By request - here are four more Cessna 185's - no longer with us in this form.
Cessna 185D
ZK-CHS was c/n 185-0793 and initially used by Rural Aviation in the ag role. By 68 it was with the Rex/Taupo Flying School, then to Air Central and lastly with Taupo Air Service. It crashed alongside the Desert Road on 19-03-1979. Photo taken at Taupo in September of 1969.
ZK-CKU is another 185D. Its c/n was 185-0931. Seen here in the old Tauranga hangar in its Adastra scheme in March of 1969. In the 70's it went onto floats and in this mode it crashed at Waihora Bay on Lake Taupo on 19-02-1978.
Two more of Mount Cook 185s. Above is the A185F
ZK-COH c/n 185-1009 as seen on the private strip at Franz Josef on 05-04-1972. It has a undercarriage collapse on the Fox Glacier on 06-12-1980. Fortunately this airframe was rebuilt and became ZK-LJG in November of 1996, and as such we should see her at Masterton.
Cessna 185 ZK-CVG was c/n 185-0681R - being a rebuild of ZK-CGD which had been bent at Porangahau in November 1966. It was rebuilt by Rural Aviation and became ZK-CVG on 01-08-1967. It was involved in a mid air with the Aerospatiale AS 350D Astar ZK-HEA2 near Fox Glacier on 27-06-1992.
Just wondering if that shot of COH is at Fox?
ReplyDeleteFunny you should say that. Its what I have written on the colour slide. But when I was blogging it I though to myself that it looked a little like the "other" Franz Josef strip.
ReplyDeleteIt used to be on the right hand side of the road just before you hit Town. There was a Cherokee 160 ZK-CWS based there and parked in its hangar close to the road. This strip was occasionaly used when the River came up onto the other (now closed) strip.
Emmet Clarks strip, just Nth of Franz.
DeleteBefore ZK-CKU went onto floats I flew it extensively in the S.I. Very fast, very sad end to a nice old bird. She is about to fly again in a novel called 'The Green Feather' due to be published end October 2014
ReplyDeleteI will keep an eye out for the book.
ReplyDeleteWill it be on general sale in the well know shops ?
I will see if I can dig out some more pics of CKU and do a blog post when the book arrives.
Cheers
I should say when it went back onto floats. I'm fairly sure ZK-CKU had a previous life on the water around the CNI lakes. More photo's would be great. Will make sure you get a copy of the book which also features C188B ZK-DPW.
ReplyDeleteHi to Blue Bus and anonymous
ReplyDeleteI was a surviving passenger in ZK CKU when it crashed onto Lake Taupo 19.2.78 .. I too am interested in the said book
I'm please to hear from you Chris. This must have been a traumatic experience but you survived and for that we should be grateful. I had a lot of respect for this aeroplane. It once saved my life when I made a mistake. The Green Feather is available from the Online bookshop at CopyPress, Nelson http://shop.copypress.co.nz/shopn/spi/copyp_14036 $24.95. All the best, Grant
DeleteThe 'other' airstrip used at Franz when the river was misbehaving was Emmett Clarke's who owned a Cherokee, I don't recognise this photo as that strip. Also it doesn't look like Fox so it must be the original Franz strip? Trying to look through the trees and the hill on the right? Franz?
ReplyDelete