I will start with the Yeoman YA-1 Cropmaster 250R.
Briefly the Cropmaster was an Australian design and built aircraft, being a specialised agricultural aircraft using modified fuselages from the CAC CA-6 Wackett
with new metal wings.
with new metal wings.The original KS-3 Cropmaster (Kingsford Smith) retained the original Wackett wooden wings and radial engine. The Yeoman YA-1 came along from 1959 with the sixth airframe introducing the swept fin and rudder.
Of the twenty one built, six came onto the ZK register.
Our fifth example [alphabetically speaking] was ZK-CPW with c/n 119. Built as VH-TPM it came to NZ to become ZK-CPW on 06-05-1966 for Southern Aviation Ltd of Gore. It was hired to Air Contracts Ltd of Masterton for a while in 1969, then returned to Southern Aviation until it was withdrawn from use.
The first three photos were taken at Gore on 26-04-1974.
Photo four and five, were taken on 04-01-1980, also at Gore.
Photograph six, with thin red stripe added, shows it at Invercargill on 05-11-1983.
By 01-06-1989 it had been registered to Lindsay McNichol - out the back of Oamaru.Final photo was taken at the Ashburton Aviation Museum on 06-02-2009.
I recall seeing one at Waikato Aero Club 50 odd years ago. Owned I think by Ivan Haynes at the time.
ReplyDeleteMy previous comment ref. i'm sure it had an extended canopy, maybe 3 seater?
ReplyDeleteYEP. The Yeoman Haynes conversion was ZK-CDI c/n 110.
ReplyDeleteFarmers Aerial Top Dressing Co Ltd at Invercargill operated it from Feb 1964 until Ivan Haynes got it in about Oct 1968. As you say it was modified as a three seater and first flew as such on 04-03-1970.
It was sold to Frank Pike of Auckland in November 1989.
It nosed over at Dairy Flat in December of 1990 and was placed into storage.
Its NZ reg was cancelled on 29-03-1999.
It then appeared on the Australian register as VH-FBC/4 to Frederick Burke of Wagga Wagga on 05-12-2001 (later of Turvey Park, NSW) as, I believe, a long term restoration project.
Thanks for that. Waikato Aero Club, seems so long ago. Ray
ReplyDelete