Sam's Beaver. ZK-SBV

Our first De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver’s arrived in country in 1951 and where used extensively in the aerial agricultural industry. 

Over the years we have had about fifty registered here but by 2013 this number had dwindled down to four. 

Then Auckland Seaplanes Ltd imported two, ZK-AMA₂ in 2013 and ZK-WKA in 2015. 

However in June another Beaver joined our register as ZK-SBV for Sam Brown of Karamea. 

This airframe gained its Canadian certificate of airworthiness on 18-02-1955 and was registered as CF-HXX on the same day to H Arthur Sewell of the Ontario Paper Company Ltd at Thorold Ontario and delivered on 11-03-1955. 

Title changed to Quebec North Shore Paper Company and then to BC Air Lines Ltd of Vancouver British Columbia in 1964. In about 1970 Island Airlines Ltd of Campbell River BC took it over and when the Canadian civil aircraft register was reformatted in about 1974 it was re-listed as C-FHXX. It was on line with Air BC Ltd of Richmond Ontario from mid-1981 and then with Air Nootka of Tahsis BC from 05-05-1982. 

It capsized and sank whilst under surface tow on 11-06-1988 at Chamiss Bay BC and was cancelled from the Canadian register a week later. Soon after it was allocated the VH-SYS₂ letters and eventually, following rebuild, was listed to Stephen ‘Sy’ Allsep of Liverpool NSW on 08-03-1994 and based as Wedderburn. After Sy’s death in early 2015 the Beaver and his rare Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer VH-EVB were sold to Richard Thompson of East Ryde NSW from 01-06-2015. 

The VH-SYS₂ marks were cancelled on 16-01-2017 as on sale to NZ but it was re-listed as VH-ACZ₆ on 30-01-2017 only to have this registration cancelled on 17-02-2017. 

It was freighted into Motueka later in February and has undergone the Sealand cabin extension modifications (most obvious being the extra side windows), it also has extended engine mounts which improves the C of G position. The battery is re-positioned to the firewall and the wings have been upgraded with the Baron STOL conversion kit which increases the angle of incidence by two degrees and the TAG rear spar fitting kit allows the Viking gross weight increase – all done by Mark Stagg of Argus Aviation Ltd.

 ZK-SBV first flew in NZ at Motueka on 01-08-2016.

Photos from Dave Bates.

Text above nicked from the New Zealand Aviation News magazine.