Reg Review: September

Largest of the newly registered aircraft this month is the Boeing 767-266ER, ZS-IJB, which re-uses a registration once worn by a Britten Norman Islander. This aircraft was a familiar sight at Jan Smuts in days gone by when it was ZS-SRC and was operated by South African Airways. It will presumably fly in Inter Air colours (or be leased to another operator). The other Boeing, the 737-3S3 ZS-SPU is one of the growing fleet of 737-300 series which the company has been acquiring and which it has started operating in its own right, as opposed to just leasing them out. ZS-SPU has a very long pedigree, having started with Air Europe on 7 March 1988 as G-BNPB. The aircraft has since been registered in the UK, Canada, Spain, Philippines, USA, Indonesia and the UAE and has operated with such diverse companies as Odyssey International, Philippine Airlines,   Debonair Airways, British World Airways, National Jet Italia, Astraeus, Air Asia, Adam Air and Silver Air.

Two Cirrus SR22s are reflected in this month’s listings, ZS-AFM (originally a Miles Hawk) and ZS-SPR. Another brand new aircraft is the B200GT, ZS-BGT using a registration formerly carried by a Tiger Moth. ZS-BUL (formerly a Handley Page Halton of Sky Taxis) will no doubt wear Red Bull colours, while the new Grand Caravan ZS-XXL wears an approximation of the pre-war US Navy colour scheme, complete with yellow wing top surfaces and red chevron. The Ayres Turbo Thrush is interesting in that it was originally delivered to the Policia Nationale Columbia (PNC) on 4 January 1990. It became s/n PNC-3174 with code T-09 but was withdrawn from use in 2008. More recently it was with Lane Aviation Inc., Rosenberg TX, before coming to South Africa as ZS-SPV. The CAA seems to have had a little fun with the BAe 146-200 ZS-SFZ, re-instating it no less than three times after its return from the Comores where it was D6-BJH. We say good bye to the SAA Boeing 747-4F6, ZS-SBK, which has been sold as VQ-BHW.

Turning to the NTCAs, the Cub ZU-FHJ was one of those imported from Mocambique by Ian Popplewell and Brian Zeederberg in November 1989 and has been undergoing a protracted rebuild at Lanseria. It was formerly operated by the Aero Clube de Nampula as CR-AEC and C9-AEC.   The Sting, ZU-NRC, though c/n 005, is the first production example to be registered locally, (though at the time of writing, not yet completed) and a number of others are on the way, some being supplied as kits. C/n 004 will be the demo aircraft and will be ZU-TAF No.2 in a bright red overall finish. We lose Bantam B-22J ZU-FFC which has gone to Tanzania but gain a new example, ZU-FIU.

Further aircraft for the SA Civil Aircraft Register are known to be:- BAe 146-300 G-OAJF (E-3118 to be ZS-SOU), BAe 146-200 G-UKLN (E.2069 to be ZS-SOW) Beech 1900D N881SK (UE-88) and N92SK (UE-92), Boeing Stearman A75N-1 N707DB (75-3674), Cessna T206H N60220 (T20608627), Cirrus SR22XL N144CK (3626 to ZS-DSG (2)) and Cirrus SR22 N989PW (0802). The P-51D Mustang, N72FT, was due for delivery at the time of writing along with a Hawker Sea Fury. Both were scheduled for assembly in Port Elizabeth/Port Alfred.