Ray Watts – August 2022. There are some exciting additions to the register this month.
AIRLINK HAS REGISTERED two Embraer 195s ZS-YDA & YDB. These aircraft are only three years old and come from Denmark. These two have the advantage over Airlinks 190s in that they have 32 more seats available (132 v 100). Airlink’s fleet is now the largest in Africa with some sixty aircraft in service.
Safair have added yet another B737-800 to their fleet – this one (ZS-FGF) is ex-Ryan Air EI-ENY. Safair’s fleet is now twenty aircraft.
In total there were nine type-certified (TCA) aircraft (eight fixed wing and one helicopter) added to the register this month. One of these is a Mooney M20 which I can’t trace and one of the others is an Air Tractor 402B. The Air Tractor is proving to be very popular, with some twenty-seven being registered in this country now.
‘Airlink’s fleet is now the largest in Africa’
In a big swing from the usual mix, the non-type certified aircraft (NTCA) side was very quiet this month with only one aircraft having been added – a Jabiru J430.
The number of drones continued to grow at a great rate with a further ninety-one having been added this month, and eleven deleted.
With the demise of Comair we are seeing some their aircraft being returned to their owners, and the first one to be scrapped; ZS-ZWT. I had seen her parked outside in the area near Safair where all aircraft go to be chopped up. It’s a very sad sight.
There are a sixteen deletions from the TCA register. Two of these are Robinson helicopters which have been scrapped off the register, but I can almost guarantee that the aircraft will be back with ZU- (NTCA) registrations.
One of our Beech 90 King Airs has gone to Brazil and the rest to the USA, Australia, Zambia and Namibia. A Bell 505 has been exported to Indonesia.
There are three NTCA deletions this month, going to Namibia and Mozambique.
Tail Piece
Spring and Summer are approaching with their associated thunderstorms – just be careful out there. For those who live close to Brakpan airfield or can fly in there, they now have monthly safety briefings at the club which are open to everybody and well worth attending.
REG MANUFACTURER TYPE NAME SERIAL NUMBER PREVIOUS IDENTITY / EXPORT COUNTRY
New Registrations ZS-
ZS-CCC CESSNA AIRCRAFT COMPANY T210M 210-61590 A2-AIA,
ZS-MJJ, N732LE ZS-FGF THE BOEING COMPANY 737-800 35042 EI-ENY
ZS-THY THE BOEING COMPANY B737-36E 27626 N105RA, VP-CKZ, G-TOYL, EI-CSU, EC-GGZ, EC-799
ZS-TLI MOONEY AIRCRAFT CORPORATIOM M20M 27-0194
ZS-TLK EMBRAER EMB-120 ER 120-214 N52AP, EC-HSO, F-GHEY, PK-RJC, VH-ANV
ZS-TRK AIR TRACTOR INC AT 402B 402B-1431
ZS-YDA EMBRAER ERJ 195-200 LR 19000765 OY-YEG, EW-532PO, PR-ETQ
ZS-YDB EMBRAER ERJ 195-200 LR 19000766 OY-YEH, EW-533PO, PR=EBP
New Registrations ZT-
R ZT-HOT AIRBUS HELICOPTERS AS 350 B2 4381 A2-…, N561AM
New Registrations ZU-
ZU-URI SHADOW LITE CC JABIRU J430 995
Aircraft deleted ZS-
ZS-COR CIRRUS DESIGN CORPORATION SR22 1267 ZIMBAMBWE
ZS-HCZ BELL HELICOPTER COMPANY 206B 4110 NAMIBIA
ZS-IMA BEECH AIRCRAFT CORPORATION 36 E-174 ARGENTINA
ZS-IPP PILATUS AIRCRAFT LTD PC-12/45 195 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
ZS-ODD AYRES CORPORATION S2R-T34 1872R ZIMBAMBWE
ZS-PSD CESSNA AIRCRAFT COMPANY T206H T20608090 NAMIBIA
ZS-RCJ ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY R22 BETA 2108 SCRAPPED
ZS-RSJ ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY R44 II 12572 SCRAPPED
ZS-SHW CIRRUS DESIGN CORPORATION SR22 2114 AUSTRALIA
ZS-TFZ BEECH AIRCRAFT CORPORATION 1900C UC-168 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
ZS-TJE CESSNA AIRCRAFT COMPANY 208B 208B-0552 ZAMBIA
ZS-TVO TEXTRON AVIATION INC B200GT BY-211 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
ZS-WSB PIPER AIRCRAFT CORPORATION PA-18-150 18-8589 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
ZS-ZOA BEECH AIRCRAFT CORPORATION C90 LJ-669 BRAZIL as PS-MLB
ZS-ZWT THE BOEING COMPANY 737-800 27990 SCRAPPED
Aircraft deleted ZT-
ZT-RDG BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON BELL 505 65044 INDONESIA
Aircraft deleted ZU-
ZU-BUF SLING AIRCRAFT (PTY) LTD SLING 4 Tsi 235s NAMIBIA
ZU-SBC SA RAVIN AIRCRAFT CC RAVIN 500 0405003 NAMIBIA
ZU-TCE MICRO AVIATION SA BAT HAWK 0008 MOZAMBIQUE