Currently, the most active organisation based there is the New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy.
This is a local Council owned flying training school that has grown out of the Feilding-based Flight Training Manawatu, and which has inherited some of that organisation's aircraft plus a few later acquisitions.
While I was there, the following were out and about:
Cessna 152 II ZK-FCQ has had a long history since starting with the Napier AC in 1983.
This is an ex-Fielding aircraft
Aerobat ZK-ELC dates from 1978, when it joined the Reefton AC.
It also was at Feilding
Diamond DA20-C1 ZK-FIY/2 saw use in Canada prior to arriving in NZ
Cessna 152 ZK-MDF/2 (no, not made of particleboard) came from Feilding to Wanganui via a few months with Air Hawkes Bay of Hastings
ZK-MDK is another ex-Feilding Cessna 152
Partenavia ZK-MYF is ex-ZK-ERA, and arrived in 1978 to spend a few years with the Auckland Aero Club
Cessna 152 II ZK-NEI came to NZ via Canada in 1991
Cessna 152 ZK-TOC flew in the USA for many years before arriving here in 2008 to become ZK-NPN for the New Plymouth AC. Blown over while parked New Plymouth 14Jul2013, it was rebuilt and became ZK-TOC in 2019
Diamond DA42 TwinStar ZK-WUA arrived in NZ as ZK-YZX before joining the NZICPA fleet in October 2018
Cessna 172R ZK-WUB saw previous service with L3 CTS at Hamilton as ZK-OEM
Of the balance of the NZICPA fleet, Aerobat ZK-EJV was at Feilding under maintenance and
PA38 ZK-JBX is still parked out at Ardmore.
There was no sign of 152s ZK-MDO ZK-NFO and 172s ZK-WUC ZK-WUD at that time.
MDF was actually named after the board! The owner who imported it back in the day actually worked there...
ReplyDeleteZK-JBX has been noted several times in the back of their hangar at Wanganui (minus tailplane last time I saw it)
ReplyDelete