In November and December of 1960 Rural Aviation Ltd of Bell Block, New Plymouth, imported a batch of five new Cessna aircraft.
One of these was the Cessna 180C c/n 50909 which had been allocated the US registration of N6409X on the production line.
Rural Aviation Ltd registered it as ZK-BYI on 24-11-1960.
The first two photos below show it at Bell Block in its original paint scheme and with dainty wheel spats.
Above - At Bell Block, New Plymouth via Allan Wooller.
Above at Bell Block from Ray Deerness.
The New Plymouth Aero Club used it for a short time before Rural sold it to Ray Verrity of Te Awamutu on 16-01-1961.
It didn't have a very good run as it was damaged at Hamilton on 12-03-1966 and then at Hamilton on 12-03-1966. Then on 17-08-1968 it was overturned at Auckland.
Ownership transferred to the Waikato Flying School at Hamilton on 22-04-1970.
And above I shot it (above) at Wellington on 20-04-1971.
It struck a fence in a weather related forced landing near Thames on 05-05-1971
followed by another incident at Paraparaumu on 31-10-1971.
R (Bob) S Shewry of Tahora took it on from 29-03-1972 and it is seen below at Stratford (thanks to Allan Wooller) during 1972 in a new colour scheme.
From 29-08-1973 it moved to the Air Photos (1973) Ltd name and in the two shots below we see it wearing the Air Photos title.
Below - At Ardmore in 1974 from Allan Wooller.
And below at Timaru from the CMM collection.
It was damaged in a ground loop on the Gibbs Strip at Tokoroa on 15-12-1974 and was later sold on to Earnie Colling of Cromwell from 05-03-1976.
It had another oops on 02-05-1986 near Geraldine.
Above we see it at Wanaka 08-01-1983 in another paint scheme.
And below at Timaru on 07-06-1984.
Tuckers Flat Mining Co of Hokitika took it over from 29-11-1990 followed by Wilderness Wings Ltd of Hokitika on 29-04-1993.
It then spent a short time with K Smith of Taupo from May 1997 until it returned to Hokitika for J S and L F Kerr on 14-09-97 who traded as Tandem Skydive West Coast NZ out of Franz Josef.
Title then moved to Aoraki Aero Co Ltd (Richard Royds and Alex Miller - from memory) of Franz Josef on 28-01-1999 and then back to Wilderness Wings Ltd of Hokitika on 02-12-1999.
Now two shots from Christchurch on 02-11-2001.
Above showing Tandem Skydive script on stbd side.
Below - unmarked on port side.
T H and A M Hutchinson of Double Hill Station (Upper Rakaia River) appear in the books from 08-04-2002 followed by Argo Industries Ltd of Queenstown from 24-06-2004. This changed to the Papa Juliet Trust of Queenstown on 29-03-2005 and to its current listed owner of Mount View Developments Ltd - also of Queenstown.
Above at Timaru on 16-02-2017.
Finally the top of the fin transfers as seen on 16-02-2017 at Timaru.
