Piper Malibu ZK-MPG

Arriving at Tauranga on 28 May at the conclusion of its delivery flight was Piper PA46-310P N957JK which was registered to Fairway Air 07 June as ZK-MPG.

At Auckland 28 May, Mike Condon photo

Warbirds Open Day - Ardmore 05 June 2011

Warbirds "D Day" Open Day was held at Ardmore 05 June to commerate the D Day landings of 6 June 1944.  Early low cloud cleared to a fine day with displays being conducted from late morning including the Strikemaster, Miles Messenger, Harvards, Spitfire, Kittyhawk, DC3 parachute drop, FW108, MX2 and Thunder Mustang.

A large crowd was present indicating a demand for such events is still alive and well.

All photos Mike Condon

Change of ownership for Porter ZK-JML.

 The Pilatus PC-6 B1-H2 Turbo Porter ZK-JML2 (c/n 653) has found a new home with Skydive Nelson Ltd, of Motueka.  As A14-653 this Porter was one of 19 used by the Australian military.
It came to NZ in early 2006. The photo above shows it at Taieri on 09-10-2007 with its white registration letters; and the lower photo from Sir Minty shows at at Ardmore on 13-03-2010 with silver markings.

Stand by for a very apt change of registration marks for this aircraft.

Its ex Mercer workmate ZK-JMP3 (also ex Australian Army) is currently undergoing a 14 year inspection.

Piper PA34 ZK-ZAG

Golden Bay Air's Piper PA34-220T ZK-ZAG was out flying from Ardmore 07 June pending its delivery to the Takaka based carrier.

Extensive coverage of Golden Bay Air can be found at :
http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2010/09/golden-bay-air-profile.html

Mike Condon photos

Zenith CH 601 XL ZK-SWW Back in the Air Again

I photographed Zenith CH 601 XL ZK-SWW in its hangar at Ardmore on Sunday 29 June. ZK-SWW was built by Aaron Skidmore and Peter Whyte and was first registered on 8/11/07. It is owned by the Skidmore Whyte Whyte Partnership, hence the registration. Peter Whyte has since imported Vans RV 9 ZK-RVY. Aaron told me that he had just finished incorporating the mandatory wing strengthening modification for Zenith 601's. He reckoned that it would have been easier to build a whole new wing! You can see a strengthening gusset on the side of the fuselage too.

The Zenith CH 601 attracted a lot of unfavourable publicity in 2008, when several examples suffered wing failure. The designer Chris Hientz calculated that the wings did not require strengthening however after the continuing controversy he did a U turn and approved the wing strengthening, which is now mandatory for most models of Zenith 601's. In New Zealand these aircraft are being progressively modified

Pics from Gisborne #5. "ZK-EIL"

 Two more interesting photographs kindly provided by ZKDDG of Gisborne.

 New Zealand Aerospace Industries Ltd of Hamilton where the agent for the Grumman American range of light aircraft around the 1970's. One particular AA-5 Traveller they imported was c/n AA5-0749 which became ZK-DLG on 22-05-1975. It eventually was listed to the NAC/BP Flying Club at Wellington on 14-04-1977, which later became the Air NZ/BP Flying Club. In the early 80's it was withdrawn from use due to delamination of the bonded wing panels. It was cancelled on 19-08-1983 and sat in the back of the East Aviation/Wellington Aero Club hangar until being purchased by John Reid of Reid Aviation/Air Gisborne. I believe the center section of this airframe went into a rework and life extension of ZK-JER (John's initials). The left over became this daintly little creature "ZK-EIL" which is sometimes used by the local crash fire team.
E.I.L are the commercial arm of the Gisborne Community Trust which started with the local electricity Company and now includes the Port of Gisborne, Gisborne Airport, and owns Flightline and Skysales, among others.

Now the real ZK-EIL was a Piper PA38-112 Tomahawk with Airwork Ltd for but was only around for a couple of weeks in January of 1979 before being re-registered as ZK-WAD for the Waitemata Aero Club. It is still current with Thom McCready in the Reparoa area.

Pics from Gisborne #4

 More photos from ZKDDG in Gisborne :- Two Douglas DC-3's and a Tiger Moth.

These two shots show Douglas C-47A , c/n 20051 , in the Gisborne Aviation Preservation Societies hangar painted to represent the RNZAF C47 NZ3547. 

This airframe actually has no NZ military history apart from being on display at the RNZAF Museum at Ohakea until 2000 after which it went to Gisborne. Following service with the USAAF during WW11 it became NC65393 with Trans Pacific Airlines of Hawaii and then N65393 with Aloha Airlines. It first arrived in NZ briefly on 04-12-1960 and then dashed off to Hong Kong on the 8th for conversion to the Ag role for Rural Aviation with whom it became ZK-BYF on23-02-1961. It transferred to Airland (NZ) Ltd in August of 1966,

ZK-BYF at Paraparaumu on 11-01-1971.

and to Fieldair in February of 1977.
 It was withdrawn from use on 20-01-1981 with 34,891 flying hours. It then popped up at the Silverstream Aeronautical Society yard (north of Stokes Valley) resting alongside a Harvard and a Ceres.

ZK-BYF at Silverstream on 22-07-1982.

Its next move had it at Ohakea as a gate guardian and painted in the "D Day" scheme of KG318/YS.

Lying alongside ZK-BYF/"NZ3547" at Gisborne in the top pic are the mortal remains of Tiger Moth ZK-AWA. This was a Fieldair aircraft which crashed in April of 1957.

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The second DC-3/C-47 at Gisborne is at the Smash Palace Restaurant and Wine Bar. It is even more difficult to get a good photo of this one. This is c/n 13521 which served in the South Pacific during WW11ending up on the Australian civil register with Australian National Airline in December of 1945 as VH-ANU. It joined NZNAC as ZK-BKD on 27-06-1955. It then served with Mount Cook under their various name changes, on lease.

Photo shows ZK-BKD at Christchurch on 25-04-1966.

It went back to NZNAC and on to Fieldair on 13-07-1970. It was retired in January 1983 and stored at Palmerston North and was cancelled in November 1987. Hamish Ross acquired it for inclusion in an agricultural museum near Rotorua. Sadly Hamish was killed in the crash of Fletcher ZK-BIX on 11-12-1990 and the museum project faded away. The airframe was moved to Gisborne in 1991.

Pics from Gisborne #3

Two view of the "Porta Cabin" used by SAFE AIR as passenger accommodation in their two Bristol 170 Freighters used on the Chatham Island service. these two Bristols (ZK-CLT and ZK-CRK) were the only two of the fleet to retain all of their fuselage side windows - to match up with the windows on the "Cabin".
this unit is held at Gisborne by the Gisborne Aircraft Preservation Society. Photos again from ZKDDG.

For more on the Chathams click on the link below.
http://nzcivair.blogspot.com/2010/07/merchant-islander-at-hapupu.html


Below is a view of ZK-CLT, c/n 13157 ,  "Merchant Hauler" taken on 04-06-1987and cunningly marked as "NZ5913" during its stay at the RNZAF Museum at Wigram. It later went to Canada and was written off in April of 1997. Note the full compliment of fuselage windows.

 Below is a shot of ZK-CRK , c/n 13159 , "Merchant Islander"  on the grass strip at Hapupu on the Chathams on 09-10-1969. This was before the days of the Porta Cabin, when freight was loaded through the nose doors and the passengers sat at the rear of the aircraft.

 Below is what is left of ZK-CRK today at the Ferrymead Museum in Christchurch.

More Ardmore

It has taken me a while to get back to posting some more from Ardmore last Sunday - busy week!

Another hangar that was open was the one beside the Thunder Mustang hangar, and there were several immaculate aircraft inside, all owned by the Kaipara Aviation Trust of North Shore.
The first was Stearman A 75N 1 ZK-BWR which had probably the cleanest engine I have ever seen. It is ex N 52648 and was first registered in New Zealand on 21/6/07. It was fastidiously rebuilt at Blenhiem by Stuart Tantrum and flew again in January 2009.
And the second was our only Mooney M 20R Ovation, ZK-VBB - a very smooth aircraft.

In the background is a Lockheed L 10 Electra rebuild which is quite advanced. I understand this will become ZK-AWR for Rob Mackley.

The Kaipara Aviation Trust also owns the immaculate red Cessna o1H Bird Dog ZK-DOG.

Some pics from Gisborne #2

 Three more Gisborne aircraft as photographed by ZK-DDG

Gulfstream American AA5A Cheetah ZK-JER , c/n AA5A-0764 , is on the line with Air Gisborne, and effectively has been, since being imported and registered on 23-09-1982 via Dennis Thompson International Ltd. I believe this airframe now has over 21,500 hours many being flown by John Reid, the chief pilot for Air Gisborne and A cat instructor, on fish spotting.

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Piper PA23-250E Aztec ZK-PIX ,  c/n 27-4738 , reached our shores in March of 1986 for Motueka Air  and then to Commercial Helicopters/Mountain Air from July of 1992. It was listed with Sunair Aviation on 17-12-2008. One of eight such Aztecs on line.

Plinth mounted Fletcher FU24-950M ZK-BWV , c/n 72 , was assembled as an FU24N by Air Parts (NZ) Ltd and registered on 28-03-1960, first flying on 12-07-1960, gaining its C of A on 18-07-1960. It served with Thames Aerial Top Dressing Co Ltd, as fleet number 5, until being listed to Fieldair Ltd of Palmerston North on 19-07-1973. It was upgraded to a 950M along the way. It was damaged after over running into a gully during an aborted take off at Whareora (Whangarei area) on 15-09-1989. Did it ever fly again ?   Its registration was cancelled on 25-08-1997. It replaced the Lodestar ZK-BUV as a gate guardian at Gisborne airport.