Microlight Aircraft of New Zealand - Early Unregistered Microlights - Pete James' Mirage M at Aviation Showcase 80

As I have posted previously, Pete James was a very early microlight pilot in the Hamilton area in the late 1970s / early 1980s when microlights were not registered.  He first flew his Easyriser powered hang glider in late 1977 and he then owned a Mirage M weight shift microlight which he demonstrated at Aviation Showcase 80 that was held at Hamilton airport in November 1980.  Pete has sent some photos from this event:  (We will try to get better quality copies of the photos).

The Quicksilver M Ready for action.  It looks like the wingtip of  a Pterodactyl on the left.

Pete James flying his Quicksilver M at Aviation Showcase 80.  he said he was only allowed to hop it at low level.

And parked up outside the old Central Aircraft Maintenance hangar at Hamilton Airport.

The Quicksilver attracted a lot of attention, even being the subject of a newspaper article in the Waikato Times.  Unfortunately the photo that Pete sent isn't big enough to read the article but it begins with "Is it a bird?  Is it a plane?  Or just a hang glider?"  This was topical at that time as the CAD/MOT were still wrestling with what to do with microlights.