Tuesday 21 August 2012

Fletcher Fu-24 ZK-BYC

In response to Anonymous' request:

ZK-BYC c/n 78 was registered to  James Aviation Ltd., Hamilton on 17October 1960.
However, I have a note that the CofA was not issued until July 1961.

At Rukuhia in full JAL colours 12May1966















After 10 years service in the North Island, ZK-BYC was transferred to the James subsidiary Farmers Aerial Topdressing Company of Invercargill as from 13February 1970.
Returning 'up north' five years later, it reverted to JAL ownership on 4February 1975.
Based out of Raglan, it did not last much longer, being badly damaged in a crash at Te Mata, near Raglan, on 9Aug75. the registration was cancelled on 6October 1975.
Don Subritzky recovered the damaged airframe from the crash site a few years later, and undertook a slow rebuild at his North Shore facility.
The registration of  ZK-BYC was restored into his name on 19April1991 but remained a work in progress.

At the Subritzky workshops 28March2011















The ownership of ZK-BYC has changed to Killarney Farm Awamate Limited of Wairoa as from 12July2012.
Has the aircraft flown again under the new ownership?

5 comments:


  1. Did it ever fly under Don's ownership?

    Thomarse

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  2. Not unless it did so at the very end.
    I'll ask him.

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  3. i think i saw this aircraft on the southern motorway on the back of a trailer a couple of months ago

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  4. Great to see this aircraft back in action. I was introduced to this particular aircraft back in 1973 when it was the Alexandra based unit for Farmers Aerial Topdressing with Ken Chambers being the pilot. ZK-BYC was replaced in 1974 by the freshly converted ZK-CTI. ZK-CTI came to grief in 1979 at Fairfield, barely one mile from where l currently live.

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  5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwCyCT4QImE

    ReplyDelete