New Zealand connection at Temora

Two shots of ex NZ aircraft as seen at a recent Temora flying event by Andy Heap.
Vickers Supermarine 361 Spitfire MkXVI ZK-XVI , c/n CBAF 10985 , was built in 1945. It was damaged in 1951 and then served time with the MGM Pinewood Film Studio. Rescued from there to entered the UK civil register as G-CDAN on 30-11-1982. It was shipped to NZ in 1988 and became ZK-XVI on 17-01-1989 with the Alpine Deer Group at Wanaka. Sold and cancelled from our register on 26-05-2006 it went to Australia to become VH-XVI with Temora Aviation Museum on 17-07-06.

N.Z.A.I CT-4A Airtrainer ZK-EUW , c/n 074 , was registered here on 10-03-1982 to NZAI Ltd at Hamilton and was delivered to the RAAF on 07-05-1983 to became A19-074.

It was sold off in 1993 and became VH-APV to Smiths Trucks on 13-12-1993. Five owners later it is with Neil Newton of Medowie, NSW. As you can see,it still retains its RAAF colour scheme.

Question time # 75 resolved

The aircraft in question was Pipistrel Sinus 912 ZK-GPI , c/n 134SN9120204kit49 , as registered to Pipistrel Aircraft NZ Ltd of Kerikeri (Alan & Donna Clarke) since 10-11-2006.

A second aircraft ZK-GIM2 , c/n 129S9120104 is with Kester Holdings of Auckland.

All photographs kindly supplied by Andy Heap. Taken during a photo shoot over the Lyttelton Harbour.

And the winner is :-

Well :- an early Anonymous mentioned a "High performance glider wing". Afraid the Sinus is not [in my view] in the high performance class.

Henry almost got it with the type and gave us the two Sinus registrations. Shame about the 503 reference.

Wayne started off ok but then removed his comments.

And then - [by the hair of my chinie chin chin] - another Anonymous gives all the details required.

So feeling extra generous tonight :- If Henry & the final Anonymous would like to send their snail mail address to me at bluebus@windowslive.com I will flick a fish in your direction.

Question time # 75 reviewed.

Alright then. try yet another clue ! [added Thursday 29th].
Yet another clue for you. [added Wednesday 28th Oct].
Does this help narrow it down in any way ?

An additional clue [above] shows another aspect of the same aeronautical device as the original pic below.

So we are still trying to establish what the original photo [above] shows.

Once we establish that - I then require the aircraft type and its NZ civil registration please.

Another Rangiora time spot. Monday 26-10-2009

The latest Cessna 180 - the 180D Skywagon ZK-BZP2 , c/n 18051050 captured at Rangiora about high noon today. I believe that today was also its first flight in ZK marks. Purchased in Australia and registered to Peter Turvey back on 25-05-2007 it was imported to NZ and seen in its VH-MDK marks earlier this year. In certain aviation circles Peter is known as "Zippy" hence the "ZP" registration. The aircraft is based at Forest Field.
Below a close up of the marking on the 180's tail.

Another fleeting visitor was the NOTAR ZK-HYY2 , c/n LN107 , of Garden of Eden Helicopters dropping in for fuel.

A moment in time. Rangiora. Saturday 24-10-2009

A lunch stop at Rangiora on Saturday the 24th October 2009 was well worth the deviation from track. Barry (Baz) Payne from the Wainono Homestead, Studholme Junction (near Waimate) popped in for a cuppa coffee in his Piper PA-24-250 Comanche ZK-BAZ2 , c/n 24-3206 . Hard to believe that this is a 1962 model still in its original factory colour scheme. It has about 1750 airframe hours and is based Timaru based.

Grant Porter's Avid Mk IV ZK-JHW , c/n 1434D , has been undergoing a bit by bit refurbishment. The fuselage is now overall silver.

Another out of town aircraft was this Murphy Rebel ZK-JQD , c/n 387 . This was an eleven year project by Peter Kempthorne which joined the register on 24-08-2004.

Neil S Ross of Gore has used his initial as the registration of his Tecnam P92 Eaglet U/L ZK-NSR2 , c/n 1128 . Up on a dual x/c exercise from Ashburton; grabbing some fuel; a "P" stop; and then away again to points south. Ruth Presland in the right hand seat.

The TRC Toyoto Cessna T210R Turbo Centurion ZK-TRO3 , c/n 64918 , from Feildiing passed through again.

Behold, another stranger. In Paul Woodley's hangar was this Aviate Raptor 582 ZK-WHG , c/n AR 0009.belonging to John Osmers of Takaka. This is a South African machine and was registered as ZU-AXH before coming to NZ.

Avian at Hamilton

Lurking behind the hangars at Hamilton Airport yesterday was the unique Cooke Avian Adventurer ZK-CKE/2. So far unfinished, this aircraft was registered to Bruce Cooke of Cambridge 19Nov2008. Powerplant is to be a Subaru EJ20 Single cam, with an Autoflight reduction gearbox driving an Ivoprop electric Variable pitch prop.





Work has proceeded mightily since I saw the project in Bruce's workshop early in 2008.



The first ZK-CKE was of course the second PL-11 Airtruck, built by Waitomo Aviation at Te Kuiti and first flown 9Mar1965. Seen here at Ardmore in January 1966, it crashed in 1967. There will be an article on the PL-11s in an upcomong Aviation News magazine.

Ardmore 23Oct

Helicopters ruled the roost today, namely BK117's and EC130's.

Of most interest was Kawasaki BK117 ZK-HKZ at Airwork. This machine has been undergoing a massive amount of work since first noted some months ago, and at last this prolonged testing has unveiled special markings to indicate it is powered by a new power plant. Follow this link for more:

http://www.shephard.co.uk/news/1798/heli-expo-2009-honeywell-announces-lts101-850b-2-engine-upgrade-for-eurocopter-bk117/

Also in attendance at Airwork's facility were BK117's ZK-HEN and ZK-HPD, the latter wearing a different style of registration from the last time I saw it when it had the "ZK" prefix added.

Outside Hawker Pacific was a number of the Advanced Flight Eurocopter EC130 fleet, and in this photo is ZK-HJV, HKX and HXW while yet another of the example was tucked in the hanger.

North Shore based Cessna 182S ZK-JCV/3, nee ZK-MGO, was carrying out circuits.

ZK-CJN and O

Thanks Mike Condon for your recent photo of Alpi Pioneer 300 ZK-CJO at Ardmore. This was the first time I had seen a photo of it with its current registration. This aircraft c/n NZ 91 was peviously ZK-CJN (1) with Colin James Nagel of The Grange Trust Farm in Masterton, as in the above photo taken at the SAANZ flyin at Tauranga in February 2004. Colin Nagel bought another later model Alpi Pioneer 300 ZK-CJN (2) which he registered on 1 February 2008 and re-registered his old ZK-CJN as ZK-CJO on 24 January 2008. He then sold it to AJC Whitehead of Pauanui Beach on 30 April 2009.

And here is a photo of Colin's new Alpi Pioneer 300 ZK-CJN c/n 224, taken at Wings Over Wairarapa in January 2009.

Question time # 75

What is the purpose of this object.

And as usual : the aircraft type that it is mounted on, and its NZ civil registration would be of considerable interest.

Hughes 369D ZK-HOQ from the electronic shoe box

Further to the previous post, here she is in March 2008 at Oceania. I'm pretty sure its been back during 2009 and had a paint strip and may well still be lurking in the sheds of Ardmore somewhere.

Hughes 369D ZK-HOQ from the shoe box

Hughes 369D ZK-HOQ , c/n 70-0709D , came onto the register on 04-11-1980 with the agents Dalhoff & King Aviation Ltd of Ardmore. It went briefly to Alpine Helicopters at Queenstown before heading to Taihape with Rangitikei Air Services on 09-06-1981.
On 23-10-1981 it was cancelled and went off to become DQ-FDR with Helicopter Services (Fiji) Ltd of Suva.
It returned to NZ and to its ZK-HOQ marks on 02-11-1982 with Wanganui Aero Work Ltd.
The two pics below show it at Stratford on 20-11-1984.

An owner ship change on 01-12-1987 saw it listed to Stichting Marine Services of Auckland for use by Greenpeace Marine Division.

Now the shot out of the shoe box is this one below showing ZK-HOQ at Lake Vanda Station in the Wright Valley, Antarctica whilst it was based aboard the M V Gondwana. I am guessing during the 1989/1990 voyage.

Below, two later shots of it at Christchurch on 31-01-1991

The old CAA hangar in the rear background & old customs building in right background.

Oceania Helicopters became the proud owners from 20-03-2008 and the last I heard [June 08] about this helicopter was that it was serving aboard the M V Esperanza out of Cairns; Still on Greenpeace duties.

Between the Showers...............

Cessna Titan ZK-NDY arrived at Ardmore from Christchurch on what appeared to be a charter flight. Its brief time flying for Coast Air is still displayed.

Alpi ZK-CJO was just outside a hanger at the northeast end of Ardmore and is registered to folk from Pauanui Beach.

Spring Clean

A brief visit to Ardmore today bore witness to Hawker Pacific having what appeared to be a spring clean with a number of aircraft sitting outside and other activities alluding to a bit of a tidy up in progress.

Notably, the two recently delivered Diamond Twin Star's for Massey Aviation, ZK-MTR and ZK-MTS, sat outside albeit minus engine cowls and tightly parked making photos difficult. Also from the Massey fleet were DA40's ZK-MTA and ZK-MTE.

Coming on to the NZ register last month was Cessna TU206C ZK-JAO, registered to Mountain High Helicopters of Auckland and coming from Japan where it was JA3453 and noted by me in those markings a few months ago nestled in the Hawker Pacific hanger.

Wheeled outside the hanger was Kawasaki Hughes 500 ZK-IAC minus rotor blades and just inside the hanger doors was an unidentified Hughes 500 variant with a white cargo pod. Also in the hanger was Cessna R172K ZK-TXP (not noted by me previously) and 5 Eurocopter 130's. Snugly perched in the back of the hanger was Aero Commander 690 ZK-PVB of Aerial Mappings undergoing what is believed to be a major navcom upgrade pending a working trip to Nepal.

From the shoe box. S55 N5096V

Sikorsky 55 N5096V as seen at Wellington Airport.
Obviously prior to 13-03-1963, which was the date that it was damaged at Hurleyville.
I assume that John Reid would have been the driver.

I think the photo came from the Wellington Airport staff news letter about this period.

Any more info out there for us young ones ?

Choppers at Ardmore

Wanaka's Aspiring Helicopters have had this particular airframe, c/n 4734, for a few months already this year and it was initially registered ZK-HQI in June 2009. It was subsequently changed to ZK-HAH/3 and is seen here carrying out a maintenance flight from Eurocopter. The registration appeared to be temporarily applied.

North Shore Helicopters Eurocopter EC130 ZK-IFC once graced our skies as ZK-IMR/1 until the operator took delivery of a newer EC130 and it had what must be a personalised registration applied. This helicopter also featured in a blog entry during June this year.

ZK-HUR first hops 11-10-2009

A big day for Rotorway Exec ZK-HUR3 on 11-10-2009 when it did a few short hop/skips to test the cooling system.
This Rotorway was imported into NZ in early 2007 by Bruce Burdekin.
Originally built from a kit and certified as a Neisingh Exec to Orville Neisingh of Vacacille, California with the N42830 rego on 24-02-1992.
In November of 1996 it went to Tom Taylor who partially dismantled it with the intention of converting it to turbine power. This was not completed.
Bruce purchased it but when it arrived in NZ, it was found to be not quite what he hoped. Considerable part replacement and time has been expended to get this project to its present stage.

Question time # 70 revisited

Ted Smith Aerostar VH-USU , c/n 60-0390-138 , is pictured above at Christchurch on 06-05-2001. Its paintwork rather faded and last Australian operator, Whyalla Airlines, markings faintly visible.
The two shot below taken at Wigram on 07-07-01.

Shortly after this it was parked in the rear of the hangar, was partially dismantled and all paint was removed; and that is how it remained until it disappeared.

It was registered as ZK-TSA to Executive Air Ltd (Clive Ridge) on 01-10-2004.

It is now located at Omaka and is expected to be airworthy in about one years time.

R44's

ZK-HXR & ITZ at Skysales, Christchurch 15.10.09