Saturday 9 February 2008

Does this one have you Goosed ?


???

10 comments:

  1. Interesting way of refueling [also no static line] :-)

    It's not on the NZ register as at today, so I assume this is an old, or overseas, picture?

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  2. Hi Rodney.
    Your right that it is not on the NZ register - Never was listed as ZK-ENY.
    Re the re-fueling - I would say t hat these guys were a law unto themselves.

    Ive just had a look at your web page - good one.
    Nice to see the pics of VH-NGT at WN.







    Ray (emailed me).
    Yep I know what it should have been.
    If you look carefully you can see the screws holding the "ENY" plate on the fuselage side.

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  3. Confirming that the photograph was taken in NZ in January 2005

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  4. ..this photo was taken in Timaru outside the South Canterbury Aero Club is all I can add..

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  5. Anonymous is correct. Timaru on 22-01-2005.

    Interestingly it was using its correct ZK registration as its radio callsign, which I though defeated the purpose of the whole exercise really.

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  6. ..okay so the 'screwed on marks' were to disguise the true registration which was showing on the white hull underneath..right, which we were not to see? The callsign on the day was the disgused marks we couldn't see, which defeated the whole purpose, as you say..which WE don't know but you heard of course to make such a comment. I put this in a same category as another C172 flying out of Timaru for some days about mid summer last year with absolutely NO marks at all showing, which is not legally legal CAA wise of course, it was an out of town machine..and from what I heard, or didn't actually hear so to speak, it was operating NORDO during it's stay in South Canterbury. It seemed to be on a low level 'special mission' ...maybe we could call this 'ENY' a true 'Blue Bus'..

    Is this mystery solved then?

    I'm pleased our filler caps don't get this treatment!

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  7. Getting there I suppose.

    Its real ID is that of ZK-LLB which crashed in the Gibston Valley a few days later (29th-01-2005 I have) with the loss of live of both occupants whilst on low level police operations.

    There have been many occasions of aircraft and helicopters using "false" or no marks whilst carrying out these duties. (Take "Police 1" for example).
    Can anybody throw some more photos up ?

    The title of this blog is off course because ZK-ENY was the Grumman G21 Goose which spent most of its time in NZ with See Bee Air and a few months with Canterbury Planes before moving to Australia, Thailand and the last I heard it was under restoration in Germany.

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  8. From my years working in Nelson our hanger was used on occasion to host this vistor and others using rego's of, from memory, FNI and FIN. C172 FMP was used for a time and was adapted to read EMP and a Wilga was used for a period of time on the West Coast but carried no registration. In latter years the C172 used simply carried "Police 5" marks and would park on the western 'grass' area at Nelson, along with a visiting military helicopter.........wop wop wop.

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  9. Interesting topic that needs more research !

    I recall an R22 in almost the identical spot to "ENY" at Timaru with the marks "ET" in January 2003, My bones told me that it was ZK-HEG/2.
    Ive noted an all white unmarked H500D with what looked like an underslung spray system, around Whakatane and a Cessna 185 with "Police ##" boldly on the fuselage (sorry forgot the numbers for the moment).
    Then there was the A185F ZK-DLX which was destroyed, believed by canabis growers, as they thought this aircraft was out hunting their patches in the Murupara area in May 1989.
    An ass you say :- all the Wokka Wack Wacks.

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  10. The following is the CAA accident brief for this aircraft.

    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    Accident Brief, Occurrence # 05/179
    Registration: ZK-LLB Nature of Flight: Policing
    Aircraft Model: Cessna 172N Pilot Licence: CPL (Aeroplane)
    Date and Time: 29 Jan 05 at 11:49 Pilot Age: 33 yrs
    Location: 7 km south Gibbston Flying Hours (Total): 3023
    POB: 2 Flying Hours (on Type): 500
    Injuries (Fatal): 2 Last 90 Days: 178
    Injuries (Serious): nil TAIC Ref.: 05-002
    Injuries (Minor): nil Publishing Ref.: Vector Jul/Aug 06
    Damage: Destroyed Date Published: 13 Jul 06
    Synopsis:
    On Saturday 29 January 2005, at 1149, Scott Air Cessna 172 ZK-LLB was on a Police cannabis plantation spotting operation from Queenstown, when it collided with the valley side in Doolans Creek Valley 7 km south of Gibbston. The pilot and Police observer were killed and the aircraft was destroyed. While circling in a confined mountainous valley the aircraft briefly descended to a low altitude which did not conserve adequate manoeuvring margins from the valley sides. A further more rapid descent led to the aircraft colliding with the valley side in controlled flight. The cause of this further descent was not determined.

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