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.

http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austcl/VH-FRL.html

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.