Another Blast from the Past - Tipsy T 66 Nipper Mk 2 ZK-CAP

Another rare aircraft from Don Noble's collection is our one and only (to date) Tipsy Nipper, ZK-CAP.

The Tipsy Nipper was designed by Ernest Tips and as a Mk 2, ZK-CAP was manufactured by Avions Fairey of Gosselies, Belgium.  The name Nipper was reportedly the nickname of Ernest Tip's first grandchild.  It was constructed with a metal tube fuselage and wooden wings, all fabric covered, and was aerobatic.  It was powered by a 1500 cc 42 HP Starck Stamo motor which was a Porsche engine converted for aircraft use.

ZK-CAP (c/n 36) was ex OY-AER and VH-CGB, and was first registered in New Zealand to Aircraft Hire Ltd of Masterton (owned by Clive Thorne), on 10/7/61.  It was damaged on its second flight from Masterton in June 1961 while still wearing its VH registration, when the spinner came off and damaged the propellor and the port undercarriage leg was torn off in the ensuing forced landing.  However it was rebuilt as can be seen in the above photo taken at Masterton.  It was damaged again in 1962 and it was cancelled from the New Zealand register on 20/11/62.  It was returned to Australia where it was rebuilt as VH-CGB.  It crashed again at Parafield in April 1979 and was cancelled from the Australian register in the same month.  However, it popped up again on the British register on 2/9/10, registered as G-NIPS, and it is still current.

Steve Chilcott of Auckland who built Jodel D 18 ZK-SCJ and is building a Menestral, has a Tipsy Nipper in the country as his next aircraft project, so we may well see another Tipsy Nipper on the register.

A Blast from the Past! - Midget Mustang ZK-CWO

For the history of ZK-CWO, have a look at www.nzcivair.blogspot.co.nz/2009/04/final-permutation-of-zk-cw-and-o-there.html 

In a post on this blog on 6 April 2009 about Midget Mustang ZK-CWO, I asked "Does anyone out there have a better photo of ZK-CWO? If so I would love a copy".

Well today, more than 4 years later, my question was answered with a visit to Don Noble and a look through his amazing photo and slide collection, here are the better photos that I was looking for.  Above, ZK-CWO in a hangar at Paraparaumu.

And here on that fateful day, 9 December 1972, Harold Blair taxies out to demonstrate ZK-CWO to assembled friends...

He takes off...

And flies towards a crash landing in the sand dunes.  Harold Blair was not hurt...

But ZK-CWO was fatally damaged, as in this photo in the CAA hangar several days later.

It was a sad end to a ground breaking homebuilt aircraft.  It was our first all metal homebuilt aircraft and should have had a long and successful history.  Alas, it was not to be.

 

The Ibis iS

 What I believe is the first NZ installation of the 100hp fuel injected Rotax 912 iS engine is coming together at Rangiora on what is likely to become Peter Collin's Ibis Magic GS-700 ZK-PLC2 (c/n GS-10-11-700-115)

The installation is being done by Grant Porter of The Landing Spot and Stu Bufton.

Todays lunch break at NZRT (12-07-2013).

 Getting a refuel before heading down to the AOPA fly in at Omarama for the weekend was Cessna 172A ZK-BWN (c/n 47304). This has recently been purchased by Donald Leach of Amberley.

 Still listed to Diesel and Dust (2006) Ltd of Wanaka - the Micro Aviation B22 Bantam ZK-FWY was parked outside its hangar at Rangiora.

 Mount View Developments Ltd of Wanaka had their Hughes 369E ZK-INM (c/n 0528E) in the circuit at Rangiora on training duties today. This 369E has previously operated as ZK-HOT2 and ZK-HZH2.

 A stray that has been operating the area was the North Shore based Cessna 207 ZK-MDZ (c/n 20700171) of Flight Hauraki Ltd. This one served a time as ZK-SAL4 between late 2004 and October of 2009.

An unexpected find was Sean Husheer's Aerotek Pitts S-2A Special ZK-PIT(c/n 2020) parked up in the rear of Allan Bowman's hangar.

Zenith Zodiac CH 600s of New Zealand

The next type of 2 seater homebuilt aircraft to appear in New Zealand was the Zenith CH 600, which was the fore-runner of the CH 601, of which we have had many various  models registered (to be detailed in future posts).  The CH 600 was designed by Chris Heintz following on from his earlier CH 100, 200 and 300 models.  The prototype first flew in 1984, and the aircraft could be built from plans or kits.

Its length was 5.8 metres (19 feet) and its wingspan was 8.2 metres (27 feet).  its empty weight was around 267 Kg (610 pounds) and MAUW was 544Kg (1,200 pounds).  Original power was from a VW motor.

We have had five CH 600s registered in New Zealand.

Our first CH 600 was ZK-ZKZ (c/n AACA/664), which was built by Paul Muller of New Plymouth and was first registered on 5/2/87.  The above photo was taken at the 1987 AACA flyin at Omaka when it was brand new.  Merv Meredith is pilot in command and Greg McNcol is looking on.

It was sold to Wayne Butt of New Plymouth on 4/6/92 and was re-powered with a Subaru EA 81 motor, as in this photo taken at the 1998 AACA flyin at Matamata.  It was re-designated as a Class 2 microlight on 12/5/00 and it is still current.

The next CH 600 was ZK-ZZT (c/n AACA/956) which was built by Crawford Rees of Ohaupo and was first registered on 13/10/87.  As can be seen it was a taildragger model as the CH 600 could be built as either a tri-gear or taildragger (as with the earlier Zenith models).  It is photo'd here at the 1988 AACA flyin at North Shore.

It is photo'd above at Feilding in early 1990.  Sadly it crashed into the sea off Urenui in Taranaki, on 4/2/90, killing the pilot.  It was cancelled on 28/8/90.

Our third CH 600 was ZK-RCM (c/n AACA777) which was built by Rob Maley of Dunedin, and was first registered on 6/9/91.  It is photo'd above at the 1992 AACA flyin at Tauranga.  It was sold to GW Douglas of Mosgeil on 10/5/98 and it was re-designated as a Class 2 microlight on 5/4/02.  It was sold to M Bothma of Hastings on 7/3/11 and it is still current.

Our fourth CH 600 started life as ZK-FYN and was partly built by MG Earnshaw of Christchurch.  However the registration was cancelled on 18/3/99 and he sold it to Warren Shapcott of Rangiora who completed the build and registered it as ZK-WSS (c/n 6-1117) on 19/3/01. It was re-designated as a Class 2 microlight on 28/3/01 and it is still current.  The above photo was taken by Greybeard at the 2005 SAANZ flyin at Ashburton, on 5/2/05.  It is still current.

And our final CH 600 started life as ZK-RJI, being built by John R Irving of Ruawai and being registered on 4/12/00.  However it was quickly re-registered as ZK-JRI (c/n 6-1164) on 7/12/00.  It is photo'd above in a hangar at Dargaville in 2002.  It is still current.

As I alluded to above, this is just the beginning of the CH 600/601 history in New Zealand and I will detail all the other aircraft in future posts.

Sun worshipers at Christchurch today 11-07-2013

 Weak late afternoon sun lights up two and a half jets. Nearest is the forward fuselage section (trailer mounted) of Aero L-29 ZK-SSS with Aero L-29 ZK-VAU (c/n 094019) of Soviet Star beyond. In the distance is the Blunty ZK-VPR.

 BAC-167 Strikemaster Mk80A ZK-VPR (c/n EEP/JP/4096) was parked outside unattended.

Parked out in front of the Canterbury Aero Club was the Cessna T210R ZK-TRO (c/n 21064918) of B B Aviation - down from Feilding.

Two more from NZCH yesterday - 09-07-2013

Two regulars were captured yesterday, 09-07-2013 on another dull Christchurch winters day.

 The Air Chathams General Dynamics Allison Convair 440/580 ZK-CIB3 (c/n 327A) trundles in over the city from the East about mid morning each Tuesday. Parks over for a couple of hours then steams back on a reverse heading about mid afternoon.

Raytheon 1900D (it will always be "Beech" to me) ZK-EAK2 (c/n UE-434) has been a regular visitor to Christchurch since mid 2002.

Different - but the same.

Cessna 208 Caravan c/n 20800360 first appeared as N800RA listed to Cessna Aircraft Co at Wichita, Kansas on 20-02-2002. It was delivered and listed to Ed Austin of San Antonio, Texas from 17-09-2002. It was sold via Bob White Oklahoma LLC to Dairy Air LLC of Santa Monica, California on 16-12-2004. On 14-06-2006 it was certified to Flight Contract Services Inc of Las Vegas and was ferried out to NZ by Rob Leach reaching Auckland on 26-06-2006.

The above photo was taken by Mike Condon at Auckland on 27-06-2006

After reaching NZ it was registered as ZK-TZR to Izard Pacific Aviation of Springhill on 31-08-2006, with details transferred to Sounds Air Travel and Tourism Ltd of Picton on 02-10-2008.

Photo below taken at Wellington by Marty on 09-01-2009.

                               On 28-06-2013 it was re-registered as ZK-SAN2.

To achieve this change the Cessna 172S that was already wearing the ZK-SAN marks was temporarily registered  as ZK-VBF. Then the SAN marks were transferred to the Caravan and then the 172 took up the ZK-TZR marks - and by the time you read this the 172 will have been transferred to Izard Pacific Aviation at Taupo.

Above is a view of ZK-SAN2 as seen today at Christchurch.

Another of Sounds Air Cessna Caravans - ZK-MJL is about to become ZK-SAY.
I wonder if ZK-PDM will be changed ?

Barbers Snark ZK-JEK

Barbers Snark HA/3 ZK-JEK first came onto the register in March 1995 with WB Barber of Queenstown and ownership changed to a Coromandel address in the summer of 2003.  During late 2012 ownership again changed this time to a Papakura location and we noted the aircraft for the first time at Ardmore on 05 July 2013 and again three days later conducting sprightly circuits of the grass vector.

Additional information on the Snark ; http://www.kiwiaircraftimages.com/snark.html
Another Snark for sale : http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/aircraft/aircraft/auction-561800397.htm

A short run downsouth.

A new paint scheme, and evidently a change of sponsor, for Aerospatiale AS 350BA ZK-HGH (c/n 1443) of Garden City Helicopters Ltd. Both views are at the Christchurch Garden City Helicopter base. Above on 04-07-2013 - and below on 05-06-2013.

Down at Ashburton the Ian Whitmore Cessna 177B ZK-DIH (c/n 17701900) had just refuelled before heading back to its base near Lake Brunner.

An earlier blog on DIH can be seen at http://nzcivair.blogspot.co.nz/2012/03/cardinal-zk-dih.html

Outside the AVTEK hangar at Timaru on 05-04-2013 was the Piper PA-31-350 (c/n 7752004) ZK-KVW of Mainland Air Services 2010 Ltd - up from Dunedin. Prop less this side and engine less on the other.