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Post by aerofoto - HJG Admin on Jul 4, 2019 22:42:41 GMT
HMMM .... "Canadian Can Do"  The suspense is thrilling me  Look forward to seeing whatever you have up your sleeve Pete  Mark C AKL/NZ |
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Post by darrenvox on Jul 5, 2019 1:12:42 GMT
nicely done!
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Post by Peter Liddell on Jul 5, 2019 2:06:35 GMT
Thanks Have another quick and easy one... N916SK, SkyKing, 737-4Q8, circa 2011   SkyKing (later Songbird) did ACMI leases, it has flown for C&T Charter, Direct Air and Fly Guam. |
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Post by Peter Liddell on Jul 5, 2019 19:15:34 GMT
And here we are... a nice little set of Inukshuk Tailed 737s... First Air's current/last color scheme... peik: C-FFNF, 737-406C combi, circa now    nish: C-FFNM, 737-436, circa now    nisht: C-FFNM, 737-436, Celebrity Cruises titles, circa 2018    |
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Post by darrenvox on Jul 5, 2019 21:16:27 GMT
go peter!
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Post by aerofoto - HJG Admin on Jul 5, 2019 21:46:53 GMT
A plain and abstract .... but at the same time .... "quite striking" livery Mark C AKL/NZ |
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Post by Peter Liddell on Jul 9, 2019 16:41:50 GMT
Here's another variation easy update... VH-PNI, "Our Airline", earlier version of Nauru Airlines see above, 737-36N, 2013    |
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Post by aerofoto - HJG Admin on Jul 10, 2019 0:13:47 GMT
Nice addition Peter .... and one which completes the Republic Of Nauru .... in regard to aircraft types currently offered by HJG.
I know/knew AIR NAURU well ("The Airline Of The Central Pacific" as they marketed themselves) .... here at AKL/NZAA throughout the 1980's and 90's.
They began servicing AKL during the late 1970's .... with B732's .... some of which were gravel kit equipped for operations into some of their facility deprived and "way out in the boom docks" located/unimproved Pacific Islands destinations.
During 1983/84 their operations came under the scrutiny of the NZ Civil Aviation Department .... for reasons of maintenance, or rather the lack of it, in regard to their B732's (I think it's probably reasonable to say this applied to the rest of their fleet too) and which forced them to use their B721's into AKL for a short time during this period.
During the 1990's I found myself frequently travelling between AKL and IUE/Niue Island .... first on POLYNESIAN AIRLINES B733 charter flights operated on behalf of Niue Tourism .... then .... and as I disagreeociation with the island grew, AIR NAURU was later awarded a contract by the Government Of Niue to operate a regular/weekly air service between INU/Nauru, NAN/Fiji, IUE/Niue Island, and AKL/Auckland. Given my in-house knowledge of their operations during the early 1980's .... I wasn't too happy about flying with them .... "at first" .... but .... there was no other way for me to get to Niue (except by an infrequent shipping service) during this time. I then consoled myself with the fact that, by this time, the Australian Federal Aviation Administration was "watching them/AIR NAURU very closely" too and their maintenance was, also by this time, being undertaken by either ANSETT, TAA, or QANTAS (you can't beat Australian or New Zealand aircraft maintenance .... anyone within worldwide aviation engineering circles will tell you its renowned to be among "the very best in the world" .... one reason why AIR NZ is often contracted to undertake heavy maintenance for airlines around the world). This arrangement then saw me on AIR NAURU's B732's .... and also later on their B734's too which they acquired during the mid 1990's (and were leased by KIWI TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES CHARTERS during the mid 1990's, and also by AIR NZ during a 2-week technical crisis which impacted our own B732 operations during the late 1990's). By the end of the 1990's AIR NAURU had basically disappeared from the NZ airways scene. Their contract on the Niue route (the only thing that brought them to NZ) was succeeded by ROYAL TONGAN AIRLINES .... which didn't last long. Never heard much more about AIR NAURU after all this. I know one of, or both of, their B734's ended up on the Australian civil air register .... again as the result of maintenance concerns .... and later a national financial crisis impacted the island of Nauru .... forcing legal action .... and which ultimately saw the airline suspend operations .... or so I heard. Then from 2006 the airline was resurrected .... with B733's .... and renamed "OUR AIRLINE" .... whatever that means (?) .... the ambiguity of which is probably one of the reasons why the airline was eventually re-branded "NAURU AIRLINES" during 2014.
Being "INCREDIBLY RICH" (abundant) in regard to Phosphate deposits .... is the only thing that allowed a small, and very isolated, island nation like Nauru to have the finances to operate an/its own airline. Being an essentially government air-taxi service though .... the airline hardly ever carried anything like a full load on any of its routes .... except in the case of contracted air services .... and it wasn't uncommon to find, that due to not being accustomed to handling full flights, some of their girls/CA's simply couldn't cope with even with a 3 hour flight, and one would find them (as I did on one memorable occasion) fast asleep in unoccupied PAX seats at the back of the aircraft. Nauru was "EXTREMELY WEALTHY" .... but its population didn't live a quality of life that reflected this. As is often the case with "new money" and/or "rags to riches" stories and people whom can't/don't know how to manage their financial resources .... they mostly "SQUANDERED AND BLEW THE BLOODY LOT" (an unfortunate side to this is all geographers know how extractive industries usually end up being depleted beyond the point of being profitable .... and what happens then .... and of course this's precisely what did happen ro Nauru).
Despite its lack of appeal or organization .... AIR NAURU .... the original version .... did once have a reasonable route structure within the Asian and Southwest Pacific rims which saw it servicing .... Apia, Auckland, Brisbane, Christmas Island, Chuuk, Guam, Hong Kong, Honiara, Honolulu, Kagoshima, Koror, Kanton Island, Kosrae, Majuro, Manila, Melbourne, Nadi, Niue, Nouméa, Nuku'Alofa, Okinawa, Pago Pago, Ponapei, Port Vila, Raratonga, Saipan, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei, and Tarawa. But inexperience, and its lack of professionalism, often saw it in dispute with aviation authorities and other airlines based at, or servicing, these routes .... and which ultimately saw the airline loose many of its route authorities.
I've always liked South Pacific civil aviation. It's interesting .... and colorful .... often to the extent of there never being a dull moment.
Mark C
AKL/NZ
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Post by Peter Liddell on Jul 10, 2019 20:52:53 GMT
Another one from down Southwest Pacific way... Norfolk Air VH-NLK, 737-33A, circa 2010    |
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Post by aerofoto - HJG Admin on Jul 10, 2019 23:53:03 GMT
Another "interesting" one Peter.
Most people here have probably never even heard of Norfolk Island .... which is one Australia's external and Tasman/Pacific based island territories.
Located rougly halfway between New Zealand and Australia's eastern seaboard (the West Island of NZ) .... Norfolk Island (and Lord Howe Island too) is a common transit point for light aircraft being ferried across the Tasman Sea between both New Zealand and Australia.
The island was "rediscovered" (as far as European Pacific influence is concerned) during 1774 by English explorer captain James COOK .... then on his 2nd voyage of discovery into the Pacific region. The island was at that time uninhabited .... it's original, possibly Polynesian settlers, having departed hundreds of years earlier.
Unlike is the case with New Zealand .... between 1824 and 1855 Norfolk Island became infamous as a penal colony .... established by the British crown .... and which earned a particularly fearsome reputation harboring "the very worst" of British convicts among those whom were deported from the UK and Ireland to Australian penal stations often for petty crimes .... and whom were also then presided over by "the cruelest" of so-called judicial reformers and warders .... essentially to establish a British colony within in the region (Australia, New Zealand, and a scattering of Pacific Islands within the Polynesian triangle .... of which only Australia and Norfolk Island were ever penal colonies) and which, at the time, was also still being purveyed by prospective Dutch, French, Portuguese, and Spanish influences. The island ceased being a penal station after 1855 when all remaining convicts were relocated to Tasmania, Australia.
From 1856 the island was resettled by Pitcairn Islanders (descendents of the BOUNTY mutineers) whom established a new community, administration, and developed the island as a trading post for whalers, and later immigrants.
Today Norfolk island is a tourist holiday destination .... popular with elderly Australians and New Zealanders .... and which also sustains a small year-round permanent community of Norfolk Islanders.
Norfolk Island is one of those Pacific destinations that's dependent upon "regular air services" due to its relative isolation from both Australia and New Zealand .... but .... which are also services that are constantly in need of subsidies (in order to become affordable/practical for both its island population and visitors alike) given the difficulties associated with maintaining profitable operations to this small and remote community. The air services are justifiable (unlike is the case with Nauru) by virtue of the islands dependence on them, but which, regularly struggle to provide the yield necessary to meet the costs of maintaining such services independently. A number of air operators have tried .... and most have failed due to the associated high costs and limited yeild.
From 1997 NORFOLK JET EXPRESS commenced services between Australia and Norfolk Island using a BAe 146-100 leased from NATIONAL JET SYSTEMS .... then as a code share arrangement with QANTAS AIRWAYS from 1999 .... then using a chartered AIR NAURU B737-400 before it ceased operations during 2005.
A short-lived service to the island was then operated by ALLIANCE AIR using F-28 aircraft (and extended to Auckland, New Zealand too) until being discontinued due to cost .... and which was then succeeded by QANTAS AIRWAYS using an AIR NAURU B737-400 chartered by the island administration over a 12 month period from 2005.
NORFOLK AIR was established during 2006 .... and commenced services to the island from Brisbane, Melbourne, Newcastle, and Sydney using an OZJET AIRLINES B737-200 ADV (VH-OZD .... which supported definitive NORFOLK AIR livery) from 2007 until 2009 (OZJET later failed during 2012) .... and which was then succeeded during 2009 using an OUR AIRLINE B737-300 (VH-NLK .... and which also supported definitive NORFOLK AIR livery).
NORFOLK AIR ceased operations during 2012.
AIR NEW ZEALAND then attempted to maintain services between Auckland and Norfolk Island from March 2012 .... but .... found the route to be commercially sustainable "from New Zealand". The airline then elected to operate Norfolk Island services from Sydney using A320-200 aircraft from May 2017 .... and which dramatically increased the cost for New Zealanders intending to visit Norfolk Island, and whom now need to fly to Sydney, Australia, then, continue their passage to the island (travelling virtually half way back again to New Zealand in the process), and then the same again in regard to their return routing back to New Zealand via Sydney, Australia.
Norfolk Island air services are another interesting example of the challenges associated with civil aviation within the Southwest Pacific region .... and one which particularly hilites the difficulties/struggles associated maintaining services to small, remote, island communities that are otherwise dependent upon regular air services for their very existence.
Mark C
AKL/NZ
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Post by aerofoto - HJG Admin on Jul 11, 2019 9:08:07 GMT
Writing the above brief in regard to both Norfolk Island .... and Norfolk Island air services .... caused me to "ponder" today. Therefore what follows may be "OFF TOPIC" .... but .... given few people here have probably heard of the place, I thought I'd present this video documentary about Norfolk Island .... by Australian folk musician, writer, and presenter (the late) Ted EGAN .... and which might interest those of a historical and/or cultural mind set .... Ted Egan's: Norfolk Islandwww.youtube.com/watch?v=5581kXiwQ9oMark C AKL/NZ |
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Post by Peter Liddell on Jul 12, 2019 20:02:50 GMT
Doing this request was not as easy as it looked... but anyways CC-CZP Aerovias DAP, BAe 146-200, circa now    |
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Post by aerofoto - HJG Admin on Jul 12, 2019 20:46:03 GMT
"El Pingüino Volador/The Flying Penguin" .... has come up very nicely Peter BAe 146-200 AEROVIAS DAP (la penquina volador) CC-CZP (2019)    Well done Mark C AKL/NZ |
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Post by Nathan Ford - HJG on Jul 12, 2019 21:12:11 GMT
The 146 looks like a lot of work. Great addition and a wonderful gift for us all.
Loving your Downunder “Pacific” line up of repaints too. 😉
Cheers,
Nathan
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Post by Peter Liddell on Jul 12, 2019 23:06:42 GMT
Thanks
Noticed one little error, the engine pylons should be black, I'll fix that later and post pics.
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