Monday 30 May 2016

ZK-KTT at Tauranga today

Seen today undergoing maintenance at Tauranga was the De Havilland DH104 Devon/Dove ZK-KTT (c/n 04324).
This airframe became NZ1808 and was one of thirty Devons used by the RNZAF.
NZ1808 was ferried out from the UK by an RNZAF aircrew and arrived at Wigram on November the 20th 1952. 
As far as I am aware it had a pretty routine military career and was known to have had the radio call sign of ZM-ZKJ.
It was sold by tender to the Northland Districts Aero Club 06-11-1984 after being in storage at Woodbourne from May of 1980.
It was registered as ZK-KTT on 06-11-1984 to Barry Keay, Jim Trewin and J E Taylor of Paparoa. The KTT registration being the surname initials of the three owners. 
It went through several syndicate changes until 02-07-1996 when it was re-registered as ZK-CBK with Chris Bellamy and Barry Keay of Ponsonby. 
During the 1990's it was painted with N Z Warbirds script and is seen below at Glentanner on 14-10-2000
This became the Devon 08 Syndicate from 03-04-2001
It reverted back to its original ZK-KTT registration on 11-04-2002 by which time Chris Timms is a prominent Syndicate member.
Title changed to the NZ Historic Aircraft Trust of Papakura on 16-03-2007 with the aircraft being based at Tauranga from about 2010.
It is seen below at the Solo Wings hangar at Tauranga in its late RNZAF colour scheme with is civil ZK-KTT registration on the fin fillet.
Colin at Solo Wings has taken up the challenge to get KTT back flying again. 

4 comments:

  1. Colin at Solo Wings has taken up the challenge to get KTT back flying again.

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  2. Hope the challenge works out well . . be great to see the Devon back in the air again !!!

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  3. would be great to see in air again however I think they are struggling with the challenge as I believe it hasn't flown since 2010ish

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  4. would be great to see in air again however I think they are struggling with the challenge as I believe it hasn't flown since 2010ish

    ReplyDelete