Farewell to John Nicholson Byers.

 It is my sad duty to report the passing yesterday of John Nicholson Byers a well known and respected aviator out of Rangiora.

I first met John in the late 1970's when he was tinkering around on a Taylor JT-2 Titch which was registered as ZK-DNH on 26-07-1973 but for some reason was never completed and I believe is still in storage. Its registration was cancelled on 02-03-1994.

He purchased the AESL Airtourer ZK-DBA from Airwork in January of 1975, selling it in February of 1978 after buying a share in the Piper PA-22-108 Colt ZK-BSL in mid-1977. His next purchase was the Jodel DR1051 Sicile ZK-JOD from Jeff Bryant, who was also partner in the Colt ZK-BSL. The Jodel had been flown into New Zealand from Switzerland in January of 1979. John named it 'Lucinda Too' and it became his pride and joy.

I am uncertain when he obtained his next project but I recall him having it in a hangar near the crash fire unit at Christchurch Airport in 1993. He worked away quietly on this aircraft for some years before being evicted from Christchurch Airport. So he acquired a hangar at Rangiora and continued the meticulous rebuild of his BA Swallow II. This had previously been registered in Australia as VH-UUN on 18-11-1935. This registration was cancelled as withdrawn from use on 05-02-1946.

John was very secretive about the history of this aircraft and was very reluctant to have photos of it taken following an earlier write up on the project which was not factual to John's high standards.

It was placed on the New Zealand register on 13-03-2030 as ZK-UUN.

It carries the name 'Lucinda'.

The project was very, very, near completion.

The photo above taken on 15-04-2024 shows it fully assembled in John's hangar. It is a rather large aircraft with a wing span of just over 13 metres.

Note the original wing parts on the wall behind.

A large section of the wing folds forward to allow the wings to be hinged back.

The FOLDED WINGS of JOHN NICHOLSON BYERS.

R.I.P.