Advance Airlines

Advance Airlines
Headquarters Sydney, Australia

Advance Airlines was an Australian airline that operated from 1974 to 1981.[1] It was run by former bush pilot Bryan Greenberger.[2]

It had come into existence in 1974 when Greenberger had successfully tendered for the Sydney to Lord Howe Island route that had been vacated when Ansett Airlines subsidiary Airlines of New South Wales had withdrawn its flying boat service, but lacked an aircraft to operate it. He went into partnership with Sydney builder Alan Griffin, which gave him access to a Beechcraft airplane, and they commenced what became a lucrative operation. The company was half-owned by Greenberger and half-owned by the Griffin family, with Greenberger as managing director, Griffin as chairman, and Griffin's son-in-law Jim Read as director.[3] The airline saw an early incident in 1976 when a Lord Howe Island flight was forced to return to Sydney Airport after takeoff when a damaged engine resulted in smoke coming from the engine and pieces of metal falling from the plane.[4]

By 1978, the airline had four aircraft, was operating from a converted hangar at Sydney Airport. In that year, it also operated flights within New South Wales to Lord Howe Island, Temora, Condobolin, Scone, Quirindi, Gunnedah and Wee Waa. It had recently expanded to operate discount flights to Toowoomba in Queensland in competition with major airlines and an existing regional carrier; these reportedly "proved particularly popular". Their operation was based on the "no-frills" style of English entrepreneur Freddie Laker, with no food or drink or hostess.[5] The company launched an aggressive advertising campaign in Sydney newspapers in 1978, and Greenberger had expansion plans to Geelong in Victoria and the Sunshine Coast in Queensland if the Toowoomba route succeeded. He had also speculated that Advance could become a third major domestic carrier alongside Ansett Airlines and Trans Australia Airlines were Australia's dual-airline system to collapse.[6][3]

On 21 February 1980, the airline's scheduled passenger flight Advance Airlines Flight DR4210 crashed at Sydney Airport after an engine failure on takeoff, killing all 13 people on board the Beech Beechcraft King Air 200.[7] The crash resulted in a 1982 board of inquiry which made a number of recommendations about airline safety in Australia. At the time of the crash, Advance Airlines had a fleet of five Beechcraft King Air aircraft operating its routes.[2] The airline had a subsequent incident while still in operation in December 1980 when a pilot collapsed unconscious while operating a Lord Howe Island flight, which resulted in a passenger having to take control of the aircraft to avoid a crash, and made front-page news in Sydney.[8] By 1981, the airline had been sold to and folded into Aviation Developments Operations, one of a number of commuter airline purchases by the newer airline, associated with retail financier General Credits, who would themselves soon be taken over by Australian Guarantee Corporation.[9]

In 1982, an investigation by the board of inquiry into the 1980 crash into confusion regarding the corporate ownership and company structure of the former Advance Airlines narrowly allowed legal claims for damages to be launched within the statutory period of limitations.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Advance Airlines". aviationcollection.org.
  2. 1 2 "The flight that never arrived". Sydney Morning Herald. 22 February 1980. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  3. 1 2 Derriman, Philip (17 October 1978). "Tiny airline is gaining weight". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  4. ↑ "Light aircraft makes forced landing". Sydney Morning Herald. 29 October 1976. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  5. ↑ "No-frills country airline". Sydney Morning Herald. 22 February 1980. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  6. ↑ Mellor, Bill (8 October 1978). "The 'Bush' Airline Cuts Fares, Wants Crack at Big Two". The Sun-Herald. p. 11. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  7. ↑ "13 Die in Sydney Crash". Sydney Morning Herald. 22 February 1980.
  8. ↑ Sandilands, Ben; Noble, David (22 December 1980). "Modest hero at controls in flight drama". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 1. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  9. ↑ "NSW commuter airline sold to Av Developments". Sydney Morning Herald. 22 July 1981. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  10. ↑ "Crash relatives able to claim". Sydney Morning Herald. 3 February 1982. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
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