Pauanui

Up from Tauranga today was the Viper SD4 ZK-SWV now wearing its smart Solo Wings colours.

Socata Trinidad ZK-JFC at NZKF 15-9-2018

Kaipara Flats airfield is currently closed by a NOTAM except for use by locally based aircraft.  But it was so nice on Saturday (and the runway is drying out a bit), that another resident aircraft was out for a local flight:

Socata TB 20 Trinidad ZK-JFC took off just before us for a local sightseeing flight.  The aircraft has been registered here since 29/4/91 and has been owned for all that time by Dr J F Cleland of Auckland.  It came to New Zealand from Australia where it was registered VH-SOA.

It has not been posted on the blog previously.

Three Helicopters at Ardmore two on 18-9-18 and one on 19-9-18

Taken in the rain at the Oceania compound at Ardmore yesterday afternoon was Eurocopter AS 350 B2 ZK-HZR msn 9062 belonging to Oceania Aviation Ltd of Papakura and fitted with floats.

Also at Oceania yesterday was a Heli Niugini machine which if I am correct should be P2-HND a Kawasaki BK 117 B2 msn 1099 which would make it ex ZK-HCX

Seen this afternoon returning to the Airbus facility after a test flight was Eurocopter AS 350 B3 ZK-INT msn 8535 which was registered to Helicopters Queenstown Ltd, Queenstown on 6-8-18

Full Noise #35 Seventh in Reno Gold Final

Graeme Frew has flown his Yak 3 ZK-VVS into seventh place in Sunday's (Reno time) Gold Unlimited final, at a speed of 352 mph.

Congratulations to the Full Noise team!

New Cessna 172 for NAC at Ardmore 16-9-18

Cessna 172S VH-YJK msn 172S-12048 at Ardmore mid afternoon 16-9-18 while enroute Kerikeri to Nelson on the final part of it's delivery to the Nelson Aviation College at Motueka

Full Noise Reno 2018 Update

Graeme Frew has been flying well in the Unlimited heats at Reno, and he is in the Gold Final tomorrow at 11 am New Zealand time.  Go Full Noise!!

Try this link for live coverage:  www.airrace.org#NCAR18

Wigram aerial view.

At 9:22 am on September 11th 1928 the Southern Cross landed at Wigram Airfield.

There has been a fair amount of publicity about the 90th anniversary of this event in the media over the last few days.

Below is a photograph of Wigram as seen today.

Across from left to right just below the centre of the photo is 'The Runway" .

The large building on the "Runway' right of centre is the New World Supermarket.

Across the bottom of the pic is Wigram Road.

The large white building on the edge of the remaining grassed area is the Air Force Museum.

There is a plaque and memorial wall in Bennington Way to commemorate the landing spot.

I have marked the approximate spot with a small white circle.

Click on the image for a larger view.

I did an earlier post on this landing spot. see HERE

Pauanui

A remembrance day for the Pauanui airfield community was the funeral service today for well known local pilot Trevor Barrett who unfortunately died in an accident in Southland last Saturday,  while flying his beloved Alpi Pioneer ZK-TNB.

Pilots from around the region flew in and a couple of aircraft not noted here before were Zenair Zodiac 601UL ZK-JHX from Cambridge

And up from its farm airstrip at Whangamata the Czech Sportcruiser ZK-MBD

Another Dargaville Lunch Run 15-9-2018

Another Saturday, another trip to Dargaville for lunch!  But this time flying with Darran Price in his very nice Sling ZK-SLG2.  We had a very smooth trip up and back, and the Sling seemed to be a very stable aircraft.

My transport awaits!

There was quite a few visiting aircraft , including Leo Levine's Magni M 22 autogyro ZK-MGN.

Variations on a theme of red and white.

and orange to go with the yellow - Alan Cameron's Techpro Merlin ZK-MEF.

Climb out from NZDA.

Local landmark Tokatoka Peak between Dargaville and Ruawai - it is not as pointy from above. 

The Northern Wairoa River becoming the Kaipara Harbour.

The Kaipara is one of the largest harbours in the world with a huge coastline.

North and South Heads of the Kaipara in the distance.

Back home to NZKF.

ZK-UTE

The first Beechcraft A36 Bonanza to be registered in NZ was built as N3170W  (c/n E-515) and was imported by the then NZ agents James Aviation Ltd of Hamilton who registered it as ZK-DUL on 27-02-1974.

After a period of demonstration it was sold to W D Bremner of Auckland (Bremworth Carpets Ltd) from 23-04-1975. They moved it on to Dennis Thompson International Ltd at Ardmore from 23-08-1976 - replacing it with the Cessna 340 ZK-DSD and later the Cessna 441A ZK-WDB.

DTI sold it to J G Stubbs and Co Ltd of Mangere from 13-10-1976, who became Stubbs Holdings Ltd on 27-06-1984.

The distorted photo below shows ZK-DUL at Ardmore on 04-09-1979.

Photo below shows ZK-DUL in a new scheme at New Plymouth on 30-10-1984.

My history of it is a little vague for the next few years but I believe it was listed by DTI later in 1984 and was that it was damaged 1km short of Bridge Pa on 11-01-1985. 

I have a note that Repair Co of Feilding had it in August of 1985 followed by Manawatu Aerial Top Dressing Co  of Feilding from 05-12-1990 and its registration was cancelled as withdrawn on 19-12-1995.

After a period of storage at Feilding it was re-worked to reappear on the register on 23-12-2004 as ZK-UTE2 with Farmers Air Ltd of Gisborne.

Pic below is ZK-UTE2 at Napier on 29-02-2008

And below a shot from Henry of it at Taupo on 03-09-2011.

From 1-03-2017 it was re-listed from the Farmers Air Ltd name to Andy Stephenson Aviation Ltd of Gisborne until being sold to Michael and Amy Law of Warkworth on 10-08-2018 to replace their Cessna 177RG Cardinal ZK-KCW which they had sold in July to Chris Douglas of Whangarei.

 Keith Morris captured it at North Shore on 14-09-2018.

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To help complete (or confuse) the picture - the original ZK-UTE was a Fletcher FU24-954 which began life as ZK-VAL in 1979 with the c/n 268.

Pic below of ZK-UTE1 at Napier on 16-03-2000.

It became ZK-CRY2 on 02-07-2002 and is still currently listed with Super Air Ltd at Hamilton.

Check out more on CRY Here