NOTAR ZK-HWH again.

 An interesting catch at Rangiora today - Tuesday the 22nd - was this McDonnell Douglas MD520 NOTAR ZK-HWH2 c/n LN098.

It is now in a new colour scheme and carries "Garden of Eden Helicopters"  "Red Bull"  "MOBIL1" and "BOSS" signage.

This is somewhat different than its scheme as seen below in February this year in almost the same spot.

Rangiora antics Saturday the 20th.

 Strongish fickle winds at Rangiora today produced some puckering landings.

The not so often used vector 21 seemed to be the best choice.

Best noted landing was that of the Piper cub ZK-CXC following an overshoot from another vector.

I won't mention who managed the worst arrival.

Most interesting looking take off was on vector 29 from the Hanmer Springs based Cessna T206H N63PH c/n T20609737.

The only taking off today for the Cessna 182Q ZK-SDX c/n 18265565 was its paintwork 

See HERE for an earlier post on this aircraft.

Microlight Aircraft of New Zealand - Kasperwings (3) - Steve Grossruck in NZ

Back in June I did a post on the Development of the Kasperwing microlight aircraft and you can see that post HERE  In that post I noted that one of the developers of the aircraft was Steve Grossruck and he visited New Zealand in the 1982 as in this photo: 

Steve Grossruck with Bob Hoult's Kasperwing in April 1982.

A Tale of Two Squirrels

I was down at North Shore airfield yesterday when a black Airbus Helicopters Squirrel helicopter was pushed out of its hangar and hover taxied across to the fuel pumps for some Jet A1.  I didn't take too much notice of it as a black Squirrel is a black Squirrel, but when I was talking to Stan Smith it lifted off and I took a long shot of it.

It did, however, turn out to be confusingly different:

ZK-HTS4 (c/n 9791) AS350B3 was registered to Stormbird Ltd of Auckland on 9/10/25.

But wait, I hear you ask - didn't Richard Currie take a photo of ZK-HTS at North Shore and post it on the blog back on 28 December 2022?  Yes he did, but that was ZK-HTS3 (c/n 9189) AS350B3, also registered to Stormbird Ltd.

Confused?  Well ZK-HTS3 was re-registered as ZK-HYY4 on 11/6/25 this freeing up the registration to be used on the almost identical looking black AS350B3 Squirrel of today.

The Rans S-7 Courier ZK-TKB

 Below we have a recent photograph of the Rans S-7 Courier ZK-TKB2 c/n 0707466 taken in the Upper Rakaia River region by Steve Gunn showing its modified colour scheme.

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Below we have a selection from previous posts on this aircraft.

First registered on 15-05-2013 the Rans S-7 Courier ZK-TKB (c/n 0707466) was listed to Phil Meredith of Christchurch.

And as you can see - it is no ordinary S-7 Courier.

 At the front end is a port and polished Lycoming O-235 engine giving around 130hp and spinning a Brent Thompson propeller. It has a Toyota starter motor and alternator; P mags and Light Speed electronic ignition.

 It has removable aluminium cockpit sides and clear full length doors.

The office is adequately equipped.

 A home designed STOL kit is fitted with control gap seals and wing fences plus high to low pressure guides to redirect the air flow over the flaps. 

The flaps are 40% larger than the standard S-7 and the ailerons are 20% larger, and the wing tips are modified.

It has a Fat Boy tail wheel with a reinforced double spring and a keel beam in the lower fuselage.

A 1.98m long fibre under fuselage pod can be fitted.  

New fuel tanks are mounted one wing bay further out giving a total of 37 US gallons.As can be seen in the photo (taken at Rangiora on 14/4/13), it has Roberts Bush Gear with big tires and it also has large wing fences.  Power (as already mentioned) is from a Lycoming O-235 of 130 HP which potentially gives it plenty of get up and go. The wider engine cowling shows up well in the shadows.

 Back on March the 14th 2025 I spotted ZK-TKB2 doing circuits at Rangiora.

Note the under fuselage pod and that the outer wing fence has been moved to become wing tip end plates.

It also appears to now have a Sensenich propeller.

New owners were recorded in March of 2025 as Innovative Aviation Ltd of Rangiora.

The ex John Smith DH 98 Mosquito Taxies at Omaka

Not actually a civil or a military aircraft, the ex John Smith Mosquito has taken another step forward by taxying under its own power at Omaka on Saturday 12 September with Al Marshall and Deane Baunton in the cockpit.  Zac Yates was there and videoed the occasion and also sent the photo below:

And here is a screenshot of a video posted on the Marlborough Lines Classic Fighters Facebook page.  They stated that the Mosquito will be taxied at Classic Fighters 2027 so that will be something to see.

Meanwhile at Ardmore the next Mosquito is very close to being completed!

 

Update on DC 3 ZK-BBJ - the Final Chapter

In my previous post on the topdressing history of DC 3 ZK-BBJ I recorded that its fate in Kenya was unknown.  In fact we do know the sad fate that befell her and this has been mostly covered by Dave Paull in a post on this blog that you can see HERE  This post in turn has a link to a Stuff article from November 2021 that gives a very good overview of the life of ZK-BBJ, which ends up with the murders of  the owner of ZK-BBJ New Zealander David Morris and his son in Somalia in 1995.

After David Morris's murder ZK-BBJ sat at Mombasa Airport in Kenya and was sold for scrap for NZ$500.  It was bought by Swiss businessmen Reto Cassanova and Dario Urbani who converted into a luxury restaurant at the Mombasa Go Cart Track as photo'd above.

But there is one final sad twist in the story of ZK-BBJ because on April 13 2024 a sudden power surge triggered a devastating fire and ZK-BBJ was destroyed.

A very sad end to an aircraft that was manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company way back in July 1945.  Thanks to Marcus of Marcus's Old Aircraft Photos for a heads up on this.

Topdressing DC 3s (8) - ZK-BBJ

After a bit of a break in this series, the next topdressing DC 3 (in alphabetical registration order) was ZK-BBJ:

ZK-BBJ photo'd above at Wairoa on 5/1/76 and below at Gisborne on 10/2/85.

Douglas C47B-45-DK  (c/n 16962/34222)

Built by The Douglas Aircraft Co, Oklahoma City, OK with 2x 1200HP 14-cyl R-1830-92 Twin Wasp radial engines as 45-969  on 19 Jul 1945 for the USAAF 

Exported to New Zealand, became NZ3552 

16 Aug 1945 RNZAF.1 ASU, Hamilton. RNZAF then 41 Sqn, Whenuapai. Struck Off Charge 3 Jul 1952 

ZK-BBJ 15 Jul 1952 NZ National Airways Corp, Wellington named “Piripiri” NZ cofa 12 Jun 1953 

6 Jun 1953 conv to DC-3C passenger at Palmerston North 

17 Mar 1964 converted to Skyliner configuration at Christchurch as  “Skyliner Gisborne” 

31 Aug 1970 Alpine Helicopters Ltd, Queenstown (leased).

29 May 1972 Fieldair Ltd, Palmerston North converted to topdresser Test Flight 4 Dec 1974 

18 Nov 1980 Fieldair Holdings (Central) Ltd, Palmerston North 

30 Mar 1984 Fieldair Holdings Ltd, Palmerston North 

8 Feb 1988 Fieldair Freight Ltd, Palmerston North Undercarriage collapsed during start up at Christchurch 15 Nov 1989

19 Apr 1993 Cambodia Carrying Co Ltd, Auckland (Larry K. Bennett & John D B Donaldson) Cancelled 14 Sep 1994 

Exported to Cambodia flown Ardmore to Norfolk Island to 21 Apr 1993. Reported to be in Kenya in 1995. Further details unknown.

Comper Swift Replica ZK-ACG/2 Registered

At the Easter 2023 Classic Fighters airshow at Omaka there was a homebuilt Comper Swift replica displayed in the Marlborough Aero Club hangar. It looked fairly complete and a sign detailed that it was powered by a Revmaster conversion of a VW engine and that the first flight was expected "within the year".

Of course the well known homebuilding rule of thumb of " 80% finished with 80% still to go applied" and the aircraft has just been registered ZK-ACG2 (c/n CS01) in the last few days, to the Comper Swift Syndicate of Blenheim.  It will make a nice addition to the sport aircraft fleet alongside the VW powered Chilton Racer replica ZK-CHT.

And I am also aware of another Chilton Racer in the North that is well advanced! 

From the shoe box. My taxi to town.

 Whilst ratting around recently in the bottom of one of my shoe boxes of odd non specific photos I found this grotty olde Kodachrome slide.

Taken at Kontum in the Central Highlands of Vietnam about early 1974.

It is the Air America C47A "559" c/n 20025 doing the courier run and was my lift down to Saigon.

The 559 serial comes from its ex USAAF serial of 43-15559.

I believe it is now 'preserved' and mounted on concrete blocks at Lop Buri in Thailand.

If you are in the know about the lingo of the time 

"This was one photo the Plumbers didn't find when I shot thru".