Rangiora pie run 2022 number 1

 First Pie Run for the year found two worthy of mention.

My first sighting of this Savannah in its completed form.

Savannah S ZK-SGC c/n 20-12-54-0750 was a six month build for the Maipen Syndicate of Rolleston. The registration SGS equals Savannah, Graeme, Chris. 

And the Maipen equals Main and Pennell.

I know that others also assisted greatly to this build.

As can be seen it has four fuel tanks, turbulators on the upper leading edges, an E-Prop and a block on the nose wheel strut to raise the nose.

The Bell 206B JetRanger III ZK-HAJ3 c/n 4092 of Wing Developments Ltd dropped in for fuel.

The details below were nicked from the old New Zealand Aviation News Magazine.

ZK-HAJ₃ is a Bell 206B JetRanger III of 1990 vintage which began as C-GAHJ with Bell Helicopters Textron Canada Ltd – for immediate transfer to Japan where it became JA9888 with Mitsui from 14 April 1990. Rather unusual for a Japanese helicopter it has seven further owner/operators with the last being Helicopter Leasing International from 6 May 1998. Its Japanese registration was cancelled the following day for it to become VT-DAN₂ in India. 

Its next move was down to Sri Lanka where it became 4R-DLK₃ in July of 2004 with Decan Aviation Lanka and Millennium Airlines and was marked as Simplifly. 

On 2 October 2018 it was listed in Australia as VH-FCD₄ to Machjet Pty Ltd of Cooroy, Queensland to be operated by McDermott Aviation Ltd. 

This was cancelled on 7 June this year and it came out of its container at Heli Maintenance Ltd at Christchurch International on July the 1^st 2021. After due care and attention it became ZK-HAJ₃ on August the 10^th for Wing Developments Ltd and first flew in NZ on the 16^th.