Microlight Aircraft of New Zealand - Some More Photos from Very Early MAANZ Days

Recently I posted on the formation of MAANZ (the Microlight Aircraft Association of New Zealand) on 22/8/81.  I posted that there was a MAANZ gathering of microlights at Te Kowhai on 12/12/81.  The link to that post is:  https://nzcivair.blogspot.com/2025/09/microlight-aircraft-of-new-zealand_11.html

It turns out that Murray Kirkus was there and he took a few photos (that was back in the day of black and white photos and you rationed your photos because you only had so many photos on a film that you had to get developed - how things have changed!  A bit like microlights).

In this photo we have a Quicksilver MX and a Mirage.  Murray has also advised that Tommy Namais is the guy in front of the Quicksilver with the beard and shorts and Ken Asplin is standing in front of the Mirage.  Tommy Namais was an American hang glider pilot who came to New Zealand with Marty Waller and together they formed Pacific Kites 1981 Ltd who were the agents for Quicksilver microlights.  You can see that there was a lot of interest in the microlights and also that there was no registration under the wing of the Quicksilver.

In this nice photo of a Mirage in flight taken by Murray on the day you can see that there is a control column and the spoiler is activated on the top of the port wing.

Murray also was at the 1982 AACA flyin at Taupo (where I also was, but we did not meet up).  His photo of the Quicksilver MX and three Mirages is from a different perspective from my photo.  Murray also remembered that none of the four microlights had registration letters under their wings.  Again, you can see that there was a lot of interest in the new types of flying machines.

I will go back to my original post and insert these photos.