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| North American T-28B Trojan ZK-TGN was out doing engine runs at Ardmore this afternoon. |
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ZK-TGN at Ardmore 1-12-15
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Aerobatic Monoplanes of New Zealand (2) - Yakovlev Yak 50
The next type of purpose designed aerobatic monoplane to be registered in New Zealand was the Alpine Fighter Collection's Yak 50 ZK-YAC.
The Yak 50 was designed by Sergei Yakovlev in the 1970s and is a single seat aerobatic aircraft with exceptional handling and a rugged airframe (but see below). Power was from a Vedeneyev MP 14 radial engine of typically 400 HP which gave a very good power to weight ratio. A Yak 50 was flown to two World Aerobatic titles - in 1976 and 1982. However, the stresses of unlimited aerobatics were such that the Russian team Yak 50s airframes were typically scrapped after about 50 flight hours, and there were numerous cases of main spar failure until modifications were made.
The length of the Yak 50 was 7.8 metres (25 feet 7 inches), the wingspan was 9.5 metres (31 feet 2 inches and the wing area was 161.5 square feet. Empty weight was 750 Kg (1,658 pounds) and MAUW was 910 Kg (2,006 pounds)
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ZK-YAC (c/n 852904) was first registered in New Zealand to the Alpine Fighter Collection of Wanaka on 28/3/96, and it is photo'd above Wanaka on 25/3/96. It was manufactured in 1985 as LY-ANQ and later was sold to the UK as G-BWCF, being registered as such on 25/4/95.
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The above photo was taken at the 1998 Wings Over Wanaka airshow on 10/4/98. ZK-YAC didn't say long in New Zealand as it was cancelled on 15/6/98 and exported to Australia and registered as VH-YAY on 18/6/98, and where it is still current with Flying Fighters Pty Ltd of Sunnybank in Queensland.
The Yak 50 was designed by Sergei Yakovlev in the 1970s and is a single seat aerobatic aircraft with exceptional handling and a rugged airframe (but see below). Power was from a Vedeneyev MP 14 radial engine of typically 400 HP which gave a very good power to weight ratio. A Yak 50 was flown to two World Aerobatic titles - in 1976 and 1982. However, the stresses of unlimited aerobatics were such that the Russian team Yak 50s airframes were typically scrapped after about 50 flight hours, and there were numerous cases of main spar failure until modifications were made.
The length of the Yak 50 was 7.8 metres (25 feet 7 inches), the wingspan was 9.5 metres (31 feet 2 inches and the wing area was 161.5 square feet. Empty weight was 750 Kg (1,658 pounds) and MAUW was 910 Kg (2,006 pounds)
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Sneaky Question time # 182 resolved.
I posted the following back on November the 20th.This was in fact a sneaky Question Time posting.
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FRIDAY, 20 NOVEMBER 2015
Holiday bliss.
Where else could you take a holiday like this ?
Fishing in the Ahuriri River and hauling in a clump of Didymosphenia geminata ( better known as didymo or rock snot to most of us) and about to be buzzed by the LS3 ZK-GLS on a competition finish - with a suspicious patch of "weed" in the foreground (not that I would know anything about that).
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It is in fact all a load of hogswash.
Firstly the glider is not the real ZK-GLS.
It is also not a Rolladen-Schneider LS3 but is an LS6c Model suspended from the ceiling.
The real ZK-GLS is a Schleicher Ka6CR which is still current with John Currie of Rotorua.
That is not me fishing but is actually a large image on the wall of the Marino Cafe at Omarama and you will note in the pic below that the glider is suspended out in front of the picture.
I have adjusted the exposure to show the suspension wires.
Below is the original photo showing the rockery garden in the foreground and a chunk of old fence on the right.
Only one person picked up on the falsehood.
Well done CMM.
The chocolate fish is yours.
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Titan T 51 Mustang ZK-WZY
I was fortunate to be able to arrange to be at Ardmore this afternoon for the roll out of Titan Mustang ZK-WZY from the Pioneer Aero hangar for some taxi tests. It is a beautifully finished aircraft as you can see in the photos.
I have previously posted about this aircraft a couple of times, the most recent being on 12 August, just before I left for overseas. (see www.nzcivair.blogspot.co.nz/2015/08/two-that-will-be-flying-soon-at-ardmore.html ). In a bit of perfect timing ZK-WZY received its CAA paperwork approval earlier this week, only a week or so after I returned to New Zealand.
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ZK-WZY (c/n 0076) was registered to Paul McSweeny (of Pioneer Aero) on 21/7/15. However the aircraft was built by Pioneer Aero for an Australian owner: David S Lane. I understand it may be registered in Australia as VH-YNZ, but it will undertake extensive flying in New Zealand before being shipped to Oz.
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The aircraft is named "Miss Marguerite" with a personalised marking of "Lane's Victory". The colour scheme of ZK-WZY is fictional and the detailed touches are very authentically done.
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Test pilot Gavin Trethewey carried out some taxi tests today. The first flight of ZK-WZY is expected next week.
I have previously posted about this aircraft a couple of times, the most recent being on 12 August, just before I left for overseas. (see www.nzcivair.blogspot.co.nz/2015/08/two-that-will-be-flying-soon-at-ardmore.html ). In a bit of perfect timing ZK-WZY received its CAA paperwork approval earlier this week, only a week or so after I returned to New Zealand.
The aircraft is named "Miss Marguerite" with a personalised marking of "Lane's Victory". The colour scheme of ZK-WZY is fictional and the detailed touches are very authentically done.
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Ardmore 3-12-2015
Ardmore yesterday provided its usual crop of new and interesting aircraft including the following:
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Beech 200 ZK-MFT2 was undergoing engine runs outside Hawker Pacific. It was registered to Skyline Aviation Ltd of Napier on 20/10/15.
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Beech 77 Skipper ZK-SXB has been around since 5/11/12, registered to a Drury owner.
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Nanchang CJ 6 ZK-FRU2 now sports a red spinner. It is now Ardmore based with the Nanchang 01 Syndicate.
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Steve Chilcott had his Nicollier HN 700 Menestrel II ZK-TBS outside tinkering with the fuel flow settings.
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Titan Mustang ZK-WZY First Flight Today 5-12-2015
Thanks to Colin Hunter we have some nice photos of the first flight of Titan T 51 Mustang ZK-WZY at Ardmore today, flown by test pilot Gavin Trethewey.
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Take off roll
And looking great overhead. Thanks again Colin.
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Yesterdays take at Russell Flat.
I had a long overdue visitation to the Canterbury Gliding Club strip at Russell Flat today.
It was not overly active but the westerly breeze picked up early afternoon which encouraged a few pundits out to try and catch the wave.
One of my favourite gliders would have to be the Schempp-Hirth Janus Ce ZK-GPB (c/n 304) which joined the Club in November of 1994.
A new edition to the Russell Flat residents is the Murray Phillpott Schleicher ASH31Mi ZK-GZV (c/n 31130).
Below is what the NZ Aviation News Magazine said recently:-
"The other new Schleicher gliders are both ASH 31Mi models. Murray Philpott of Christchurch has chosen ZK-GZVas the registration for his, which replaces its original German registration of D-KOAB. The next one from the production line has gone to Simon Gault of Drury and is now ZK-GHG2.
The Schleicher ASH 31Mi is a single seat glider with either 18m wings for use in the 18m Class or 21m wings for the Open Class contests. The wings are in four parts, with winglets, which makes for easier assembly and for a shorter trailer. Designed by Martin Heide (the H in the designation) and built by Alexander Schleicher (the AS in the designation) as a replacement for the ASH26. It has a new wing design with extended ailerons similar to the ASG29. The engine is a 55hp fully retractable Wankel.
The first of this type in NZ was ZK-GXV which had been imported by the late Dave Speight. This was exported to the US in April to become N30DN."
The Schleicher ASH 31Mi is a single seat glider with either 18m wings for use in the 18m Class or 21m wings for the Open Class contests. The wings are in four parts, with winglets, which makes for easier assembly and for a shorter trailer. Designed by Martin Heide (the H in the designation) and built by Alexander Schleicher (the AS in the designation) as a replacement for the ASH26. It has a new wing design with extended ailerons similar to the ASG29. The engine is a 55hp fully retractable Wankel.
The first of this type in NZ was ZK-GXV which had been imported by the late Dave Speight. This was exported to the US in April to become N30DN."
Parked in the hangar was the Club's Aeropro Eurofox 3K ZK-TUG2 which took over from the Club Pawnee ZK-CNG.
The Eurofox is now for sale - its duties having been taken over by the recently delivered Aerospool Dynamic WT9 ZK-DYT2 (c/n DY502/2014).Other gliders active were the Rolladen-Schneider LS4's ZK-GCC2 and ZK-GYH plus the Schempp-Hirth Cirrus ZK-GJK.
To get to Russell Flat I had to extend the Friday pie run during which I caught up with the Cessna A185F Ag Carryall ZK-DKJ (c/n 18502276) in the throes of being covered up at Rangiora. It has been with Andrew Bowmar of Plains Station since mid June of 2012.
It got an earlier mention at:-
Also at Rangiora for lunch on Friday was the Zenith CH601-XL ZK-SRF (c/n 6-6971) of Scott James.
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Lord Nelson reports.
Lord Nelson reports firstly from Nelson Airport yesterday where the Fletcher FU24-550GT Crusader ZK-DDX (c/n 160) is based.
It now carries Aerowork colours and title in-lieu of its 'au naturel' scheme.
It now carries Aerowork colours and title in-lieu of its 'au naturel' scheme.
This Fletcher has the extended fuselage with the PT6A-15AG up front.
Over the hill at Omaka on 26-11-2015 we see the Fletcher FU24-954 - Walter conversion - ZK-EML (c/n 264) with small Aerowork logo on its fuselage.
This replaced the large "Marl. Aerial Work" that it used to carry a couple of years back.
Back at Nelson on 05-12-2015 was the Aerospatiale AS350 B2 Squirel ZK-HJV3 (c/n 2846).
This is one of the HNZ New Zealand Ltd's fleet.
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Martin Jetpacks of New Zealand
I see from news reports that the Martin Jetpack will perform its first public flight in Shenzhen, China today 6/12/15 in front of thousands of people. So I thought it an auspicious time do do a blog post on these unususal machines, which are registered in New Zealand as Class 1 microlights. The Shenzhen flight has been organised by Chinese research and development company Kuangchi Science , who have been Martin Aircraft's owners since December 2014. The Jetpack is also scheduled to fly at Warbirds Over Wanaka in March 2016
The Martin Jetpack has undergone a very long gestation with Glenn Martin starting out on his dream in 1981. Along the way he had to overcome many problems including developing a new engine as there was nothing available elsewhere in the world. The engine is a 200 HP V4 2 stroke that had its genesis in the marine engine industry, and it drives a pair of very sophisticated ducted fans. The first tethered flight of the Jetpack took place in 1997, with the craft flown by Martin's wife Vanessa.
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The first public demonstration of the Martin Jetpack took place at the EAA flyin at Oshkosh in July 2008, as shown in the above photo. The pilot was Martin's son Harrison and that is Glenn Martin stabilising the craft on the left of the photo. It would be fair to say that the Jetpack's performance at oshkosh fell short of the crowd's expectations of a "Jetson's" style jetpack.
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Jetpack PL 11 ZK-JME2 (c/n P 11-1) was registered on 20/4/11. I got the above photo from the internet showing it flying, but it is quite unclear to me how much it actually flew. It was cancelled on 6/11/12.
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Jetpack PL 12 ZK-JME3 (c/n P 12-01) is the twelfth iteration in the development of the Jetpack and you can see that it has the ducted fans mounted much lower, which apparently has led to an improvement in performance. It is made mainly from carbon fibre and epoxy resin. Empty weight is 200 Kg and MAUW is 320 Kg. It can cruise at 30 knots and has an endurance of 30 minutes. ZK-JME3 was withdrawn and cancelled on 9/6/14.
Two more Martin Pl 12 Jetpacks, ZK-JMJ2 (c/n P 12-2) and ZK-JMK2 (c/n P 12-3) were registered on 11/7/14 to the Martin Aircraft Company of Christchurch.
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There is a video on the Martin Aircraft website of a test flight of ZK-JMK2 in November 2015 at http://www.martinjetpack.com/news/ .
Thanks to Martin Aircraft for the above two photos.
The Martin Jetpack has undergone a very long gestation with Glenn Martin starting out on his dream in 1981. Along the way he had to overcome many problems including developing a new engine as there was nothing available elsewhere in the world. The engine is a 200 HP V4 2 stroke that had its genesis in the marine engine industry, and it drives a pair of very sophisticated ducted fans. The first tethered flight of the Jetpack took place in 1997, with the craft flown by Martin's wife Vanessa.
Two more Martin Pl 12 Jetpacks, ZK-JMJ2 (c/n P 12-2) and ZK-JMK2 (c/n P 12-3) were registered on 11/7/14 to the Martin Aircraft Company of Christchurch.
Thanks to Martin Aircraft for the above two photos.
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Some pics from Matt
Matt Hayes did a flight to/from Christchurch - Nelson yesterday.
Here a a five of his photographs of the trip.
On left base for 02 at Nelson yesterday the 5th of December.
Looking up Queen Charlotte Sound with one of the inter Island ferries about to do a right turn into Tory Channel to follow the one already ahead. The pig Island is visible on the far horizon.
Another view of the Fletcher FU24-550GT Crusader ZK-DDX at Nelson.
The Golden Bay Air Ltd's Piper PA-32R-301 Saratoga SP ZK-ZIG (c/n 32R-8013045) has been with us since December of 2005.
Heading back towards Christchurch with the Kaikoura Peninsula on the nose.
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Aerobatic Monoplanes of New Zealand (3) - Akrotech Giles Aircraft
The Giles G 200 and G 202 were designed by Richard Giles in the 1990s as cheap(er) unlimited aerobatic aircraft that were built from a carbon fibre kitset, and powered by a 4 cylinder engine. The wing was very stiff which contributed to an incredible rate of roll in excess of 400 degrees per second. The kits and aircraft were manufactured by Akrotech Aviation Inc of Scappoose, Oregon up until 2000 when the company ceased operations (although support for the aircraft is still provided).. The G 202 is a 2 seater that was developed from the G 200 and is larger and heavier, but both are reckoned to be great handling aerobatic aircraft.
Specifications for the G 200 (and G 202) are as follows: length 18 feet (G 202 20 feet), wingspan 20 feet (G 202 22 feet) and wing area 75 square feet (G 202 90 square feet). Empty weight was 750 pounds (950 pounds for the G 202) and MAUW was 1,300 pounds (1,600 pounds for the G 202, but aerobatic weight is limited to 1200 pounds). Power was from a Lycoming 4 cylinder, between 150HP to 230 HP.
We have had two Akrotech Giles aircraft in New Zealand.
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G 202 ZK-NUT (c/n 202028) was built in the US for Douglas C Brooker as N4381N and was first registered there on 7/4/98. It is powered by a Lycoming AEIO 360EXP engine of 235 HP. Doug Brooker imported the aircraft into New Zealand where it was first registered to him on 24/9/98. Doug sold it to well known aerobatic pilot Richard Hood on 29/1/08 and the photo shows Richard Hood landing ZK-NUT during the Bryan Langley memorial aerobatic competition at North Shore on 15/1/11. ZK-NUT was then sold to The Great Stunt Company of Papakura on 1/10/12, with whom it is still current.
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G 200 ZK-LGT2 (c/n 9706-9) was registered in Denmark as OY-IIL on 18/3/08. It was imported into New Zealand by Russell K Bell of Wellington and registered here on 21/10/09. It is photo'd above at Paraparaumu on 20/1/13.
There is a good website on Giles aircraft at http://www.gilesaerobatics.org/
Specifications for the G 200 (and G 202) are as follows: length 18 feet (G 202 20 feet), wingspan 20 feet (G 202 22 feet) and wing area 75 square feet (G 202 90 square feet). Empty weight was 750 pounds (950 pounds for the G 202) and MAUW was 1,300 pounds (1,600 pounds for the G 202, but aerobatic weight is limited to 1200 pounds). Power was from a Lycoming 4 cylinder, between 150HP to 230 HP.
We have had two Akrotech Giles aircraft in New Zealand.
There is a good website on Giles aircraft at http://www.gilesaerobatics.org/
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HNZ New Zealand at Nelson today.
Two Squirrels sited at Nelson today by Lord Nelson.
ZK-HBU3 is c/n 2286 and got a mention at :-
Continuing this history.
Helicopters (Australia) Pty Ltd become HNZ Australia Pty Ltd with the helicopter being returned to NZ to take up its old ZK-HBU3 marks on 04-10-2013 with HNZ New Zealand Ltd at Nelson
It did the summer season in the Antarctic leaving Lyttelton on 23-12-2013 and was back in Nelson in mid March only to be cancelled on 27-03-2014 as it was sent over to the parent Company Canadian Helicopters Ltd an became C-FTNZ on 07-04-2014.
As you can see it is now back in Nelson with HNZ New Zealand Ltd as from 21-20-2015.
I suspect another Ice trip is about to take place.
The AS350B ZK-HDB7 is c/n 2518 and was first placed on the NZ register as ZK-HFE2 on 30-08-1991 but went direct to an Helicopters (NZ) Ltd contract in Burma.
In NZ it was upgraded to a AS350BA from 16-10-1997 and did a trip to the Ice during the 2001/2002 summer for the Italian Antarctic Expedition.
Back at Nelson it was again upgraded - to a AS350B2 from 18-07-2002 and later that month it was containered out to join Lao Westcoast.
Its NZ registration was eventually cancelled on 09-06-2005 for it to become PK-UHN with PT. National Utility Helicopters of Jakarta. Its CofA expired on 08-06-2009 and it was returned to Nelson to rejoin the Helicopters (NZ) Ltd fleet from 24-09-2009 as ZK-HDB7 (as its original ZK-HFE registration had been re-allocated to a Bell JetRanger in November of 2006).
Later in 2009 it went off on the 2009/2010 Korean Antarctic Expedition, and in the 2010/2011 summer did another Italian Antarctic Expedition.
It followed the Company changes and was re-listed to Helicopters (NZ) Limited from 07-07-2011 and then to HNZ New Zealand Limited from 30-10-2012.
So is it set from another southern sojourn ?
Thanks to Lord Nelson for the pics.
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North Shore Today 10-12-2015
Not much was happening at a windy North Shore airfield this afternoon, but the scheduled Barrier Air flight arrived from Great Barrier Island at 5.30.
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And the Islander is revealed as ZK-FVD, now with BARRIER AIR . KIWI titles. Their new web address is www.barrierair.kiwi which uses the new dot kiwi domain name that is now available.
Touching down.
Taxying off the runway.
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Aerobatic Monoplanes of New Zealand (4) - Zivko Edge 540
The Edge 540 was developed by Bill Zivko and its origins go back to the Laser 200 for which Bill designed a new composite wing and which became the Edge 360. Then in 1993 Zivko Aeronautics Inc developed a new composite fuselage which led to the development of the Edge 540. The Edge 540 is one of the most successful of the modern day aerobatic monoplanes and it is the most common type flown in the red Bull Air Races. It has a tremendous roll rate of 420 degrees per second and is capable of a climb rate of 3,700 feet per minute. Power typically comes from a 6 cylinder Lycoming AEIO 540 engine producing around 340 HP.
Specifications for the Edge 540 are: length 20 feet 7 inches (6.27 metres), wingspan 24 feet 4 inches (7.42 metres) and the wing area is 98 square feet. Empty weight is 1,170 pounds (531 Kg) and MAUW is 1,800 pounds (816 Kg), although that would be reduced for unlimited aerobatics..
We have had one Zivko Edge 540 registered in New Zealand.
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ZK-ZAI (for Zivko Aeronautics Inc I assume) (c/n 0019) was registered to the Hawker Trust (Steve Taylor) of Auckland on 25/9/98 and flew here for 10 years. The above photo was taken at Taupo in 2000. ZK-ZAI was cancelled from the New Zealand register on 28/10/08 when it was sold to Australia where it became VH-IIG (and is still current).
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As a postscript, another Edge 540 has flown in New Zealand. Red Bull air racer Yoshi Muroya bought his Edge 540 N19ZE to North Shore after the 2009 series to further streamline the airframe. It is photo'd above at North Shore in December 2009.
Specifications for the Edge 540 are: length 20 feet 7 inches (6.27 metres), wingspan 24 feet 4 inches (7.42 metres) and the wing area is 98 square feet. Empty weight is 1,170 pounds (531 Kg) and MAUW is 1,800 pounds (816 Kg), although that would be reduced for unlimited aerobatics..
We have had one Zivko Edge 540 registered in New Zealand.
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Auster ZK-BMD.
Auster designations - A very satisfying study which I am not going to probe particularly deeply here.
Post World War Two Auster were converted to civil using its military number (eg AOP5) to become the model Auster 5. This was often followed by a suffix letter - so we come to the model Auster 5D.
Now the Auster 5D ZK-BMD.
Auster Aircraft Ltd was formed on 08-03-1946 to succeed the Taylorcraft Aeroplanes (England) Ltd. So technically speaking because ZK-BMD was built for the RAF in 1944 it is a Taylorcraft Auster.
It served with the Royal Air Force as NJ635 from June of 1944 until being placed into storage in 1947.
It was sold into civil hands and became Auster 5 G-ALZM on 31-03-1950 with one Thomas Hatton Marshall who traded under the Christchurch Aero Club name.
It was dismantled at Thruxton and its registration was cancelled in June of 1954
The modification from Auster AOP5 and Auster 5 to an Auster 5D involved replacing the 130hp Lycoming O-290 with a 130hp Gipsy Major and enlarging the fin and rudder.
It was restored to the UK register on 21-01-1955 with Douglas E Bianchi of Ashford in Middlesex and was sold abroad on 05-08-1955.
It became ZK-BMD on 02-11-1955 listed to Aerial Work (Marlborough) Ltd.
It then had a series of owners in quick succession.
It went down to the South Canterbury Aero Club at Timaru from 27-08-1956 and then to Petersen Aviation in 1958.
Wairarapa and Ruahine Aero Club at Hood had it later in the 50's
Above it is in Wairarapa markings at Stratford 1959 from the Allan Wooller collection.
Below on an unknown date and at an unknown place - from the Allan Wooller collection.
About this time it was hired to National Air Photos.
Next known listing was to Aviation Sales and Services Ltd before going to J H Richardson at Feilding but it was damaged in an incident at (I believe) Homewood on 03-01-1960.
Below a shot taken at Christchurch in the 60's.
And now one below at Paraparaumu on 24-05-1964.
It then spent a short time with P C Shand of Christchurch (who also had the Tiger ZK-ATI about this time).
Then J E Pannell of Nelson (who previously had the Auster ZK-AZT) had it until he sold it to Airwork (NZ) Ltd of Christchurch from 06-07-1970.By 09-06-1971 it was with A C Yates of Rakaia followed by A C Christoffels and J Van Giels of Timaru from 18-03-1975. It was rebuilt at Timaru using parts from NZ1704, ZK-CHA and ZK-AYP and also had an engine transplant with the Gipsy being replaced with a Lycoming O-320.
Below we see Her at Hood/Masterton during 1979 - Pic by Allan Wooller.
From 30-08-1982 it was with Charlie Ensor and resided in an open hangar on their farm at Glenaan in the Upper Rakaia River valley
Here we have two views of BMD in its Charlie Ensor's hangar at Glenaan, along with many other Auster parts, on 10-11-1986.
Charlie sold it to Nick Kagan of Lowburn (the one down South) on 06-08-1987.
Photo below is at Christchurch on 28-05-1988
It was damaged in an aborted take off in the Waiatoto Valley on 02-08-1988 and then it had a prop strike in the Landsborough Valley on 18-01-1990.
Below we see it at Christchurch again - this time on 27-12-1991.
Next we have two views of it in the hangar at Taieri with its clear panel doors.
With an ownership change to Pam and Bill Marks of Outram listed from 07-06-1992.
Now two views of it at Christchurch on 28-12-98.
Note the way the lower engine cowl has been folded.
I next caught it at Omarama on 28-01-2001.
Next lucky owners were Bob and Eileen Yates of Christchurch from 29-06-2005 and below are two different angles of it at Rangiora.
Finally is a view of it at Rangiora on 01-04-2009.
In July of 2009 I noted it listed on TradeMe for sale - with ownership changing to Guy Redfern and Fiona Nimmo up Kaikoura on 14-10-2009.
Below it was shot near Rangiora on 25-08-2013.
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Yet to Fly at Ardmore?
Back in February I did a post on the various types of BK 117 helicopter, see: http://nzcivair.blogspot.co.nz/2015/02/ardmore-23-2-2015-bk-117-helicopters.html
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Now when I was at Ardmore last week, I spied yet another type of BK 117, as revealed above. It has a much larger undercarriage than the standard BK 117.
However I suggest you click to enlarge the photo and note the signwriting. What a spiffing idea!
However I suggest you click to enlarge the photo and note the signwriting. What a spiffing idea!
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Shots taken this week.
A bit of a slow week this week for the Blue Bus with nothing new to report.
All have been mentioned on this blog previously.
On Wednesday I was at Rangiora briefly and shot the Aerotek Pitts S-1S ZK-FRJ (c/n 1-0025) of Morris Tull outside its new abode.
FRJ rolling.
And at Christchurch International I snuck a shot of the Raytheon 1900D ZK-EAO (c/n UE-438) as I trucked on past.
On Thursday I managed to spend longer at NZRT and captured the Zenair CH701 STOL ZK-AMC (c/n 7-4094) briefly outside whilst --
--- the Doug Anderson Ibis Magic GS-700 ZK-DUH2 (c/n GS-10-11-700-114) was taken out of its hangar to go aviating.
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ZK-CIC in its new scheme.
I have only just finished writing up my notes (as you do on a thundery Sunday afternoon) on the registration cancellation of the Airwork/Lifeflight Fairchild SA227-AC Metro ZK-LFT.
This has gone to Air Chathams at Auckland as a source of spares for their SA227-AC Metro ZK-CIC (c/n AC623B).
Behold - Just arrived in my in box is this neat pic from Darryn Bennett showing the Air Chathams ZK-CIC in its new scheme.
WHAKATANE
'Everything under the sun'
Check out this NZ Third Level Airline blog post on ZK-CIC.
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Aerobatic Monoplanes of New Zealand (5) - Zlin Z-50
The Zlin Z-50 was designed in 1973 by Czech designer Jan Mikula as a replacement for the earlier Zlin 26 series (of which we have had one Z 326 and one Z 526 - both types of which were flown to victory in the World Aerobatic Championships). The Z-50 is of all metal construction and has two section full span ailerons for a fast roll rate. The original aircraft was designated the Z-50L (L for Lycoming) and it was powered by a 6 cylinder AIO 540 Lycoming of 260 HP. Later the Z-50LS was developed with a AEIO 540 engine of 300 HP and this version was flown to victory in the World Aerobatic Championships in 1984 and 1986 (a Z-50L was flown to victory by a Czech pilot in the 1978 championship).
The Z-50's length is 6.62 metres (21 feet 9 inches), wingspan is 8.58 metres (28 feet 2 inches) and the wing area is 134.5 square feet. Empty weight is 570 Kg (1,257 pounds) and MAUW is 800 Kg (1,760 pounds).
We have one Zlin Z 50LS in New Zealand:
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ZK-ZSO (c/n 0070) was built in Czechoslovakia in 1992 as was registered as OK-WRN. On 26/8/92 it was registered to SAAB Nyge Aero in Sweden as SE-KMY. It returned to the Czech Republic in 1995 as OK-XRG and was operated by the Letecke Akrobatice Centr/ It was damaged in August 2002 and was repaired by Moravan. Then it was exported to New Zealand where it was first registered on 20/10/03 to David G Cranna of Papakura, with whom it is still current.
It is photo'd above at the 2011 Bryan Langley memorial aerobatic competition at North Shore on 15/1/11, where unfortunately it did not compete because it was unserviceable.
The Z-50's length is 6.62 metres (21 feet 9 inches), wingspan is 8.58 metres (28 feet 2 inches) and the wing area is 134.5 square feet. Empty weight is 570 Kg (1,257 pounds) and MAUW is 800 Kg (1,760 pounds).
We have one Zlin Z 50LS in New Zealand:
It is photo'd above at the 2011 Bryan Langley memorial aerobatic competition at North Shore on 15/1/11, where unfortunately it did not compete because it was unserviceable.
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Bargeldo1 at Christchurch today
Bargeldo1 did some drive by shooting at Christchurch International Airport today and offers these three shots.
The Raytheon 1900D ZK-EAG2 (c/n UE-430) on finals.
Parked up at the Garden City Helicopters facility was the Aerospatiale AS355F1 ZK-HKY2 (c/n 5123) in the Helilink Ltd's "Inflite" scheme.
Out in the pasture. Boeing 737-3K2 ZK-NGK (c/n 26318) is now parked on the western side of the airport. Its nose section is touring the country as part of Air New Zealand's 75th display.
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