ZK-BJK - Now and Then

 While attending the Thames Wings and Wheels event last weekend I was finally able to catch up with the latest Yak-52 arrival, Rob Fry's ZK-BJK/2.

Initially serving with the para-military DOSAAF organization from October 1986 and carrying the serial '113' this Yak then entered the Lithuanian civil register as LY-ALK. Later, when Jurgis Kairys began using the aircraft, it appeared as LY-BJK. As such it appeared in aerobatic events in Europe and also in both Japan and Korea as part of the 'Air Bandits' team.
The Air Bandits came about from Jurgis Kairys' desire to introduce something new and different to Airshows - Group aerobatics by different aircraft. 

Rob Fry was also living in Japan at that time, and became involved with this team.
Thus the current livery of this aircraft reflects those days.

ZK-BJK/2 at Thames 27th January

I then decided to dig around in the shoebox and find a photo of the original ZK-BJK.

This was a Tiger Moth c/n 86475 that was built under contract by Morris Motors and delivered to the RAF in May 1945 as NM155. Too late to see wartime service, it was stored until sold to dealers Hants & Sussex Aviation Ltd., Portsmouth, in 1953.
Registered to them as G-ANCP on 4Sep1953 ownership passed to F.R.J. Britten, Bembridge, Isle of Wight on 14th December.
John Britten then sold this Tiger (along with at least three others) into New Zealand in early 1954.

Registered as ZK-BJK on 20Dec1954 under the ownership of the Farmers Aerial Topdressing Co Ltd, Invercargill,  this aircraft then finally had to work for a living.

Some crashes were inevitable for an AgTiger, and BJK hit a fence at Invercargill in May 1955.
Repaired, it flew on and was eventually sold to Hewett Aviation, also of Invercargill, in January 1958.

The end came at Hillend, South Otago, on 5Dec1963 when it stalled while low flying in an attempt to chase errant sheep off the farm landing area.
The pilot at the time, Ian Christophers, was reported unhurt.

Photo at Invercargill airport in the early 1960s, when BJK was working as a sprayer.