Rangiora Tuesday the 21st.

 An unusual visitor to Rangiora today was the Stemme S10-VT motor glider ZK-GDM2 c/n 11-079.
This was first noted with the German motor glider registration of D-KTSA before heading to Mexico to become XB-IEE in about May of 2003. 

It next popped up in the USA as N520EN in May of 2015 with a re-registration to N414WL in August of 2017.
This was cancelled mid-November 2023 for it to become ZK-GDM2 for David Crail of Blenheim on 30-11-2023.

   David has previously operated the Rolladen-Schneider LS4  ZK-GNJ from 1991, the  Stemme S10 ZK-GDC2 from 1998 and the Stemme S10V ZK-GSI from 2015.

Finally, a reasonable photo of the privately owned ICP Savannah S ZK-RKI c/n 18-08-54-0633.

It got a brief mention earlier HERE

An aircraft not seen very oft is the Aeroandina MXP-150 Kimbaya ZK-RTZ c/n AA-02-14-15-056 as listed to a reasonably local private owner.

It has had several brief mentions previously HERE

Microlight Aircraft of New Zealand - Firebird Liechtflugzeugbau Firebird M1

We have only had one Firebird M1 microlight registered in New Zealand.  It was made by Firebird Liechtflugzeugbau GmbH of Seeg/Algau in Southern Germany.  A single seater, it first flew in 1979 and was derived from the Fledgeling hang glider wing that was designed by Klaus Hill.  This wing was used on the Pterodactyl Fledgeling which was later developed into the Ascender.  The Firebird M1 also used a canard out front like the Ascender but it was strut braced (instead of the Ascender's kingpost and flying wires). 

Specifications for the Firebird M1 are:  wingspan 10.00 metres (32 feet 10 inches), wing area 175 square feet.  Empty weight 98 Kg (216 pounds) and the MAUW was 190 Kg (420 pounds).  It was powered by a 3 cylinder 24 HP Konig SC430 engine which was well muffled to conform with West Germany's more stringent noise regulations and the 3 bladed propeller was driven by a 2.1 to 1 reduction belt.  With this engine the maximum cruising speed was 50 mph and the economical cruise speed was 37 mph.  The stall speed was around 24 mph.

ZK-FEB (c/n MAANZ/020).  This photo is believed to be of ZK-FEB in flight.  Note the struts.

ZK-FEB was registered on 25 Nov 1982 to Paul D. Leach trading as Engineers for Industry Ltd, Auckland. First Flight in NZ 15 Dec 1982.  Then 29 May 1984 to A. P. North, Auckland, then 18 Dec 1992 to  Hassan. Khayami, Onehunga, Auckland.  Cancelled 18 Sep 1995 as withdrawn from use.

"New" Diamond DA 42NG Twin Star ZK-CGX/2 at North Shore Today 19-10-2026

Seeing the registration ZK-CGX at North Shore today bought back some old memories!  I cast my mind back to when I saw the first ZK-CGX rolled out of the Hawker Siddeley Aviation hangar at Rongotai in May 1964.  It was the eighth Feildair Beaver and you can see details of it HERE.

The second ZK-CGX could hardly be much different to the first, but I guess that reflects 54 years of modern aircraft development (the Beaver was designed around 1946 and the DA 42 around 2000) - aluminium vs carbon fibre, tailwheel fixed gear vs retractable tri-gear, a big old radial engine vs twin turbo-charged diesels, a cruise speed of 124 knots vs around 175 knots...  But the Beaver could take 6 passengers as well as the pilot while the DA 42 can take 3 passengers.

ZK-CGX2 (c/n 42.N415) was delivered new to Australia as VH-VNX3 in late 2020 before being flown across the Tasman in January 2026, and being registered to North Shore Aero Club on 22/1/26.

Although it is registered to the North Shore Aero Club it is marked as AIPA that stands for Auckland International Pilots Academy which is the commercial arm of the club. 

I hung around until it taxied out...

and took off.

ICP Savannah S ZK-RKT 3

Visiting Pauanui airfield from Tauranga today was the ICP Savannah S ZK-RKT3. Displaying its rocket emblem this was originally ZK-LBQ, first flying at Forest Field as such in November 2023.  A sale to its current Tauranga owner in October 2025 saw it reregistered as RKT in April 2026.

 

PZL 101A Gawron ZK-CRO at Matamata Today 17-10-2026

Bruce Cooke was at Matamata today for the resumption of their BBQ lunches, and there was a good contingent that flew over from Tauranga.  Among the Tauranga visitors was the exotic WSK Warszawa-Okecie PZL 101A Gawron ZK-CRO:

ZK-CRO was registered to the BOP Marine Life Trust of Tauranga on 6 May 2021, having previously been HA-SBN in Hungary from 10 August 1969.

It has been previously covered on the blog, but not with its Gawron nose art.  According to AI, Gawron is the Polish word for a Rook (which is a member of the crow family - hence the registration).

Microlight Aircraft of New Zealand - Delta Sailplanes Nomads and Honcho

The next type of microlight to be registered in New Zealand was the Delta Sailplanes DS 26B Nomad of which we have had two, and later a DS 27A Honcho was registered.  The Nomad and the Honcho were pretty similar but the Honcho was smaller and they had strut braced wings.  They were manufactured by the Delta Sailplane Corporation of North Hollywood in California who had started out building hang gliders and then developed a series of essentially motor gliders, the first of which was the DS 26A Nomad which had a single wheel undercarriage like a glider and this was developed into the DS 26B Nomad and the DS 27A Honcho which had standard tricycle undercarriages.  The company ceased trading at the end of 1982 which may explain why we only had only three examples registered here.  (Click twice  to enlarge the brochures below to read them easier).

The New Zealand agents for Delta Sailplanes were Ted Jarman and Reg Fleet of Delta Microlights (NZ) Ltd.

The first DS 26B Nomad to be registered was ZK-EXK (c/n MAANZ/100)

Registered 26 Oct 1982 to A. E. Jarman & R. W. Fleet t/a Delta Microlights (NZ) Ltd, Auckland.  Powered by a 18HP single cylinder Mahl engine.  First flight at  Ardmore 12 Jun 1982.  In the above photo Ted Jarman is the pilot.  Cancelled 30 Jun 1999 registration revoked.

ZK-MAQ DS 26B Nomad (c/n MAANZ/164)

Registered 26 Oct 1982 to R. “Bob” A. McQuillan, Auckland.  Powered by a two cylinder 27HP Lloyd engine.  Engine lost power and force landed on the mudflats off Pikes Point 15 Jul 1983, then 24 Jul 1985 T. E. Craven, Auckland.   Cancelled 5 May 1995 withdrawn from use.  The remains were noted stored at Kaipara Flats in February 2021.

ZK-PAW DS 27A Honcho (c/n MAANZ/212)

Registered 18 Nov 1983 to Paul A. Webster, Auckland.  Hit by crosswind gust during take-off, hit ground and overturned at Pikes Point, Onehunga 20 Apr 1986.  Cancelled 7 Sep 1989.

ZK-AVM from the shoe box

 This image was extracted from the lower reaches of my olde picturegraph shoe box.

It is the Amphibian Airways Ltd's Grumman G44A Widgeon ZK-AVM c/n 1466 still with its original inverted air cooled six cylinder Ranger engines.

It is a photo taken in Preservation Inlet during 1951 at the landing spot for visitations to the Puysegur Point light house.

I suspect the image is from a long forgotten book about life in Fiordland.
It is also still currently registered to Warren Denholm of Auckland.
This aircraft has been mentioned several times previously on this site.

See HERE for more about the NZ Grumman boats.

Microlight Aircraft of New Zealand - Mirage Brochures and Early Photos

Continuing to backfill the microlight types that I previously didn't have brochures on.  The second type of microlight to be registered here was the Ultraflight Mirage of which there were a remarkable 33 registered in 1982!  Here are some brochures on the Mirage from Russell Brodie, plus a couple of photos of very early Mirages at Te Kowhai:

Double click in the image to enlarge it to read it better.  And here are the photos:

Brian Farrell from the Department of Civil Aviation and Ken Asplin.   Brian was a good friend to the early microlight movement.  I reckon this must have been early 1982 and the Mirage may have been ZK-KJA which was registered on 28/12/81.

Max Clear, presumably with his Mirage ZK-ERZ which was registered on 28/1/82.

And I would guess that the third Mirage in the photo (the one in the middle) might have been Trevor Barrett's ZK-ESQ which was also registered on 28/1/82.

Ozzie BBJ passing through

 Just starting up and taxiing out today at Christchurch International Airport for a run to Dunedin and back was the Royal Australian Air Force Boeing 737-8 Max BBJ A61-001 c/n 67959.

I believe it was allocated three US registrations before its delivery to Australia - which occurred on 12-07-2024. The last of these being N786BJ.

Below - taxiing past the Novatel.

Microlight Aircraft of New Zealand - Pterodactyl Ascender Brochures

When I started this series on Microlight Aircraft of New Zealand back in July 2025, I did not have access to the early microlight brochures that Russell Brodie had collected over the years.  But now Russell has sent some more brochures and here are the ones for the Pterodactyl Ascender which was the first type of microlight to be registered here:  (As always you can click the images twice to enlarge them and read them more easily)

Thanks very much for the brochures Russell.