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Fly-In and Market Day at Te Kowhai. 10th February.
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Pauanui
As Waitangi Day draws to a close the last of the summer residents have been leaving the Pauanui airfield to return home, but the daily visitors have continued and amongst these were the following..
From Napier the Cessna 177RG Cutlass RG II ZK-EWB
From Whangarei our one and only Rockwell 114 ZK-JHL
Ardmore based Airline Flying Club Cessna 172N ZK-JSF, which hasnt been on this blog site before
From Tauranga the Tecnam P96 ZK-PPG
And lastly from North Shore the Cessna 182Q ZK-RDJ
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RV6-A N43TX at Ardmore 6-2-18
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| This smart looking RV6-A, N43TX msn 21174 made it's second only NZ flight this afternoon with its owner at the controls. The aircraft is registered to a San Diego USA address but is based at Ardmore. The owner informed me that he plans to operate it here in the mean time on the US register. |
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Auckland International on 21-1-2018
It is a little while ago now, but on 21/1/18 I flew down to Wellington from Auckland by Jetstar on Flight JQ 263, and while waiting for my flight I photo'd some of the more exotic heavier metal:
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Airwork's two Fokker F 27 Friendship Mk 500's ZK-POH I(c/n 10680) and ZK-PAX2 (c/n 10596) registered as VH-EWH prior to their export to the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society in Australia. They were both cancelled from the NZ register on 16/1/18. Also parked up is the Airways Corporation of New Zealand's new Piper PA 42-1000 Cheyenne ZK-FIS2.
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Air New Zealand's ATR 72-212A ZK-MCO2 taken from the top floor of the carpark building.
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A Variety of Boeings: a Singapore Airlines Cargo B 747, a Continental Airlines B 777, an American Airlines B 787 and the tip of the tail of a Qantas B 737 (and the tail of an Air Tahiti Nui Airbus A 330).
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Seen from the Jetstar departure lounge, Hong Kong Airlines Airbus A 330 B-LNI taxied into the international terminal.
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And a study in Airbus A 320 wing tips - our older Aircraft VH-VFJ in the foreground with the wingletted VH-VFP in the background.
Emirates A 380-800 A6-EUI arrived.
Followed by the United for Wildlife menagerie example A6-EEQ.
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Cessna 182J ZK-CKZ
The Cessna 182J Skylane ZK-CKZ c/n 18256864 was allocated the US registration of N2764F by Cessna Aircraft but came to NZ and was registered to Rex Aviation (NZ) Ltd of New Plymouth on 04-03-1966 - the fifth of its type on our register (I think).
These first two photos taken at Oamaru whilst on demo on 14-03-1966.
Below from Allan Wooller not much later now wearing Rural Aviation titles below the cockpit.
It was transferred to Rural Aviation (1963) Ltd of New Plymouth on 05-04-1966 and then to General Finance Acceptance Ltd and went on line with the Auckland Flying School.
It was returned to Rex Aviation (NZ) Ltd - now at Ardmore on 02-06-1970 and then went back to General Finance Acceptance on 17-12-1970 and was operated by D J McGregor Ltd of Auckland.
Above at Ardmore on 19-03-1972.
It was damaged at Mangonui on 28-09-1972 and was listed back with Rex Aviation (NZ) Ltd on 01-06-1973 with its registration being cancelled on 29-12-1974.
It was returned to the register with Mort Saunders Ltd of Tauranga on 30-10-1979 until sold to B E and R D Mabin of Waipukurau on 09-04-1985.
Above at Timaru on 03-03-1988 from Steve Lowe.
Below at Timaru on 01-04-1996 from Dave Paull.
Aongatete Aviation Ltd of Katikati took it over from 05-12-1997 and the current owner I R and D J Bodmin of Katikati from 01-10-1999.
As captured at Hamilton by Keith Morris in 25-01-2018.
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North Shore 8-2-2018
A quick visit to a very grey and windy North Shore airport late afternoon yesterday produced a couple of aircraft to photograph:
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I was told that this Bell Long Ranger outside the Oceania hangar was ZK-INH of Northland Helicopters out of Kamo If so it hasn't been posted on the blog before (and still hasn't been definitively posted).
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Boy was it windy! So I was very surprised to see a Cessna 172 struggle overhead and line up for a landing on Runway 03, with a major cross wind component - look at the trees being blown about in the bottom of the photo. It turned out to be ZK-ZAQ2 from L3 Airline Academy up from Hamilton. He managed to get it down this attempt but a later attempt was wisely flagged away. I guess when you think of it we usually post photos of aircraft in nice weather so here is one from the wild and blustery department.
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Pietenpol Aircamper ZK-ALG at Wanaka
Steve Bunting has sent in a photo of Greg Doran's recently completed Pietenpol Aircamper ZK-ALG2(c/n 061791 AG) at Wanaka today 9/2/18.
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ZK-ALG2 was first registered on 6/10/17 and is the sixth Aircamper to be registered here. I have posted about the others HERE (and since I did the post in 2013 another Aircamper has been registered ZK-ABY2, which can be seen HERE ). Both ZK-ALG2 and ZK-ABY2 are powered by Rotec radial engines. Thanks very much for the photo Steve, and also thanks to MRC.
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The first ZK-ALG was a Waco UIC that ditched into Whangarei Harbour in September 1957, and I just happened to have a photo of it from Steve Gwilliam.
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Identity unknown,
I have two photographs from Allan Bowman showing Cessna 180s in spray gear on a farm in the shadow of Mount Hutt.
I am guessing we are talking about 1962.
Anybody nail the identity of them ?
And turned around to make it easier !
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A fruitful pie run to NZRT today.
I caught up with three strays at Rangiora today 09-02-2018.
Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee Challenger ZK-DGL (c/n 28-7305206) was also on the tie downs.
As you can see from the c/n this is a 1973 model and first flew using the piper test registration of N11C before being shipped out to NZ aboard the Austral Envoy which pulled into Auckland on 28-03-1973.
It was registered as ZK-DGL to Airwork (NZ) Ltd of Christchurch on 10-04-1973 , gained its NZ CofA on the 13th and then moved up to C L Sandbrook and the Dannevirke Flying School from 10-05-1973.
An ownership change on 20-07-2006 saw it listed to R Larsen and A Dahya - initially at Palmerston north and from August of 2016 - back at NZDV.
It is not every day we get to see a Gippsland GA8 Airvan at Rangiora.
ZK-LOR (c/n GA8-03-034) of Glenorchy Air Services and Tourist Co Ltd was on the tie down.
Cessna A185E ZK-SMS (c/n 18502041) came to NZ from Canada and was sorted out by Advanced Aero Engineering Ltd of Palmerston North and registered to them on 04-02-1997.
Ownership moved to Hayward Leisure Co of Auckland on 01-05-1997.
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More from Rangiora on Friday.
Two seldom seen (by me) aircraft were also noted at Rangiora on Friday the 9th.
Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee ZK-CEQ (c/n 28-20052).
This has been listed with Michael McKeown of 'Kinnoul' of Woodbury (Inland from Geraldine) since 01-09-2016.
We see it above at Rangiora on Friday.
Below it is parked on the Kinnoul strip on 17-02-2017.
This is the earliest production PA-28-140 in Country.
Although Rangiora based I don't see the Sam Fry Laser 230 ZK-LZR (c/n 31) out very often.
Owner Fred Zayas had it out dong engine runs on Friday.
This interesting little aircraft was mentioned previously Here.
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Gere Sport Biplanes of New Zealand Updated
Thanks to Stan Smith we now have a good history of the Gere Sport biplane at MOTAT. However, TravelAdastra was able to add some more details which I have added into the story:
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The aircraft was restored by MOTAT volunteers who installed a 3 cylinder Szekely radial engine, which was not the original engine (and which had been imported for a Lincoln Sportsplane that was not completed). Some years later Robbie Gentry discovered a Bristol Cherub aircraft engine at Waipukurau and Stan thinks that this may have been the engine that was to power the Gere.
Thanks very much for the information Stan and TravelAdastra.
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But that is not the sum of our Gere Sport biplanes as there is another one flying in rural North Canterbury:
ZK-EFZ2 (c/n BEL-8) was built by Alan Belworthy of Cust, and was first registered to AB and EF Belworthy on 29/11/10. From the c/n it is the eighth aircraft built by the Belworthys (Alan and Evan).
Alan told me that he was browsing through old American books on homebuilt aircraft and he stumbled across the plans for the Gere sport. This must have been the 1933 Edition of Modern Mechanix and Inventions magazine which published plans for the Gere (and also for the Pietenpol Aircamper). ZK-EFZ2 was originally powered by a 2 litre Cortina engine but it has been re-engined with a 2.2 litre Toyota Hilux engine and more recently a new cowling has been added to replace the original ring cowling. Evan told me that it has successfully flown with the new cowling and it is quietly clocking up hours. The aircraft is painted in a 1930's US Navy Boeing scheme of the time.
Thanks to Evan Belworthy for the photo, which was taken at Cust.
The MOTAT Gere Sport was started as a project at Greenmeadows in Hawkes Bay prior to WW 2, and it was sold in 1948, substantially complete, to an owner at Waipukurau who intended to finish the project, but this never happened. This would have been our first post WW 2 homebuilt aircraft if it had been completed (not counting the Savage Special and the Lincoln Sport that were pre-WW 2 aircraft).
Stan bought the airframe from a Mr Corban in Waipukurau in the mid 1960s and at that stage it was complete but without an engine or instruments. He stored it at Wellington with his various other aircraft and when he shifted to Auckland in 1965 he arranged a deal whereby all his aircraft were trucked from Wellington to Auckland (probably in a TEAL truck which did a weekly Auckland-Wellington-Auckland run), on the basis that he donate an aircraft to MOTAT. This deal involved a Mr Donohue who worked for TEAL and was also involved with MOTAT. So the Gere Sport was donated to MOTAT by Stan.
The aircraft was restored by MOTAT volunteers who installed a 3 cylinder Szekely radial engine, which was not the original engine (and which had been imported for a Lincoln Sportsplane that was not completed). Some years later Robbie Gentry discovered a Bristol Cherub aircraft engine at Waipukurau and Stan thinks that this may have been the engine that was to power the Gere.
Thanks very much for the information Stan and TravelAdastra.
ZK-EFZ2 (c/n BEL-8) was built by Alan Belworthy of Cust, and was first registered to AB and EF Belworthy on 29/11/10. From the c/n it is the eighth aircraft built by the Belworthys (Alan and Evan).
Alan told me that he was browsing through old American books on homebuilt aircraft and he stumbled across the plans for the Gere sport. This must have been the 1933 Edition of Modern Mechanix and Inventions magazine which published plans for the Gere (and also for the Pietenpol Aircamper). ZK-EFZ2 was originally powered by a 2 litre Cortina engine but it has been re-engined with a 2.2 litre Toyota Hilux engine and more recently a new cowling has been added to replace the original ring cowling. Evan told me that it has successfully flown with the new cowling and it is quietly clocking up hours. The aircraft is painted in a 1930's US Navy Boeing scheme of the time.
Thanks to Evan Belworthy for the photo, which was taken at Cust.
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Vans RV 7 ZK-SBJ at Wanaka
I have been after a photo of this RV 7 for a long time, and today Steve Bunting has come through from Wanaka:
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Vans RV 7 ZK-SBJ2 (c/n 70566) was built by S J Jones of Queenstown and was first registered on 21/10/16. On 29/1/18 ownership changed to the RV Syndicate of Wanaka.
Thanks for the photo Steve.
Thanks for the photo Steve.
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ZK-CEQ update.
Following on from the brief mention a couple of days ago. See HERE
Here are more details on the Piper PA-28-140. ZK-CEQ.
With the c/n of 28-20052 is was the fifty third PA-28-140.
It was just one of a bunch of Piper aircraft that occupied the ZK-CEA to ZK-CEU range
(minus ZK-CER which was not issued until 2007 to a Rans S-6S).
Airwork (NZ) Ltd of Ardmore registered ZK-CEQ on 19-08-1964 with it going to the Central Hawkes Bay Aero Club at Waipukurau from 21-09-1964.
Seen at Waipukurau by Allan Wooller in February of 1968 with 'Club' titles on the engine cowling.
It transferred to the Waitemata Aero Club at Ardmore from 22-12-1969 and we see it below at Ardmore on 27-05-1971 - again with 'Club' titles on the cowling.
Then below we see it at Wanganui on 26-09-1972 thanks to Ray Deerness.
In a different paint scheme of sorts.
I captured this view (below) at the terminal side of Wellington Airport on 07-01-1973
By 1974 it had another paint scheme as seen (below) at Ardmore by Allan Wooller with 'Club' titles now on the door.
Jump ahead for a few years to 12-03-1984 I caught it at Invercargill (below) having been through the paint shop yet again, now with a stylised 'W' forward of the door and now calling itself a Piper Cruiser.
It had the usual spate of incidents that training aircraft seem to suffer.
Damaged Ardmore on 03-01-1970.
Damaged Ardmore 13-09-1970 by the Cessna 180 ZK-CGJ.
Damaged Great Barrier Island on 24-10-1974.
Damaged 24-03-1977 at Ardmore following power loss.
On 31-07-1985 ownership moved to A S Cassin of Auckland, and then to the CEQ Syndicate of Nelson from 27-09-1990.
From 11-02-1994 we see it move to A M and P G C Bailey followed by Justin Johnstone of Aerial Traffic Inspections Ltd of Papakura from 03-12-1994.
Independent Airways Ltd appear on the scene from 26-10-1999 and we see it below at Christchurch International Airport on 18-07-2015 - do I need to mention the paint scheme ?
Current owner Michael McKeown of Woodbury appears on the paper work from 01-09-2016.
I note that it is currently listed on Trade Me with a TTAF of 9300 hours.
Above as seen on its home strip near Woodbury on 17-02-2017.
Above at Rangiora on 09-02-2018.
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Sonex Aircraft Waiex ZK-WYX at Whitianga
I have posted about our Sonexs previously and this post can be seen HERE This was back in June 2016 and there are several other Sonexs coming along to add to the seven aircraft in that post.
At the end of the post I mentioned that there was also a Waiex registered in New Zealand. The Waiex is substantially the same as the Sonex but it has a Y tail with a small stub rudder below the fuselage. Sonex Aircraft markets the aircraft with the slogan: Just Because it Looks Cool!
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ZK-WYX (c/n W083) was built by Chris Wade in Auckland but is registered to Bruce Turner of Whitianga. It was registered way back on 31/1/13 so it has had a long gestation. It is powered by a 2180cc Aerovee engine from Sonex Aircraft.
ZK-WYX is photo'd in Bruce Turner's hangar attached to his house on Whitianga Airfield, where taxying trials have been carried out. Thanks to Chris Wade for the photo.
At the end of the post I mentioned that there was also a Waiex registered in New Zealand. The Waiex is substantially the same as the Sonex but it has a Y tail with a small stub rudder below the fuselage. Sonex Aircraft markets the aircraft with the slogan: Just Because it Looks Cool!
ZK-WYX is photo'd in Bruce Turner's hangar attached to his house on Whitianga Airfield, where taxying trials have been carried out. Thanks to Chris Wade for the photo.
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EAA Acropsort II ZK-FLY at Paraparaumu
Nick Furmage of the Stratford Aero Club Sport Flyers flew down to Paraparaumu on 28 January and while there he photo'd this EAA Acrosport II from the cockpit of the club's Zenair CH 601 ZK-SSF2:
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ZK-FLY2 (c/n AACA/635) was previously ZK-VWT and you can see its history HERE It was sold to J J Flynn of Masterton on 15/4/16 and its registration changed to ZK-FLY2 on 21/6/16. This is the first time I have seen it with its new registration. It appears to be being operated as a single seater.
Thanks for the photo Nick.
Thanks for the photo Nick.
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ZK-HGW at Ardmore 14-2-18
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| Kawasaki BK117 B-2 ZK-HGW msn 1050 operated by Helilink Ltd of Auckland seen at Ardmore late yesterday afternoon.This is ex ZK-HCB / VH-HRR |
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Taranaki
A visit to the RAANZ National fly in at Stratford (photos to follow) provided an opportunity to check out some of the area's other aviation activity.
At New Plymouth Airport was Hughes 369D ZK-HMT registered to T T Helicopters of Auckland
Also at New Plymouth the PA31 Panther ZK-LTD of Avia Air Charter, Hamilton
Down at the Norfolk Rd airstrip Cessna U206F ZK-DWX, a long way from its Ashburton home
At the Beck Helicopters base near Eltham was Bell 206B ZK-HKR, imported from Thailand in 2016.
And hangared at Hawera the R&R Bearhawk ZK-PBH, which is registered to a Stratford owner
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RAANZ Stratford Fly In
The RAANZ annual national fly in held in Stratford this weekend attracted some 20 visitors to add to the buoyant local microlight population.
Some of these are featured below starting with the quartet of locally based Sonerais ZK-SND, SNG, SNJ and SNW
All the way from Mossburn was Jodel D11 ZK-DFM
From Waipukurau was the Zlin Savage ZK-KPP
Registered in 2017 was the very smart SPA Panther ZK-PMD from Palmerston North
Locally based Sonerai ZK-SNJ has now acquired some shark's teeth
Also locally based is Titan T-51 ZK-TVG
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Life Flight's New Jetstream and Open Day
When I was in Wellington last month I called in to the Life Flight's Air Rescue Centre base at the airport where the nose of their new Jetstream was poking out of the hangar. I was generously shown around by Sebastien Grodd who is Life Flight's Marketing and Fundraising Manager.
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BAe Jetstream 32 ZK-LFT2(c/n 977) arrived in New Zealand on 1/9/16 and then underwent a major Emergency Medical Services upgrade to accommodate 5 seats and 2 stretchers which can accept neo-natal flight incubators.
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Life Flight is launching a fundraising campaign to raise $50,000 to help pay off the loan that they took out for the aircraft, culminating in an Open Day from 10 am to 2.30 pm at their Air Rescue Centre at Wellington Airport.
Have a look at www.lifeflight.org.nz/yourplane to find out more and get involved.
Have a look at www.lifeflight.org.nz/yourplane to find out more and get involved.
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Taupo
A visit to Taupo revealed some helicopter activity at the Airport including AS350B-2 ZK-HZJ heading out on a rescue mission
Hangared was local privately owned Bell 206B ZK-IRJ
Operated by Te Awamutu based Helicopter Management Ltd is R44 ZK-ISG
Over at the Gliding Club airfield Pawnee 235 ZK-TPO has now returned to the air after completion of some major work
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