Straits Air Freight Express
Encyclopedia
Cook Strait
Cook Strait is the strait between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It connects the Tasman Sea on the west with the South Pacific Ocean on the east....
and connected the North Island and South Island (of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
) railway systems during the 1950s to the 1970s.
The main aircraft type that the company operated was the Bristol Type 170 Freighter Mk.31
Bristol Freighter
The Bristol Type 170 Freighter was a British twin-engine aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company as both a freighter and airliner, although its best known use is as an air ferry to carry cars and their passengers over relatively short distances.-Design and development:The...
. They designed the "cargon" system - a pallet and transfer system using modified railway flatcars to allow trucked loads to be transferred directly into the nose doorway of the tail-wheeled aircraft. This reduced the turn-around time of 10 tonne unload/load cycles to less than 10 minutes. For the times that was an extremely fast cycle.
The company also operated two much larger Armstrong Whitworth AW.660 Argosy
Armstrong Whitworth AW.660 Argosy
The Armstrong Whitworth Argosy was a British post-war military transport/cargo aircraft and was the last aircraft produced by Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft...
aircraft.
Chatham Islands Passenger Services
New Zealand's most eastern home islands, the Chathams Group was link with air freight as well as passenger services using a unique removable passenger pod that could be placed into the hold of the Bristol Freighter. Extra sound insulation was used to drown out the mighty Hercules engines and earplugs provided. Flight times were approximately three hoursIn 1982 when the paved runway at Tu-uta Point was built, the AW.660 Argosy was placed into service with a far more comfortable passenger pod based on the cabin of a Boeing 737. The pod still exists today, placed in the hold of ZK-SAE.
When flying operations ceased in 1990, Air Chathams
Air Chathams
Air Chathams Limited is a commuter airline based in Te One, the Chatham Islands, New Zealand. It was established in 1986 and operates scheduled passenger services between the Chatham Islands and the North and South islands of New Zealand, as well as local charters. Its main base is Chatham Islands...
was founded to keep the air route open after Air New Zealand pulled out in 1992.
The company, renamed Safe Air Limited in 1966, diversified into aviation maintenance. in 1972 it was bought by the National Airways Corporation
National Airways Corporation
National Airways Corporation was the national domestic airline of New Zealand from 1947 until 1978 when it amalgamated with New Zealand's international airline, Air New Zealand. The airline was headquartered in Wellington...
, which then merged with Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand Limited is the national airline and flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 26 domestic destinations and 24 international destinations in 15 countries across Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania, and is...
. Safe Air continued to be operated as an independent entity by both owners. It ceased flying in 1990, but has continued to expand and now employs approximately 350 staff.