National Flying Competitions Ashburton 14 to 17 March 2024. # 1

 Tony McFarlin was at Ashburton on Saturday to catch some of the participants in the National Flying Competitions.
Below we have a selection of his photos. 

Cessna 180A ZK-CDY c/n 32968 from Kiwi Avi8tor Ltd of Te Awamutu,

It has been mentioned previously Here and HERE

ZK-DKP2 is David Campbell's Cessna 180K c/n 18052966.

Another Cessna 180 was this J model ZK-RAD3 c/n 18052679 of Dale Radford, also from Tauranga.

       Locally based Neville Bailey R&B Bearhawk ZK-NSB c/n 1578B was out showing its 'colours'.

National Flying Competitions Ashburton 14 to 17 March 2024. # 2

We have three Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawks.

ZK-JRS is c/n 38-79A0896, originally listed in NZ as ZK-ESI until re-registered as ZK-JRS to the Walsh Aviation Support Society Inc of Richmond from 30-10-2023. Note the WASSI logo on the fin.

It is currently on line with the Mid Canterbury Aero Club of Ashburton.

Another WASSI Tomahawk ZK-MAJ c/n 38-79-A0517 has been listed to the Mid Canterbury Club since 16-04-2023.

ZK-TDL is c/n 38-79A1140 and ex ZK-LFZ and was re-registered to the Kapiti Districts Aero Club (Inc) in September 2011.

National Flying Competitions Ashburton 14 to 17 March 2024. # 3

 Two slightly different Cessna's are these Cessna 172 taildraggers.

ZK-MLY2 is an early Cessna 172 with a c/n of 28790 from 1956. It came to NZ in 2011.

It is listed with the Blenheim Cessna Syndicate

From 1955 came the Cessna 172 ZK-MGR c/n 28108 which came to NZ in 2-13 for Pelorus Air Ltd.

Also based on the field is the 172TD ZK-BSU c/n 29604 of 1956 vintage.

Something slightly different was this Robin DR500/200i ZK-VAX c/n 0001.

This came to NZ in 2005 to become ZK-LIS and was re-registered to ZK-VAX in November of 2005.

Currently listed to Andrzej Jakimiuk of Albany.

Two Cessna 152's were noted.

Above is ZK-TAK3 c/n 15280352 as listed with the Tauranga Aero Club (Inc). 

This was originally ZK-FPG until re-registered by the Club in July of 2019.

Below we have the A152 Aerobat ZK-KID3 c/n A1520869 from the Kapiti Districts Aero Club (Inc).

Originally listed as ZK-FCR in late 1982 followed by ZK-TAY in late 2001.

It became ZK-KID in December 2007.

National Flying Competitions Ashburton 14 to 17 March 2024. # 4

 Cessna 172's of note at Ashburton. Cessna 172P ZK-ETT c/n 17274937 of B & K Mark, also came from the Tauranga area.

Aidan Swale from Timaru had his Cessna 172N ZK-JAF2 c/n 17272632 on the tie downs.

Cessna 172N ZK-JCI c/n 17270512 came from the RNZAF Base Auckland Aviation Sports Club Inc.

The Auckland Aero Clubs Cessna 172S ZK-JRA2 c/n 172S9767 alongside the Cessna 172N ZK-TAB c/n 17273811 from the Tauranga Aero Club. This was previously ZK-EYC. 

ZK-ZGO at Christchurch on the 14th.

Cessna 560 Citation V Ultra ZK-ZGO c/n 560-0067 was built as N2722F  and listed to the Cessna Aircraft Company and quickly became N45BA  from 01-08-1990 with Ann S Bowers of Austin, Texas, moving to A S B Aviation Inc at Palo Alto, California from 09-1993.

Nozaki American Inc of New York, New York listed  it from 12-06-1997 for cancellation on 06-06-1997 to become JA119N with Nozaki & Co from the 12th. 

It was operated by Central Japan Airways until cancelled on 13-11-2020.

Moving to Australia it became VH-IVK2 on 17-11-2020 with Aircraft Group Holdings Pty  Ltd of Minyama, Queensland.

As such it was ferried into Auckland on 03-02-2021 with  its Australian registration being cancelled on 08-02-2021 to become ZK-ZGO with John Ambler of Albany on 25-02-2021.

John also listed the Citation V Ultra ZK-XGO on the same day, but this has since been onsold.

After an extensive interior refit at Nelson it was noted in Nelson today - later departing to Auckland.

Some more helicopters at Queenstown

A return visit to Queenstown Airport today found more of interest including the latest addition to The Helicopter Line fleet,  former Wanaka based AS350B2 ZK-HAA3.   This was originally imported from the USA in 2014 briefly becoming ZK-IDV before moving onto HAA.

Returned to service after extended maintenance at Hastings airfield is the Kahu NZ Sikorsky EH-60A ZK-HKU3,  which has now lost all its yellow dayglo stripes acquired when used on firefighting duties in Western Australia in 2022.

And over at Salus Aviation was the AS355F1 ZK-HML2 which has lost its Heliworks titling.   This was originally imported from the US in 1995.

 

Cessna 210N VH-ZIK at Nelson again

Lord Nelson snapped the 2015 model Cessna 210N VH-ZIK c/n 21063260 at  Nelson Today.

Initially N9974N becoming VH-ZIK on 23-01-2019  listed to Aviation Assets Pty Ltd and operated by Handel aviation Pty Ltd of Gymea, NSW.

It is an aerial survey aircraft.

It was previously at Nelson on 23-05-2023.

Dreamliner N30913 rolling.

 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner N30913 on the roll today from Christchurch for San Francisco.

N30913 c/n 35879 was listed with the Boeing Company on 28-05-2014 and first flew on 22-11-2014.

It was certified to United Airlines Inc on 16-12-2014 and delivered to following day.

Interesting to note the last four numbers of its registration (0913) on the nosewheel door and alongside the rear passenger door.  

ZK-IEV at the Amuri AMP Show

Noted at the recent Amuri AMP Show at Rotherham in North Canterbury by CMM was the Aerospatiale AS 350 BA ZK-IEV c/n 2040, along with miscellaneous equipment used on the job.

 Aerospatiale AS 350FX1 ZK-IEV c/n 2040.

First noted in September 1987 as JA9496. It was unusual for Japanese helicopters as it has had at least nine operators before going to Asia Pacific Aerospace in Brisbane for conversion from its AS 350 BA status to Heli Lynx 350 FX1 standard.

Next stop was Pacific Helicopters Ltd of Goroka in PNG as P2-FXB from 28-10-2008 until being purchased, along with several others, by Airwork (NZ) Ltd of Auckland and becoming ZK-IEV on 11-7-2019.

It was initially placed with their Inflite Ski Planes Ltd from 29-11-2019 and then listed to "Private Owner" from 29-07-2020.

Curtiss P40E ZK-RMH gone.

 The Curtiss P40E Kittyhawk ZK-RMH was cancelled from the New Zealand register on March 1st.

Sir Minty did a lengthy blog post on it in January of 2013 which I have re-posted below with a few additional photos

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Posted Saturday 19 January 2013

Curtis P 40E Kittyhawk ZK-RMH/NZ 3009 - Further History

I posted about Curtis P 40E Kittyhawk ZK-RMH/NZ 3009 at Masterton in a previous post, and Grant Newman has come back with some old photos of it, which set me off on researching the story of this historical aircraft.

In fact it is one of only two surviving wartime RNZAF aircraft that exist as flying aircraft today. (The other is Corsair ZK-COR which is also based at Masterton). 

It was originally manufactured as USAAF serial no 41-25158 for the RAF where its serial number was to have been ET 482. However following Pearl Harbour it was diverted to New Zealand as one of the first batch of Kittyhawks to be delivered in April 1942. It was bought on charge on 2 April 1942 and allocated to Unit 36 at Hobsonville as NZ3009.   It then was allocated to 14 Squadron, then to 17 Squadron then to No 2 OTU at Ohakea.

Amazingly, it was based at Masterton with 14 Squadron around for about a year in 1942, so 60 years later it is still there!

After the war it was flown to the Rukuhia storage facility along with more than 100 other Kittyhawks, to be scrapped (out of the more than 300 Kittyhawks operated by the RNZAF).  It was rescued in 1959 by a group of schoolboys led by Charles Darby, who scraped together 25 pounds to buy it. NZ 3009 was chosen partly because it was nearest to the gate!

It eventually found its way to MOTAT on loan from 02-1968, and it was displayed there for some time as a "composite" aircraft with the wings of NZ 3201.  It is photo'd here at MOTAT by Grant Newman in 1993.  It was taken back by its owner and restoration to flying condition was commenced by Pacific Aviation Ltd which had been formed to rebuild P 40's at East Tamaki.  This firm folded, and the assets were taken over by Pioneer Aircraft Restorations (Garth Hogan).

Pioneer Aircraft Restorations completed ZK-RMH, and the tail is photo'd here by Philip Treweek at Ardmore in January 1998.  By this time it was owned by The Old Flying Machine Company (Ray and Mark Hanna, hence the registration ZK-RMH I assume).  Does anyone have a photo of it in silver with RMH, before it was painted?  It was painted in Tauranga in February 1998 in an RNZAF colour scheme and appeared at Wings Over Wanaka in 1998.

Photo above taken at Wanaka om 10-04-1998.

It was the exported to England in April 1999 for The Old Flying Machine Company and was based at Duxford.  It also flew as part of the Breitling Fighter Group (as was Corsair ZK-COR).  It is photo'd above in its RNZAF colour scheme by Grant Newman at an airshow at the former RAF station at North Weald in 1999.  It has the Breitling logo in front of the cockpit.

Sometime after 2002 the aircraft was re-painted in this interesting colour scheme.  I always thought is was the colours of The Flying Tigers (Claire Chennault's 1st American Volunteer Group of fighter pilots who flew Kittyhawks out of Kunming in South Western China in the early days of WW 2), but that is not the case.  Some research by a Chinese friend found that ZK-RMH is painted in the colours of Chinese fighter ace Xu Hua Jiang, who was one of the 2 most famous aces in the Nationalist Chinese Air Force in WW 2.  This aircraft 88/663/P-11151 was one of 27 P 40E's delivered to China in early 1943.  It has an inscription in Chinese characters on the nose which is "Tai Gong Lin" which translates as ""By order of a respected senior person".  This phrase goes back in Chinese history to a famous Prime Minister in the Zhou Dynasty (1050 to 256 BC) and illustrates a difference in Chinese verse American thinking.  When American pilots told Xu Hua Jiang that they painted the names of their wives or mothers or girlfriends on their aeroplanes, he thought it better to acknowledge Chinese history on his plane.  Of course, the NZ 3009 on ZK-RMH is out of place in this colour scheme.

ZK-RMH/NZ 3009 returned to New Zealand in 1997 and was registered to Pacific Aircraft Ltd of Auckland on 4/12/1997.  Ownership transferred to The Old Flying Machine Company (NZ) Ltd of Auckland on 01-04-1998, and then to Airtight Trust of Masterton on 31/8/2005. 

Photo below taken on 11-04-2009.

Photo below on 20-01-2011

Photo 31-03-2012 at Ohakea by Aaron Murphy.

Ownership moved to The Old Stick and Rudder Company of Auckland on 29/5/2012, although it is still based at Masterton.

Above and below 18-01-2013.

You can imagine the forward view from that cockpit !

Above & below at Omaka on 02-04-2015

Last three shots from Wanaka on 25-03-2016.

Adding to Sir Minty's fine effort above.

It first flew after is restoration on 19-12-1997.

It was shipped to the UK in April 1999, remaining on the ZK register.

Its NZ registration was cancelled on 07-03-2003 for it to become G-CCBE with Classic Aviation Ltd c/o The old Flying Machine Company of Duxford.

This UK registration was cancelled on 12-06-2003 for its return to NZ again as ZK-RMH from 18-06-2003 with The Old Flying Machine Co (NZ) Ltd of Auckland.

In May 2004 it went to Pioneer Restoration for a two seat dual control conversion.

It was re-listed with Air Tight Trust of Nelson on 31-08-2005 and then to The Old Stick & Rudder Co Ltd of Auckland from 14-05-1012.

It final NZ listed owner was Oliver Carl Wilbur Wulff with a UAE address from 10-01-2018.

It has been stored for some time at Masterton pending outcome of legal proceedings.

Its NZ registration was cancelled on 01-03-2024 for its move to Australia where it became VH-AK4 with Kennedy Aviation Pty Ltd of Gunnedah, NSW from 06-03-2024.