Beavers and Beavers #16 ZK-CPZ - Update

Fieldair's sixteenth Beaver was ZK-CPZ (c/n 462) which had a remarkable history up to the time that Fieldair acquired it, and which carried on after Fieldair sold it:

DHC-2 Beaver airframe c/n 462 was built at DH Canada's Downsview, Ontario plant in 1953.  It was shipped to New Zealand for De Havilland (NZ) Ltd and registered ZK-BDI to James Aviation Ltd on 3/9/53.  Its first flight in NZ was on 2/10/53.  It is photo'd above looking very new at what looks like an airshow or demonstration - anyone know when and where?

It was marked as No 2 for James Aviation on the fin as in this photo.  It was damaged in a forced landing at Wairakei on 15/10/56 after an engine failure.

And it was again damaged when it was blown over in a storm at Taupo on 12/5/58, and it was cancelled from the register on 22/8/58.

However that was not the end of this survivor as the damaged airframe was purchased by Aerial Farming of NZ Ltd of Palmerston North who rebuilt it and registered it as ZK-BMO on 12/12/58, flying again on 17/12/58.  It is photo'd above at Wellington which must be after October 1959.  It seems to be having some radio work carried out.

Here it is at Palmerston North in an early colour photo, also in 1959.  It was damaged on an airstrip at Nihoniho, West of Taumarunui on 2/9/60 when it undershot the strip and overturned down a gully.  It was cancelled from the NZ civil register (again!) on 21/3/61 and the damaged airframe was sold to Australia where it was (again) rebuilt, this time by Aerial Agriculture Pty Ltd at Bankstown, NSW and registered VH-AAW2 on 15/8/61.  Then it went to Robby's Aerial Services Ltd at Parafield, South Australia who re-registered it as VH-RAS2 on 22/11/62.  Then on 23/3/66 it was cancelled from the Australian civil register and exported back to New Zealand.

In this ongoing saga it was registered as ZK-CPZ to Fieldair on 5/4/66.  It is photo'd above at Wellington  still with its Robby's Aerial Services titles.

It was repainted in the standard Fieldair blue and white colours as in this photo inside the Hawker Siddeley hangar at Wellington.

And outside the HS hangar.

Dave Paull has a note that it was damaged in a storm on 10/4/68 (again! - actually this was the Wahine storm), and we can see that it was at Dannevirke.

It was repaired and repainted in this yellow Fieldair colour scheme as in this photo of it at Gisborne on 28/10/70.

And in yet another version of the Fieldair yellow scheme at Napier on 1/8/76.  It did the Company name change to Fieldair Holdings (Central) Ltd on 18/11/80.

But it did not end there because on 16/9/83 it transferred to Griffin Ag Air Ltd of Palmerston North who re-registered it back to ZK-BDI and used it in the ag role as in this photo at Masterton in January 1984.

Its ownership changed to the Parakai Parachute Centre on 8/2/88 and then to P Roberts on 26/9/90 and it was  cancelled on 20/11/90 for export back to Australia (yet again!).  The above photo was taken at Wellington on 14/10/88, therefore when it was in Parakai Parachute Centre ownership and I think you can see it has some parachute dropping steps outside the door.

Back in Australia, on 10/1/91 it became VH-BOS2 with Altair Aviation Pty Ltd of Bungador in Victoria.  It is still registered to them in Australia but it is probably in storage.

How's That!