Great Barrier Island visitors 03-03-2009

Three visitors I noted during my period on the Island.

Above is the Piper PA-32 260B Cherokee Six ZK-ENZ2 c/n 32-1117. photographed at the Islands second airfield Okiwi. This Slab Wing was first registered in NZ as ZK-DBP to the Northern Districts Aero Club of Whangarei on 06-07-1970, having arrived from the US as N7715J on 26-06-1970. Four private owners later it was acquired by New Zealand Air Services Ltd of North Shore, dated 29-03-1994 to be re-registered as ZK-ENZ on 08-04-1994. It joined the Great Barrier Airlines on 15-12-1997.

These two Britten-Norman products seen at Claris Airfield.

Above is the BN2A Islander ZK-SFK c/n 236. This came to NZ from West Australia as VH-CPG, reaching Auckland on 28-09-1993. It became ZK-SFK for Southflight Aviation of Christchurch on 07-10-1993. It became Wings over Whales of Kaikoura from 14-11-2000 until picked up by Commercial Helicopters Ltd on 18-06-2005 who trade as Fly My Sky.

Below is the BN2A Mk111-2 Trislander ZK-LGC2 c/n 1042. This one has a rather convoluted history. I will just say that it initially had plans to become ZK-CJS with Great Barrier but at the end of the day it became ZK-LGC2 on 14-10-2008 replacing Trislander ZK-LGC1 which had only been cancelled on 02-10-2008.

Blue Bus gets to Great Barrier Island

Joining overhead at Claris Field on Great Barrier Island on 03-03-2009

The Blue Bus on long final for Claris

These two stones on either side of the gate near the Great Barrier Airlines Office say it better than I can.

Another BRS equiped aircraft.

Above is a view of the Sigma ZK-JQF coming together at Rangiora back on 24-02-2006 with the Ballistic Recovery System cord clearly visible; as is the white canister containing the chute in the luggage compartment.
Just from memory I don't think that the other Sigma's ZK-JRC2 and ZK-JRN have this option.

Newish Entrants

McDonnell Douglas MD500 Notar ZK-III/2 was noted outside Eurocopter at Ardmore 04Mar and has been registered to Faram Helicopters, Gisborne, since early December 2008. Its dark green in colour, not that easy to photograph in the lighting conditions! Interestingly, the first ZK-III, a BK117, deregistered as exported in September 2008, still sits in the Oceania hanger.

Ardmore Flying School's latest Cessna 172R, ZK-TAX/2, was earning its keep having joined the fleet mid February. Prior to this it was with Flightline as ZK-JRH and replaces ZK-TAX/1. The first TAX ditched in a low flying area on a training flight back on 04Jul 2005 after attempting to evade a flock of birds at low altitude.

John Shaw of Whangarei took on Piper PA44-180T ZK-MBO which had languished at Ardmore for a number of years following its career with Massey Aviation (Palmerston North) from December 1990. The aircraft has undergone a signifcant face lift and looks brand new sporting this scheme. Captured departing Ardmore 04Mar.

Beech Duke N60TE, normally a Dunedin resident but spending a little time at Ardmore presently, was spotted carrying out a high speed run down runway 03. The previous Friday the aircraft was noted with some cabin seats removed, perhaps its getting readied for an overseas departure?? Addtional info - Departed Ardmore for Wanaka 05Mar.

Question Time #39 Resolved!

Congratulations to Mike Condon who got the questions essentially correct, although he guessed at the answer to question 3.

The plane is a 4 seater Dyn Aero MCR 4S which is being built from a kitset by Peter Armstrong. I think this was one of 2 MCR 4S kitsets that arrived in July 2008, so progress has been good. The MCR 4S is a remarkable aircraft that can carry a payload of one and a half time sits own weight, and cruises at around 150mph.

The photo was taken at the recent Pilot Expo at Ardmore.

And the rebate is for the cords of the ballistic parachute that is fitted. The cords are laid in the rebate and are covered over by a flush cover that will blow away when the ballistic parachute is fired. At least that is my understanding!

I wonder how many other aircraft in Newe Zealand have ballistic recovery parachutes?

At least one other plane with a ballistic parachute is little brother Dyn Aero MCR 01 ZK-WIK. If you blow this photo up and look closely behind the canopy you can see the blow off cover. Photo taken at Parakai where it is owned by the agents Leading Edge Aviation. It was first registered on 22/5/07.

And I thought I would round off the Dyn Aero population of New Zealand by posting our other Dyn Aero MCR 01 ZK-TFB taken the the recent SAANZ flyin at Ashburton. This one doesn't appear a ballistic parachute. It is owned by E J Gardiner of Rangiora and was first registered on 14/3/01.

I understand that another MCR 01 is on its way to New Zealand in a container from France.

Glider lost out of Omarama 27-02-2009. ZK-GYY.

Schempp-Hirth Duo Discus ZK-GYY c/n 306 crashed onto the side of Mt Saint Cuthbert shortly after tow release on 27-02-2009 with the loss of one of the crew.

Saint Cuthbert; sometime written as St Cuthbert; and loosely called Mt Horrible by many, is in the background above the canopy in the top photograph. Mt Horrible is actually the mountain beyond Saint Cuthbert.

This Duo Discus first joined our register courtesy of Bruce Drake of Drake Aviation and was allocated Bruce's "special" registration of ZK-GRZ4 (from memory) [RZ inferring R Zend] on 03-12-2001 before being re-registered as ZK-GYY on 14-10-2003. It was listed to Glider Rentals on 10-05-2004.

Question Time #39

Blue Bus asked me to do a question time while he is "bussing off into the blue", so here goes.

I think that Blue Bus's question times are too hard what with only showing us a tiny bit of an aircraft, so I will show you the whole aircraft!

There are 3 questions to answer:

1. What type of aircraft is this? - make and model please

2. Where was the photo taken? (it is in New Zealand), and

3. What is the rebate around the cabin windows and up over the top of the fuselage for?

Homebuilt Helicopters at Parakai

Logan McLean's yearly flyin at Parakai suffered from the bad weather in Auckland on 28 February, but was to go ahead on the altenative rain day, today 1 March. The numbers of aircraft were down over previous years but there were some interesting sport aircraft there nevertheless.

The ones that caught my eye were these 3 different types of homebuilt helicopters. Above is the Rotorway Executive ZK-IOH owned and presumably imported by Lars J Fellman of Helensville, featuring a nice shark scheme. It was previously OH-XOH and was first registered on 26/10/07.

The next is so new it is not even on the NZ Register! It is a Mosquito XE built locally and which is produced by Innovator Technologies of Calgary, Canada. They have a really neat web address - Mosquito Net! (www.mosquito.net.nz).

And from the same company is the Mosquito Air XEL built by Oskar Stielau of North Shore, which is a bare bones version of the Mosquito XE, with the same motor. This has been featured previously on this blog but since then it has a new colour scheme - now it has black fuel tanks with yellow registration, whereas previously it had silver tanks with a red registration!

New Plymouth on 21st. Hurry up and wait..

Lurking round the back (near Jim Hickey's hideaway) at New Plymouth is this Grumman American AA-5 Traveller ZK-DLB c/n AA5-0439. This was rolled out of the GA factory in 1973 as N7139L for delivery to New Zealand Aerospace Industries Ltd of Hamilton. It was registered on 14-11-1973 and was then leased to Eagle Flying Academy before being delivered to the Wellington Aero Club on 18-06-1974 and officially listed to them on 23-07-74. It moved on to P J Burgess of Whitby on 13-06-1990 and more recently to James Guthrie at New Plymouth from 07-10-1997. It now needs a lot of TLC.

Also waiting around was this Beech C90SE King Air ZK-MKG c/n LJ-1367. This was the original SE factory demonstrator for Beechcraft from around about 30-09-1994. It flew as N111MU before arriving in NZ on 26-05-2005 for listing with Air Wanganui Commuter from 16-05-2005. The " MKG" letters in memory of Mackie George a founding pilot.

Three more from Hamilton.

This tidy little Zenith CH601-XL ZK-XLI c/n 6-9372 first appeared on 27-04-2005 with Jaroslav Trombik of Auckland. Its next listed owner was Paul Muller Aircraft Ltd of New Plymouth from 02-08-2006 before moving to the Rotorua Aero Club (Inc) on 03-02-2007.

This all white Reims/Cessna F406 Caravan 11 ZK-XLF c/n F406-0057 was spotted at Hamilton on 23-02-2009. It came off the Reims production line and was registered as F-WZDP followed by a period as N31226 before delivery to the French colonies as F-ODYZ. Vincent Aviation of Wellington picked it up and listed it as ZK-VAF on 31-12-2002. Kiwi Air of Gisborne took it over on 01-12-2008 and re-registered it as ZK-XLF on 27-01-2009.

Above is a recent addition to our register. This Cessna TU206F is powered with a Continental TSIO-520 giving around 300hp. As ZK-CRW c/n U20603434 it was imported for the Auckland Skydivers (Inc) and registered on 30-01-2009. Seen here at Hamilton on 23-02-2009 having a roller door (for lack of a better term) fitted on the stbd side. It was created as N8578Q and obtained its US airworthiness on 28-08-1976. Last listed US owner was Macarthur Welding Inc of Saint George, Utah who feature from March of 1988.