ZK-CUS

Terry Fletcher has sent another photograph taken during his recent NZ tour showing an aircraft that we has not yet been featured on this blog site.

So.

Piper PA-23-250 Aztec D ZK-CUS is c/n 27-4499.

It was built, test flown and delivered to NZ on its US registration of N13861 - reaching Godzone on 07-03-1970.

Imported through the NZ agents Airwork (NZ) Ltd it was first registered on 12-03-1970 and then to New Zealand Forest Products Ltd of Auckland on 03-04-1970.

Above is a view of ZK-CUS in its NZ Forest Products colour scheme at Ardmore on 27-05-1971, 

and below it is at the fuel pumps at Ardmore on 27-09-1972.

Check out the 3rd Level Blogs for more at -

http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.co.nz/2010/06/forestry-towns-businessliners.html

Cookson Airspread Ltd of Wairoa took it on from 22-20-1978 for its newspaper deliveries until they sent it back to Airwork (NZ) Ltd at Christchurch from 15-12-1980.
http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.co.nz/2010/12/wairoas-cookson-airspread-part-1.html
Below it is in Cookson markings.
Photo by Ian Coates on 04-11-1980.

Hastings Air Charter leased it for a period from November of 1982 and then it went up to Auckland for the Cardinal Flying Co from 12-04-1984.

A couple of months later - 05-06-1984 - it was listed to B F Kidd who traded as Wairarapa Airlines Ltd and then it was leased to Great Barrier Airlines in early1985.
Drill down into this link for more on this service :-
http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.co.nz/2015/05/the-barrier-connection-great-barrier.html

By 17-08-1988 it was in line at the Waitemata Aero Club at Ardmore followed by time with the Ardmore Flying School.

D R Moore of Cambridge appears on the paperwork from 19-01-1993 and it was operated under the Summit Air name until the current owner Computer Automation Products of Auckland took it on from 16-01-1997.

Above - I potted it at Ashburton on 12-02-2005.

Next shot was at Ardmore on 27-02-2009.

And above we have Terry Fletcher's latest shot from Whitianga on 11-03-2016.