One For The Nostalgia Buffs
 

Stickybeaking in a secondhand bookshop and came across this little gem,

The Depatment of Civil Aviation 1970 Aircraft Register.

A few of the companies featured in the registery included:
Air Express
AirFast
Ansett Transport Industries
Avis Rent a Plane
Benders Spreading Services
Civil Flying Services Morabbin and Jandakot
Connellan Airways
Davey Air Services Dubbo
Depatrment of Civil Aviation Flying Unit
Executive Airlines
Flinders Island airlines
Gilgandra Aero Club
Jack Brabham Aviation
Jetair
Nationwide Air Services Canberra
Rex Aviation
Rex Aviation QLD
Royal Aero Club of NSW
Royal Aero Club of SA
Royal Victorian Aero Club
SAATAS
Schutt Aircraft Sales
Schutt Flying Academy
Trans Australian Airways
Tamworth Aero Club
Tasmanian Aircraft Sales and Service
TBN Airlines
Townsville Aero Club

A few of the aircraft types on the register included,
Ansett-Mal Caribou,
Austers,
Beech 18's,
Beech B50 Twin Bonanza's,
Beech B55,
Boeing B727-100
Cessna 310k,
Cessna 401,
Chipmunks
Dc-3's ,
DC-4's,
DC-9,
Lockheed Electra,
Piper Single Commanche
Piper Twin Commanche
Piaggio P166's,
Shorts Skyvan,
Vickers Viscount.

The big time charter operators had a fleet of Barons, or Cessna C310's or Twin commanches. The flying schools had gone to Cessna 150 or Pa-28, but the RVAC still had some Chipmunks in use.

Bring back a few memories for the old timers?

Another few companies from the list were Premier Airlines and Bush Pilots.

The cabin class twins such as the Cessna C402(VH-ELU and ELT) and Piper PA-31/310(AWW and CFE) were just starting to appear on the register.

P***off! old timer indeed!:}

The kids are jealous..!!?? Now..Now.., shame they missed it all..

Well I can tell you that this week I have had the "pleasure" of working on one of these "CLASSIC" pieces of junk, and I have deceided that I want to join CASA so that I can get rid of these piles of junk from our skies. Actually the problem is with owners. If you have to ask, how much does this piece of JUNK COST TO maintain, then you cant afford to be in the industry, so GET OUT!!!
I think you should be able to see, Not happy Jan!

The late Humphrey Lyttleton, droll, laid back MC of 'I'm Sorry, I haven't a clue', (notable for it's sharp smut), was accosted by a non-fan of the show, a Yorkshireman.

Lyttleton, ah'm a blunt, plain speakin' man, and I . . . .

I am too. Now f*** off!


Arnold . . . go on then, join them. Get thee hence. Be another taxpayer funded cypher battening onto those who spend half their lives doing fantastic work, keeping alive our aviation heritage. (Let's know where you end up. A tip off may circumvent a f*** off.)

Brain & Brown Airfreighters - DC3's BAA, BAB?

A few more companies from the register and there aircraft,

Ansett New South Wales with a fleet of F-27 Fokker Friendships

East -West Airlines with a fleet of F-27 Friendships and a few Dc-3's

MMA Airlines with a fleet of F-27's and Dc-3's

Royal Flying Doctor Sevice NSW Section with two Beagle B206

Royal flying Doctor Service Vicorian Section with a Beech Queenair and a Baron B55.

Also for NSW & Sydneysiders,was Masling Air Services.....DC3s & Queenairs from memory.

As well as Cessna 402's.

Did Jack Masling have DC3s? I remember C402s (VH-MWD?) and Bandits?

Ah yes Tailwheel....before the bandits were even invented Maslings operated DC3s....I have a piccy of VH-MWQ,but no doubt other old timers can fill us in on the other DC3s in their fleet.

Think Jack had a twin bonanza at one stage as well? What a character he was.

Oh yeah. And then some. One "Donkey dick", there in the 60s, dubbed the boss "Happy Jack". And it stuck. So many stories about the old bugger.

And the shady buggers who worked for him. Stand by for a sample.

And for a brief period Maslings owned Aeropelican,making them one of the largest regional operators. That is how C402s VH-MWF & MWG came to be painted in Aeropelican colours.
Great thread,thanks Stationair 8.....many memories for lots of us.

Just to add a little to the Masling side of things, the main aircraft was the Queenair (4) a DC3 (MWQ) Twin Bonanza (SKY) Twin Otter 200 and then commencing in June, 1978 E110 (P2s)(4).
MWQ was originally used by the US marines in PNG then went to WA as (MMA) and later returned to PNG as P2-ANS and eventually to Masling as MWQ and had in excess of 66,000 hours when on sold to Air North. It was a great aircraft and gave fantastic service with no engine probs whatsoever after one chuffy cylinder was changed. It even serviced Lord Howe Island by delivering freight and the furniture and belongings of the met observers on changeover.

All the aircraft operated were great for their time.
The first E110 arrived in Aust on the 30th June, 1978 after a ferry across the South Pacific via Easter Island.

As an aside, Jack had special paint dots applied to the M.P. & R.P.M. gauges in The Queenairs, these were the power limits for T/OFF & Climb Power to be used by his pilots.......................Bandits were fun, still the single pilot days in OZ, only problem on The CBR-ABX run was the fact that pitot heat was the only protection from icing!!

Too true Arnold..amazing that this 'nostalgia' is still carrying paying pax the backbone of GA! As for operators getting out because they cannot afford to keep these old girls going - well, maybe, but would there be any industry at all if they did?

I'm sure I flew a black and white VH- MWD 402 in TPNG?

Masling's initial reg 203 flights introduced the 402. Masling was a Cessna Dealer in those early days. I understand that later on the 402's were replaced by the Queenairs for better capacity