Ice Bound # 3

Tony McFarlin was on the case this morning and caught up with the Squirrel ZK-HJV being loaded aboard the Italian Air Force  C130J Hercules 46-62.

Still in the 'compound' but now with their special transportation undercarriage's fitted and resting on the loading trailers were the two Canadian Squirrels C-GSLF and C-FPBA.

Around Auckland

Receiving attention at Flightline Aviation Ardmore today was the former NZ Aviation Cessna 172S ZK-KOL which is now all white,  presumably awaiting its Ardmore Flying School script.

At an ever busier Mercer airfield was the former Glenorchy Air Cessna 172N ZK-RNX which has now been acquired by an Auckland owner

And over at Auckland International was Tasman Aviation's Beech B300 ZK-VME which arrived from the US in July this year.

Downside of Diesel Seen at Dargaville

Late on Saturday afternoon at Dargaville, a passing diesel powered Cessna 172 on a cross country exercise dropped in for a touch and go.

ZK-TAS2 of the Ardmore Flying School climbing out, showing one of the downsides of running diesel fuel!

A graphic display of ZK-SDR

Just as you reach the Rangiora shopping centre from the east - on the main drag - you will find a rather large graphic image of the ICP Savannah ZK-SDR in the window of Triton Hearing.

 SDR is c/n 16-06-54-0477 and has been registered with the SDR Syndicate since 2 July 2018.

Ice Bound # 2

My visit to NZCH International today coincided with a thunder and lightning display.

The two Globemaster's 10-0216 and 98-0057 were onsite

And in the compound were three Squirrel's being sorted for onward transportation south.

 Above is the Eurocopter AS 350 BA ZK-HJV3 of Heli Support International Ltd of Wanaka marked with the Ganovex XIII titles.

Ganovex is the German Antarctic expedition which  operates in North Victoria Land. 

Also the two Canadian AS 350 B2's were on site after arriving down from Nelson.

On the left if C-FPBA (c/n 1310) with C-GSLF (c/n 2492) on the right.

Pauanui

A visitor to Pauanui today from far afield was the Geordie Hill Station's Cessna 172M ZK-WAX.  Based in Otago the Station offers self fly vacations with 2 Cessna 172s,  with the other aircraft being 172N ZK-TRS,  this visiting Pauanui back in March.    

WAX was imported from Australia back in 1993 making an easy transition from VH-WAX.

Rangiora recently.

Two recent additions to the Rangiora population are the Andrews A-1 ZK-BLU (c/n 1) now with Alex Ingrosso

It has featured previously Here.

It now carries a small 'Warthog' tag on the top of its fin and 'Aorangi' on its instrument panel.

 And Mike Kindon has returned to his old stamping ground from Alexandra and has hangared his Flylight Airsports Skyranger Swift 2 ZK-MJK (c/n 17041118) at Rangiora.

Ice bound.

Noted at Christchurch International yesterday was the Lockheed C17A Globemaster III 10-0216 (c/n P.216 which was delivered in February of 2012.

It has already carried out several runs to McMurdo and back.

 Also on the 'Deepfreeze' apron was this Lockheed C130J 46-62 (c/n 382-5550) of the Italian Air Force - presumably bound for Terra Nova Bay - McMurdo Sound.

Also due to arrive are two Canadian registered AS 350 Squirrels C-GSLF and C-FPBA for delivery down south.

Beaver ZK-SBV

The De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver ZK-SBV (c/n 763) has been mentioned on these pages several time before.

See HERE.

For a sixty three year old it is in fine fettle.

Air Charter Karamea are based at Karamea and have carved out a strip and built a hangar in the upper Aorere Valley at the top end of the Heaphy Track.

Jeromy Rutherford recently got to ride along following his Heaphy Track bike ride.

Beautiful Bristell at Dargaville

I have previously posted that Alan Nelson's long serving Tecnam Echo is now on line with the Whangarei Flying Club.

This is because Alan has taken delivery of his new Bristell NG 5 ZK-NGB, and Alan flew it to Dargaville for the lunch on Saturday, and to later be my instructor for a cross country flight to Kaikohe, Kerikeri, Whangarei and back to Dargaville.

Alan's new Bristell must be one of the most spectacular sport aircraft around and I just couldn't stop taking lots of photos of it:

Alan prepares to head for home.

Holding for a diesel Cessna 172 to do a touch and go.

Backtracking on Runway 22.

Lift off was very short with one up.

Followed by an impressive climb out.  Very nice!

Hawera visits Pauanui

A contingent of 5 aircraft from Hawera arrived at Pauanui airfield mid morning and stayed until after lunch before heading back south.

Amongst them was the  privately owned 1973 model Piper PA28-180 ZK-DGO which somehow hasnt featured on this site before

And the RV10 ZK-PHL which was imported from Australia in 2016

The Hawera Aero Club brought their Aeroprakt A-32 ZK-VHC which was added to their fleet back in November 2017

The other 2 aircraft were RV7 ZK-SHN and the Aero Club's Cessna 172N ZK-EOS.

Cherokee Saturday at Dargaville

What a great lunch at Dargaville yesterday!  And there were quite a few visiting aircraft too, among which were 3 nice Cherokees:

Blog follower Phillip Kyle flew up from North Shore in his Cherokee 140 ZK-DIW.  This has been mentioned in passing on the blog previously, in photos that Phillip sent in from Great Barrier Island back in 2018.

Graeme and Joanne Hales flew in for lunch in their distinctive colour schemed Cherokee PA 28-181 Archer ZK-KCC.  This aircraft is ex ZK-NDA

And Leo Johns also arrived from his home strip at Mata in his Cherokee PA 28-180 Archer ZK-DQX.  The history of this aircraft can be found at: https://nzcivair.blogspot.com/2016/04/fly-in-at-mata-on-sunday.html  and the 2020 Mata flyin at Leo's strip is scheduled for Saturday 18 January.

Pauanui

A fine but blustery Labour weekend Saturday brought a steady trickle of aircraft visitors to the Pauanui airfield including up from New Plymouth, the immaculate Stinson 108-3 ZK-NCC

And from Auckland the recently registered RV6 ZK-VNZ made its first visit

Squirrel B2 ZK-HQB

Eurocopter AS 350 B2 ZK-HQB3 (c/n 3208) was registered to Heli-Hire Ltd of Rotorua on 6th September 2019.

This is a mid-1999 airframe which was first noted on the Mexican civil register as XA-PAR  in June that year.

On 19 August 2005 it turned up as N83NA with Noevir Aviation Inc at Montvale, New Jersey, before being listed to Global Lift Transportation, initially at Katy, Texas from 20 October 2005, then from Tulsa, Oklahoma from 2008 and then from Ardmore, Oklahoma in 2014. 

It transferred to Aerial Coalition Surveillance LLC of Grand Island Nebraska in 2019.

Photo above shows it in its US registration of N83NA.

 It was purchased by Heli-Hire Ltd out of Kansas City in July 2019 - with its US registration being cancelled on 10 July.

Photo of ZK-HQB above from Warwick Hamilton via Mark Lealand of Heli-Link Ltd.

Druine Turbulent ZK-CQC at Kerikeri

Alan Murgatroyd of Kerikeri has owned Turbulent ZK-CQC since 2001 and he told me that he has flown around 400 hours in it since that time.

Unfortunately Alan suffered an engine problem on take off from Kerikeri in 2017 which resulted in a forced landing in which the main spar was damaged.  However all is not lost as I understand that it will be repaired to fly again.  Good news for Turbulent afficionados.

50th Anniversary Tiger Moth Club Flyin at Taumarunui (2) - Other Interesting Attendees

Apart from the classic De Havilland aircraft, there were several other aircraft of interest at the Tiger Moth Club flyin at Taumarunui:

Glastar ZK-CDP2 has now been reconfigured as a taildragger and is now registered to a Whitianga address.

 And another tailwheel conversion is Cessna 150D ZK-CHH, up from Feilding.  This was converted to a taildragger in 2000.

 Tecnam P 96 Golf ZK-ELG2 has not been posted on the blog previously.  It is ex ZK-SAM3 and ZK-DMT2, and came from Taupo.

 Richmond Harding's Spitfire Mk 26 ZK-SPT was up from his home base at Wanganuui.

 And there were a couple of different classic Cessna taildraggers:  C 170B ZK-BLT which came from Auckland...

and C 195 ZK-AZK came from just up the road at Te Awamutu.

Thanks again to Jordan Elvy and Tony Hogg for the photos.

PZL 101A Gawron HA-SBM

 Following up on Richard's mention of this aircraft seen at Hamilton, today the aircraft was parked outside.

50th Anniversary Tiger Moth Club Flyin at Taumarunui (1) - De Havilland and Auster

The Tiger Moth Club of New Zealand celebrated their 50th Anniversary flyin at Taumarunui over the weekend.  This event kicks off the fly in season and this year would have produced a bumper attendance of aircraft except the Friday an Saturday weather was somewhat inclement.  However the weekend was about more than flying and a record number of around 120 people attended the Saturday night celebration dinner.

Several photographers have posted photos on Facebook and I include some of the classic aircraft that were there:

Taumarunui always provides great backdrops!  Jan and Jerry Chisum arrived in their wonderful DH 60G Gipsy Moth ZK-ADT from Hastings.

And folded the wings for hangaring.

There were 10 Tiger Moths on the field.

One of the oldest was Richmond Harding's ZK-AUZ with Wanganui Aero Work titling on the cowlings.

There were 3 Chipmunks on the field including the Sport and Vintage Aviation Society's ZK-PTN marked up as WB568, from Masterton.  This aircraft is ex ZK-MUH and does not seem to have appeared on the blog as ZK-PTN before.

 And rounding off the classics was Auster J 5 ZK-AXJ, from Gisborne.

Thanks for the photos Jordan and Tony.