The Massey University School of Aviation’s approach to safety training for pilots has impressed members of the Australian aviation industry. The Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) invited Massey’s deputy chief flight instructor, Paul Kearney, to give a guest speech at the National Chief Flying Instructors’ Conference in Canberra last month. Mr Kearney said Massey’s School of Aviation, which celebrates its 25th ...

On 10 November 2011, the Robinson Helicopter company reached a historic milestone in delivering its 10,000th helicopter—an R44 (S/N 13217). The company held a celebration at its Torrance, California, factory in honour of the occasion. In addition to the company employees, representatives from the city, the FAA and many of Robinson’s vendors attended. Frank Robinson, the company’s founder, spoke briefly to ...

Late last month, the RNZAF’s Chief of Air Force, Air Vice-Marshal Peter Stockwell, commissioned a new flight simulator complex at Ohakea. “The A109 simulator and accompanying Virtual Interactive Procedure Trainer (VIPT) are critical components of the newly introduced integrated training system for future New Zealand Defence Force helicopter aircrew,” said Air Vice-Marshal Stockwell. As a part of that training system, the simulator ...

Last month, Air New Zealand announced it had ordered seven new-generation ATR 72-600 aircraft with purchase options for a further five, worth a total of US$270 million at current list prices. Air New Zealand’s CEO, Rob Fyfe, said the announcement of the deal, which is subject to contract signing, would boost air service connections to regional New Zealand significantly. Air New Zealand’s ...

Heliflite Pty Ltd, the Australasian distributor for AgustaWestland helicopters, has announced that the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust has signed a contract for two new AW169 helicopters, which will be delivered in 2015. The aircraft will be used to perform a wide range of emergency medical service and search and rescue (SAR) missions in New Zealand. The contract marks the entrance of ...

Air New Zealand has re-signed as a major sponsor of the New Zealand Rugby Union for another four years, extending its long-term support for the All Blacks until 2015. The re-signing continues a 16-year relationship between Air New Zealand and the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) and maintains the airline’s status as official sponsor of the All Blacks. To celebrate this successful ...

At the end of last month, Cessna announced the launch of a new light business jet— the Citation M2—intended to “fill the gap” between its Citation Mustang and its Citation CJ family. The Citation M2 features Garmin G3000 avionics, engines similar to those found in the Citation CJ series and a new cabin design. The aircraft has an aluminium airframe with ...

On 26 September, the day after completion of its contractual delivery, Boeing delivered its first 787 Dreamliner today to the launch customer for the type, the Japanese airline ANA. The delivery ceremony took place adjacent to the factory where the aeroplane was assembled. In front of thousands of onlookers, more than 500 Boeing employees representing the 787 programme walked alongside ...

ZuluLog.com, which describes itself as “a leading provider of Web-based aviation record keeping services and software”, announced last month that it had released a new Android application for pilots. While the ZuluLog Android app is designed to work with customer accounts at ZuluLog.com, it can be used as a standalone pilot logbook. Users can enter, edit and view flights from anywhere, ...

The Canterbury earthquakes have had an unexpected upside for Palmerston North, with the establishment of a satellite training facility for a group of its international students at the Massey University campus. Airways had only just secured a multi-year contract to train Saudi Arabian air traffic controllers when the September 4 2010 earthquake struck the Canterbury region. The Saudi students remained ...