Bird Dog ZK-LAO

Errol Cavit captured the Cessna 305A (O-1A) Bird Dog ZK-LAO c/n 21692 at Ardmore on Saturday the 8th of August.

It was restored at Ardmore and registered to the Lao Syndicate on 28-05-2024.

Since then it has gained underwing tanks and a modified undercarriage.

See HERE for an earlier post on ZK-LAO.

Aircraft registration. Special paint schemes etc.

Following on from the blog post on the Cessna Bird Dog ZK-LAO on the 7th of July

(see  NZ Civil Aircraft: Cessna O-1A Bird Dog ZK-LAO )  

And in answer to several question about registration markings :-

Check out the CAA rules on this matter on this link

 https://www.aviation.govt.nz/rules/rule-part/part-47/subpart-c/#P47.104

Cessna O-1A Bird Dog ZK-LAO

Making a very brief visit to Pauanui airfield this afternoon was the Cessna Bird Dog ZK-LAO, an O-1A model c/n 21692 which was registered to the LAO Syndicate of Auckland in May 2024.

It was originally built in July 1951 under a US Army contract as serial 51-4807 and supplied to the Thai Army under the Military Assistance Program as serial 4807.    After service it lay derelict in Thailand for some years until 2013 when it was shipped to NZ for restoration.

 

Canadian Squirrels aboard the Araon at Lyttelton

 A recent posting showed the Squirrel ZK-HWG departing from the Korean icebreaker Araon at Lyttelton. HERE

Yesterday December 26th two more Squirrels helicopter arrived aboard the Araon. Both Canadian registered - and both have very interesting previous New Zealand histories.

Above is a long range phone shot of the Aerospatiale AS 350 B2 C-GDWM6 c/n 2463 of Canadian Helicopters Ltd which had just landed aboard.

A 1991 production machine listed as HB-XVT in March of 1991. It was damaged on 12-08-1995 and came to NZ to be re-worked by Helicopters (NZ) Ltd at Nelson and became ZK-HNZ3 from 01-12-1997.

It went off to Lao Westcoast Helicopters (a subsidiary of HNZ) for work in Cambodia and Myanmar. 

It was re-registered as ZK-HDO4 on 04-05-2007 and was re-exported and cancelled on 06-10-2011 to become RDPL-34185 with Lao West Coast Helicopters of Vientiane, Laos (to continue its work looking for MIA's from the American War).

On 02-01-2018 it became C-GDWM6 with Canadian Helicopters Ltd, who had in the intervening period taken over Helicopters (NZ).

The second Aerospatiale AS 350 B2 arrived later and is seen above secured on the helipad of the Araon.

This is C-GHVU2 c/n 2132. A 1988 build which became N350MB followed by HS-NMB in February 1990 and HS-HTA from January 1995 in Thailand. On 08-09-1998 it became VH-WCU with Helicopters (Australia) Pty Ltd of Belmont WA - another subsidiary of Helicopters (NZ) Ltd. It joined the NZ register as ZK-HFH3 on 04-12-2001 and served several summer seasons at Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica before returning to Helicopters (Australia) this time as VH-WDQ from 26-06-2009.

Another return to the NZ register had it listed as ZK-HVU4 from 23-09-2013 with the renamed HNZ New Zealand Ltd of Nelson. It served at least two more trips to Terra Nova Bay until it moved to its parent Company as C-GHVU from 12-07-2018.

HNZ New Zealand at Nelson today.

Two Squirrels sited at Nelson today by Lord Nelson.

 ZK-HBU3 is c/n 2286 and got a mention at :-

http://nzcivair.blogspot.co.nz/2008/10/recently-deregistered-aerospatiale.html

Continuing this history.

Helicopters (Australia) Pty Ltd become HNZ Australia Pty Ltd with the helicopter being returned to NZ to take up its old ZK-HBU3 marks on 04-10-2013 with HNZ New Zealand Ltd at Nelson

It did the summer season in the Antarctic leaving Lyttelton on 23-12-2013 and was back in Nelson in mid March only to be cancelled on 27-03-2014 as it was sent over to the parent Company Canadian Helicopters Ltd an became C-FTNZ on 07-04-2014.

As you can see it is now back in Nelson with HNZ New Zealand Ltd as from 21-20-2015.

I suspect another Ice trip is about to take place.

The AS350B ZK-HDB7 is c/n 2518 and was first placed on the NZ register as ZK-HFE2 on 30-08-1991 but went direct to an Helicopters (NZ) Ltd contract in Burma. 

In NZ it was upgraded to a AS350BA from 16-10-1997 and did a trip to the Ice during the 2001/2002 summer for the Italian Antarctic Expedition. 

Back at Nelson it was again upgraded - to a AS350B2 from 18-07-2002 and later that month it was containered out to join Lao Westcoast. 

Its NZ registration was eventually cancelled on 09-06-2005 for it to become PK-UHN with PT. National Utility Helicopters of Jakarta. Its CofA expired on 08-06-2009 and it was returned to Nelson to rejoin the Helicopters (NZ) Ltd fleet from 24-09-2009 as ZK-HDB7 (as its original ZK-HFE registration had been re-allocated to a Bell JetRanger in November of 2006).

Later in 2009 it went off on the 2009/2010 Korean Antarctic Expedition, and in the 2010/2011 summer did another Italian Antarctic Expedition.

It followed the Company changes and was re-listed to Helicopters (NZ) Limited from 07-07-2011 and then to HNZ New Zealand Limited from 30-10-2012.

So is it set from another southern sojourn ?

Thanks to Lord Nelson for the pics.