High fliers take Deni into the jet age

And it has cost the local business plenty to get its customers there in relative comfort – its new Cessna M2 Citation jet might seem pretty cool, but at its operational ceiling of 41,000 feet it is actually freezing, anywhere between -40C and -60C.

But it is a price Wettenhall’s has been prepared to pay to not just keep the town air charter service flying, but to make it more attractive to a wider range of players.

Owner Russell Tait says charter clients range from capital city corporates to the fly-in, fly-out contracts with mines to the big corporate farmers.

Flying at 400-plus knots air speed (that’s pilot talk for 835km/h) also means wherever you want to go, you won’t get there any faster.

“We can safely get you 1800km in any direction before needing to land and refuel,” Russell explains.

“That means we could get you to Birdsville non-stop, have you in Melbourne in 25 minutes, in Sydney in under an hour or Brisbane in less than two – or you could do something out of the ordinary, such as a day trip to King Island in Bass Strait for a degustation and a tour and still be home by 5pm,” he says.

“For us the key thing has been making sure Deni keeps an air charter service going – Wettenhall Air Services has been operating here since 1965 and we are delighted Nigel Wettenhall is still chief pilot for the business, with fellow captain Phil Oakes also on the full-time pilot roster.

“We also have access to other highly-qualified pilots if needed with bookings between the Citation and the Beechcraft King Air, our other frontline aircraft.”

While Wettenhalls took delivery of the Citation earlier this year, it was unable to use Deniliquin as its base until last week, when the upgrade of runways at the airport was completed.

The business immediately relocated the cutting-edge jet from its temporary Tocumwal base to its permanent home and it is available for hire there at any time.

Don’t miss the full story in Friday’s edition of the Pastoral Times.