Sud Aviation Gardan GY-80 Horizon # 2

Following on from the earlier blog on the Horizon at http://nzcivair.blogspot.com/2010/06/sud-aviation-gardan-gy-80-horizon.html  I have received the following email from Allan Churn of Perth in WA who is now the owner of ex ZK-CLK.
I have added my own comments in red.

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Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2010 10:04:48 +0800

Subject: NZ-CLK Horizon
To: bluebus@windowslive.com
Thanks heaps for that info...I really appreciate it. I had no idea my Horizon was once named "Cherie"!
Also interesting to hear it had nosed over...didnt know about that!
I am a member of APAG (GY80 owners Assoc, in France), and they (eagle eyed) noticed in one of your fotos ("The second photo shows it at Christchurch in August of 1990") ....another GY80 in the distant background. It appears to be all white. I havent seen a foto of an all white GY80 in NZ. Perhaps it was undergoing repaint. (I suspect it will be ZK-BXM as it was based in Christchurch at about this time - ZK-CFT was based North of Auckland)


I am trying to piece together my Horizon's past history........ I have no log book history prior to 1990.
(Can anybody point to the previous log book/s for ZK-CLK?).
looks like it went straight from French manufacturer to NZ.(1965?)
According to your description, it went through quite a few owners while in your country.
Any further stories or fotos your members can provide will be much appreciated. I also forward anything to the 200 APAG members in Europe...they find anything related to the GY80 of great interest.
(APAG is the Association of owners & lovers of Gardan Aircraft. Have a look at http://avionsgardan.free.fr/  ).Attached is a foto I took of my GY80 (about 2001?) , when I first spotted it (love at first sight!). This was taken at Bunbury Airport (down the coast from Perth). The person standing in front is Blair Howe, who imported it from NZ.

I believe Blair is from NZ. He now owns a flying school and air charter company at Bunbury....I do my flying training there.
Also attached is a foto I scanned from a small booklet I found at a flea market. It was a booklet of NZ G.A. The foto of ZK-CLK originally had a young boy standing in front of the aircraft.....I used the computer to "remove" him.

So it looks as though 'CLK / 'YOG had at least 4 identities....your first (black and white) photo of CLK at Timaru 1965 in NZ Aerosales markings, is probably the livery it arrived from France. I wonder what those colours were?. (It was white with red trim - new pic added below. Taken at Timaru 1965)

I have attached a couple of fotos of GY80's in original 1965 factory livery, ...looks same as the CLK Timaru style.

(Below are three pics of VH-YOG sent by Allan).

Now that I have discovered your NZcivil website, I will be spending endless hours perusing it.....fantastic stuff!....Bristol freighter, radial Bennett Airtruck, Victa Aircruiser etc.


Thank goodness all those fotos were saved. I will have a dig thru my boxes of fotos to see if I have anything of interest from past visits to NZ (1971?) (Waiting with baited breath to see these oldies)


yours,
Allan Churn, Perth, Western Ausralia

Can anybody add to the history of these aircraft with photos, stories, logbook etc.