Microlight Aircraft of New Zealand - Quicksilvers (3) - Quicksilver MXs ZK-ESZ to ZK-EZZ

I have posted previously about the first Quicksilver (a MX model) to be registered in New Zealand as ZK-MRW.  We have had 37 single seat Quicksilver MXs registered in New Zealand with the first group of them below:

ZK-ESZ (c/n MAANZ/058)  Note the tubes going back to the tail.

Registered on 8 Apr 1982 to Pacific Kites (1981) Ltd, Auckland (Tommy D. Namais), then 11 May 1983 Tommy D. Namais, Muriwai.   Cancelled 28 Oct 1992 as withdrawn from use.

ZK-EXT (c.n MAANZ/140)

Registered 29 Oct 1982 to J. R. Dennis, Invercargill, then 11 Mar 1985 D. Y. Roberts, Upper Kokatahi, Hokitika.   Cancelled 19 May 2011 as withdrawn from use.

ZK-EYP (c.n MAANZ/064)  Registered 9 Jun 1982 to R. A. Rountree, Upper Moutere, then 20 Sep 1989 D. C. Inwood, Christchurch.   Cancelled 28 Mar 1996 as withdrawn from use. 

ZK-EYS (c/n MAANZ/067)

Registered 9 Jun 1982 to H. & B. J. McInally, Morrinsville, then 11 May 1983 Opotiki Aero Club, Opotiki,  5 May 1986 L. T. Steel, Auckland “as is” 1 May 1990 D. Anderson, Kumeu,  17 Mar 1993 M. Clarke, 10 May 1997 F. K. Imlig, Tauranga, 1 Jul 1998 F. L. Carter, Opotiki.  Cancelled 10 December 1999 as withdrawn from use. 

ZK-EZW (c/n MAANZ/096)  Registered 4 Aug 1982 Peter B. & K. R. McKay, Ekatahuna Veered off airstrip and hit fence on take-off near Edgecumbe 28 Aug 1983,  5 Sep 1983 B. D. Kincaid, Whakatane (del Aug 1983),  6 Mar 1992 M. A. Reid, Auckland.   Cancelled 3 Aug 1995 as withdrawn from use.

ZK-EZZ (c/n MAANZ/103)

Registered 4 Aug 1982 to S. A. Barton, Featherston, then 24 Jan 1984 B. W. Tocher & E. G. Jaine, Masterton,  11 Mar 1987 B. F. Shears & G. Peters, Upper Hutt,  18 Mar 1988 B. F. Shears, Upper Hutt,  5 Feb 1996 D. G. Bloomfield, Masterton,   20 Oct 1997 Bernoulli, Newton & Murphy Syndicate, Wellington,   4 Jul 2002 Murray G. Sykes,   1 Aug 2006 J. L. Shakes, Masterton.    Cancelled 14 Sep 2007 as withdrawn from use.

Microlight Aircraft of New Zealand - Quicksilvers (2) - Weight Shift Quicksilvers

In my previous post on Quicksilvers I gave their brief history as coming from the Quicksilver hang glider.  This then had an engine bolted on and became the Quicksilver C and this was developed into the Quicksilver E which was a weight shift machine that had a tricycle undercarriage with a fixed nosewheel.

We have had one Quicksilver E registered in New Zealand and four Quicksilver M models.  The Quicksilver M was also a weight shift microlight and I am not sure how it differs from the E model.

However there was at least one early model Quicksilver weight shift microlight here before microlights had to be registered:

This machine was imported by Pete James and he told me that it was the first microlight to be imported into New Zealand.  It arrived as a kit of tubes and all the other necessary bits and was assembled by Pete in a hangar at Hamilton in 1980.  This was the machine that Pete James flew at the Aviation Showcase 80 held at Hamilton Airport in November 1980 (see HERE),  and I think it was the one that Ken Asplin later flew at Te Kowhai (see HERE). 

The five New Zealand registered Quicksilver weight shift microlights are as follows:

ZK-ESU  (c/n MAANZ/023) Quicksilver M 

Registered 19 Mar 1982 to R. T. Lambess Whangarei, then 20 May 1987 K. B. Paulsen Waimauku, 24 Jul 1989 I. G. Ellis Auckland.  Cancelled 21 May 1998 registration revoked 

In the above photo you can tell it is a weight shift Quicksilver by the lack of tubes from the main wheels to the tail.  I think all the weight shift Quicksilver Ms had single cylinder 30 HP Cuyuna 430R engines.

ZK-ESW (c/n MAANZ/024) Quicksilver M  I am not sure why this was also referred to as a Desert Fox.

Registered on 27 May 1982 to R. L. Cranswick Te Karaka.  Cancelled 16 Sep 1992 as withdrawn from use 

ZK-ESX (c/n MAANZ/021) Quicksilver M

Registered on 9 Mar 1982 to W. B. Affleck, Kawerau  then 12 May 1982 J. D. McKay, Whangarei @ 15 hrs FT 20 Mar 1984 B. J. Lambess, Feilding @ 15 hrs FT 12 Mar 1985 T. R. & J. A. R. Cameron, Levin @ 15 hrs FT ($8,000) 30 Jul 1987 B. J. Lambess, Feilding 23 Oct 1987 J. D. McKay, Whangarei cancelled 24 Jan 1992 withdrawn from use.

ZK-EWK (c/n MAANZ/039) Quicksilver M

Unregistered in Oct 1980 with Pacific Kites (1981) Ltd, Auckland (Rick Poynter) Unable to legally fly because CAD had not completed certification rules for microlights. 

Registered ZK-EWK 13 Apr 1982 to Skyflight (Waikato) Ltd, Hamilton (Ken Asplin) then 10 Feb 1984 P. J. Barry, Port Waikato,  1 Jul 1987 M. A. Halcrow, Bethells Beach.   Cancelled 9 May 1995 as withdrawn from use

ZK-JAG (c/n MAANZ/364) Quicksilver E

Unregistered in Jun 1983 with Pacific Kites (1981) Ltd, Auckland )Tommy D. Namais), Henderson then Kevin Toms, Onehunga, Auckland.  Had a 20HP single cylinder Cuyuna 215R engine.

Registered ZK-JAG on 3 Jul 1986 to J Stewart and G Rule, Whangaparaoa, then on12 May 1992 N. D. & P. W. Hughes, Helensville.  Crashed.  Cancelled 10 Jun 1994 as destroyed. 

As ever, if any reader has photos of Quicksilvers please send them to the Editor.

Microlight Aircraft of New Zealand - Quicksilvers (1) - The First One Registered ZK-MRW

Quicksilver ultralight aircraft had their genesis in the early 1970s when Dick Eipper founded Eipper Performance in Southern California as a hang glider manufacturer.  One model they made was a rigid wing design with a conventional tail that had been developed by Bob Lovejoy that became the Quicksilver C powered hang glider.  I was told by Pete James that there was a Quicksilver hang glider (not powered) in the first New Zealand Hang Gliding competition in 1975 at Bayleys Beach, out on the coast from Dargaville.

The Quicksilver C was developed into the Quicksilver E which had a tricycle undercarriage with a fixed nosewheel and was a weight shift ultralight.  We have had one Quicksilver E registered in New Zealand as well as several others, also weight shift, that were registered as Quicksilver M models (and I don't know the difference).

As ultralights were rapidly developing in the US, demand grew for more conventional machines that were not weight shift, and the single seat Quicksilver MX was born.  The first MX's had 2 axis controls with a side stick that you pushed left and right to control the rudder and that you moved forwards and back to control the elevator, and turning the rudder tipped the aircraft due to its relatively large dihedral.  Later spoilerons were added to the top of the wings to give better and more balanced turns.  The original MXs had single surface wings and were named MX Sprints and later a double surface wing model was named the MX Sport and this gave better performance and a sportier feel.  Then somewhere along the way the controls were changed to 3 axis with rudder pedals and a conventional control stick.  All of the MXs were cable braced.  Later on various 2 seat versions of the Quicksilver appeared and remarkably Quicksilvers are still being manufactured in the US today, some even with strut braced wings. 

The specifications for the Quicksilver MX Sport are:  length 18 feet 1 inch (5.51 metres), wingspan 28 feet (8.53 metres), wing area 156 square feet, empty weight 250 pounds (113 kg), MAUW 525 pounds (238 Kg).  With a 40 HP Rotax 440 the cruise speed was 50 mph (43 knots) and the stall speed was 24 mph (21 knots).

We have had 112 Quicksilvers of various models registered in New Zealand.

The first Quicksilver to be registered here was Marty Waller's MX model ZK-MRW which was registered to Pacific Kites (1981) Ltd of Auckland on 22/1/82.  Pacific Kites was formed by Marty Waller and fellow American Tommy Namais and ownership of ZK-MRW passed to Tommy Namais of Muriwai Beach on 11/5/83.  Tommy Namais later went to India where I understand he died in suspicious circumstances.  ZK-MRW then went to Dennis J Smith of Whangarei on 2/7/90 then to Andrew G Carter of Murupara on 5/7/93 and finally to Russell K Brodie of Rangitata Island on 10/8/08.  It was cancelled as withdrawn on 15/11/10 and is stored at Rangitata Island as part of Russell Brodie's early microlight collection.

Marty Waller was one of a trio of microlighters who flew their aircraft from North Cape to Bluff in February 1982.  He is photo'd above landing in ZK-MRW at Bridge Pa on 12/2/82.

And here is a later photo of it back in typical Quicksilver colours, at Pikes Point airstrip.

Although ZK-MRW was the first Quicksilver to be registered here, there was at least one other earlier model that pre-dated it and which I will post about next.