Tecnam P 92s of New Zealand (3) - 2000 RG Models

The next P 92 model to appear was the retractable gear P 92 2000 RG which had a redesigned fuselage to house the retractable gear and shorter wings to better cope with the higher speeds.  The wings have a different type of flap and the wingspan was 8.7 metres (28 feet 8 inches).  The cruise speed is quoted as 124 knots which is more than 15 knots above fixed gear P 92s.  This model is no longer available but we have had two of them registered in New Zealand:

ZK-TRG (c/n 023) was registered on 27/11/01 to Giovanni Nustrini of Auckland and on the same day it was transferred to PP and M Odlum of Matamata.  It is photo'd here very early on in its life at the 2002 SAANZ flyin at Matamata.  I do not recognise who the guy looking under the aircraft is!  On 11/9/14 ownership transferred to R G McLeod of Masterton with whom it is still current.  

ZK-MGW (c/n 043) was registered to M G Wiltshire of Taupo on 26/11/03, and it is photo'd above early on in its life, at Taupo.  It has spent its entire life based at Taupo, with ownership being recently transferred to D G Halligan of Taupo on 11/2/21.

Auster ZK-BCK

 The Auster J5F Aiglet Trainer with the constructor number 3106 was built in the UK in June of 1953 and imported into New Zealand by the Bristol Aeroplane Co (NZ) Ltd of Wellington and gained it certificate of airworthiness as ZK-BCK on 07-10-1953 for delivery to the Canterbury Aero Club at Christchurch.

Below we have three photos from the late Jack Browne showing it in its time with the Canterbury Aero ClubOutside the Club hangar on 09-01-1954.

Above - watching over some international (?) sporting event at Christchurch Airport in March of 1954.

Below - the masses having avoided Aviation Security with the lady on the right appearing to be about to swoon over the site of the Auster !

The Club began receiving Piper Cubs from October 1956, ZK-BNL, followed by ZK-BJG, ZK-BNJ and then ZK-BNO by early 1961 and ZK-BYW in 1962.

This lead to the Auster ZK-BCK being sold on to the Greymouth Aero Club in January of 1960.The in turn sold it to the Whakatane Gliding Club from August of 1963. 
It then was listed to G R Bell and W J Hepburn of Whakatane and carried the "SMIRNOFF IS THE VODKA" at this time.

Photo below from this period from an unknown source.

Above as seen at Rotorua on 10-01-1967.

It was damaged at Paraparaumu on 05-08-1967.

Another shot taken at Rotorua on 13-12-1968.

 Roger M King of Auckland was the listed owner from 29-11-1971.

Additional ownership changes had it listed with John T Rika at Masterton from 02-05-1975.

Photo below is ZK-BCK as at Masterton in December 1975 from Allan Wooller.

 And then with C W Welsh at Timaru from 30-05-1977.

These two show ZK-BCK at Timaru on 09-10-1977.

Above as captured at Hawera on 02-09-1979.

It appears to have been damaged at Stratford on 10-10-1981 and was on sold to C G Hill and I L Cameron of New Plymouth by December that year.

Below a photo by Daniel Tanner taken at Gisborne on 11-07-1983.

Granville Jones, Peter R Andrew and Paul R Faulkner of Wairoa took it on from 16-08-1982 followed by a move down to Palmerston north to D J Lundy and R F Emslie from 24-06-1985.

Tim J and D G Graham of Christchurch took it over from 19-04-1990 with it being cancelled from the register on 28-01-1991 for a rebuild. It was registered back with the Graham's on 08-09-1995.

Noted on 23-03-1996 at Tekapo

Then we see the Vincent Family of Lismore -inland from Ashburton - take control of it from 15-10-1998

Seen below at Christchurch on 28-12-1998

 Murray Vincent acquired the Auster J5 ZK-AXJ in May of 1999 and the engine from ZK-BCK was eventually transferred to it. 

On 13-11-1999 I caught it at Omarama.

Below on 12-02-2005 at Ashburton

Below at Ashburton 30-05-2007 with the Fokker F27-120A Friendship ZK-BXG in the background.

The dismantled ZK-BCK at Ashburton on 9-01-2014 just prior to sale.ZK-BCK was noted dismantled and sans engine at Ashburton in early 2014 and was sold as a restoration project to Shannon Surridge of Nelson in May of 2014.

Tecnam P 92s of New Zealand (2) - P 92S Echo Models

The next few Tecnam P 92s to be registered were three P 92S Echo models.  This model had a remodelled fuselage with extra cabin windows and a smoother top fuselage line.  This was an early version of the later P 92 Echo Super but I understand it could be fitted with 80 HP or 100 HP Rotax engines.

ZK-EKO2 (c/n 465) was registered to Giovanni Nustrini of Auckland on 26/7/00 and then on 26/7/01 it went the the Northern Recreational Flying Club of Dargaville.  They had it until 11/12/08 when it went back to the agents Tercnam NZ Ltd of Papakura.  Then on 26/2/09 ownership transferred to EKO Aviation Ltd of Taupo with whom it is still current.  It is photo'd above at the 2001 SAANZ flyin at Ashburton when it was very new.

ZK-CFC2 (c/n 520) was registered to the Coromandel Flying Club on 16/12/00 and it is still current with them nearly 21 years later.  It is photo'd above on approach to Pauanui on 30/1/16.

ZK-OYZ (c/n 530) was registered to Richard Goord of Auckland on 23/2/01  It is photo'd at Rangiora on 1/7/01.  On 14/8/06 it was registered to Horton Industries Ltd of Auckland and on 19/9/06 it was cancelled to be registered ZK-PAB2.

ZK-PAB2 flew on with Horton Industries Ltd until 3/4/09 when ownership transferred to Kevin Taylor Enterprises Ltd of Helensville.  It is photo'd above at Parakai on 1/3/09.  On 17/5/11 it went South to Dean Waller and  Roy Waddingham of Lincoln and more recently of Christchurch with whom it is still current.

Covid level four Nelson park ups.

 Bill Mannix has provided us with two shot of the Nelson Airport terminal area showing the aircraft parked up during the Covid 19 lock down level 4.

The upper photo was taken on 19-04-2020 during the first lock down and show at least seventeen aircraft parked up.

The lower photo taken today 29-08-2021 shows a much smaller number parked up.

Tecnam P 92s of New Zealand (1) - Early Models

The Tecnam P 92 series of aircraft first appeared in 1993 when the first aircraft appeared with Rotax 912 engines.  The P 92 was designed by Luigi Pascale and built by Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecnam which was the company that Luigi and his brother Giovanni formed in 1986.  They had previously been involved in the formation and running of Partenavia before it was taken over by the Italian Government, and who also used the P prefix for their models such as the P 68 twin.  Tecnam has produced over 7,500 aircraft to date which is pretty impressive.

The Tecnam P 92 is an all metal side by side strut braced high wing tri-gear aircraft in the microlight category that despite its small size has more shoulder room than a Cessna 150/152.  The prototype first flew in 1993. It has evolved a lot over the ensuing years to include retractable gear and tailwheel models, and the most recent iteration has a carbon fibre fuselage.

The specs for the various P 92 models will differ in their wingspans and the Rotax engine fitted, but here are the specs for the P 92-J model: length 6.4 metres (21 feet), wingspan 9.3 metres (30 feet 6 inches), empty weight 304 Kg (670 pounds), MAUW 550 Kg (1,213 pounds).  And with a 100 HP Rotax the cruise speed is around 110 knots, while the stall speed is around 38 knots with flaps extended.

Our first three P 92s were the original models which had a rather angular looking fuselage with square corners in the lower fuse.

Our first Tecnam P 92 was a P 92J model ZK-TVB (with the very early c/n 009) which was registered on 17/10/97 to Giovanni Nustrini of Auckland.  It is photo'd above at the 1998 SAANZ flyin at Matamata.  It went on a demonstration tour of Australia from May 2000 and it was cancelled from the NZ civil register on 9/2/01 and became VH-BAJ5 on 15/2/01, still owned by Giovanni Nustrini.  On 10/4/02 it transferred to 24-3699 on the Australian microlight register.

Our second P 92 was a P 92 Echo model which was registered ZK-KMA (c/n 306) on 12/6/98 to K E (Ken) McKee of Napier.  It is photo'd above at the 2000 SAANZ flyin at Matamata.  On  1/2/01 it was sold to PH and KA Thompson of Ruawai and was re-registered ZK-PKT.  (Can anyone supply a photo of it?)

On 24/4/06 ownership transferred to the Northern Wairoa Aero Club at Dargaville, still as ZK-PKT and who operated it until 30/3/06 when it was re-registered as ZK-MIC2, and on 1/4/06 ownership transferred to Michael Benstrum of Dargaville (hence the registration MIC).  On 17/3/10 ownership changed to C R Chalmers and J T Elliot of  Mosgiel and it is photo'd above at the 2010 SAANZ flyin at Ashburton on 5/2/11.  It was cancelled from the New Zealand register on 21/3/11 and was exported to Australia where it became 24-7810 on the Australian microlight register.

And our third P 92 Echo was ZK-KFP (c/n 305) which was registered on 20/1/00 to Kevin M Farmer of Ardmore (hence the registration KFP for Kevin Farmer's plane).  It is photo'd above at the 2000 SAANZ flyin at Matamata.  Ownership changed to B W Ford of Hamilton on 1/3/04 and then to the Pekamu Trust of Katikati (Alan Nelson) on 13/12/07.  Alan took his aircraft with him to Australia and it was cancelled from the NZ civil register on 25/10/11 and was registered 24-8051 on the Australian microlight register on 20/2/12.  So all of our first three P 92 aircraft ended up in Australia.

But ZK-KFP came back!  Still under Alan Nelson's ownership it was cancelled from the Australian microlight register on 16/8/17 and returned to New Zealand where it was registered to the Pekamu Trust of Te Kopuru (near Dargaville) on 16/8/17.  The above photo was taken at Dargaville on 24/2/18.  Most recently it was sold to the Whangarei Flying Club on 8/10/19 and it is very active with them, more than 20 years after it was first registered here.

MD Helicopters MD 902 ZK-IOT Exported

Noted as cancelled from the CAA register on 25/8/21 was Rotor Force NZ Ltd's MD 902 NOTAR helicopter ZK-IOT (c/n 900-00120).  This has not been posted on the blog previously so I thought I would track down some photos of it as it is a spectacular looking machine.  Joe Faram of Rotor Force has sent these great photos:

ZK-IOT over the dry Hawkes Bay countryside.

If you enlarge this photo you can see that it is badged as a MD 902 on the nose and Joe advises that it was a genuine 902 with the Pratt & Whitney PW207E engines and one of the last few to be built.  Joe also said that it was "a stunner, light and capable".

It has been exported to Hong Kong where it will join 3 other MD 902s in the fleet of Heli Services (HK) Ltd.

Thanks very much Joe for the photos and info.

I Also Remember When

When Wellington Airport was opened on 25 October 1959.  I was 11 at the time and the new airport had been built in front of my eyes as we lived in Melrose looking over Lyall Bay.  What a great time for a young boy, first to be enthralled by all the earthmoving equipment and then to transfer on to aeroplanes!  Of course all of the aircraft at the opening pageant were new to me as I had only previously seen Solent and Sunderland flying boats flying by on approach to Evans Bay.

These photos from Tony Smith were taken on the practice day before the airshow:

RAAF Canberra A84-230 and a USAF Hercules. Our house is above the Canberra, and that is where I watched the opening pageant from, glued to binoculars.  Thanks to Peter Layne for providing the aircraft identities.

The two USAF Hercules serialled 55-0035 and 55-0042

And the Best of British with the RNZAF Vampire aerobatics team (comprising of NZ5753, NZ5757, NZ5762 and NZ5767) flying over RAF DH Comet 2C XK669, Handley Page Herald G-AODF of BEA and a RAF Bristol Britannia XL638.

Thanks very much for the use of the photos Tony.

I Remember When...

When airshows could go ahead as planned (and in great weather as a bonus).  A case in point was the Wings Over Wairarapa airshow held at Hood aerodrome (in happier days for these 2 aircraft), on 17 and 18 January 2009:

The Air Tight Trust's Goodyear FG-1D Corsair ZK-COR was there flown by Keith Skilling,

and The Old Flying Machine Company (NZ) Ltd's Curtis P 40E Kittyhawk ZK-RMH was also there, flown by Stu Goldspink I think.

Maybe we will see these two ex RNZAF warbirds at Classic Fighters 2023? - that would be something to look forward to.

Omaka Yealands Classic Fighters press release.

 Website: www.classicfighters.co.nz

21 August 2021

Yealands Classic Fighters 2021 Cancelled

Current Covid-19 environment incompatible with large scale events

Blenheim, NZ: It is with great regret that we announce, that the Yealands Classic Fighters Airshow, scheduled to take place 3rd to the 5th of September, has been cancelled.

The recent outbreaks of the Delta variant in and around Auckland and most significantly, the recent Wellington cases, make it unlikely that the country will be in anything lower than Covid Alert Level 2. This legislates a 100-person limit and therefore a large-scale event such as Yealands Classic Fighters cannot proceed, nor should it.

While we are extremely disappointed that the show cannot go on, we are pleased to advise that those who have purchased tickets to the September airshow will be given the option of a refund, or to have their tickets re-validated for Yealands Classic Fighters 7-9th April 2023. We are currently working with our ticketing provider Humanitix to facilitate this and will be in contact with all ticket holders in due course. Further updates will also be communicated via our website and Facebook page.

This has been a tough journey that has, for some of us, consumed a large proportion of our waking hours for 2021. That this will produce no tangible positive result for the community, for aviation, or for New Zealand, is disappointing to say the least, but along the way we have also expanded our resources to place us in a better position for running future events, once Covid is far behind us, so it has not been a total loss.

In the meantime, we extend our most sincere thanks to all those who have supported Yealands Classic Fighters. Thank you to our amazing staff and volunteers, our sponsors and especially Yealands Wines, the many local businesses and of course our ticket holders. To everyone, thank you so much for your enthusiasm and for your dedication to the fantastic heritage aviation event that is the Yealands Classic Fighters Airshow. Keep safe New Zealand and we hope to see you in 2023!

Trustees, Classic Fighters Airshow Charitable Trust

For more information, please go to www.classicfighters.co.nz

About Yealands Classic Fighters Omaka: Traditionally held every alternate Easter the airshow is the main fundraising event for the Omaka Aviation Heritage Museum, located in Blenheim, Marlborough NZ. 2021 would have been Classic Fighters Omaka’s 20th anniversary. Here’s to Easter 2023!

Ngā mihi,

Classic Fighters 2021 CANCELLED

Late yesterday afternoon the Classic Fighters Airshow trustees held a Zoom meeting and confirmed that they had no choice but to shut the event down due to the ongoing Covid 19 uncertainty going forward.

Frustratingly, this is the second time that they have been forced to shut down Classic Fighters 2021 and understandably they say they are gutted beyond words.  We can only sympathise with them and recognise all the hard work that has been put in by many people to get CF 2021 up and flying. Thanks for all your efforts.

So we all look forward to Classic Fighters 2023 where maybe the one upside is that several more heritage aircraft will call Omaka home by then.

In the meantime we can reflect with what might have been with the Fox Moth:

Classic Fighters 2021???? - Yak 3 Full Noise

 Not looking hopeful for much noise?

I Remember When - A Pair of Hovey Delta Hawks at Feilding

When I was living in Feilding in the 1980s I remember catching up with Jim Fordyce at the local Manawatu chapter meetings of the AACA.  Jim was an experienced homebuilder who had built and flown his Taylor Monoplane ZK-CQE and Jodel D 11 ZK-ECU.  And at several chapter meetings at his house we got to see his latest project which was building two Hovey Delta Hawks in parallel.  I was impressed with Jim's workmanship and I thought the planes looked great,  They were both registered, as ZK-FSM and ZK-FSN, on 12/12/88 and were like identical peas in a pod:

ZK-FSM (c/n 46JAF3) was registered to D J Bowers of Palmerston North.  On 7/7/00 ownership changed to the Anderson, Perry and Coleman Syndicate of Palmerston North and it is still current with them, and still based at Feilding. 

ZK-FSN (c/n 46JAF4) was Jim Fordyce's own Delta Hawk.  It was registered to him at Feilding and he later moved to Wairoa.  On 26/3/08 it was sold to Allan Brizzell of Westport, and then on 10/1/09 it went to the Poutama Family Trust of Shannon (later followed by the Poutama Family Trust #2 on 2/9/13).  It was withdrawn on 5/5/16.

Both photos were taken at Feilding early on in the 2 aircraft's lives, in 1989.

ZK-HLH (4)

A medevac flight into Pauanui today was operated by the Auckland based AW169 ZK-HLH4 rather than the usual Hamilton or Tauranga Hospital based BK117s.   HLH was imported new back in 2018.

 

Classic Fighters 2021??? - Sopwith Pup

 

Classic Fighters 2021?? - Avro Anson

 

Cessna 185A ZK-DXG

The importation of Cessna 180/185's into NZ continues at a slow but steady rate.

One of the more recent additions to our register is the Cessna 185A Skywagon ZK-DXG2 c/n 185-0503 as listed to Skywagons Ltd of Twizel.

This airframe spent its early years from 1962 in Zambia as VP-YUN, VP-RUN and 9J-RUN before moving to South Africa to become ZS-FSV.

It was moved to Australia in February of 2009 and became VH-FSV from 25-01-2010.

It was sold on 16-12-2018 and cancelled from the Australian register on 07-07-2020 and was noted above at Pukaki (Twizel) still in VH marks in October last year.

Its NZ certification was carried out by Skywagons Ltd and became ZK-DXG2 on 11-03-2021.
Aaron Murphy captured (below) it in its NZ marks at Pukaki on 11-07-2021.

Two New Guimbal Cabri G2's flying.

 Two Guimbal Cabri G2 helicopters have recently been assembled at Christchurch Helicopters 2001 Ltd's facility at Christchurch International Airport.

Both arrived from France in the same container with ZK-HWA3 being c/n 1280 which was registered to Christchurch Helicopters on 13-08-2021 and first flew yesterday the 16th.

ZK-HGI5 is c/n 1108 and has spent time in the USA as N367PA. 

It was first flown today I believe and is for a private owner out of Kaikoura.

Classic Fighters 2021 - FW 190

 

Nelson Lakes Gliding Club

The Nelson Lakes Gliding Club operate from Lake Station airstrip near St Arnaud and they were busy  last Sunday winch launching both Club and privately owned gliders.

The Club's gliders include ZK-GAJ2 a Grob G103A imported from Germany in 2007.

Grob G102 ZK-GNH which was imported new in 1983 and has been with the Club since 2008.

And Grob G103 ZK-GMZ which was imported new in 1982 and has also been with the Club since 2008.

Five privately owned Nelson gliders were also active comprising the Slingsby T51 ZK-GDW which was originally registered back in 1964.

Rolladen Schneider LS8a ZK-GGP3 which was imported from Sweden in 1999.

LAK 17B ZK-GGS which was imported from the US in late 2019.

Schempp Hirth Nimbus 2 ZK-GKU which was imported new in 1976.

And Schempp Hirth Discus B ZK-GTH which was imported from Germany in 1997.