Cessna 185 ZK-CAV

Cessna 185 , c/n 185-0212 was a product of 1961. Like most Cessna's of its time it was allocated a US registration by the Cessna Aircraft Company even though it was for immediated export. Cessna tended to use blocks of registrations for specific models. The numbers applied to the aircraft often carried the same last two numbers of its construction number. In this case c/n 0212 became N4012Y. These registrations were often not marked on the aircraft and instead they used the Cessna test registration of N11B for test flying purposes.

This airframe came direct to NZ for Rural Aviation Ltd of New Plymouth and was registered as ZK-CAV on 04-09-1961. It had its first flight in NZ at New Plymouth on 12-10-1961 with its registration being transferred to the Manawatu Aerial Top Dressing Company Ltd on the 13th. With them it became fleet number 7.
The first photograph (in magic monochrome) shows it at rest on the 17th of May 1964 at Masterton.

The second & third views were taken sometime in 1967.

On 20-03-1968 ownership passed to Mount Cook Air Services of Timaru with whom it became a ski plane. The Company went through a couple of name changes :- to Mount Cook and Southern Lakes Tourist Co Ltd on 18-07-1973 and to The Mount Cook Group on 07-02-1978. It was allocated the fleet number 18.

It had a couple of reasonably minor incidents - On 18-04-1977 it was damaged on take off from the Tasman Glacier; after which I believe it was upgraded to a 300hp model. On 18-10-1978 it nosed over on the Franz Josef Neve. The photo shows it at the Mount Cook strip on 31-12-1977.

It was transferred to Richard John Aubrey of Omarama on 13-01-1986 and remained there until it was noted for sale in late 2009. I believe it went up to John Geary at Ardmore and was registered to Martin Aviation Services Ltd on 30-12-2009.

ZK-CAV as noted at Omarama on 28-11-1993.