New Air New Zealand Aircraft at Christchurch

 I had a NE(O)w experience on my trip to and from Christchurch flying powered by geared turbofans.

NZ549 to Christchurch on 25 November was operated by A 321 NEO ZK-NNF

While today 30 November our flight home on NZ554 was operated by A 320 NEO ZK-NHC.  The geared turbofan engines sure look big!

Coincidentally ZK-NNF and ZK-NHC were at adjacent gates this afternoon.

And out of all the ATR 72s in the Air New Zealand fleet, what should taxy past and take off but their latest example ZK-MZE (c/n 1633) which has only been on line for less than a month, being the company's first post-Covid aircraft to be registered, on 22/10/20.

Northern South Island

Continuing our travels in the rain but this time in the northern South Island a visit to the Nelson Aviation College at Motueka offered their latest fleet addition,  Cessna 172S Skyhawk SP  ZK-CGE2 which was imported from Australia in October 2020.

Back to Nelson the Kaikoura Aero Club's GA8 Airvan ZK-EHS2 had arrived, now with larger "Air Kaikoura" titling

And onto Omaka where Westland Air Charter's Cessna U206F ZK-CBT2 has swapped its floats for wheels.   This was imported from the US in late 2017.

Local Omaka resident is PA28-161 Archer II ZK-MBH now carrying "Heff Air" titling together with Playboy bunny emblem

 

Around Auckland

Noted at Auckland International on a wet day was the Air Chathams Fairchild SA227AC Metroliner ZK-CIC which has lost its Whakatane themed paint scheme in favour of the company's fleet colours.

Also changed is Airwork's Boeing 737-300F freighter ZK-TLE which has lost all its "Toll Holdings" titling.

Up at North Shore airfield was the former Skydive Wanaka Cessna 208B Caravan ZK-ROK which changed ownership to locally based Orbit Helicopters in November.   This was imported from the US in October 2016 initially as ZK-RUL,  being reregistered ROK in July 2020.

 

Boeing 737 ZK-FXJ

 The Airwork Flight Operations Boeing 737-36E ZK-FXJ2 (c/n 25264) was noted yesterday at Christchurch International parked in what I still refer to as the 'Deep Freeze Apron'. 

Alas my camera if playing up at the moment - apart from the lens jamming on full zoom - the 'fence/foreground removal app' is not functioning.

This 737 first flew on 05-01-1992 for Guinness Peat Aviation Group (an Irish aircraft sales and leasing Company) and briefly became EC-706 with Viva Air Gp of Palma de Mallorca before onward lease to Air Europa as EC-FLG from 17-04-1992.

By mid-March of 2000 it was back in the States as N316FL on lease with Frontier Airlines of Denver, Colorado.

Guinness Peat sold it on to GEGAS (GE Capital Aviation Service) and then it was listed with AFS Investments XLIV LLC of Stamford, Connecticut from 18-06-2004.

Next lease operator was Bluebird Cargo of Reykjavik, Iceland as TF-BBF from 13-11-20004 which later became Bluebird Nordic.

After a period of storage it was delivered via Darwin and Brisbane into Auckland on 24-08-2019 and became ZK-FXJ on 28-08-2019.

The beaut UTE

The Andy Stephenson Aviation Ltd Piper PA-46-500TP Malibu Meridian ZK-UTE3  (c/n 4697190)  was noted at Rangiora yesterday.

According to FR24 it did the Gisborne - Christchurch International - Rangiora and return in under four hours.

Airborne for Christchurch International - about 8 minutes away.

This was a product of 2004 and spent its early years in the States as N3103A before moving to Australia as VH-AFK8 in early 2017.

It arrived in Gisborne on 09-08-2019  to replace Andy's Beech A36 Bonanza ZK-UTE2 which had been re-registered as ZK-TRC4 

To complete the picture - the first allocation of the ZK-UTE letters went to a re-registration of the NZ Aerospace FU24-954 ZK-VAL.

This was also used by Andy and went on to become ZK-CRY2.

ZK-CHS at Preservation Inlet 1974

From the Graeme Stratton collection we have three photographs of the Cessna 185D Skywagon ZK-CHS (c/n 1850793) operating out of Preservation Inlet, Fiordland, near the very southwestern tip of the South Island in January 1974. The pilot being Peter Matich.

ZK-CHS has been mentioned previously .

See here https://nzcivair.blogspot.com/2015/06/zk-chs-update.html

Aerospatiale AS 330 Puma N814AR at Palmerston North

Back in May 2020 a couple of Aerospatiale AS 330 Puma helicopters N814AR and N815AR were imported into New Zealand through the Ports of Auckland and then trucked to Gisborne.  I have not heard much about them but they have both recently been flown to Palmerston North for work to be carried out at Fieldair.  I understand that they will be used for logging work.

Tim Gorman was on hand recently to catch N814AR outside Fieldair.

Thanks for the photo Tim.

Staaken Flitzer ZK-FTZ/2 at Waipukurau 15-11-2020

While a lot of focus in the sport aircraft scene was on Te Kowhai on the weekend before last, it was lovely weather elsewhere including Waipukurau where Ron Day took the photo:

The lovely little Staaken Flitzer Z 21 ZK-FTZ2 was flown in by Hayden Faulknor who has owned it since 15/4/19.

LSA's at Pauanui

The last few days have seen a number of Light Sport Aircraft visit the Pauanui airfield including Vans RV12 UL ZK-EAA which was acquired by a new Tauranga owner this month.

Over from its Maungatautari base was Eurofox 3K ZK-LKL which was first registered in August 2019.

Also up from Tauranga was the Europa Tri Gear ZK-NWM first registered back in July 2002 after import from the USA.  It was acquired by its current owner in July 2018.

 

Christchurch International on Thursday.

A short pie run on Thursday had me chomping on a pie and a cookie at the cafe upstairs at the Canterbury Aero Club.

Below was part of the view from the cafe - 6/17th of the Club fleet.

With thanks to Christchurch Helicopters I captured these two Guimbal Cabri G2's. Both out of towners.

Above is ZK-IZD c/n 1044 which has been listed to Tim and Anna Hutchinson of Double Hill Station in the Upper Rakia since October of 2018.

Below we have ZK-IAF2 c/n 1159 as listed with Ototara Trust of Auckland since new on 07-10-2016.

Pancake Breakfast at NZKF this Morning 21-11-2020

It is the flyin season and the Northern Aviators Club held a successful Pancake Breakfast at Kaipara Flats airfield this morning.  There were a couple of first time visiting aircraft but mostly it was just a nice laid back time of catching up with friends, and again the pancakes were yum - thanks Erwin!  and the bacon was pretty good too - thanks Sandy!

Jodel D 9 ZK-KMM "Honey Bebe" awaits the first arrivals

First to arrive just after 8 were Greg Dawson-Sheehan and John Issott from Parakai in Greg's Vixxen ZK-VXN

Followed by Rusty and Penny Russell form Whangarei in their Autogyro MT 03 Eagle ZK-RBG

Rebecca and Scott Davidson flew the new Dargaville Aero Club Texan Club ZK-DTX down from Dargaville

And Dave and Judy Cull flew their new Savannah S ZK-ZAV down from Whangarei

Christoph Berthoud flew the Yak 52 ZK-DSJ2 up from North Shore

Alan Cameron flew his unique single seat TechPro Merlin 100 ZK-MEF in from Mangawhai.  Here it is with other high wing microlights Tecnam Echo ZK-KFP from Whangarei and Foxbat ZK-VAW of Willy Morton from Moerewa

And to add to the wide variety of aerial devices, KB Singh flew in from North Shore in his nice Solo Wings Aquila trike ZK-KBV.

Just Super STOL XL ZK-DJG/2 at Tauranga

One of the aircraft I had hoped to see at Te Kowhai last Saturday was Don Gray's Super STOL XL ZK-DJG2.  However I was disappointed. 

But I didn't have to wait long to see a photo of it with its new trim, as the Hairy Mole Rat was on hand at Tauranga on Tuesday 17 November to catch it when it flew in from Te Kowhai.  The trim seems to be of patriotic Waikato colours.

This was our first XL model of the Super STOL which has an 18 inch fuselage stretch and is capable of accepting engines of up to 180 HP.  ZK-DJG2 is powered by an 180 HP UL 520i engine.

Thanks for the photos HMR.

Black Sands at Te Kowhai - Cessna 185B ZK-CMW/2

 My final offering from Black Sands 2020 is the very different looking Cessna 185B ZK-CMW2

This C 185 (c/n 1850653) was built as N2653Z then it went to Costa Rica as 63-13595 for the Costa Rican military. It then transferred to the Costa Rican civil register as TI-508SP, TI-508M and  TI-SPC, It then went to Canada as C-GGOH and then came to New Zealand, being registered as ZK-JAO from 19-11-1996. It was re-registered as ZK-CMW2 on 03-07-2002.

It is owned by CMC Investments Ltd of Pokeno, and recently it was repainted in its original Costa Rican military colour scheme (as a registered colour scheme).  Different!

Around Auckland

A visit to a busy Ardmore this morning revealed a number of interesting aircraft including the not often seen GY20 Minicab ZK-DRK2 which was first registered back in 2006 and is now apparently based in Thames.

Outside at Oceania Aviation was the Airbus Helicopters EC120B ZK-HII5 which was imported by the company from Australia in April 2020

At the same location was Auckland based MBB Bo105CBS-4 ZK-HZL2, now sporting a raging bull emblem.

And departing for a local flight the vintage Percival Proctor I ZK-DPP which is currently for sale via Dennis Thompson International for 300,000 pounds.

Over at Auckland International at the Air Centre One jet base was GCH Aviation Jet Operations' Canadair CL600-2B16 ZK-JCJ,  which arrived from the US at the beginning of 2020.

 

Black Sands at Te Kowhai - Super Cub ZK-BOX

Among the many arrivals at Te Kowhai on Saturday was this nice looking Cub which could have come straight out of the box:

PA 18A-150 Super Cub ZK-BOX (c/n 18-6243) was first registered in New Zealand way back in January 1958.  I found this information on the Wings Over New Zealand website, posted by Flyernzl:

"Piper PA 18A Super Cub 150 ZK-BOX started life with Wings Fertilizers ltd, Napier, which got folded into Reeves Transport (Air Services) ltd of Hastings.  Sold off to Airspread (Taranaki) Ltd, Stratford in May 1963, it collided with a loader at Inglewood 28 February 67.  Rebuilt by Farmers Aviation Ltd, Hawera it left the ag industry in June 1974 for private owners J F Dixon and R Maas of Fox Glacier.  It wandered around the West Coast for a couple of years (venison recovery?) before moving North in 1979."

It was a surprise to me as I have not seen it before.  It is registered to a Private Owner which does not tell us where it is based, but it is likely to be in the Auckland area.  Without compromising the private owner, can anyone advise any more on this aircraft?

Black Sands at Te Kowhai - Other First Time Aircraft

I have not been to every Black Sands flyin but I have had a stab at the sport aircraft that I reckon were attending their first Black Sands:

Scott Montagu in the Corby Kestrel ZK-SJM from Matamata

David Wilkinson in his One Design ZK-EZG2 from North Shore

I'm not sure if Texan ZK-TXN2 has been to a Black Sands before, but it certainly hasn't under Brien O'Brien's ownership.  It came from Kaipara Flats

Paul Blackmore flew from Tauranga in his tri-gear Sonex ZK-PDB

And Peter Hicks flew his ex Australian Just Aircraft Highlander ZK-JPU2 from Pauanui

I am not sure if the CZAW Sportcruiser ZK-LED has been to Black Sands under this registration, but it has been under its previous identity of ZK-SXY5.  Jim and Irena Leadbetter flew it across from Matamata.

The aircraft to fly the furthest to the flyin was Tim Ward's Europa ZK-TIM from Christchurch.  This was one of the several aircraft at Black Sands that took the opportunity to attend the AOPA flyin at Turangi the next day.

And Jodel D 9 ZK-KMM was also attending its first Black Sands, as I have already posted.

There might have been other sport aircraft at their first Black Sands, and I stand to be corrected.

Black Sands at Te Kowhai - New Vans Aircraft

Back in the day I always looked forwards to Black Sands as there usually were new Vans aircraft attending.  In recent years Black Sands has had a bad run with the weather but the 2020 flyin at Te Kowhai was back to the great weather.  So I thought I would post about the new Vans aircraft that I reckon were attending their first Black Sands flyin:

Steve Chilcott's recently imported RV 6 ZK-SJC, (and Steve's earlier Jodel D 18 ZK-SCJ was also on the field).

Ian Chapman's long term build RV 6 ZK-VNZ was attending its first Black Sands.

As was Pat Sheehan's RV 9A ZK-VNS.

Of course there were a lot of other Van's aircraft at Black Sands 2020, I reckon another eight, but they have all been to previous Black Sands flyins.