R.A.A.F. may buy 14 more Airtraners

Press, 2 September 1980, Page 2

R.A.A.F. may buy 14 more Airtraners

PA Wellington A team of Australian defence officers began negotiations at Hamilton yesterday to buy New Zealand-made Airtrainer planes, originally built for Rhodesia. ; ' the Royal Australian Air Force-has 35 of the CT4 lt is interested in buying 14 more to train pilots. •, ■ <’ v The J 4 aircraft are in pieces -.at Hamilton at the moment—l2 are in. their ex-

port crates and two are being inspected. They have already been sold once—to a .‘Swiss company that is believed; to have bought them' for the Rhodesian Air Force during the days of white rule. The Australian team, which follows an R.A.A-.F. technical assessment team, is discussing the price and work to be done to convert the planes to Australian specifications. The Australian defence representative in Wellington, Group Captain G. Dyke, said

: that once the negotiations were -finished, the Australian i Minister of Defence would' • have to approve the sale. A - decision in December was ; likely. The general manager of i New Zealand Aerospace InI dustries (Mr P, W. Goldsbro) • said: “Breco Trading of i Switzerland had already paid i for the planes and was now trying to get its money back. “Breco ,was likely to get its money once the planes were I resold,” Mr Goldsbro said. .