Our Aircraft

Directions to Hanger 7 at Moorabbin airport

Kirkhope Aviation has an upmarket fleet of piston twin engine aircraft and a twin turbine aircraft. They are all of similar “corporate” standard and have different air speeds, carrying capacities and features. Our slideshow below showcases our fleet:
Super KingAir VH-ZOK….twin turbine pressurised  Beechcraft, 530km/hr, 10 passengers
Piper Chieftain VH-ZUM….twin piston engine Piper Chieftain, 360 km/hr,  8 – 9 passengers
Piper Chieftain VH-RUH….twin piston engine Piper Chieftain,  360 km/hr,  9 passengers
Piper Navajo VH-HXN.….twin piston  engine Piper Navajo,  360 km/hr 6 – 7 passengers
Cessna 340 VH-ZCR….twin piston engine pressurised Cessna , 380 km/hr , 4 -5 passengers

All the aircraft are in immaculate condition and suit both corporate charter and holiday/scenic tours.
The preferred aircraft for corporate work is the KingAir due to it’s comfort, speed and turbine engines. It is an impressive aircraft and well suited to corporate charters as it flies high above the weather.
The preferred aircraft for holiday/scenic charters are the Chieftains and Navajo due to the large viewing windows and the ability of the aircraft to fly lower.The flagship touring aircraft is a Piper Chieftain shown on this page. It is probably the best presented Chieftain available. Experience air tours in a twin engine Piper Chieftain aircraft, where you travel through outback Australia as a small group, with both comfort and speed. The aircraft is rated for instrument flying which allows departures and arrivals in most weather and at night (assuming the airstrip is suitable) and is the type commonly used in aircraft charter.

Note: Sometimes the particular aircraft pictured here may not be available for a specific trip. In these situations, a similar twin engine aircraft to that described here will be used. Other aircraft can be seen on the Gallery page or the Business Air charter page.

Comfort

Most aircraft have club seating.. The interior is set out in a corporate style ‘club configuration’, which allows four people in the middle of the aircraft to face each other.This is great for clients/passengers that wish to chat or work together.

In all cases entry is via a rear stair door, which allows for easy access for all ages. Most aircraft also have air conditioning which is of great benefit at some of the warmer outback destinations.

The KingAir does have a toilet however even in this aircraft we discourage it’s use and keep it only  for emergencies.

Fantastic Views

The unpressurised aircraft ( Navajo and Chieftains) have a  maximum altitude of 10,000 feet. However the advantage of travelling at these heights is that you get  the best views of the Australian landscape. Large windows and hence every passenger has a good view on the air tour, unlike most larger aircraft that generally have much smaller windows.

Luggage

Luggage can be loaded in the wing lockers and a forward nose locker in most aircraft. There is also some space for luggage at the rear of the cabin. As the lockers have a low height, bags need to be of the small soft overnight type. Cases or bags with frames and / or hard suitcases are very difficult to stow. On outback tours we generally limit the luggage to 8 – 9 kg per person but it does depend on the trip. The only aircraft without a large nose locker is the Super KingAir. Nose lockers can normally take larger “rounder “bags, whereas wing lockers are much flatter and need more flexible bags. See videos below.

YouTube Kirkhopeaviation

YouTube Kirkhopeaviation

 

Aircraft Doors…Chieftains and Navajo

Chieftain and Navajo aircraft rear stair for loading and also showing the wing lockers on most aircraft.

YouTube Kirkhopeaviation

YouTube Kirkhopeaviation

Aircraft Doors…Super King Air

Large rear stairs for loading and the wing locker for luggage is on the left.