Saturday 27 October 2012

ZK-TDC - Lets ROK and Lets ROL.

Cessna A185F Skywagon c/n 18502103 was built as N70302 during early 1973. It was sent off to Australia where it became VH-FRL on 11-05-1973 with Geraldton Fishermans Cooperative in Geraldton, Western Australian. The pic below was snapped in July of 1975 and comes from the Ed Coates collection.
By early may of 1987 it was with A T Knappstein at Clare in South Australia, remaining there until purchased by Timothy Douglas-Clifford of Christchurch NZ in November 1993. Tim at the time was flying for Garden City Helicopters (and still is - but out of Nelson these days).
As VH-FRL it was noted at Auckland on 23-07-1993 and then outside the Drake Aviation facility at Christcurch on 26-07-1993 (above pic). Using Tim Douglas-Cliffords initials it was registered as ZK-TDC on 12-10-1994. It is seen below at Christchurch on 20-10-2000.
On 05-12-2000 its registration letters were changed to that of ZK-ROK and ownership transferred over to Skydive Wanaka Trust. It is seen below in its Wanaka hangar on 10-12-2001 with the word "Lets" just above its ROK letters.
 
On 29-08-2002 Tandem Skydive Wanaka Ltd listed a new Pacific Aerospace Cresco 08-600 (c/n 033) as ZK-ROK2 having re-registered the A185 as ZK-ROL earlier the same day.
ZK-ROL (still with the "Lets" above the new registration) was spied outside Timaru's Avtek on 20-10-2008. Below.
It went to Craig Thompson of Timaru on 10-11-2006 and when next observed at Masterton on 20-01-2011 (during the Cessna 180 50th anniversary flyin) was in a nice new colour scheme. Below.
I caught up with it again recently at Timaru on 24-09-2012 just after it had arrived back from a West Coast fishing expedition. Below.

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