Cessna 180K ZK-EMK

The Cessna 180K was the last of the production models with c/n 18053047 being about the 156th from end of the line in 1981 - out of something like 6200 plus 180's all up.

This airframe was allocated N2733K by Cessna Aircraft Company at Wichita Kansas and had an airworthiness date of 01-03-1979. It was certified on 30-04-1979 to Prulease Inc of Boston Massachusetts. 

They re-registered it in late 1987 to N75C with it ending up with Consumer Power Co of Jackson Michigan in September of 1997.

Scott Olson took it over as N775CD from 16-12-1997 and retained it until it was cancelled from the US register on 10-04-2017 with close to 10,800 airframe hours.

Photo below thanks to Skywagons.com.

 It was noted at Pukaki Airfield (Twizel) in April of 2017 still wearing its US registration with is NZ ZK-EMK2 registration being issued on 28-04-2017 to Guy Norris with a Brunei address.

It was later seen by Peter Weber on 29-03-2018 still with is US registration visible undergoing its NZ certification.

 A close look at the photos shows the outline of the extended locker space door which starts at the left of the 'N' registration letter and links forward to the standard luggage door.

Above it was at the Dawn flyin at Waipukurau on 12-05-2019 thanks to Jordan Elvy.

Pitts Model 12(s) of New Zealand - ZK-PTS

In a nice segue from the recently registered Pitts ZK-PUG, the next type of sport aircraft to be registered in New Zealand was John Eaton's Pitts Model 12 ZK-PTS2, which is our only example to date.

Curtis Pitts designed his Pitts Model 12 around the nine cylinder radial Vedeneyev M 14P engine of 360 or 400 HP.  He presented the completed design on his 80th birthday in December 1995 and the prototype first flew in March 1996.  It is constructed with a welded steel fuselage and wooden wings, all fabric covered.  It was also called the "Macho Stinker" (after the second Pitts S 1 was called "Little Stinker" and the first S 2 was called "Big Stinker, and there is also a later version of the S 1 called the Model 11 "Super Stinker").

Soon after the prototype flew, the rights to the design were acquired by Jim Kimball Enterprises of Florida, and Jim's son Kevin has been improving the aircraft ever since.  The Kimballs originally made multiple improvements to the aircraft including reducing the wingspan by 2 feet and increasing the length of the ailerons to improve the roll rate to 300 degrees.second, and reducing the length of the aircraft by 10 inches as well as re-designing the rudder and modifying the canopy.  Nearly all of the Model 12s to fly have been the Kimball version, and there is a website showing most of these aircraft at: http://www.2wings.com/pages/airplanes/airplanes.htm

The specifications of the Kimball version of the Pitts Model 12 are:  length 19 feet 8 inches (6.00 metres), wingspan 22 feet (6.71 metres), empty weight 1,525 pounds (692 Kg)and MAUW 2,250 pounds (1,020 Kg).  The cruise speed is around 175 mph and the stall speed is around 64 mph.

ZK-PTS2 (c/n 180) was first registered to John Eaton of North Shore on 11/3/09 and first flew at North Shore airfield on 21/3/10.  John told me that he purchased the pre welded fuselage from Jim Kimball Enterprises and he built the rest of the aircraft from plans.

It is photo'd here at the 2011 Brian Langley memorial aerobatic competition at North Shore on 15/1/11, above before starting up with Richard Hood and John Eaton on board.

Lining up for take off on Runway 03.

and arriving back for a seemingly pretty fast touch down.

John Eaton has made a lovely job of his Pitts Model 12 and I was privileged to be able to watch it coming together over the years I used to visit John in his hangar at North Shore. As an example John has his family crest on the forward fuselage as in the photo below.  You can see the spectacular finish of John's aircraft in my shadow reflected as I took the photo.

ZK-PTS2 has not flown much in the last couple of years but we look forward to seeing in the air again soon.

Pitts S 1S ZK-PUG

The "new" single seat Pitts S 1S ZK-PUG was registered on Friday, 10/5/19, to Mark J Miller of Tauranga:

ZK-PUG (c/n 1-0029) at Avspecs on 3/5/19.  It looks really great!

I did not know much about this aircraft when I saw it at Avspecs but when it was registered its previous identity of VH-PUG was recorded.  This rung a bell and after a bit of checking I found out that it was the old Pam Collings factory built Pitts that was registered as ZK-PAC in New Zealand from October 1976 to October 1981 - when it was sold to Australia as VH-PUG. 

ZK-PAC at Oamaru early on in its first New Zealand life, on 4/11/78 with Pam Collings driving.

and near the end of its first life in New Zealand, at the 1981 AACA flyin at Mt Hutt.

VH-PUG had several owner in Australia: G J Nero-Palladij of Redwood Park. SA from 27/11/81 where it wore the name Karrawirra, the Australian Aerobatic Club of Templestone Victoria from 31/12/87 where it was named Skydancer 2, and Craig John Bryson of Trancie, NSW from 23/9/99.  Its Australian registration was revoked on 6/7/06., and I guess at some time it was returned to New Zealand as a long term restoration project.

Now after 38 years it is back!

Heritage and Sport Aviation North Otago.

This snip and video clip about Colin Hay and his Oamaru hangar comes from the Otago Daily Times.

Check HERE

Metal Moth at Roxburgh.

Passing through Roxburgh recently I stopped to grab a 'Jimmy's pie (as you do) and parked a couple of hundred yards down the road beside this clever piece of ironmongery.

It is the 'Bill Clarke Art Sculpture'

Very well done (click on pic for enlargement).

The shiny item at the top is the Tiger Moth coming over the ridgeline.

 Click Here for a better pic.

I might add that Jimmy's Pie Cake Shop also have the most fabtabulous  chocolate eclairs.

Pauanui

A stunning autumn day brought a few visitors to the Pauanui airfield including,  down from Parakai, the Tecnam P2002 Sierra MkII ZK-EVE,  which was imported new in November 2017.

And from Whitianga the AutoGyro MTOsport ZK-SHT,  with its occupants well wrapped up against the cool wind

Not a Bad Catch at North Shore 8-5-2019

A new aircraft to me at North Shore a few days ago was the Cessna A150L Aerobat ZK-BAD2 (c/n A1500412).  This has recently been way up North with the Kaitaia Aero Club (who now have Cessna C 162 Skycatcher on line presumably to replace ZK-BAD2).  The aircraft was originally registered ZK-DJW in June 1973 and the registration was changed to ZK-BAD2 on 19/1/11 when ownership changed to the RNZAF Base Aviation Sports Club at Whenuapai.

ZK-BAD2 photo'd in the late afternoon sun at North Shore on 8/5/19.  Ownership changed to a Whangarei owner on 11/1/19.

ZK-DTT for Thailand

The two colour slide copies below have been kindly supplied by George Phillips and show the New Zealand Aerospace CT4A Airtrainer ZK-CTT (c/n 020) at Hamilton. 

This first flew on 29-08-1974 and was cancelled on 16-12-1974 for Delivery to the Royal Thai Air Force.

And below we have a magic monochrome photo of ZK-DTC (c/n CT4-004) which first flew at Hamilton on 24-01-1974. I shot it at Hamilton on 15-02-1974 whilst back in NZ on a short visit.

It was cancelled on 04-03-1974 and became 2-17 with the Royal Thai Air Force.

The Royal Thai Air Force I believe received fifty five Airtrainers.

All carried ZK registrations for test flying in NZ before delivery.

These where ZK-DIM, ZK-DQT, ZK-DTC to ZK-DTQ, ZK-DTS to ZK-DTZ and ZK-FZD to ZK-FZI.

Oops !

Almost forgot to mention the following that went that way.

There was the original delivery of the Airtourer T6 ex ZK-DHH in March of 1972 which paved the way for the Airtrainers above and also for the later deliveries below.

These had the test registrations of ZK-JIP2, ZK-JIQ2, ZK-JIR2, ZK-JIU2, ZK-JIV2, ZK-JJD2, ZK-JJE2, ZK-JKO, ZK-JKQ, ZK-JKU, ZK-JKV, ZK-JKX, ZK-JKY, ZK-JLJ, Zk-JLN, ZK-JLQ, ZK-JLS, ZK-JMX, ZK-JMZ, ZK-JNA, ZK-JNB, ZK-JPT, ZK-PTN and ZK-PTP2.

Barrier Air Caravan ZK-SDD at North Shore

I called in to North Shore airfield yesterday afternoon and found that I was just in time for Barrier Air's departure for Great Barrier Island at 4 o'clock.

Their C 208B Grand Caravan that was operating the service was ZK-SDD which was previously ZK-SAW of Sounds Air.

The Grand Caravan is a big aircraft for the North Shore runway and it took a longer take off roll than most of the local aircraft.

and climbing out for NZGB Claris Airfield.

ZK-DCR

I happened to pass through Ashburton on Sunday 13-04-2019 and note the Cessna 182P Skylane ZK-DCR was active and that it  had not featured on these paged previously.

Cessna 182P c/n 63192 was built as N7413N in about the year of 1974 and went on line with La Grande Air Service Inc out of La Grande Oregon.

By 1976 D G Starr of Summerville Oregon was the proud operator until Pendleton Airmotive of Pendleton Oregon picked it up from 06-06-1979.

From 11-06-1980 it was in Bellevue Idaho with B Glassinger and then M L Stockhill of Boise Idaho from August of 85 until transferred over to Stockhill Aviation Inc over at Kalispell Montana from that November.

It had some sort of an incident and was cancelled from the US register on 05-05-1987 and ultimately imported into NZ by Aeromotive at Hamilton.

The carcass of N7413N as noted outside the Drake Aviation facility at Christchurch International on 11-05-1987.

Its rebuild was undertaken by Drake Aviation at Christchurch International and using the engine from the late Cessna 182Q ZK-DCJ (which had been damaged at Lake Ferry on 27-07-1987) was registered as ZK-DCR on 02-10-1987 with the Secretary for Transport for the Ministry of Transport.

 Parked at Kaikoura on 24-05-1991 with the Ministry of Transport decal on the fin.

It remained with the Ministry until flogged off to the North Shore Aero Club and DCR Partnership  (P G Stevenson) on 29-07-1991.

Seen below at North Shore on 01-12-1993.

Rick Lucas Helicopters of Palmerston North picked it up from 17-09-1999 followed by Tony Delaney of Mount Cook from 01-05-2001.

From mid-May of 2002 it was with the Eagle Hill Partnership of Oxford.

 Two views of her at Rangiora. Above on 18-02-2014, 

and below on 11-04-2014.

 Then from the 19th of February this year was listed to Greg Donaldson of Ashburton.

 As captured at Ashburton on 13-04-2019.