EAA Acrosports of New Zealand Addendum

Back on  /3/12I posted about the two EAA Acrosports that we had had in New Zealand up to that date.  Here is what I posted:

The EAA Acrosport (EAA stands for Experimental Aircraft Association), was designed by EAA president Tom Poberezny as an aircraft to be built by school students and the plans were very detailed to allow non aircraft types to build from them. It was designed along classical biplane lines and was bigger than the Pitts Special. The prototype first flew on 11 January 1972.

The specifications are as follows: wingspan 19 feet 7 inches (5.95 metres) - top wing, the lower wing is slightly shorter, length 17 feet 6 inches (5.32 metres), empty weight 844 pounds (384 Kg), MAUW 1,350 pounds (613 Kg). And with a 180 HP engine the top speed is 180 mph (288 km/hr) and the rate of climb is an impressive 3,500 feet per minute.

The photos are from the Keith Morris collection.

We have had 2 EAA Acrosports in New Zealand (to date). The first was ZK-MWM (c/n AACA/14/2) which was built by Merv Meredith of Waipukurau. It was registered on 21/5/80 and first flew on the same day. Merv Meredith was the president of the AACA for several years and ZK-MWM was his third aircraft (after Turbulent ZK-CBN and Minicab ZK-DAG). The above photo was taken at the 1982 AACA flyin at Taupo. Merv sold it to Gary Conroy of Hastings on 8/4/93. It overturned on landing at Hastings on 13/11/00, and it was cancelled as exported on 15/6/01. Can anyone advise where it went to?

Our second EAA Acrosport had a very chequered history. ZK-SFD (c/n AACA/486) was built by Steve Davis of Otaki and was first registered on 1/7/93. It was completed and taxied at Foxpine where it suffered damage in a taxying accident, and its registration was revoked on 24/4/02.

It was sold to Trevor Page of Napier, who registered it as ZK-TMP on 19/4/04. Unfortunately Trevor did not have much success with the aircraft, and I understand that he only flew it twice, resulting in forced landings on both occasions. The above photo shows ZK-TMP in a field just off Napier airfield with minor undercarriage damage after Trevor's first flight. I understand the second forced landing on 28/8/05 did much more damage as the aircraft overturned.

The damaged aircraft was sold to Bruce Clarke of Kerikeri on 7/12/06 and he re-registered it as ZK-XXI. I saw it well on in its rebuild at Kerikeri, nearly structurally complete and awaiting covering. However, Bruce Clarke moved to Australia and ZK-XXI was cancelled as exported on 22/4/08. It was later registered as a microlight in Australia as 19-7537.

We still have had only the two single seat Acrosports but I can now add a bit more information on the second one:  

I mentioned above about ZK-TMP being photo'd in a field off the end of Napier airport.  This is the only photograph I managed to find of it and I got it by writing to the Hawkes Bay Herald Tribune newspaper who sent it to me.  I also mentioned its pre and post identities being ZK-SFD and ZK-XXI.  I could never find photos of it with these registrations but fortunately Planefil has come up with the goods!

ZK-SFD at Foxpine on 6/2/97.

And here it is completed at Watts Bridge Airport in Australia as 19-7537, but Bruce Clarke made a nod to its New Zealand registration of ZK-XXI which was never taken up.

Bruce went on to build a WW 1 replica Sopwith Pup and a replica Nieuport 17 in Australia.