The room with a view

I had the good fortune today to visit the new control tower at Christchurch International Airport. Below we have a shot of the old tower in the foreground taken from the observation deck. All this will soon be demolished to make way for the new terminal building. There will be no observation deck on the new structure.

The new Tower is a stand alone structure. Once through the double security doors at ground level you bump into this large view of an ATR.

Take the lift to the eleventh level and climb the last floor under your own steam. View from the twelth floor is really amazing. A very big improvement over the old Towers outlook.

Here we have the sun screens down and looking towards the Canterbury Aero Club and western grass.

One of the objects of interest, clearly visible, was the NA Mustang ZK-TAF starting up outside the Flying Doctors hangar.

Sextislander at North Shore

Seen at North Shore Airfield yesterday. I'm not sure but I think that is what you might call 2 Trislanders? I thought an A 340-600 was along aircraft to photograph but 2 Trislanders in line astern seem even longer and thinner!

ZK-LGF seems to be inching towards service as it had seats installed yesterday. I guess ZK-LGC was in for service but maybe they have run out of lower engine cowls!

As far as I know the third Trislander ZK-LOU is still stuck on Great Barrier Island after a propellor came off and sliced into the fuselage - very scary.

No more Adventurer 333 Amphibians in NZ

With the cancellation of Adventurer 333 amphibian ZK-WAI on 14 April, New Zealand's population of these amphibians has been reduced to zero. The Adventurer 333 is a big 4 seater amphibian with an empty weight of around 950 Kgs (2100 lbs) and a gross weight of around 1360 Kgs (3000lbs) and typically features a Chevrolet 350 V8 engine of around 330 HP.

Our first Adventurer 333 was ZK-WAI which was first registered to the Newton Syndicate of Whakatane on 8/4/99. I only saw it once when I took this photo of it in the old hangar at Tauranga at the SAANZ flyin in February 2004. It looked rather neglected at that time, and I would guess that it did not clock up many hours. Can anyone add anything else to this story? It was cancelled from the register as revoked on 14/4/10.

Our second (and more successful) Adventurer 333 was Marcus Mewett's ZK-JZZ which was first registered in June 2004. This aircraft performed satisfacttorily and I remember seeing it flying by Takapuna Beach on several test flights. Marcus left New Zealand for Australia and he flew ZK-JZZ to Australia where it is now registrered as VH-AJH. It was cancelled from the New Zealand register in June 2006.

Marcus Mewett is an aircraft engineer who came to New Zealand from Zimbabwe and he bought his Rand KR 2 VP-WUP with him and first registered it as ZK-KRZ on 19/7/93. It is still current and is owned in the Christchurch area.

The things we do. Mount Philistine

Last Friday 09-04-2010 the troops went into Mount Philistine, which is near Mt Rolleston in the Arthurs Pass region. Anderson Helicopters of Hokitika provided the transport with their Aerospatiale AS350B2 Squirrel ZK-HKA3 , c/n 2887 , (HK = Hokitika & A = Anderson).
A product of 1996 and ex the French Colonial register and also the Philippines. It was imported by Heliquip International who did their magic on it and registered it as ZK-HKA on 03-12-2002. It was transferred to Anderson Helicopters on 21-01-2003.
FYI ZK-HKA1 was a Hiller UH-12E and ZK-HKA2 was a Kawasaki BK117.

Question time # 93

I am sure we all know what these are.
But what are they on.
& in case a vast multitude of you get the aircraft type correct - how about giving me the aircraft registration. If we have no clear winner by then - tell me where and on what date this pic was taken.

Ownership change ZK-EUF

New Zealand Aerospace Industries Fletcher FU24-954 first flew on 01-10-1980 wearing its construction number "281" and was then shipped of to the USA to Frontier Aviation. However it was not re-assembled in the States and returned to NZ to become ZK-EUF with NZAI at Hamilton on 14-12-1981. It moved south to Airwork Agricultural Aviation of Rangiora and then to Rowley Aviation of Amberley on 16-08-1982. A reorganisation saw ownership listed to Bruce Evans at Karaka Downs on 30-07-1993 (trading as Rowley Aviation). It moved up to Hamilton to be fitted with a Walter601D turboprop and first flew with this on 14-10-1998. More Company reshuffling saw it listed to Aerial Sowing Group of Nelson on 13-05-2002 and then to Aerial Sowing Group back at Hawarden from 28-11-2008.

Latest change sees it join J S & L F Kerr/Skydive NZ Ltd on 16-02-10. So reading between the lines I expect we will see it at Fox Glacier soon in the parachute dropping roll.

Pic below shows it in its -954 mode. Taken at Karaka Downs on 11-09-1997.

And below, also at Karaka Downs, but as a Walter powered 954. Dated 20-10-1999.

Update at 16 2020hrs.

cessna185 has advised that the aircraft is currently with Super Air at Hamilton being converted to skydive configuration, which should be finish about the end of the month.

Also confirmed is that it will be used at Fox Glacier. (Thanks cessna185)

Darfield Sunday the 11th

A fund raising day was held at Darfield on Sunday the 11th April for the local volunteer fire brigade. Apart from the cross wind, which kept the microlights away, the weather was most kind.
Top & bottom pic shows 25metres of nicely controlled low level inertia by Terry Delore in the ASH25 ZK-GZF , c/n 25202 . This was one of Steve Fossett's machines.


A good selection of the local farm based aircraft were on hand. Piper PA-18 ZK-BKX , c/n 18-4684 . Originally with the Nelson Aero Club from Mid 1956. Since 1963 it has been in private hands. In 1981 it went to Fred Bull and John Ogilvie out Sheffield way. Ownership has moved back and forward between the two a couple of times. It has been listed to Fred Bull since October of 2005.

Piper PA-18-150 ZK-BNJ c/n 18-5063 , an ex Canterbury Aero Club aircraft, has been with Mountain View Farm Ltd since late 1964.

One of the Ashburton contingent was the Czech Sportcruiser ZK-DEC2 , c/n 08SC109 , of Ian Begbie. (Ian also has the PA-28-140 ZK-DEK).

The long lens tends to make things more dramatic. Here The Hughes 269C ZK-HZC , c/n 110-0979 , exits stage left.

Ah ! for the sigh of a (Merlin) Suzuki. Ivan taxies the Titan T51 ZK-MST . c/n M05XXX50HK0060 , (minus a u/c door) [& can somebody please decode that c/n ?].

Rangiora today

A quick visit to Rangiora turned out to be a worthwhile exercise.
The Anderson Pegasus XL Copy ZK-JDX , c/n 2 , about to taxi out with a wave from Brian.
Rebuilt about two years ago it sports a Wizzard 111 wing and a Rotax 447 engine.

Mooney M20C Mk21 ZK-CPP , c/n M20C-3266 , about to line up on "07". Originally a Wellington Aero Club machine from January of 1966. It went to Tom Coleridge (WN AC president if I remember correct) on 27-01-1969; then to Jim Dillon at Bleheim in July of 1977. It has been with John McVicar at Rangiora since September of 1998.

Jon Ludgater was in (and out) in his Vans RV-6 ZK-RVX , c/n 60485 . An impressive well equipped machine that is piloted from the right hand seat (Left hand on throttle and right hand on control column).

Surprise for the day was this Europa ZK-OWN which has not arrived on the register yet.
With a registration like that I wonder who would OWeN it.

Also on site was the Richard Owen Tecnam P92 Echo Super ZK-LTF2 . c/n 1075.

Originally registered to Richard on 22-11-2007 it was listed to U-Fly Ltd of Wanaka from 30-11-2007 until its recent return to Richard (06-12-2009).

A few Masseys at Christchurch

Piper @ WoW

This was the only Piper that I photographed at Wanaka on the Friday, and I believe it resides there.

ZK-DEB is c/n 28-7125115. An Airwork import, arriving in NZ aboard the Austral Patriot on 15-03-1971. Registered on 19-04-1971 and first flying on the 24th for delivery the same day to the HB& EC Aero Club at Hastings. It went to R D & S F Thodey of Hastings on 26-09-1975 and then to D R Fraser of Harwarden on 11-06-1976. On 30-08-1983 it was relisted to K J & L P Anderson of Clinton and is currently with Classic Flights Ltd of Wanaka (since 18-04-2008).

Two earlier shots of it. The monochrome version is at Pukekohe on 08-01-1972 and the colour pic was at West Melton on 28-03-1987.