Two rotary wing visitors at Nelson today.

Snapped at Nelson on this rather dull day by Bill Mannix were the LongRanger ZK-HUG3 and the Squirrel ZK-IKA2.

The Bell 206L-1 Long Ranger ZK-HUG3 c/n 45480. spent its first thirty-one years in the USA a N3890B with a move to Australia to become VH-JGO4 on 05-09-2011.

It was imported into NZ and assembled at Taupo by Argus Aviation for the leasing company NR Aviation Ltd of Gisborne as ZK-HUG3 from 15-01-2024. 

It has been on lease to Helicopter Charter Nelson Ltd since late 2024.

The Eurocopter AS 350 B3 ZK-IKA2 (c/n 3409) has served time in Italy as I-AMVM, Indonesia as PK-FUA and Australia as VH-BCR6 before coming to NZ to become ZK-IGY with Action Helicopters at Queenstown on 26 January 2017. 
    It was re-registered to ZK-IKA2 on 6 September 2019 for transfer to Murchison Heli Tours Ltd.

Microlight Aircraft of New Zealand - Early Unregistered Microlights - Skycraft Scouts

Although there were early ultralights flying in America as I have previously posted, there was an even earlier microlight in Australia - the Skycraft Scout which first flew in May 1974.

The Skycraft Scout was developed by Ron Wheeler, a Sydney boatbuilder, from his earlier hang glider the Tweetie.  The Scout was the was the first rigid wing ultralight/microlight aircraft to be produced commercially in the world.  I think the first Mark 1 Scouts were also called also called Tweeties.

Naturally, being "just across the ditch" there was early interest in the Scout in New Zealand and several were imported before 1981 when MAANZ was formed and when microlights didn't have to be registered.

It is difficult to find out much about these very early Scouts but Murray Hagen reckons there were two in Southland in 1981 owned by Dion Buchanan and Stewart Kerr and rumours of two more in Canterbury.  And I have also found a reference to one that was imported by a Mr May of Inglewood in Taranaki in 1980.  I think there could have been more - can anyone provide any other information?

I understand that this is a Tweetie hang glider flying in New Zealand, from the NZ Hang Gliding and Paramotor Association website.

And in this photo of Skycraft Scout ZK-EYO you can see that it did not take much to turn a Tweetie hang glider into a Scout microlight.  The photo was taken at Waitohi on 5/4/85 by Bob Kerr.

Tauranga Aero Club Stuff

 The Tauranga Aero Club has recently added a new Cessna 172 to their fleet:

Cessna 172R ZK-TAC3 (c/n 17281039) was registered to the club on 13 June 2025 and is ex VH-SCN.

And another photo that caught my eye from the Tauranga Airport Spotters and Photographers Facebook page was this hangar shot of the club's Cessna 172S ZK-TAI3 with their long time Cessna A152 ZK-TAA on an impressive aircraft lift above.

Thanks for the photos Mark and Josh.

Golden Hour Arrival for Citation VH-A74

Captured by Tony McFarlin arriving into Christchurch International Airport early this evening was the Cessna 525 Citation CJ1 VH-A74 c/n 525-0138.

A nice low angle sun shot.

    Originally N5211F from 1996 it became VH-MOJ2 on 18-04-1996 with a change to VH-DAA4 on 07-11-2006. 
It was re-registered as VH-A74 on 16-05-2025 - still with Vanguard Aviation Pty Ltd of Newrybar, NSW.

Airbus ZK-HZS at Nelson

 Noted refueling at Nelson Airport today was the Airbus AS 350B3 (ACH125) ZK-HZS4 c/n 9366.

First flown with the French test registration of F-WWPU.

It became ZK-HZS4 with Tasman Helicopters Ltd on 27-04-2023.

Maule Lunar Rocket ZK-MSM Arrives at Kaipara Flats 23-8-2025

Another Saturday and another "new" aircraft arrives at Kaipara Flats!  Today it was the Maule M5-235C Lunar Rocket ZK-MSM, ferried North by Peter Garlick and its new owner who will eventually base it on his farm airstrip at Matakohe near the Eastern shore of the Kaipara Harbour.

Nice and low over the threshold....

for a short roll out.

Outside its new temporary hangar at NZKF with fellow Maule owner Martin Farrand and Peter Garlick.

Aerostar 600 ZK-MVY

Aerostar 600 ZK-MVY returning to its Ardmore base yesterday was noted to be displaying some nose art "American Maid".    This was imported from Australia in 1993 and has been with its current owner, Buckly Air, since 2015.

 

Microlight Aircraft of New Zealand - Early Unregistered Microlights - Hamilton October 1980

During 1980 a couple of American guys, Tommy Namais and Marty Waller, arrived in New Zealand with agencies for Mirage, Quicksilver and Pterodactyl microlights.  They also bought demonstrator aircraft with them and I think they had examples of the all of the three types.  This is because of photos taken at Hamilton airport in October 1980 by Janic Geelen:

A crowd is interested in what I think is a Quicksilver M (the Quicksilver M was an early weight shift Quicksilver with a control bar like a trike, and with no spoilers and just a rudder and no fin).  This machine could have been registered ZK-ESU in March 1982.  The occasion was ahead of the Aviation Showcase 80 which was held in early November 1980.

And there were also a couple of unregistered Mirages on the airfield on the same day in October 1980.  It is difficult to know what these machines were eventually registered, possibly one of them could have become ZK-ESQ for Trevor Barrett of Hamilton and  the other could have become ZK-KJA for Ken Asplin of Hamilton.  (But it is difficult to tell as the sailcloth covers could be changed!).

This photo of the second Mirage is interesting because in the foreground appears to be a Pterodactyl Ascender.

Thanks for the photos Janic, they have turned out to be very historic.

Some helicopters at Ardmore

Amongst all the activity at Ardmore today were a number of interesting helicopters including the Hughes 369D ZK-HAW4 which was imported in late 2023 from South Korea by International Heliproperties NZ for refurbishment and resale.

Outside Airbus NZ was the Aston Martin luxury ACH130 ZK-HEA7 which was registered to Advanced Flight Ltd, Auckland in January 2024.

Currently being used by the Northern Helicopter Rescue Service is the former Wellington based Lifeflight BK117B-2 ZK-HLF2.   It is being used while the AW169s are undergoing maintenance and was originally imported from Japan way back in August 2003.

And receiving attention at Heliflite was the North Shore based R44 Raven II ZK-ITS3 which was reregistered from ZK-IWP in June 2025.   It is registered to Core Aviation Operations.

 

Microlight Aircraft of New Zealand - Early Unregistered Microlights - Terry Delore

I have previously posted that I thought Pete James was the first to fly a microlight aircraft in New Zealand when he flew his powered Easy Riser at Te Kowhai in late 1978.  However in my further research I have come across a microlight trike that potentially flew here earlier.  That trike was flown by Terry Delore around the Christchurch area in 1977 or 1978 (Terry is not sure of the date).

Terry Delore was a very early hang gliding enthusiast and he was very good at it - so good that he flew in the inaugural World Hang Gliding Championships in Austria in 1976 and won, thus becoming the first hang gliding World Champion!  In that competition Terry was flying a hang glider built by Steve Cohen of Ultralight Flight Systems in Australia and Terry was the New Zealand agent for these hang gliders.

In 1977 or 1978 Terry purchased a trike unit from Steve Cohen and bought it back to Christchurch where he attached it to a Rogallo wing hang glider.  Terry said it had a 160cc Italian engine that was really not powerful enough but he flew it.successfully as in the photo below:

The photo shows Terry Delore getting airborne in the Cracroft area on the outskirts of Christchurch.

When Terry started flying his trike it presented a problem for the then Civil Aviation Division of the Ministry of Transport as they didn't really know what to do with it.  Terry has advised:  "This is the trike the CAD would (not so secretly) come and watch flying as they were trying to make some rules around microlights.  At that time it was not registered and required a Certificate of Airworthiness and a Private Pilot's License to legally fly in NZ.  I had neither so just flew under the radar for a few years".  

Chris Payne was one of the CAD officers that was very helpful at that time, and I guess that Terry's flying would have been more visible to CAD than someone who was for example flying around their remote farm.  Eventually CAD got their head around microlights and this led to the formation of the Microlight Aircraft Association of New Zealand (MAANZ) in 1981.