Standin at Nelson.

Lord Nelson reporting from Nelson.

With the Ravensdown Aerowork Fletcher Crusader ZK-DDX away on maintenance the Cresco 08-600 ZK-LTS (c/n 005) is currently relieving at Nelson.

It carries the name of its Oamaru based pilot Glen Claridge below the cockpit.

helicopter me and ZK-HGB

The Aerospatiale AS 350 BA ZK-HGB (c/n 2550) is listed with North Shore Helicopters and is seen here at outside their facility at Auckland on Sunday the 5th by Magnaman wearing 'helicopter me' script.

Ashburton SAA fly-in

The SAA Fly-In at Ashburton during the weekend was really a scorcher - both aircraft and temperature wise.

Above is a view across part of the scene.

More pics to follow as time allows.

Another PAC 750XL heading overseas ?

This smart  looking PAC 750XL ZK-KDL msn 208 flew into AKL from HZL this afternoon and from the titles on one wing I'm assuming that it is heading for Thailand and a Skydiving operation.

ZK-LOM at Ashburton

Departing from Ashburton just as I arrived yesterday was the LOM powered De Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk Mk22A ZK-LOM (c/n C1-0192).

This is what the NZ Aviation News Magazine said a bout it when it was first registered to the Lon Syndicate of Christchurch on 11-03-2008.

'Built as a model T10 for the Royal Air Force, given the serial WB745 and delivered on 09-11-1950 to 14 RFS at Hamble. It was used by them and also the Southampton University Air Squadron before moving to 9 MU (Maintenance Unit) at Cosford in September of 1954. 

In April 1956 it was sold to BOAC and civil conversion to Mk 22A standard took place at Croydon before it joined the UK civil register briefly as G-AOJS on 09-04-1956 with Airways Aero Associ

On 18-01-1960 it was again cancelled on sale to the Nigerian Federal Government Flying School in Lagos, initially registered as VR-NBI but then changed to 5N-AAE in 1961 with the Nigerian change of aircraft nationality markings. 

Its history now becomes a little clouded but it seems to have spent some years stored in Nigeria before being acquired and re-imported into the UK by Ron Cooper in about June of 1989. It was restored to its old G-AOJS markings on 02-07-1990 but it did not receive a UK C of A due to “paperwork issues” and was duly cancelled on 06-09-1996 as sold to Bravo Resources of Perth, West Australia. 

Rebuild was commenced but “paperwork” again seems to have got in the way. Work started on its restoration here in NZ one year ago (06-05-2007) in the hands of LOM Syndicate. A case has been presented to the Australian CASA to resolve the paper work issues, which has been accepted and also been looked at favourably by the NZCAA. Why ZK-LOM you ask :- simple: It is going to have a Walter LOM M332 supercharged engine with constant speed propeller installed giving about the same power as the DH Gipsy Major.

PAC 750XL Falco 3000 ZK-JPU Cancelled

In a sad follow on from the wire strike accident inland from Wairoa on 12 December 2016 which killed the pilot and loader driver and cut power to Gisborne for several days, Farmers Air PAC 750XL Falco 3000 ZK-JPU was cancelled from the register on 1/2/17.

ZK-JPU (c/n 117) was built as a PAC 750XL and was first registered to Pacific Aerospace Corporation of Hamilton on 8/3/05 and it first flew on 8/4/05.  It was re-designated as a PAC 750SP on 25/7/05 but reverted back to a PAC 750XL on 23/9/05 (I assume this designation referred to the agricultural version of the PAC 750 and ZK-JPU was the first agricultural PAC 750).  Ownership transferred to the Taumarunui Aerial Co-operative Society on 21/10/05.

Ownership transferred to Flight Care Leasing of Napier on 22/6/09 and it was leased to Farmers Air of Gisborne.  Farmers Air Ltd purchased the aircraft on  on 24/6/11, and they modified it to their Falco 3000 specification (compare the nose cowling profile with the first photo).  The above photo was taken on 9/3/12.

More recently it had Falco badging applied as in this photo taken at Gisborne in May 2015.  The photo is from our sister blog 3rd Level New Zealand.

Farmers Air still operate four Falco 3000s: ZK-JBC, ZK-SWA, ZK-XLA and ZK-XLB.

Early and recent arrival at Omaka

Lord Nelson captured these two shots at Omaka today.

The Bearhawk Syndicates R and B Bearhawk ZK-NJB2 (c/n 1242) was on the tie downs. 

An early arrival for the Healthy Bastards weekend !

Also noted was the Aerospatiale AS 350 BA ZK-HIH2 (c/n 1723) which very recently transferred from Wanaka Helicopters Ltd to Precision Helicopters. 

It is parked with the Company's Hughes 369E ZK-IDS (c/n 0232E).

Early arrival for SAA fly-In Ashburton.

An early arrival into Ashburton yesterday (01-02-2017) for the SAA fly-in was the ICP Savannah S ZK-MYN (c/n 14-11-54-0359).

Photo by Allan Bowman.

It was built and registered to Phil Seale of Fernside Forest Field on 19-01-2016.

Check out the Westwind Aviation site at :-

http://savannahnz.com/

Life Flight Tango

Lord Nelson was in Wellington today and managed to get a shot of the British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 32 ZK-LFT (c/n 977)  as registered to Air Freight NZ Ltd for operations under the Lifeflight banner on 05-09-2016.

Below is an extract from the NZ Aviation News Magazine at the time it was registered ;-

‘There has to be a better way’ - words from the late Peter Button as he assisted on the beachfront during the Wahine disaster in 1968. 

There was - and Peter went on to create a helicopter rescue service with the help of Doctor Russell Worth. Sadly Peter was killed in 1987 doing what he had set out to do - Helping others. 

Peter’s legacy has grown in to what today is ‘Lifeflight’ with both rotary and fixed wing aircraft based at Wellington Airport. 

Lifeflight currently operate the Kawasaki BK117-B2 ZK-HLF₂ and the BAe 32 Jetstream ZK-LFW and are now in the throes of introducing a second British Aerospace Jetstream aircraft as ZK-LFT₂. This aircraft first flew under the manufacturers test registration of G-31-977 on 08-01-1993 before being allocated the F-OHFW marks. These however were not taken up and the aircraft became G-BUVD to British Aerospace PLC at Prestwick on 10-03-1993 for delivery on 02-04-1993 to Regional Airlines as F-GMVK. 

In March 1998 it went under sub lease to the Compagnie Aeronautique Europeenne at Marseille. It returned to the UK, and took up its old G-BUVD marks with Air Kilroe Ltd who traded as Eastern Airways from Humberside International Airport from 30-01-2001. 

With its UK marks cancelled on 27-10-2008 it became SE-LXD the following day with Svenska Direktflyg AD at Vasteras.

 As such it ferried down from Bali to Darwin and Mount Isa on 30-08-2016; on to Gold Coast and Norfolk Island on the 31^st and into Wellington on 01-09-2016 for listing with Air Freight NZ Ltd who hold the fixed wing contract for Lifeflight. 

Below ZK-LTF at Wellington today from Lord Nelson.

It has five blade propellers.

The first ZK-LFT was a Fairchild SA227-AC Metroliner which actually launched its NZ career in mid-September of 1997 as ZK-PAA with Airwork (NZ) Ltd and was operated as the Westpac Rescue aircraft. It was re-registered as ZK-LFT on 05-06-2001 and became ‘Lifeflight 1’. It was sold to Air Chathams last September and became a source of spares to help keep their Metros ZK-CIC and ZK-CID in the air.

Evocative Image from Loburn Abbey

Ivan Campbell of Campbell Aero Classics is the New Zealand agent for several scaled replica models of WW 2 aircraft including the Titan Mustang, Fisher Tiger Moth and the Supermarine Spitfire Mk 26.  Ivan also has developed his property at Loburn Abbey into a WW 2 themed aerodrome, and you can get a glimpse of this in the photo below.

The photo shows Titan Mustang ZK-MBY, and Supermarine Spitfire Mk 26B's ZK-MEB and ZK-CGV2 outside the Loburn Abbey homestead.

Ivan's newest Spitfire replica ZK-MEB was first registered on 28/11/16 and is currently undergoing ground trials.  His other Spitfire replica is scheduled to be displayed at the SAANZ flyin at Ashburton on the weekend.