Graeme Mills has kindly sent these photographs of the De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver ZK-BVA2 ( c/n 245) of Farmers Air Ltd as taken at Gisborne on 01-02-2019 just prior to its departure to participate in the Healthy Bastards at Omaka.
Graeme has his own www.kiwibeavers.com site which is well worth delving into.
ZK-BVA at Gisborne 01-02-2019
Below is what the NZ Aviation News Magazine had to say about its
Another
De Havilland of Canada DHC-2 Beaver Mk1 joins the register. ZK-BVA2 was built as an
L-20A for the US Army – being re-designated as a U-6A in 1962. It was given the
US military serial number 51-16791 and delivered to the US Army No:64. Command
AF-1 on 09-05-1952. It was placed on the US civil register in December 1975 as
N31544 still listed with the US Army, with a transfer to the Civil Air Patrol at
National HQ at Maxwell Air Force base in February 1979. Ten years later, on
12-04-1989 it was re-registered as N77WK for International Publishing
Corporation Inc of Woodstock Illinois with whom it remained until being
cancelled on 14-04-1992 for a shift down to Australia where it became VH-BVA2
on 30-07-1992 with Tealjet of Condell Park NSW. It moved to HeliAust Pty
Ltd, trading as Helijet Air Services Pty Ltd out of Mackay Queensland from
16-06-1998. It was damaged on Whitsunday Island on 19-10-2002. We next see it
with Alan Sweeney of Hamilton Queensland from 05-04-2004 and then with Kennedy
Aviation Pty Ltd down at Gunnedah, New South Wales from 02-06-2009. After a
major rebuild not all that long ago it went to Albury for pre export work and
then was ferried to Taree and Lord Howe Island on 08-01-2019, then on to
Kerikeri and Hamilton on the following day. It was purchased by Andy Hogarth
and registered to his Farmers Air Ltd of Gisborne on 28-01-2019 and is to be
used as an introductory aerial sowing machine for budding Farmers Air pilots.
To this end it will need to have a hopper fitted. The previous ZK-BVA was a
Fletcher FU24 from 1957 through to 1972.
Two photos of ZK-BVA participating at Omaka on 03-02-2019 as seen by Andy Heap.
great plane,flys over my house sometimes in gisborne, fantastic engine sound.
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