Omega Air
 

Can anyone give me any info on Omega Air......$$, W/C, no. of A/C etc.....I believe that the chaps who own this company are the McEvaddy brothers and they are based in Ireland......Tks

jammers,

do'nt have any answers for you but try a google search. you'll find many listings there for them.

USA based in providing refueling aircraft for USAF.
http://www.omegaairrefueling.com/
http://www.fuelbirds.com
:hmm:

Omega Air are not an airline.
They supply engine/engine part to airlines and their main clients is US Airforce.
Dont believe they ever operated any air service and dont have any AOC etc.....

Omega air operated back 1991 and flew out of MSE. My father was chief pilot and they flew B707. They did charter work and they were owned by the M Brothers in Ireland.

I believe the history of Omega Air starts back in 1981 as a part supplier. Than they started doing major 707 modifications for the USAF. Than they purchased two 707's and converted them to Drogue Air refuelers with a big contract to the U.S. Navy. Now they have a DC-10 coming on line to also do Navy Air Refueling. They plan to add a boom to the DC-10 and do contract air refueling with the USAF. Met the McEvaddy brothers once. Nice guys, drink guiness...My kind of people.

Met them on several occasions.....I can confirm they also drink whisky, G&T, wine (red & white).......a fascinating pair of gentlemen.

Ah yes, the Mayo brothers.

They seem to have had a patch of bad luck back in 1991 when a 707 they were selling to the US military crashed after a wingstrike on take-off from an Arizona boneyard killing two. When the NTSB arrived they discovered the Irish mechanics servicing the plane had fled, despite being witnesses to the crash. They also discovered that the aircraft's temporary operating certificate had been granted by an FAA recognised DAR who wasn't qualified to certify large aircraft, the wheels were'nt capable of retraction, there were only 4 working instruments left in the cockpit (out of more than 50). Among the ones ripped and sold for spares was the main turn and bank indicator which doesn't appear to have helped when the pilots (mostly unqualified) took off with a misset rudder and failed to spot their angle of bank.

Another spot of bad luck a few years later when the Brits grounded three of their 707s at Manston because they were unhappy with their Third World flag of convenience registration.

The boys also seem to have done business with a number of airlines operating out of Ostend, especially Liberia World Airways. Interesting place, Ostend.

Hey Talent,
Where did you come up with this thought? And that crash happened on Sept 20, 1990

MNTTECH,
I think you're right about the date. I'm relying on increasingly frail memories. My memory of the investigation was that the DAR who authorised the ferry flight was a light aircraft man with no experience of transport jets and the FAA got a rebuke for that. At least one of the pilots wasn't current for the 707 and there was some issue with another. There was also a flt engnr on board. On man was killed immediately, the other died from injuries a few weeks later. WAs it Marana AFB they were going to?

They bought july 2006 a B-707-320 tanker from the italian air force

hpf

Well, all three of them were co-workers of mine. I would say that they were all qualified, but maybe not current. Yes, the Captain was killed out right, the co-pilot died about 32 days later (which the FAA does not count as killed in the crash) and the F/E recovered.

The NTSB report says:
“FAA'S DESIGNATED AIRWORTHINESS REP (DAR) HAD INSPD ACFT 3 DAYS BFR & ISSUED FERRY PERMIT. HE LACKED FAA MECH CERT & EXPERIENCE WITH LARGE ACFT. FAA ORDER 8000.62 & AC 183.33 LACKED SPEC GUIDANCE FOR SELECTION, TRNG & OVERSIGHT OF
DAR ACTIVITY. ALSO, LACK OF GUIDANCE CONCERNING MIN EQUIP LIST. PLT NOT CURRENT OR MED QUALIFIED TO FLY ACFT.”

So it was the DAR that was not qualified, and the Captain did not have a current medical. Splitting hairs I know, but they all were friends.

Omega Air recently purchased the remainder of the RAAF B707 Fleet. As of June, they will be the owners of A20-627, 623, 624 and 629.

MNNET,
Although pilot error was effectively given as the cause by the NTSB I would say that the real error was not omitting to follow a checklist, or failing to notice the misset rudder but in deciding to try to fly that heap of junk in the first place. As for the guy that hired them (not one of the MCEvaddys) ... just don't don't get me started ...

They are looking into opening in europe offering tanker support. Had a quick phone chat with one of the two brothers, asked for my cv, emailed it, never heard again. I hear on his forum they bought RAAF 707s which sort of confirm it.
cheers