Nelson walk around - Friday the 17th

 Bill Mannix did his regular walk around the perimeter of Nelson Airport this morning and offers these three photos of visiting machines.

The GCH Avation Ltd's Eurocopter EC 130 B4 ZK-IWS c/n 4041 was at the fuel pumps - before departing back to Kaikoura.

ZK-IWS has been mentioned previously HERE

This Piper PA-23-250C Aztec c/n 27-3437 was manufactured way back on 31-08-1966 as N6201Y for delivery to the Zambian Government's Communication Flight at Lusaka as 9J-RCW.

It trundled into Auckland on 24-01-1972 to become ZK-DGT on 21-01-1972 for G F H Vetch of Hastings. 

It served time with at least eleven further owner/operators before being taken on by Dairy Tech International Ltd of Tauranga from 01-06-2003.

It was on a day trip down from Tauranga.

Cessna R172K Hawk XP II ZK-XPD c/n R172K3235 arrived in Nelson back on the 6th of the month and departed today back south to its home with Chris Rudge of Aviation Adventures Ltd at Twizel (Pukaki to you newbies). 

A couple of Pauanui visitors

Amongst the visitors to Pauanui airfield today were a couple of aircraft not noted here before, being the brand new Tecnam P2010 demonstrator ZK-TCN which is currently for sale on Trade Me.

And the latest addition to the Tauranga Aero Club fleet,  Cessna 172R ZK-TAC 3,  which is a 2001 model imported from Australia mid year.

BETA Alia CX300 for Air New Zealand at Tauranga Today 17-10-25

As well signalled, Air New Zealand's new electric aircraft has arrived in the country.  I understand that N401NZ has flown at Tauranga this morning:

A photo from the Tauranga Airport Spotters and Photographers Facebook page thanks to Naomi Jones.  Air NZ has a firm order for this aircraft and options on another two.as well as rights for another twenty.

Boldly moving into the future of flight?

Squirrel ZK-IDA Icebound

 The Eurocopter AS 350 B3e ZK-IDA c/n 8609 of Southern Lakes Helicopters Ltd flew into Christchurch from Te Anau, Queenstown and Wanaka today.
It is Antarctica bound.

As I am sure you all know this airframe began as ZK-HHT5 in February 2019, switching to ZK-IDF7 in May of 2019 with a change to ZK-IDA on in October 2024.

Texan NZ1401 at Nelson today (15-10-2025).

The Beechcraft T-6CTexan II NZ1401 c/n PM-37 was noted at Nelson today by Bill Mannix.

It returned to Ohakea this evening.

This was the first of eleven such aircraft for the RNZAF.

Basically, a licence built version of the Pilatus PC-9

NZ1401 first flew at Wichita, Kansan on 10-06-2014 with the US civil registration of N2824B and was delivered as such via Stansted (London) on 02-08-2014. Through Cairns on the 19th, Brisbane on the 20th. Norfolk Island to Whenuapai on the 21st and Ohakea on the 21st.

The two sides of Fletcher ZK-EMY

Aaron Murphy caught the Cheviot Ag-Air Fletcher FU24-954 ZK-EMY c/n 279 at Kaikoura on September the 28th.

First registered to New Zealand Aerospace Industries Ltd of Hamilton as ZK-EMY on 10-6-1980 - with first flight on 09-07-1980.

The following day it was listed to Sothern Aviation Ltd of Gore, only to be delivered to Rowley Aviation Ltd of Amberley on 17-07-1980 and registered to them on the 22nd.

Neville Somerville of Cheviot - who traded as Cheviot Ag-Air - took it over from 30-07-1993

The aircraft was registered to the Company name 'Cheviot AG-Air Ltd on 08-08-2008.

And as you can see it is still active today.

Early posts on ZK-EMY can be seen HERE.

Microlight Aircraft of New Zealand - We have an Answer to Our Question and it is a FLPHG!

Earlier this month I posted some screen shots of a strange looking microlight aircraft from Japan and I put the question out if any similar craft had been in New Zealand.  The link to that post is HERE

Blog reader and my mate Erwin Weber reckoned he had seen a Youtube video several years ago of something similar flying at the North end of Orewa Beach, and then he forwarded the link to the video to me - have a look at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpC9wHuMnT4

It turns out that this machine is a Mosquito from Swedish Aerosport mated to a Lightspeed hang glider wing to become a FLPHG (Foot Launched Powered Hang Glider).  It is powered by a 120 cc 2 stroke Husqvarna engine that produces 16 HP and that drives a pusher propeller.  You can see the layout in the photo above which is just after the point of take off, and see more detail in the screenshot below:

Also in this shot you can see the tops of the 2 legs that hang down to stop the prop hitting the ground.

In this screenshot you can see that after a flight the propeller is folded back (and the motor is stopped) for landing.  This is important because if there is still thrust on landing it will be too much for the pilot to hold and the machine will nose over.  This happens on one of the flights on the video, and we have also found another video of a similar machine nosing over at a Waitohi flyin - to the cheers of the onlookers!

However I am informed that a FLPHG is considered to be a hang glider and not a microlight, and thus comes under the Hang Gliding regulations and does not need to be registered with the CAA.

Can anyone add anything more to this story?

Cessna Skywagon ZK-SKD

 The Cessna A185F Skywagon with the manufacturers construction number of 18502479 was a 1974 build at Wichita, Kansas.

As N1759R it went immediately up to Alaska and took up duties with Peto Aviation Inc out of Anchorage by August of 1974, with a transfer to John Ellison, also of Anchorage from April of 1976.

I seems to have disappeared from the US register about October of 1981 - popping back up in August of 1988 with Dana Neace of Bethel, Alaska. 

Two further Alaskan operators took it through to November of 2006 when Jeffrey Patnode of Lewiston, Montana appears on the paperwork.

Above N1759R at Oshkosh on 26-07-2019.

N1759R prior to shipping to NZ.

It was flown from Las Vegas, Nevada to Banning, California on 19-10-2019 and was cancelled from the US register the following Day.

It was listed on the NZ register as ZK-SKD on 04-05-2021 with Sky Sports (NZ) Ltd of Masterton and replaces the Cessna 185A ZK-CBY.

Gulfstream G600 N1923E pops into Christchurch - briefly

 Captured on final into Christchurch International today (13-10-2025) was this Gulfstream Aerospace GVII-G600 N1923E c/n 73154 as hidden in the TVPX system.

After a brief stopover it departed for Auckland.

Built by Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation at Savannah, Georgia and initially registered to the Company as N654GD from February 2023.

It was delivered to Ecolab of St Paul in December 2024 and was then passed over to TVPX as N1923E.

Cirrus SR 22 ZK-WHL/2 at Springhill on 11-10-2025

Here are a couple more photos of Rodger Coleclough's Cirrus SR 22 ZK-WHL2 at Springhill last Saturday:

Just prior to touchdown.  Rodger told me that the registration was for the Williams Hotel Group and if you look closely on the tail in the photo you can see a W which is the Williams Hotels logo in matt black on black.

And a photo showing the swoopy doors.