BK117 ZK-HQO

Thanks to BlueBus - BK117 ZK-HQO/3, built as D-HBNQ became N169BK in December 1985 followed by a spell as N912WS before becoming N532KH.  This ended up in the Era Med LLC fleet in January 2007.  It subsequently ended up in the hands of Airwork out at Ardmore and the fuselage was noted there in June 2012 and today for the first time noted outside in this rather bright colour scheme.  Perhaps it is destined to remain a medivac platform.

Ardmore 14 June 2012

Ardmore 10 March 2013

Still about.

The ex Air New Zealand Fokker F27 Friendship ZK-BXH (c/n 10190) is under cover at the Wanaka Transport and Toy Museum. It seem to have taken the place of the Lodestar.  An earlier post on BXH is at  http://nzcivair.blogspot.co.nz/2012/08/last-ride-for-zk-bxh.html
The Mig 21's tail is visible, so it has been moved forward from out of the back paddock and the Jet Provost T.5 XW357 is now in a fenced enclosure alongside the highway to/from Wanaka.

There is always something interesting happening in Timaru - you just have to find it.

Above is the Quickie ZK-JGZ (c/n AACA/706) well on the way to recovery. It was damaged some years ago and cancelled from the register on 31-07-1998. The broken rear fuselage has been repaired by Kerry Jackson of Methven and the rebuild is in the hands of Mark Fitzgerald of Timaru.  He intends to install a 36hp Rotax 377 (twice the grunt of the original Onam engine) with a 2.58 reduction box. This engine along with the instrument panel and associated systems are currently mounted on a modified hospital bed for engine and system checks before being installed.
Interestingly the damaged aircraft had originally been sold to a person in Australia but transportation difficulties resulted in a re-sale to the current owner.
JGZ gets an earlier mention here :- http://nzcivair.blogspot.co.nz/search?q=jgz

Above is the Circa Reproductions Nieuport 11 ZK-NIE1 (c/n  MAANZ/471) which is now back in Timaru with a "Private owner" and currently stored in the Aviation Museum at the Timaru Airport.
This airframe has also been covered in an earlier posting at :-
http://nzcivair.blogspot.co.nz/2010/03/nieuport-resurfaces.html
When this relica returns to the air it will be using different registration marks.

Airliners at Ardmore

BN2 Islander ZK-PIY arriving 07 March. 

BN2 Islander ZK-PIZ arriving 05 March.

P68 Partenavia ZK-LAL arrived and departed 07 March.  This aircraft has been a common sight across Auckland skies as it conducts aerial survey work from about 1500ft. 

To be delivered - updated

Photographed at the Australian International Airshow, Avalon, on 26 February was this Piper PA44-180 Seminole ZK-NAH.  It was registered to Motueka based Nelson Aviation College on 15 February and will be flown across the Tasman at the conclusion of its participation as a Piper demonstrator at Avalon.

06 March saw the Seminole fly from Moorabbin to Wagga Wagga and Port Macquarie and 07 March it was "feet wet" heading to Lord Howe Island. 

Skycatchers

The Auckland Aero Club's Cessna 162 Skycatchers were both out doing what they do best 07 March, and that is of course flight training.  Also parked at the aero club in recent weeks has been the other Ardmore resident Skycatcher ZK-VCG and as I type the aircraft has been registered to the Auckland Aero Club today!

Out with the old.......

........and in with the new.  Well, maybe.  Opiki Cropping Ltd of Wellington have operated Cessna T182T ZK-MRH since July 2007 but on 21 February this year Cessna T206H ZK-JWH was registered to them also with the aircraft being prepared by Ardmore's Flightline, the local Cessna importer.

ZK-JWH was outside being groomed 06 March and the following day it was out flying.

ZK-MRH at Ardmore 06 March. 

Aerosport Woody Pusher(s) of New Zealand

The next type of 2 seat homebuilt aircraft to appear in New Zealand was the Aerosport Woody Pusher. The Woody Pusher was designed by Harris Woods in America and was first marketed for homebuilding in the early 1960's. Harris Woods also designed the Aerosport Scamp of which we have had several in New Zealand, and he formed Aerosport to market his homebuilt aircraft designs.

The Woody Pusher was based closely on the pre-WW 2 Curtiss Junior.  It is a 2 seat tandem design with a length of 6.2 metres (20 feet 5 inches) andf a wingspan of 8.8 metres (29 feet).  Its empty weight IS 290 Kg (630 pounds) and MAUW is 520 Kg (1,150 pounds).  With and engine of between 65 and 85 HP, it has a maximum speed of 100 mph and a stall speed of 45 mph.

Our only Woody Pusher is Alan Belworthy's ZK-DUA (c/n AACA/172/1), which he built at Masterton in the early 1970's.  I remember seeing it being built, and it was very different from the Jodels and Minicabs which were being built at the time. It featured a Continental A 75 engine which Alan imported from the US.   The above photo was taken at Masterton following its first flight on 5 February 1974.

Alan had a lot of fun in the Woody Pusher and flew it to most of the AACA flyins around New Zealand.  The above photo was taken at the 1982 AACA flyin at Taupo with Alan as pilot in command.

ZK-DUA has not changed at all over the years and is still current, having flown over 800 hours to date.  The above photo was taken at the 2009 SAANZ flyin at Ashburton.  It is based at Evan Belworthy's Cust airstrip along with the rest of the Belworthy's remarkable homebuilt aircraft stable.

 

Recent helicopters

 In the last week or so I have come across many helicopters. Here are three of them.

Spied at the Cromwell Racecourse and parked outside its hangar on 23-02-2013 was the Robinson R44 Raven ZK-HOA2 (c/n 1419) of Aurum Helicopters Ltd. This is ex Ag Ops and Heli Ag.

The above Robinson R22 Beta began life in NZ as ZK-HVG2 in 2004 and was re-registered as ZK-IFT on 27-03-2006. In mid October of 2010 it was sold to David and Maree Jopp of Maritanga Station, near Ranfurly. It was re-registered to ZK-IDJ2 (David's initials) on 26-09-2011 and is currently based at Taieri whilst the owner gets rated. It is seen above at Flightline Dunedin for maintenance on 26-02-2-13.

Trying to evade my lens at Taieri on 28-02-2013 was the Robinson R22 Beta ZK-HCF2 (c/n 1286).

An Errol Carr (Helicar Consolidated) import in March 1990. It was listed to Carol Mills of Christchurch on 02-03-1990; then to Trevor Currie of Outram from 26-08-1993. It moved to its current owner; Helicopters Otago Ltd; on 31-08-2000.

March Hare Rally and Hog heaven.

Absolutely nothing to do with NZ civil aviation - but it has been the weekend of the March Hare Rally at Waimate. Thats the "Blue Bus" parked in the main drag with a few of my escorts. Really Hog heaven. (Just one reason why my additions to the Blog have been rather lean for the last few days).
And in case you are wondering - that is not me in the wheel chair.
Some say that there were 1000 bikes on Saturday night !

Recent tail dragger sightings.

 After some time out of the air, hangared at Wanaka, the North American NA88 Harvard III* ZK-ENE (c/n 88-14678) is coming together nicely with Southair at Taieri. It appears to have a replacement port wing. It is currently listed with Mainland Air Services (2010) Ltd, and is for sale if you are interested.

In at Southair at Taieri was Cessna 152 ZK-FGC (c/n 15282207) from Mainland Air - in temporary tail drag mode - with a leaking nose wheel oleo being attended to.

Tucked in among the trees at Alexandra a few days back (23-02-2013) was the Cessna A185E ZK-CYA (c/n 185-1023). It is listed with CYA Holdings of Queenstown. This was initially registered in NZ on 08-06-1966 as ZK-COK but was damaged in 1967 and rebuilt to become ZK-CYA on 10-09-1968.

In Mainlands hangar at Momona was the Cessna 152 T/D ZK-ETD (c/n 15284195) 

Outside the Otago Aeo Club hangar was their Rans S-6ES Coyote II ZK-OAC2 (c/n 02991305). This one began life as ZK-WAL2 on 23-11-1991 and then became ZK-JNA5 between 20-04-2012 and 03-05-2012.