A Flight to the SAANZ 2014 Flyin at Bridge Pa

 I was delighted to get a call from David Wilkinson offering me a ride down to the 50th Anniversary AACA/SAANZ Flyin at Bridge Pa Aerodrome at Hastings in his new Vans RV 8.  I accepted immediately!

The much anticipated day came on Thursday 6 March and we all met up at North Shore Airfield in perfect weather (which was a miracle as the previous day I had been in Wellington in driving horizontal rain with a wind chill factor which took the temperature down to near zero).

 Our wings, RV 8 ZK-WLK with around 50 hours on the clock.

 We were flying down as a matching 3 aircraft group with Don Wilkinson and DCM in their twin Corby Starlets ZK-TOY and ZK-TNT (that's one engine each!).  

Here they are unleashing the Corbys from their hangar.

 All three aircraft in the sunlight ready to go.

 A final top-up at the pumps (with reflections from the inside of the RV 8's canopy).

 The Corbys left first and we shot by them abreast of Auckland.

 On past the Islands of the Gulf - you can see what a beautiful day it was.

 And 1 hour, 10 minutes later we were in Taupo, with a dusting of snow on Mt Ruapehu.

Lunch and a catchup with others at Taupo.  There were aircraft from Whangarei, Dargaville and Hamilton also heading for the flyin.

Bruce Cooke taxies out in his Avian Adventurer ZK-CKE for an adventure crossing the Kaimanawas to Hastings.

All the aircraft lined up on the ground outside the Hawkes Bay and East Coast Aero Club clubrooms at Bridge Pa.  It was a great flight!