnett's other Trislander VH-BSG.

VH-BSP

Torres & Others,

The three on the register over here are....

VH-NKW (geological survey) now ZK-LGC
VH-BSP (Burnett Airways) now ZK-LGR
VH-MRJ (Murchison Relines) now ZK-LOU

All registered to GBA although I am 99% sure ZK-LGC/VH-NKW is still undergoing the big refit.

Also sighted around these parts a few months ago was a Turbine BN2 which I think was on its way upto India. Not sure what engines it had in it or where it was from.
Also has anyone seen (if it even made it into production) the Ducted BN2? Could have just been experimental.

Hmm....it's probably fair to say that Ranald Dennis Buchanan's decision to go BN2, DHC6 was somewhat more astute than Biscuit ears decision to go Bn2, BN3, Gonad...plus assorted old Queenairs etc.

While I quite liked old Biscuit ears socially, and always enjoyed a beer at the old dero, I'm forever gratefull I worked for RDB.:ok:

The Islander is the embodyment of 'classic British design'. That's not exactly a compliment. Built do to one thing - and good at it - but with lots of unnecessary unpleasantness.

When I was flying them I used to imagine Messrs Britten & Norman having a conversation during the design process:

Britten: Well, Norman, from these plans & calculation it looks like we're going to achieve the short field targets we want.

Norman: Yes. Before we commit to metal, what say we remove those nasty aspects in the design? Before it will cost anything more than a bit of calculation & drawing.

Britten: Why?

Norman: Yes. I see what you mean...

I am reliably informed that when a BN2 made an emergency landing in Darwin many years ago, the esteemed local press reported that the pilot was "Briton, Mr Norman Islander".

I was flying for Douglas for the last nine months of the company's existance and when it finally went bagarup there were from memory two flying Trislanders, P2-DNN and DNP. DNX was the third, having been in the hangar undergoing some 'rebuild'. Anyway, it never left the hangar in the whole time I was there.
Only ever flew one once, logging 3 hrs ICUS with the Deputy Chief Pilot at the time. BPU, how are ya?

You only live twice. Once when
you're born. Once when
you've looked death in the face.

Will always remember a landing in a Trislander at the airport closest to Aitape - for the first time... having to do a slight left turn at high speed!! Changed my underdaks after that one!

Think many of you are being a bit tough on the trislander, not as noisy as the islander, driver further forward out of the plane of the props, the seating and entry/exit doors were very well suited for short haul (15-20 mins) and fast turn around, especially when pax had the system sussed. Aurigny Air had a big fleet of them and made money with them. Originally had to have Auto Feather on the centre engine, this was to difficult to keep serviceable so the requirement was dropped. Had many an interesting moment giving type ratings and pulling the centre engine on T/O, was not easy to pick when first converting to them. One of the more embarrasing features of them was being held on a taxiway with the tail end to windward, a good gust would attempt to turn the
aircraft into the wind, if it was strong enough would end up facing the aircraft behind you.

Prospector

Hey Desert, I think I remember that one...
Late 90's and close to Broken hill? I remember seeing the hole and projectile stopped by seat tracks, the aux in cab fuel tank was only a few inches behind:oh:

And that on three engines totally around the same horse power as one PT6A-34! :\

I thought the number of doors on the trilander were to help drain the water out of it.

:ok:

SmallGlassofPort, spot on! Last time I saw it was (I think) in January 1996. It was operated by a company called SaltMap. Looked like Pinocchio. :D And yes, it did have an aux (boot) tank just behind the pilot's seat. If I can ever find the photos of it I will post them.

DF.

Asked a Trilander pilot once how he synchronised the engines. His method was to keep an eye on the rear seat passenger(s). When they took their hands off their ears he reckoned that the props were in sync.

From memory the original mainlander proposal was for a five engined aircraft, to be powered by darts.

UnionAir (TWB) had (I think) 2 BN2s and a BN3 in the mid 70s; used primarily for commuting to Orchid Beach on Fraser Is. Fond memories of the front pax leg jamming the pitch trim wheel......

Tangalooma Resort on Moreton Is had one (an all-white BN2) for a while in 98-99, based at BN GA.

My old man used to refer to the Trilander as " The box the Islander came in"....

Cplane thanks for that wasnt it off the end of Annanberg the same as the TAL 402?
I cant remember the year but the 402 was 75.I recall something about the recovery of the Tri and them finding the 402 as well?Kiwi fella diving?

Hi tinpis,
The Trilander was VH-BSG and it was about to take up a P2 registration. There were 19 POB plus the pilot, nothing wrong with the engines either, just bogged down. "Thrust normal - Acceleration assumed" I remember arriving there shortly after the event, and the aircraft was on the move. From memory it shifted a fair bit during the first night, the river had a fair amount flowing at the time.
Now that you mention it I think the rescue diver was a Kiwi, I do remember that the Van 5 DME was recovered from the wreckage dried out and sprayed and worked Ok!
I have revisted page 175 of Balus III to jog my memory, but doing so it reminds me of just how inaccurate the information about Provincial Air Services has been recorded as well as mentioning names of people that never joined the company as well as some of the some of the claims made by people with regards to their times on types etc.
The then manager was a complete spiv, (Bill Cragg - aircraft salesman from Schutts at Moorabbin Airport - Bill was going to introduce the CASA 212's to PNG. - Bill later died in Africa flying a C337, took a SAM-7 up the clacker) who raped the company by pocketing all the 'cash fares' and encouraged others to do so as well. I could go on for ages, I wrote a detailed report at the time for John Paine, I wish I knew where he was today, as well as Peter Howard who was a director in the early days.
I loved every minute at PAS, I was fortunate enought to be checked out on the Nomad and 'route/strip' trained by the late Alan Mourilyan. My only regret is that there is no way I can corrct the vast number of errors in the all together too brief history of Provincial Air.

Peter Howard is alive and well and living in Toowoomba - check the phone book.

Have uploaded photos of VH-NKW plus a turbine islander which was the chase plane for the Vickers Vimy on its trip out here in late 1994. Here is the link:

http://tinyurl.com/6g2h5

DF.