Beaver ZK-BVA/2

Over the last few months I have posted a series on topdressing Beavers.  The last new topdressing Beaver back in 1966 was ZK-CPE and then the Beaver fleet gradually disappeared by attrition or being sold overseas.  However after 53 years another example arrived here.

This was airframe 248 which was built in May 1952 as an L-20A and became 51-16791 with the US Army.  In December 1975 it was registered N31544 still with the US Army and in February 1979 it went to the Civil Air Patrol at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama.  On 12/1/89 it was re-registered to N77WK for International Publishing Corp Inc of Woodstock Illinois.  Then it was cancelled from the US register on 14/4/92 and exported to Australia. 

N77WK at Cairns in Queensland in 1992.

It was registered VH-BVA2 on 30/7/92 to Teajet Pty Ltd of Condell Park NSW who traded as Aviation Enterprises Pty Ltd and it was kept as a floatplane.  It had a series of owners in Australia and I think it was always a floatplane, as in the photo above which was taken on 24/8/00 at Whitehaven Beach in Queensland when it was owned by Heli-Aust Pty Ltd of Bankstown, NSW (Trading as Helijet Air Services Pty Ltd.

And this photo was taken at Hamilton Island in Queensland on 1/5/05 when it was owned by A Sweeny  Trading as Island Air) of Hamilton Island.  After a couple more Australian owners it was prepared for a delivery flight to New Zealand and was cancelled from the Australian register on 23/1/19.

It was flown across the Tasman via Lord Howe Island to Kerikeri on 8-9/1/19 and it was registered ZK-BVA2 to Farmers Air Ltd of Gisborne on 28/1/19.  The above photo was taken at the Healthy Bastards Bush Pilot Champs at Omaka on 2/2/19.  I noted it at West Aero Maintenance at Pokeno on 2/9/19 having a hopper fitted.

Thanks to the Chief Pilot of Farmers Air, Andrew Hogarth, we have this photo of ZK-BVA2 on its first topdressing job, at Tangihanga Station on 11/4/20.  Andrew reported that the Beaver flew beautifully and that he had a smile on his face all day!  Andrew also says that the reason they bought the dual control Beaver is that it will provide a great pathway to teaching the ag pilot skill set to new pilots before they move on to the company's turbine Falcos (modified versions of the Pacific Aerospace P-750 XSTOL)..  Andrew also posted a great video of the Beaver topdressing that you can see it HERE

And finally a nice shot of ZK-BVA2 against the spectacular backdrop of Taumarunui airfield, taken at the 2020 Tiger Club flyin.

I think it is really great that we still have some representative examples of topdressing Beavers still flying in New Zealand.  No doubt they will eventually retire from topdressing but the Beaver, now at 77 years old, will likely make it all the way to 100.