Sunday 25 June 2023

Tiger Moth ZK-BJR at North Shore

Although I have been visiting North Shore airfield since 2000 I have never seen this Tiger Moth.  A few people have told me of "a Tiger Moth" in one of the hangars all covered up but that was all.  That is until Mark Pattenden photo'd it outside at the North Shore Open Hangar day back in January 2023.  It turns out to be a pretty interesting aircraft:

ZK-BJR (c/n DHNZ105) has most recently been on the register owned by DAC Aviation Ltd of Remuera since 19/3/10.  

But its history goes back over 80 years to when it was constructed by the De Havilland Aircraft Company of New Zealand at Rongotai and taken on charge by the RNZAF as NZ1425 on 10/4/42.  It continued on in the RNZAF post war as a trainer and it was damaged in a crash at Taieri on 19/10/54.  It was struck off charge, presumably in a damaged state, on 13/7/55.  Ownership transferred to the Otago Aero Club who were successful in tendering for the aircraft and they used it for spares.  It was restored in the 1990s by Colin Smith of the Croydon Aircraft Company at Mandeville to be registered ZK-BJR to DAC Aviation Ltd on 4/10/00, and it flew again for the first time in many years on 28/10/00.  I am not sure if this is an RNZAF colour scheme but it looks the part.  The Tiger's registration was revoked on 15/4/05 but was reinstated again on 10/11/06.  I am told that it hasn't flown for about 12 years since relocating from Ardmore to North Shore.

Thanks very much for the photo Mark, very interesting.


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