Caravan Route Across the Cook Strait

You cannot spend much time at Wellington International Airport without a Sounds Air Cessna Caravan coming or going.  In a Northerly they turn to Port over the harbour and climb away over the city.  Sounds Air Travel and Tourism Ltd is a success story that grew out of Skyferry and through Pelorus Air, and their core business for many years has been flying across Cook Strait.

There is a good article on Sounds Air in the December2015/January 2016 edition of NZ Aviation News, or for more detail you can go to our 3rd Level New Zealand sister blog at http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.co.nz/2014/08/sounds-air-fast-scenic-way-to-cross.html

My recent photography sessions at Wellington produced all five of Sounds Air's Caravans, which I detail below:

C 208 Caravan ZK-PDM (c/n 00240) ex N1289N, was Sounds Air's original Caravan being first registered in New Zealand to sister company Pelorus Air Ltd on 16/4/96.  (The earlier Skyferry also had the first two Caravans in New Zealand).  Ownership transferred to Sounds Air Travel and Tourism Ltd on 8/1/04.

C 208B Grand Caravan ZK-SAA (c/n 208B0862) ex N208DG, was first registered to Sounds Air Travel and Tourism Ltd on 2/5/07.  It then did a stint operating in Australia, for Kakadu Air Services Pty Ltd of Darwin from 25/5/10 and then Broome Air Services Pty Ltd from 24/9/10.  Then it returned to Sounds Air Travel and Tourism Ltd on 9/3/11.

C 208 Caravan ZK-SAN2 (c/n 2080360) ex N800RA, was bought to New Zealand by Izard Pacific Aviation Ltd of Taupo, being first registered to them on 31/8/06.  Ownership transferred to Sounds Air Traval and Tourism Ltd on 23/10/08 and it was re-registered as ZKSAN2 on 28/6/13.

C 208B Grand Caravan ZK-SAW (c/n 208B2087) ex N771AL, is the newest aircraft in the fleet.  It was registered to Sounds Air Travel and Tourism Ltd on 5/12/14.

C 208B Grand Caravan ZK-SAY2 (c/n 208B0861) ex N861CM, was imported to New Zealand by Salt Air Ltd of Paihia as ZK-MJL2, and it was first registered to them on 30/3/07.  Ownership transferred to Sounds Air Travel and Tourism Ltd on 17/5/13 and it was re-registered as ZK-SAY2 on 10/7/13.

However, there is another Sounds Air story that I will detail in a later post.