Antonov AN-124 UR-82072 departing Auckland.

 Wayne Grant captured the departure from Auckland International of the Antonov AN-124-100-150 Ruslan UR-82072 c/n 9773053359136 on Sunday the 6th.

It arrived in Auckland via Pago Pago and Honolulu on and departed for Avalon, Melbourne.

Bearing the Ukranian flag and in Ukrainian colours and with the nose inscription of "Be Brave like Kherson"

Kherson being a port in southern Ukraine on the Black Sea.

CRAC open day Rangiora April 12th.

 

Ole YLO at Kaipara Flats Today 5-4-2025

 A first time visitor to Kaipara Flats this morning was the yellow J3-65 Cub ZK-YLO:

ZK-YLO has been owned by Matt Harte of Waiheke Island since 10/5/22 and he keeps it in a hangar on the airstrip on the island.  It fits in really well with the ethos of NZKF as a historical flying airfield.

Matt took off with the doors open, and of course flying from the back seat.

The after climb out he turned and headed for Waiheke.  This is a really long shot that came out pretty well

Pilatus PC-12 ZK-PLV departs for Alaska today 04-04-2025

 This was the 300th PC-12 built and was rolled out as HB-FQR3 by Pilatus Flugzeugwerke Ag at Stans                                         in Switzerland and registered to them on 23-04-2001. 

Photo above taken at Jandakot on 21-10-2004.

It became VH-VWO on 01-11-2001 with the RFDS Western Operation at Jandakot, West Australia.

(RFDS being the old Royal Flying Doctor Service).

Above at Jandakot on 09-10-2014.

It flew into Auckland from Sydney in full Sounds Air colours on 20-11-2016 and became ZK-PLV on 18-02-2017.

It was the fifth PC-12 for Sounds Air Travel and Tourism Ltd.

Some more pics of her and Sounds Air in general can be seen on our Third Level Airline blog HERE

At Westport on 03-12-2017.

.

On 23-10-2018.

Its final Sounds Air service was from Christchurch to Blenheim on 06-03-2025 and it was ferried up to Ardmore on the 28th awaiting ferry to Juneau, Alaska.

Above at Ardmore on 28-03-2025.

It departed Ardmore about 0930 on 04-04-2025 bound for Samoa. It will then move on to Hawaii on the 5th then to Merced, in California and up to its new home base at Juneau, Alaska to become N726KP to be operated by Alaska Seaplanes in Juneau.

Meanwhile at the Beach Hop at Whangamata

I have posted some blog posts on Whitianga happenings from last Sunday. but there was another major event happening down the road at Whangamata:  the Beach Hop.  I think there are synergies between the two hobbies of sport flying and custom cars but there was one crossover project at the Beach Hop:

This DC 3 based custom caravan caused a bit of controversy over what category it should be judged in, but I think it did receive an award.  Can anyone advise what the donor DC 3 was?

Back from Whitianga to North Shore on 30-3-2025

After a nice BBQ at Gavin Magill's hangar on Whitianga airfield, we headed back over the Coromandel and across the Hauraki Gulf in David's Foxbat.  We got some nice views as we went:

After taking off on Runway 22 and heading straight out to Buffalo Beach (for noise minimisation although the Rotax in the Foxbat is pretty quiet), we turned right and flew on a Westward track for home.  In this view you can see part of the the Whitianga Waterways development in the foreground with the airfield beyond

.

In one corner of the airfield there is a huge new development of what I was told was 58 hangars!  However from what I saw only one of them was open on the day (housing RV 8 ZK-ZRV).  In this view you can see across the saddle to the Firth of Thames/Hauraki Gulf outside of Coromandel township.

And here is the one way Coromandel Airstrip below (near the bottom centre of the photo) - click to enlarge to see it clearer.  There is a white hangar near the nearest end of the strip.

Over the water with clouds and blue sky and sun above makes for some lovely views.

Back home at the hangar at North Shore ZK-SGI never missed a beat.  Thanks David.

French CN-235 at Nelson today.

 Snapped by Lord Nelson on the hard at Nelson this afternoon was the CASA CN-235-200M c/n 107, coded 82-IH of the ARMEE DE L'AIR.

It is not a stranger to our shores.

EC120B ZK-HCA 4

Arriving at the Glacier Country Helicopters base in Franz Josef this morning was their EC120B ZK-HCA4.  This was originally imported in 2019 from the USA and acquired by the company in October 2023.