I remember when.

Forty years ago today I had cause to be at Timaru Airport.

Here are a few photos taken on that day.

 North American NA88 Harvard IIA ZK-ENN was being tinkered with.

This was c/n 88-10254 and spent thirty five years as NZ1025 with the RNZAF.

It was sold to Engine Support Inc of Sebring Florida in 1978 - the engine removed and the airframe was resold and ultimately became ZK-ENN on 30-06-1980 with Jim Sullivan and Dave Diamond of Otaio and first flew as such from Timaru on 14-08-1980.

It was sold to John Greenstreet of Auckland from 22-11-1987 but was very sadly lost in a mid-air collision at Ardmore on 25-02-1990.

 The Hughes 369HS ZK-HIY c/n 950771S was imported by Dalhoff and King (NZ) Ltd, registered on 11-03-1976 and transferred to Whirl Wide Helicopters Ltd of Timaru on 10-08-1976.

It went to Alpine Helicopters Ltd of Queenstown from 31-08-1981 only to be lost in an incident at Crooked Arm in Doubtful Sound on 21-04-1983.

 Hiller UH-12E ZK-HKY c/n 1081 - was a bit of a dark horse - having been built as a H-23D-UH Raven for the US Army and accepted as 58-5432 on 21-07-1959. It was later re-designated as a OH-23D Raven.

It popped up on the Canadian register as C-GHTI with M and B Helicopters before moving to North Delta Helicopters.

It came to NZ courtesy of Alexander Pacific Ltd of Takapuna and became ZK-HKY on 29-08-1977 for delivery to Whirlwide Helicopters Ltd of Timaru from 26-09-1977. 

In July 1978 it was listed to its allied Company Whishart Helicopters (1978) Ltd of Hamilton only to have a wire strike on 12-08-1978 near Ngaruawahia. 

It was back with Whirl-Wide in Timaru from 04-10-1978.

Not long after the above photo was taken it was converted to UH-12J3 Soloy turbine power.

Cancelled on 27-08-1984 it went to Australia to become VH-ECK from 14-09-1984 with City and Country Helicopters at Caloundra. After some time with Heli-Spray at Sheffield Tasmania it took up with Precision Helicopters Pty Ltd of Barraba NSW from July 1999 followed by a change to Eagle Helicopters Pty Ltd at Barraba from 11-07-2000. 

Its VH rego was cancelled on 20-10-2017 and it re-surfaced in Canada again - this time as C-GDJS on 16-07-2018 with Bi-Air Application Services at Blackfoot Alberta.

Finally we have this grotty shot of Hughes 369D ZK-HOJ c/n 490491. Another D & K import first listed on 22-05-1079 before moving to Whirl-Wide Helicopters Ltd of Timaru from 24-07-1979.

It went through a multitude of operators including time as 'Police 3' early this century.

It was lost in a tragic accident at Wanaka on 18-10-2018.