Piper Navajo ZK-CAL at Ardmore 7-1-2016

Also at the Christian Aviation base at Ardmore was their other Navajo:

Piper PA 31-350 Navajo Chieftain (c/n 31-7405241) was built in 1974 by Piper Aircraft as N54355 and was registered in Australia to Skyway Airlines of Wee Waa, NSW as VH-TWD on 13/9/74.  It had several other owners in Australia as follows:

Advanced Airlines,   Mascot, NSW            15-12-1978
Connair Pty, Alice Springs                           23-07-1979
Northern Airlines Pty Ltd, Alice Springs  18-06-1980
Ian Baillie Aircraft Sales, Essendon           04-03-1983

It was then sold to New Zealand and was registered to Airwork NZ) Ltd as ZK-EVD on 5/10/83 and then went to the Auckland Aero Club on 7/11/83.

It then had several owners including East Air Ltd of Napier from 25/2/85.  East Air went into receivership in December 1985 and the aircraft sat at Ardmore for some time.  The above photo was taken on 2/11/86 and is from our sister blog 3rd Level New Zealand.

Ownership transferred to Christian Aviation Ministries some time in 1986 and to the National Westminster Finance NZ Ltd on 12/2/87.

Finally ownership transferred to DW and MR Brown of Auckland on 6/3/87, and it was re-registered as ZK-CAL2 on 13/4/87.  It is still flying with Christian Aviation as in the above photo taken at Ardmore on 7/1/17.

The first ZK-CAL was a Bristol B 170 Freighter with SAFE Air between 1961 and 1981.