Homegrown Two Seat (and Plus) Homebuilt Aircraft of New Zealand (6) - Seaflight Shearwater

The Seaflight (NZ) Ltd Shearwater is a very interesting locally designed amphibian that was developed by a group at Mahurangi, East of Warkworth.  Martin Farrand owned the Coot amphibian ZK-ECL in the late 1990s but he wanted a four seat amphibian.  Bill Townson was Martin's neighbour and had been a keen aero modeller and he designed the Shearwater.  He was assisted by several well known homebuilders including Lionel Dixon and Alistair McLachlan.  The design was proved by a series of scale models which were also used to refine the shape of the hull by towing them behind Bill's boat.  Design and stressing calculations were done in the US by drawing up plans in the same CAD package that the US engineers worked in and sending files backwards and forwards.  The modelling took 3 years and construction took a further 4 years.  Others in the team included Alan Coubray Kerry Farrand and Victor Hopwood.

The Shearwater design incorporates a relatively low mounted pusher engine with the propellor recessed into a shallow vee that forms the rear fuselage.  This also gives good control authority to the V tail.  The wings are tapered with a 5 degree dihedral and swept down tips which act as floats, and the 526 litre fuel tanks are in the wing leading edges.  The wings are removable and are held together in the middle by removable pins.  The cabin has four seats and was modelled on a Honda Accord (but the Accord was quite a bit smaller in the 1990s).  Construction is of all sea water proof materials, with the main structure from fibreglass (well proven in boats) and the aluminium fittings are marine grade.  The engine was a 0-350-PZL-6 Polish development of the American Franklin engine producing 210 HP mated to an in flight adjustable Ivoprop.

The Shearwater is 9.25 metres (30 feet 4 inches) long and its wingspan is 11.0 metres (36 feet 1 inch).  The empty weight is around 910 Kg (2,000 pounds) and MAUW is 1,482 Kg (3,267pounds).

Thanks very much to Martin Farrand for most of the photos below.

 ZK-SFA2 (c/n 1) was first registered to Seaflight (NZ) Ltd of Warkworth on 12/11/01.

The photos show it out and about at Mahurangi where it was hangared at Martin Farrand's house which had a hangar built on the waters edge.

 On the water...

 Moored...

 And on the hard sand.

On 4/11/04 ownership changed to Shearwater Industries Ltd of Christchurch, who had plans to market the Shearwater commercially.  The above photo was taken in a hangar at Ardmore on 5/3/05 when the aircraft was being prepared to attend the 2005 EAA Airventure at Oshkosh.

The Shearwater was re-registered ZK-TNZ on 5/5/05

Here is a photo of ZK-TNZ at Oshkosh in July 2005, where I understand it created quite a lot of interest and I also seem to recall some orders were received.

 Back at Ardmore , 26/5/06.

The Shearwater was sold back to Seaflight (NZ) Ltd (Martin Farrand) on 5/11/07 and it was re-registered back as ZK-SFA2 on 13/10/09.

In 2011, a product launch of the Shearwater 201 was introduced by Shearwater Aircraft at Flair (a local aircraft expo that was held at Te Kowhai).  The aircraft was introduced by Steve Hoyle and there is an interview with him done by the Historic Aviation Unit on You Tube.  By this time the aircraft was quite different in many respects, including a retractable ski for water landings and a turbine engine.  However the ambitious development plans came to nought and Shearwater Industries is no longer listed.

Finally a shot of ZK-SFA2 over the Mahurangi Harbour near Warkworth.

The Shearwater is still currently registered but has been inactive for some time while various modifications were made.  Martin Farrand advises that he is going to install a Lycoming IO 540 engine which will offer substantially more horsepower.  We will watch this space with interest.

ZK-HUG on the move.

Spotted at Garden City Helicopters facility alongside SH1 at Christchurch today was the Aerospatiale AS 350BA ZK-HUG2 (c/n 2038).

Partially dismantled and wrapped and tied down on a container type base for transport.

She is heading back up to the Fiji..

The mound in the background is part of the SH1 overpass under construction which will soon cross over Memorial Avenue.

Billy T in the fat Cub.

Cast your beady optics over this clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9E8H2abXmYQ&feature=youtu.be

With thanks to :-

http://www.offtheedge.co.nz/

AT Christchurch this day.

An early afternoon visitation to the Western Grass area of Christchurch International Airport found these four flying machines - nothing new for these pages alas.

The Piper PA-28-160 Cherokee B ZK-CWS (c/n 28-1113) was on the tie downs today.

a classic from 1963 and ex ZK-BYT.

It carries the script 'Owned and operated by Knights Point Air Ltd' just forward and above the wing leading edge, and also this logo.

 See earlier post :-  http://nzcivair.blogspot.co.nz/2015/10/zk-cws-at-nzrt-24-10-2015.html

The MD 500N NOTAR ZK-IGA (c/n LN078) is back with CVI Aviation Ltd of Christchurch

IGA has had several previous postings.

Hughes 369E ZK-INM is c/n 0528E and is listed with Mount View Developments Ltd.

It was briefly mentioned previously at :-

http://nzcivair.blogspot.co.nz/2013/07/todays-lunch-break-at-nzrt-12-07-2013.html

Beckenham Hills Ltd operate this Helio H-250 Courier II ZK-TCE (c/n 2503) from their patch south of Cheviot.

Several previous posts on TCE can be found by doing a search.

Australian Aviation Works J6C Karatoos of New Zealand

The Karatoo was designed by Jesse Anglin of Hendersonville, North Carolina and first appeared in 1982.  (Jesse Anglin designed several homebuilt aircraft including the J3 Kitten, the J4 Sportster and the low wing retro styled Spacewalker).  The Anglin J6A Karatoo was powered by a Rotax 503 or 582.  I always thought that it was an Australian design and that Karatoo was an aboriginal word, but Karatoo does not seem to have a definition.  Norman Aviation of Quebec in Canada further developed the aircraft and then the Karatoo was further developed by Australian Max Peters who had developed Subaru engines for aircraft use.  It has since been  manufactured in kit form by several Australian companies and is currently produced as the J6C by Serenity Aviation.

The Karatoo is constructed from a 4130 steel tube framed fuselage and wooden wings, all fabric covered.  Its length is around 20 feet (dependent on the engine used), wingspan is 32 feet 6 inches and the wing area is 146 square feet.  The empty weight is between 580 and 650 pounds dependent on the engine fitted, and MAUW is 1200 pounds (544 Kg).  Engines can be from 65 HP to 100 HP, and with a Rotax 912 engine cruise is around 80 knots.

We have had three Karatoos in New Zealand to date, as follows:

ZK-KTO (c/n J6 673P).  Construction was commenced by Vincent Kilsby of Coromandel and the project was later sold to Mike Small.  It was first registered on 28/8/01 as a Norman J6 Karatoo to Michael GA (Mike) Small of Rangiora.  It originally had a Subaru EA 81 engine with a short cowling, as in the above photo taken at the 2004 SAANZ flyin at Tauranga.  It was re-designated as an Australian Aviation Works J6C Karatoo on 15/4/03.  It was damaged in a heavy landing at Loburn Abbey on 21/6/07.

It was repaired and re-engined with a Rotax 912 engine in October 2007, and is shown with a longer engine cowling in the above photo which was taken at the 2009 SAANZ flyin at Ashburton.

ZK-KTP (c/n J6 673P) was first registered to David B McPherson of Oxford on 19/4/05.  It also started off with a Subaru EA 81 engine and the short cowling as in the above photo taken at Rangiora on 27/3/06.

It also was re-engined with a Rotax 912 engine, in August 2010, as shown in the above photo taken at Rangiora on 4/1/13.

ZK-KTN2 (c/n J6 661P) was first registered to Nigel B Forrester of Dunedin on 1/11/10.  Paul Woodley of did a lot of the construction at Rangiora where the above photo was taken on 14/1/11.  It can be seen that it has an extended undercarriage.  It was damaged at Middlemarch on 22/5/11 but is still currently registered.

There is another Karatoo under construction at Rangiora so we shall see another example of the aircraft in the future.

Douglas DC-3 ZK-AYZ July 3rd 1963.

Grayson Ottaway has forwarded the following.

July 3, 1963 Douglas DC-3 ZK-AYZ crashes in Kaimai Range

In what is still New Zealand's worst internal civil aviation accident, all 23 passengers and crew were killed. 

Helicopters were used for the first time in the search and rescue operation that followed.

The National Airways Dakota DC-3 ZK-AYZ (c/n 26649/15204) left from Whenuapai Airport bound for Wellington via Tauranga, Gisborne and Napier around 8.15 a.m. 

Shortly after 9 a.m. the pilot made contact with the Tauranga aircraft control tower. His ETA was 9.08. By 9.16 the plane had not arrived. Two calls to the aircraft drew no response and fears for its safety were raised.

The weather was stormy. A Court of Enquiry into the crash later concluded that at the time of the accident the winds were much stronger than had been forecast. The plane would have been drifting west of the planned route without the crew being aware of it. The pilot probably thought he was on the eastern (Tauranga) side of the Kaimai Ranges. 

He therefore began his descent to Tauranga Airport from the wrong position. During its descent the aircraft was caught in a downdraught that was too turbulent for the pilot to climb out of. The DC-3 slammed into a ridge on Mount Ngatamahinerua in the Kaimai Range.

The wreckage was found at 11:58 a.m. A closer inspection by helicopter was unable to spot any survivors and rescuers were dropped as near to the site as possible. They were unable to make their way to the wreckage that day. The weather cleared the next day and the recovery operation began.

Below a view of ZK-AYZ at Christchurch. (Photo source unknown).

At Tauranga this afternoon (03-07-2016).

Grayson captured these two classics at Tauranga this afternoon.

Cessna 180A ZK-CDY is c/n 32968 and is a rebuild of ZK-BUP. 

See earlier posting at :- http://nzcivair.blogspot.co.nz/search?q=bup

It is currently listed with KiwiAvi8tor Ltd of Te Awamutu.

A modern classic is Marty Cantlon's NuWaco T-10 ZK-WTW (c/n 21).

It has previously been covered at :-

http://nzcivair.blogspot.co.nz/2015/11/nuwaco-zk-wtw.html

Skyfox Gazelle(s) of New Zealand

The next type of sport aircraft to be registered, in August 2001, was our one and only Skyfox Gazelle.

The Skyfox CA25N Gazelle is a product of Skyfox Aviation from Queensland.  The original version of the aircraft flew in 1989 with a VW engine.  It was further developed into the Impala tailwheel model and the tri-gear Gazelle which use Rotax 912s.  Construction is a fabric covered welded steel tube fuselage and the wings can be folded for storage.  Length is 5.63 metres (18 feet 6 inches), wingspan is 9.53 metres (31 feet 3 inches) and the wing area is a generous 124.6 square feet.  Empty weight is around 640 pounds (290 Kg) and MAUW is 1150 pounds (522 Kg).  With a 80 HP Rotax 912 cruise is around 98 mph.

ZK-PNB (c/n CA25N014) was first registered as VH-PNB to P Newan od Caloundra, Queensland on 8/9/95.  It was imported into New Zealand by the Middle Districts Sports Flying Club (now renamed the Feilding Flying Club), and was first registered here on 17/8/01.  It is still on line with the club and is photo'd above at Feilding on 19/4/15 by Steve Lowe of our sister blog 3rd Level New Zealand  (http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.co.nz/ ).

Million Dollar Mouse progress.

There was a snip on TVNZ news tonight covering the Million Dollar Mouse eradication project on the Antipodes Islands.

Below is ZK-HJM being readied to go ashore.

See  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2wzOGeuhLE

Below three snap shots from the TVNZ item.

An earlier post is at :-

http://nzcivair.blogspot.co.nz/2016/05/million-dollar-mouse.html

Yes - it is still happening !

Aviating is still a happening thing at Rangiora - despite the meteorological gods attempts to prevent such activities.

A lovely day with a bone chilling breeze did not stop the activity.

Above we see David Leefe in his Alpi Aviation Pioneer 200 ZK-PYS (c/n NZ20011) in warm up mode outside his hangar.

Trundling out, and passing near the CRAC club house, is the Ian Blyth Morgan Aero Works Cheetah ZK-CCB2 (c/n MA17).

There were three Cub's out just after lunch - ZK-CXC, ZK-BNX, and above the Canterbury Aero Clubs' Piper PA-18-150 ZK-BNL (c/n 18-5152) which has been doing this for nearly fifty eight years.

Nigel Ackroyd checks the final approach before taxiing out for take-off in the self launching Schleicher ASH26E ZK-GRL (c/n 26111) and heading for the hills.