David Wise's home-page
LIST OF CONTENTS
Aircraft
Production Lists
Abbreviations
Registers
Jodels
Robin
Nord NC850 series
Airtourer &
Airtrainer Family
Fletcher FU-24, Cresco,
PAC 750XL Family
New Zealand & other Pacific Historic Civil Register
This page provides a lead-in to the aircraft listings.
This website was started in December 2001.
The production lists have been updated. The primary source was extracts from Air Britain News up to date, plus other data including various official register websites, correspondence on the AB-IX, Airfields and Jodel e-mail groups, and messages received directly from other enthusiasts and aircraft owners.
A major addition in September 2008 was a historic New Zealand civil aircraft register, plus three other minor Pacific area registers.
You may copy information from this web-site only for your own personal use. Please contact me if you want to exploit this information commercially or re-publish any of it in any magazine, book, website or electronic medium. |
The lists have been provided as html look-up tables so that I can ensure that the information provided is the latest available. Updates are loaded every few weeks as new information comes to light.
A major reason for publishing these lists is to provoke feedback. I would be pleased to hear from anyone who can add any extra details or corrections, however small. Please e-mail me on: dave.wise@btinternet.com
Latest Update: 25th April 2012
I have long been involved with the organisation of the PFA Rallies, starting with marshalling at Leicester in the late 1970's and going on to being responsible for managing aircraft parking and airside planning and layout for several years at the Cranfield and Wroughton events.
For the last few years, I have moved to lighter jobs, initially with judging, then lately with the booking-in operation. This has included compiling a full list of aircraft present from the official booking-in, booking-out and movement records. Available here are the logs for:
PFA "Flying For Fun" Rally at Kemble in July 2005
PFA "Flying For Fun" Rally at Kemble in August 2006.
For several years now, I have been accumulating listings of various aviation topics which caught my interest, including production lists of various light aircraft types. I am now making these available on this web-site.
The files are in construction number order. For each aircraft I have provided information on registration marks, dates of initial registration, any significant periods of cancellation from registers, changes of configuration where known, and fates. For the Jodels and Robins, I have also compiled a registration cross-index. For reasons of practicality, I have not listed ownership or base details.
I have been dependent on published sources, mostly old registers published by various enthusiast organisations, with the more recent updates mainly from Air Britain magazines. Also various web-sites, including those provided by several national registration authorities, and e-mail feedback from individuals. For some of these types, the start of production was several years before the earliest documentation I have available. It is inevitable that there will be a few errors or omissions. You use these lists entirely at your own risk!
There are particular problems with tracing amateur-built aircraft in several countries, because they are often officially registered with construction numbers which are homebuilt-association or personal project numbers, and do not show the plans or kit or licence-to-build serial numbers assigned by the suppliers. Another recent problem is that some countries have introduced ultralight/microlight aircraft registers which are separate from the main aircraft registers, both structurally and administratively, and information on these is very difficult to obtain. If you know the plans or kit supplier's serial number of any of the types I have listed and I don't have it, please let me know what it is.
The following abbreviations have been used:
AACA = Amateur Aircraft Constructors
Association of New Zealand (since ren. as SAANZ)
AAE = Asociacion de Aviacion Experimental (Spanish homebuilders)
AC = Aero Club
Alpha = Alpha Aircraft of Hamilton, NZ (manufacture of R2120/2160
aircraft from 2005)
amat = amateur-built
amdd = amended
Apex = Apex Group, parent Company of Av. Pierre Robin from 1988
APR = Avions Pierre Robin (renamed ex CEA in 1969)
APRI = Av. Pierre Robin Internationale, subsidiary at La Chute,
Quebec, Canada which manufactured R2160 aircraft in 1980-1984
AUF = Australian Ultralight Federation (renamed as RAA in 2004)
b = based at
BV = Bureau Veritas - provider of information on aircraft
registers (see below)
chgd = changed
c = circa (i.e. approximate date)
c/n = construction number (plans number or kit number)
CAA = Civil Aviation Authority (in several countries)
CAB = Constructions Aeronautiques de Bourgogne (renaming of APR
from Jan 2002)
CASA = Civil Aviation Safety Authority (national authority in
Australia)
CDNR = French airworthiness certification for aircraft with no
type certificate holder (includes most models of factory-built
Jodels from 2008)
CEA = Centre Est Aeronautique, manufacturer at Dijon, France
(became Avions Pierre Robin in 1969)
CEV = Centre Essais du Vol (French government test establishment
at Bretigny)
CNRA = French amateur-built airworthiness certification
CNRAC = French old-timer airworthiness certification
("Aeronefs de Collection")
CNSK = French kit-built aircraft airworthiness certification
CofA = Certificate of Airworthiness (to ICAO standard)
const = constructed by
conv = converted (sometimes model change to match engine change)
cr = crashed
cx = cancelled from official register
dbf = damaged/destroyed by fire
dbflood = damaged/destroyed by flood
dbg = damaged/destroyed by gale
dbhc = damaged/destroyed by hangar collapse
dbhf = damaged/destroyed in hangar fire
dbr = damaged beyond repair (i.e. insurance write-off)
dbs = damaged/destroyed by storm (including hurricanes and
cyclones!)
DCA = Department of Civil Aviation (in NZ - since renamed as CAA)
DGAC = French official aircraft registration authority (see
below)
dgd = damaged (probably repairable)
dest = destroyed (though several officially so listed have
subsequently been rebuilt)
dism = dismantled
disp = displayed (usually in museum or as "gate
guardian")
dnf = damaged/destroyed in non-flying incident
EAA = Experimental Aircraft Association (Amateur-builders in USA,
Sweden etc)
EAAC = Experimental Aircraft Association of Canada (since renamed
as RAA)
EAS = Experimental Aircraft of Switzerland (renamed ex RSA Suisse
in 2002)
ex = changed from
ff = First Flight
FFPLUM = French Ultralight (ULM) Federation
LAA = Light Aircraft Association (UK amateur-builders, renamed ex
PFA from Jan 2008)
lsd = leased
MAANZ = Microlight Aircraft Association of NZ (renamed RAANZ)
mod = modified
mus = museum
nc = not completed
No. Fab. = Numero Fabrique - Robin factory line number during
manufacture
No. Ser. = Numero Serie - Robin manufacturer's serial number
assigned at late stage of manufacture, used as official
construction number for registration purposes
ntu = (reserved registration) not taken up (see note below)
NVAV = Netherlands amateur-builders association
PFA = Popular Flying Association (UK amateur-builders, renamed
LAA in Jan 2008)
PtoF = Permit to Fly (UK amateur-built certification)
pres = preserved non-flying
RAA = Recreational Aircraft Association (Canadian
amateur-builders renamed ex EAAC)
RAA = Recreational Aviation of Australia (Australian Ultralights,
renamed ex AUF in 2004)
RSA = Reseau de Sport de l'Air (French amateur-builders)
RSA = Republic of South Africa
reb = rebuilt
reg = registered
ren = renamed
rereg = re-registered (within the same register)
res = resident in/at
rest = restored to register
SA = South Australia
SAAA = Sport Aircraft Association of Australia (amateur-builders)
SAACI = Society of Amateur Aircraft Constructors of Ireland
SAANZ = Sport Aircraft Association of New Zealand (NZ
amateur-builders renamed ex AACA)
RAANZ = Recreational Aircraft Association of New
Zealand (NZ Microlights renamed ex MAANZ)
SAN = Societe Aeronautique Normande, manufacturer at Bernay,
France
scr = scrapped
st = stored
to = re-registered
ULM = Ultra Leger Motorise, French ultralight aircraft with
separate registration/certification
WA = Western Australia
wfu = withdrawn from use
( ) = reserved registration not taken up (in production lists)
* = reserved registration not taken up (in cross-reference lists)
Suffices to Jodel type designations:-
A (Aerofrein) with additional Airbrake
R (Remorqueur) with glider towing hook
T (Train Tricycle) with nosewheel undercarriage.
Official registers & Bureau Veritas
The definitive aircraft registers are maintained by official national registration authorities. A parallel set of registers with some official status is maintained by an organisation called Bureau Veritas, which is headquartered in Paris and operates in a similar way to the shipping and aircraft information and quality services of Lloyds of London. Because of their ready availability, the registers published by BV have generally been used as the basis of European registers published by various enthusiast organisations.
The official registers and the BV registers are often out of step with cancellations. This occurs because BV delete aircraft when they have not had their certification renewed for a few years, irrespective of whether they have been cancelled by the national authority. This is not a major problem in most countries, but has led to large-scale differences in France, where the DGAC is often slow in initiating cancellations. They often eventually make cancellations many years after the aircraft last flew and some are still shown as current more than 50 years after they are known to have been destroyed or exported. Also the reasons for cancellation given by DGAC are often questionable - there is confusion between "detruit = destroyed" and "reforme = withdrawn from use", also several are listed as re-registered abroad when this has not happened.
The French information available when these production lists were first compiled, had mainly been based on BV-derived sources. Recently the DGAC official registers have been made available on-line. In Jan/Feb 2012 a full reconciliation was carried out of the Jodel and Robin lists against the DGAC on-line registers. Many discrepancies have been noted, particularly among the D9's and D11's. At the same time, a reconciliation was done against the 2009 edition of the excellent Fox Papa book by Jacques Chillon which lists French amateur-built aircraft, and which gave useful extra details such as dates of changes of model and locations of accidents, and the use of F-W test registrations.
Registration Status
Policy on whether a registration is regarded as taken up varies between countries. Aircraft registrations are normally reserved some time before being used, often many years before in the case of amateur-builts. In many countries (including France), an aircraft is not officially regarded as registered until it has achieved full airworthiness certification. Amateur-built aircraft are quite commonly operated on test certification and marked with their reserved registrations, particularly in Germany sometimes for several years, until eventually being fully certificated and added to the main register.
In most countries the reserved or temporary registrations are not published and some have been included based on observations reported by enthusaists. If certification is not achieved, the registration is regarded as not taken up and may be re-allocated. In some countries, this applies even if the aircraft has flown on temporary certification, e.g. for testing or ferry flights. In some countries temporary registrations may be allocated for testing or ferrying (e.g. France (F-Wxxx), UK (G-numbers "Class B"), Spain (EC-number), Canada, USA, Australia). Also in France, operating in a non-standard configuration such as disabled-pilot control systems or testing new major components such as propellers. Some manufacturers have reserved registrations re-used repeatedly for short-term testing.
Also policy on what constitutes the official registration date varies between countries. In some countries, this is the first flight date, either from new or after importation. In some (including France) it is the date of issue of full certification. In others (including the UK) the registration date quoted is customarily when the registration was reserved. Some UK amateur-builts have eventually flown more than 30 years after the registration was reserved.
Registration Re-use
In some countries registrations are not re-used. In France, if an aircraft is exported and re-imported or cancelled and restored after rebuild, a new registration is usually issued, unless the cancellation had been noted at the time as temporary. In the UK, a registration is regarded as not taken up (n.t.u.) and made available for reallocation only if the reservation is cancelled without ever having flown, while aircraft restored to the register are normally given back their last UK identity.
In several countries, registrations are re-used, sometimes with a minimum delay after cancellation but sometimes with none. In some countries, particularly USA and New Zealand, re-registration is rife - cancellation and reallocation can often occur on the same day and many registrations have now flown on several different airframes.
Amateur-built Projects
One particular problem in several countries, including U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Canada, U.S.A., Spain and Netherlands, has been tracing amateur-built aircraft which have been registered with personalised construction numbers or with project numbers allocated by various national amateur-building organisations, and their original plans or kit or licence-to-build serial numbers are not quoted in the official records. Sweden is uniquely helpful - the official register normally gives both the suppliers' serial number and the EAAS amateur-built project number for all such aircraft.
Ultralights & Microlights
In several countries, including France, Italy, Denmark, Australia and several East European and Asian countries, ultralight/microlight aircraft are registered in a separate sequence, in a different format to a conventional registration, and usually without the nationality prefix. For convenience within these lists, the standard registration nationality prefix has been added, even though it is not normally displayed on the aircraft. Control of these 'registrations' are often delegated to the national Ultralight organisations instead of the main airworthiness authorities, and information is often difficult to obtain.
These problems are compounded in France and Belgium by the additional issue of radio callsigns, in the format of F-Jxxx and OQ-xxx pseudo-registrations, to individual pilots and unrelated to the airframe registration. These are occasionally painted on airframes which have only one regular pilot, or more often dymo-taped on the dash panel. Where known, these callsigns are included in square brackets.
The limits defining an Ultralight or Microlight varies between countries. In much of Europe, for a two-seater it is 1000 lb/450 kg max weight and 35 kt stall speed, while in most of the rest of the world, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand it is 1200 lb/547 kg and 45 kt stall. In several countries, many older amateur-built small aircraft, which were originally on the main registers, have been transferred to the subsequently-created microlight registers.
Having been both a regular Jodel pilot and interested in aircraft history for many years, I have been researching a production list of the Jodel family. This started out many years ago as a proposed appendix to a book by somebody else on the history of Jodels. The book was never completed, but I continued to update the listings I had started and the results are here. It includes all models in the evolution from the 1948-vintage Jodel D9 to the latest Robin DR500, both amateur-built and commercially produced, worldwide. I have also compiled a registration cross-index.
The index to the Jodel lists, along with acknowledgements to the many sources and people who have helped, are on the Jodel Index page.
Special thanks to Joel Thomas who has provided a complete listing from company sources of CEA/Robin production data including factory line numbers.
This section was first loaded in December 2001 and has been regularly updated.
In addition to their family of Jodel-derived
models, Avions Pierre Robin produced some metal and composite
types, designed by Chris Heinz and Pierre Robin. There are five
files covering:
R-100 family, R-200
family (Part 1), R-200 family (Part 2), R-3000
& misc, R-ATL.
They have also been added to the Registration cross-reference listings in the Jodel section.
This section was added in March 2004 and has been regularly updated.
I had friends who owned various Nord NC-854's and I have flown them. This led me to constructing a production list which covers about 280 aircraft. The first part is SNCAC/SNCAN NC-840/850 family while the second part covers the enlarged, mainly military NC-856 family. Production dates back to 1949 and there were many type re-designations due to engine changes.
This list was originally complied in 2001. It was updated in October 2009 to incorporate data summarised from a definitive and more detailed listing serialised in the magazine of the French aviation historical society Trait d'Union.
VICTA/A.E.S.L./P.A.C. AIRTOURER & AIRTRAINER FAMILY
I learned to fly on Airtourers at Biggn Hill in 1971-72, and I have made some visits to New Zealand. Therefore it was a natural follow-on to compile a list of the Airtourer and Airtrainer Family. This section was added in March 2004 and has been regularly updated.
P.A.C. FLETCHER FU-24 & CRESCO & 750XL FAMILY
Again, interest in New Zealand-built aircraft led to compilation of a production list of the Fletcher FU-24 and the Cresco and 750XL families of agricultural and utility aircraft. This section was added in March 2004 and has been regularly updated.
NEW ZEALAND & OTHER PACIFIC HISTORIC CIVIL AIRCRAFT REGISTERS
Following visits to New Zealand, I found that there was a lack of available information on the historic New Zealand Civil Aircraft Register, so I started compiling my own in the late 1980's. The NZ register is complex because of extensive reallocation. Cancellation and reallocation often occurs on the same day. Some NZ registrations have now flown on seven different airframes, and some airframes have had six different NZ registrations, so dates of changes are particularly important.
I have also covered three other Pacific area registers:- Fiji (DQ-), Western Samoa (5W-), and Cook Islands (E5-).
The index to the New Zealand Register along with acknowledgements and notes are on the New Zealand Register Index Page.
This section was added in September 2008 and has been regularly updated.
As far as I am aware, the information I have published does not directly duplicate anything available in book form from enthusiast organisations and specialist publishers, or on other web-sites. There are several web-sites dealing with current national registers, airliners and executive jets, but not many covering light aircraft or historic registers. There are several basic historic aircraft registers available from Pascal Brugier's website, also a historic German register plus production lists for Socata, Reims-Cessna, and several models of helicopter on Dave Lenton's website. A comprehensive list of other register and production-list web-sites can be found on Howard Curtis's AirNet web-site.
I am also content manager of the Royal Aero Club website. As well as information about the Club, this also contains an extensive UK and world-wide aviation event listing. To update the listing, I welcome news of aviation events of all types, anywhere in the world.