Cub ZK-BQY

Piper PA-18-95 Super Cub ZK-BQY c/n 18-5769 as noted at Ardmore on 15-03-2009.
In the cockpit on the port wing root is this placard.

This Cub was an Airwork import which obtained its NZ C of A as ZK-BQY on 28-06-1957 for delivery and listing with the Northland Districts Aero Club on 21-08-1957. It was damaged at Whangarei in February 1962 but was soon repaired. It then moved on to the Auckland Flying School followed by a stint with the Paraparaumu Flying School until on 05-05-1964 it was listed with the Northern Wairoa Aero Club at Dargaville. It was damaged near Ardmore following engine failure on 22-03-1968. Its registration was cancelled on 20-08-1968.

It was rebuilt at Thames and was re-registered ZK-CYU on 13-02-1969 to A D McLachlan & R J Stewart. Next move was to Renton Foote of Ngatea on 05-02-1971 until sold in December of 1976 for listing with E A & A Mak of Mission Bay on 21-02-1977. In May 1990 it moved to the CYU Syndicate (members included Nelson McEwan, Colin Campbell, E A Mak, G Kurte & J N Hollaway). From 2003 it went through a two year rebuilt by Andrew Phillpotts and was registered back to its original ZK-BQY marks on 07-04-2004 still with the ZK-CYU Syndicate.

Ardmore 18 March 2009

Bits and pieces flinging around in the short time I had on the airfield.

Northland Emergency Services Trust (NEST) Sikorsky S76 ZK-IAL was at Hawker Pacific for maintenance and carried out a local flight to the southeast and back.

Waimana Helicopters AS350BA Squirrel ZK-IAZ arrived from the southeast, still no titles.

New Plymouth based Cessna 320 ZK-EGN arrived from the southwest, refuelled and subseqently 'parked up' while Massey Aviation Piper PA34 ZK-MBA arrived from Hamilton and departed from Whangarei.

Harvard ZK-MJN/NZ1052 was bashing the circuit.

ZK-JTP in new QF colours

Pictured outside the No 1 hangar today prior to departing for some test flying. Note the location of the "Spirit of Australia" titles.

Otter on the hard.

I captured this olde girl out of its element at Rorotua on 17-03-2009. I also managed the climb up into the drivers seat and got a pic of the manufacturers data plate.

As you can see it is a de Haviland Aircraft of Canada Ltd, DHC-3 Otter with S/N 35.

It even has a date of manufacture.

Built for the Royal Canadian Air Force and given the serial number 3677. It was delivered on 24-03-1954. I know it served time in Nova Scotia and also witrh the UN in Egypt. It was withdrawn from RCAF service in 1977 and turned up on the Canadian civil register as C-GOFA with the Ministry of Natural Resources. It then moved to the US and became N511BW (as per the manufacturers plate) in July of 1986 and returned to Canada on 2002 to become C-FXGA. It was noted at Tauranga in October of 2004 and became ZK-VAS with Volcanic Air Services of Rotorua on 16-11-2004.

If you can find a copy of Pacific Wings for August of 2005; there is an article on this machine on page 22.

Ardmore 17 March 2009

Transworld Motor's Piper PA28R-201T ZK-TWM was noted for the first time by me at Ardmore with the aircraft registered in Christchurch.

Zenith CH701 Stol ZK-STL was beating the circuit at Ardmore and displaying its very effective STOL characteristics. Registered to folk in Bombay, just south of Auckland, but I'm not sure where it usually resides.

Grunty Stoddard-Hamilton Glasair III ZK-EFW came whistling in from the east and since I last saw it has had a Silver Fern added to the tail.

Fractional Aviation Cirrus SR22 ZK-SSP is registered to a North Shore address but lives at Ardmore and was today minus its cover and parked near Eagle Flight Training from where it later departed. Its been in NZ for almost 5 years.

Question Time #40 Resolved

Anonymous has correctly identified the aircraft as Yak 52 ZK-KGB, photographed recently here at Wings Over Wairarapa. This is the only Yak 52 that I have seen with a spinner and a 3 bladed propellor.

This aircraft was first registered in New Zealand as ZK-LJH to Coromandel Pharmacy on 9/7/96. Its registration was changed to ZK-KGB on 1/10/97 after an offer that could not be refused may have been made to the previous owner of the registration ZK-KGB (which was a Periera GP2 Osprey amphibian that was owned and built by K G Belcher of Auckland - this Osprey is still current as ZK-OSP).

After owners in Wanaka and Auckland, it is now owned by R M Grant of Dillingham, Alaska, USA.

Lake Kerikeri

Whilst poking around at Kerikeri I stumbled into this lake (so to speak) [ and I could no find it on any of the local area maps either]. It is the elusive Lake LA-4-200 Buccaneer ZK-DQN c/n 1045. I last noted this in the Northland Aviation hangar at Whangarei in March of 2008 slowly coming together. It was previously listed as DQ-ACA from 17-08-1998 with Coral Air at Nadi. It was noted engineless at Nadi in September 2005. Built in early 1980 as N8007B it migrated to Australia as VH-XPS until waddling off to Fiji to become DQ-ACA on 17-08-1998 for Coral Air.There is a small metal plate on the door/window sill confirming it as DQ-ACA.

This comment added 16-03-2009:-

Noted for sale in the January Aviation Trader with total time of 1302 hours; engine 315 since major overhaul. NZ airframe restoration, engine bulk strip, prop overhauled, new blades. Zero corrosion, A$155,000. Contact Seabird.

Question Time #40

Seeing the blog has been a bit quiet lately, here is an easy question for you.

What is this aircraft and what is the registration?

Three Helicopters recently noted.

I've been on the road for over three weeks now, but saddly work has been getting in the way of aeronautical pursuits and a very poor laptop battery has kept me off the air. Tonight however I have mains power so have dumped these three helicopters onto the blog - for no particular reason except they are all first sightings for me.
Above is the Eurocopter AS350B3 Squirrel ZK-HTS c/n 4025 of Flyghtship Construction which arrived at Omaka the same time as I did on 15-02-09.

At Wanganui the MD500E ZK-HRK2 c/n 0267E of Hill Country Helicopters was about to leave as I arrived on 18-02-09 with monsoon bucket attached.

At New Plymouth on 21-02-09 the Agusta AW139 ZK-HNZ4 c/n 31102 of Helicopters (NZ) Ltd was out in the sun with Bell 412 ZK-HDA3 c/n 3066 clattering away in the background.

Alpine Choppers

The only fling wing braving the 35kt northeaster at Ardmore 05Mar was this new Eurocopter AS350 B3 ZK-ITG (rego temporarily taped on - just as well it wasn't raining!) and registered the day prior to Alpine Choppers down in Central Otago.