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-   -   Fate of ex Aman Aviation AC-690's? (https://www.pprune.org/pacific-general-aviation-questions/613525-fate-ex-aman-aviation-ac-690s.html)

oicur12.again 19th Sep 2018 16:55

Fate of ex Aman Aviation AC-690's?
 
Hey there,

I recently chatted to a guy here in the US that was involved in ferrying the Turbo Commander 690's out to oz in 1987 for Aman Aviation.

They came from a company in Portland, Maine.

Apart from the one sitting in the scrub in the NT, does anybody know what became of these rigs?

I suspect some of them wound up flying for Tamair but not really sure.

Cheers all.

Duck Pilot 19th Sep 2018 18:50

One ended up as a wreck at YMMB I think and there could be something at the Darwin Air Museum although that could be something else I think. Correct, there was also a wreck at the old graveyard at Darwin many years ago which certainly isn’t there today. Could have been what ended up over at the museum????

They also had an A36 Bonanza that I recall working on as an apprentice at Essendon back when it was all happening.

Newforest2 19th Sep 2018 19:43

I think the name was Amman Aviation.

VH-KRA - Used for fire fighting at Mackay airport.
VH-NYD - WFU at Darwin.
VH-NYC - Cancelled 2014.
VH-YJP - Cancelled 2010.
VH-NYH -Aviation Heritage Museum, Darwin.
VH-NBT - Believed to be current.

CharlieLimaX-Ray 20th Sep 2018 01:56

Commander 690 VH-CLT was originally VH- NYA, I believe.
It was purchased and rebuilt at GAM, then sold to a private owner.

Karunch 20th Sep 2018 06:05

NYH’s first owner was John Wayne.

Newforest2 20th Sep 2018 06:39

VH-CLT was VH-NMT was VH-NYA, correct. I believe the name should be spelt Amann Aviation.

john_tullamarine 20th Sep 2018 09:37

Rob Amann .. nice guy but didn't have much of a clue about importing aeroplanes, unfortunately

wombat watcher 20th Sep 2018 09:45


Originally Posted by john_tullamarine (Post 10253587)
Rob Amann .. nice guy but didn't have much of a clue about importing aeroplanes, unfortunately


Wasn’t he the guy who won the first surveillance contract, had many adjusted start dates and eventually died and withered on the vine. Didn’t he own a few bits if earth moving equipment?
BTW VH KRA was a commander owned by King Ranch of Texas which I think owned VRD in the Territory but corporately were based in Sydney.

Capt Fathom 20th Sep 2018 10:41

And VH-KRA was a 680F model (piston), not a 690.

TwoFiftyBelowTen 20th Sep 2018 11:06

Some of them were AC681 Hawk Commanders (Turbine). One was still about until a few years ago. Used to turn up at Moree NSW occasionally.

john_tullamarine 20th Sep 2018 12:48

Didn’t he own a few bits if earth moving equipment?

As I recall he did have such a business. I was involved in getting some of the aircraft onto the register and we had all sorts of problems because there had been no real homework done regarding the then regulatory importing requirements. A great shame as Rob was a top bloke as I recall .. all a long time ago, now, of course.

I think it fair to suggest that a lot of things were going on in the background and Rob just wasn't quick enough to counter the devil doers.

cowl flaps 20th Sep 2018 15:41

Bob Amman was a good bloke. He used to borrow the radio from my C150L to use in his C150.
The were both parked at Camden.
Getting tied up with Joe Gostner,- ( an instructor at Camden Aero Club), was something that didn't work out too well.

Kagamuga 20th Sep 2018 21:55

Wombat,
KRA was a piston Commander 680 and owned by King Ranch Australia, part of King Ranch in Texas.
The Commander was replaced by a Merlin II VH-KRG. The King Ranch properties were, Mt House Station in the Kimberly's, Brunette Downs on the Barkly tablelands, King Ranch Tully, and the world famous garden in Bowral NSW. The Bailleu family were part of the Australian holding at the time.
The aviation division of King Ranch, Australia was managed by the late John Cooke, of Nicol-Cooke Australia, they were also the Lockheed agents at the time amongst others

wombat watcher 20th Sep 2018 22:10


Originally Posted by Kagamuga (Post 10254188)
Wombat,
KRA was a piston Commander 680 and owned by King Ranch Australia, part of King Ranch in Texas.
The Commander was replaced by a Merlin II VH-KRG. The King Ranch properties were, Mt House Station in the Kimberly's, Brunette Downs on the Barkly tablelands, King Ranch Tully, and the world famous garden in Bowral NSW. The Bailleu family were part of the Australian holding at the time.
The aviation division of King Ranch, Australia was managed by the late John Cooke, of Nicol-Cooke Australia, they were also the Lockheed agents at the time amongst others


OK, Brunette Downs.
As a young pilot stooging around western Queensland, one would come across, KRA, or a very flash C310 belonging to the Goonoo Goonoo Pastoral company near Tamworth, or ABH a Lockheed 12A owned by Dr Tony Fisher on its way to his property near Lawn Hill or UNB, Westernair’s ugly Beagle. Cessna 402s and Merlin were yet to debut in Australia.
i could only aspire to fly one of these one day.

Fris B. Fairing 21st Sep 2018 04:24


Originally Posted by wombat watcher (Post 10254195)
Westernair’s ugly Beagle

That's a bit harsh. Besides the Beagle was UNL. UNB was an Aztec.

LeadSled 21st Sep 2018 04:48


Originally Posted by Fris B. Fairing (Post 10254300)
That's a bit harsh. Besides the Beagle was UNL. UNB was an Aztec.

I concur about the ugly Beagle, and a sod of an aeroplane to work on. Due MM "limitations" it could take half a day just to set the instrument vacuum regulators. But it was certified for basic aerobatics, a vital attribute in an "VIP executive transport". I still have a sales brochure extolling that particular capability.

Re. KRA, you left out Bugilbone Station, their Santa Gertrudis stud, I used the strip often "back in the day", when Edenmore was wet. Anybody remember the name of the chap who flew the KRA 680F most of the time??

Tootle pip!!

PS: How many of you can pronounce Goonoo Goonoo correctly??

Capt Fathom 21st Sep 2018 04:58


Originally Posted by LeadSled (Post 10254310)
PS: How many of you can pronounce Goonoo Goonoo correctly??

I can! Goonoo Goonoo.

LeadSled 21st Sep 2018 05:13


Originally Posted by Capt Fathom (Post 10254313)
I can! Goonoo Goonoo.

Fathom
Ha Ha, but what audible sound comes forth??
"Back in the day", that was how you could tell a local from a blow-in --- it used to be a position report.
Tootle pip!!

TwoFiftyBelowTen 21st Sep 2018 13:01

Spoiler.....”Gunna G’noo”, for those not in the know

oicur12.again 21st Sep 2018 18:58

awesome feedback folks,

much appreciated

roundhouse 21st Sep 2018 22:36

There’s one painted white and red that’s owned/flown by Steve Baxter off shark tank I thought?

TBM-Legend 21st Sep 2018 23:23


Some of them were AC681 Hawk Commanders (Turbine)
I owned JLW for several years which was an AC681 [purchased it from John Weymouth]

LeadSled 22nd Sep 2018 06:53


Originally Posted by TwoFiftyBelowTen (Post 10254653)
Spoiler.....”Gunna G’noo”, for those not in the know

I reckon that's close enough for government work.
Tootle pip!!

wombat watcher 22nd Sep 2018 07:17

The guy who owns Goonoo Goonoo these days seems to own a house in Cromer with its own helipad. Apparently it was once owned by Doug Mulray. You see him flying his Bell 207 to and fro from time to time. He does a fair bit of sightseeing along the way.

topdrop 22nd Sep 2018 09:42

As a local, I was told Gunny G'noo

SeldomFixit 22nd Sep 2018 13:12

What was Joe Gostner's involvement?

CharlieLimaX-Ray 22nd Sep 2018 22:07

Wasn’t there a 685 Commander in the fleet as well?


holdingagain 23rd Sep 2018 01:04

Steve Baxter’s VH ATF wasn’t one of them. J C Scott air charter used to own 2 of them at Brisbane’s old airport ATF / AAG. Search pprune “ where’s VH-AAG “

Goonoo Goonoo was the base for the AA Co’s Santa Gertrudis stud. They sold the property and bought another south of Comet near Blackwater and named it Goonoo

Bert Abbott did a lot of flying for AA but I can’t remember the King Ranch pilots name. There’s a visitors book at Brunette Downs, go back far enough and it will be there.

Kowolski 27th Sep 2018 02:32

Wow this brings back memories. Bob Amann was a good bloke if I recall. I was lined up to fly for them in the Coastwatch gig but it all folded. It was an ambitious plan but the ducks didn't line up. I was just reminded by someone... that I flew one or more of their crew up to Sydney for their return flight home. I think that may have been in a P210 VH-SMA around 7 Sep 1987.

If it was SMA it had just undergone repairs after the owner did a wheels up at Tullamarine. I was tasked with sitting at the controls as it was later towed along the road to Essendon by Brian White from Hawker Pacific for repairs. Probably makes me the only person to have ever driven (if you could call it that) an aircraft between YMML and YMEN along the road! I'd just completed a test flight after the repair when one or more of the guys needed a lift to Sydney and from memory I had to deliver the aircraft to Syd so gave at least one of them a ride. Really nice guys.

(In 1995 VH-SMA lost an engine in IMC near Canberra on a training flight. Instructor, student and one pax were seriously injured but survived. They only got visual at an estimated 300' and were luck to have survived as the aircraft was ripped to pieces by trees.)


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