Two Blunties at Masterton this weekend.

Geoff Lloyd called into Masterton today (Sunday 18-01-2015) and found a couple of BAC167 Strikemaster Mk88's.

Both are ex RNZAF aircraft.

 NZ6372 was delivered to the RNZAF in April of  1975 ex G27-241 (c/n 342) and was trucked from Wellington to Ohakea in May for assembly.  It then served with 14 Squadron, Ohakea through until December 1992 when it was sold to Aermacchi as part of the purchase deal for the MB339's.  

In March 1993 it was sold by tender and moved to Australia where it became VH-LLD on 22-11-1994 to  J L Pierce of Watcham, Victoria. Other owner/operators include Bob Douglas of Ashmore City, Queensland from 01-06-2000 and then Peter O'Halloran of Cohuna, Victoria from 10-04-2001. Next was Hastings Valley Machinery Pty Ltd of Port Macquarie, NAS on 10-09-2003 who traded as Hastings Fighter Flight Pty Ltd. It was containered into Auckland on 22-05-2013.

I came on the NZ register on 17-03-2014 to RNZAF Strikemaster Ltd of Lower Hutt and was first flown as ZK-BAC2 from Ardmore on 04-04-2014.

The second Mk88 was built by BAC as G27-206 (c/n 310 first flew at Preston using this manufacturers test registration on 17-10-1972.

It arrived in NZ on 03-01-1973 aboard the MV Somerset and first flew from Ohakea in its RNZAF markings of NZ6370 on 30-03-1973.

It took part in the final Strikemaster formation flypast on 17-12-1992 and eventually sold off by tender.

It became VH-RBA2 on 22-12-1995 to Mike Broadbent of Southport, Queensland. On 30-11-2000 it was listed to Hastings Valley machinery Pty Ltd and then to North Coast Breast Centre Pty Ltd at Port Macquarie from 25-02-2004. Rod Hall picked it up from 28-07-2008 for operations by Hastings Fighter Flight Pty Ltd from the same date.

It was crated in December of 2010 for its return to NZ and became ZK-STR on 11-04-2011 to Strikemaster Ltd (which is another way of saying Brent Nicholls) and first flew as STR on 20-04-2011.