Hamilton

Hamilton on a warm 30deg day had a lot of activity including the latest GCH Aviation Beech 200C ZK-FDS2 very appropriate for its NZ Flying Doctor Service titling.   This arrived from Australia in December 2019.

Imported from the USA in October 2019 was AS350B2 ZK-HRK4 for Auckland based Rotor Flite Limited

Arriving at Auckland on 9 January from Brisbane the 1988 model Cessna 551 Citation II SP N551NZ appears to be Ardmore based

Now parked up without any registration is the former Hungarian PZL 101A HA-SBM

Agusta Westland A109 Trekker I-PTFO

Errol Cavit flicked me a photograph of this Agusta Westland A109S Trekker captured at Ardmore today 02-02-2020 (see bottom photo).

Turns out there have been at least fifteen allocations of this Italian I-PTFO registration.

I also noted that I-PTFO was airborne around Milan yesterday.

So it is not this one !

This airframe was noted on display at the RAAF Edinburgh/Adelaide airshow on 09-11-2019 with no scripts or logos.

It was then noted at Redcliffe on 23-11-2019 by Simon Coates - photo below.

And then at Ardmore by Noel Jones on 10-12-2019.

I have taken a calculated guess that this is c/n 22718 - a small '18' on the rear window.

Some of the other I-PTFO's with numbers in the rear window seem to confirm that these are the last two numbers of the c/n.

If this is true then this one began life as I-RAIQ - again another multi issue Italian registration.

It then took up I-PTFO and was destined for Shanghai King Wing General Aviation Co Ltd in China about May of last year.

 The photo below show it suitably marked up with the operators logo's still operating in Europe.

The PICC on the fuselage side is for the Peoples Insurance Company of China.

 

Above : As seen at Edinburgh/Adelaide on 09-11-2019 thanks to Leonardo.

 We see it above at Redcliffe, north of Brisbane on 23-11-2019.

 Then above it was noted at Ardmore by Noel Jones on 10-12-2019.

It was noted in the Taupo region about March 10th and flew from Taupo to Ardmore on 12-12-2019.

And below as noted at Ardmore by Steve Lowe on 15-12-2019.

Below is yesterdays photo by Errol Cavit of it at Ardmore minus rotor blades.

Where next ?

A few more from Mad Healthy Bastards

 Hamish Crowe was with the Zenith CH701 STOL ZK-SLO.

 With Chris Anderson in his 701 STOL ZK-TIA grabbing 3rd in the STOL Microlight category.

 Geoff van Asch and the Murphy Rebel ZK-VAN3.

 Philip Royds with his Avid Heavy Hauler UL ZK-WEN.

And naturally - one of the sponsors - Sounds Air with their Pilatus PC-12/45 ZK-PLS3.

Winner in the STOL Microlight category was Frank Barker in his Zenith CH701 STOL ZK-NVY.

Mad Bastards mixture.

Now for some of the non Piper or Cessna competitors.

 Paul Godfrey in Kitfox IV ZK-JFA was placed 4th in the STOL Microlight category.

 Zlin Savage Cub ZK-KSC and Luke Coleman.

 Willie Sage in the Maule M-6-235C ZK-MTP took out second spot in the STOL Heavy Touring section.

 And Jonathan Battson was the winner of the STOL Heavy Touring category in the R and B Bearhawk ZK-NJB2.

Sport Copter Vortex M912 ZK-RDX - a class of its own !

Healthy Bastards Piper's at Omaka 01-02-2020

Now a selection of the Piper's.

 Piper PA-18-150 ZK-BKN was shared by Scott Madsen and Thomas van Asch, with Scott wining the STOL Light Touring category.

 Edmund Hallett and Jack Griffith shared the Piper PA-18-150 ZK-BOY, Jack gaining 3rd in the STOL Light Touring category.

 Craig Anderson and the Piper PA-20/22-180 ZK-BSH.

 Jonathan Maunchline gained 2nd spot in the STOL Light Touring class in Piper PA-18 ZK-BTU.

 Piper PA-18-180 ZK-BTX with Bruce Coulter.

 The Piper PA-18-150 ZK-CVC won the Precision Landing and gained 5th in the STOL Light Touring Class with Andy Richmond.

And Jim Benbow in the Piper PA-18 -135 ZK-JLB.

Healthy bastard's Cessna's # 2

 Mark O'Sullivan with the Cessna A185F ZK-JKH.

 And Cessna A185F ZK-JKL2 with Dan Gaddum.

 Cessna R172K Hawk "Really Jolly Good" and the sponsor Dave Baldwin.

 Cessna 180B ZK-RWC and Richard Coop, 4th in Heavy STOL category.

 Stephen Scott with the Cessna 170B ZK-SJK.

Second in the Precision landing section.

And the Anderson Family Trust's Cessna A185F ZK-WBL.

Healthy Bastards Cessna's at Omaka yesterday

Andy Heap was on the scene at Omaka for the Healthy Bastards Bush Pilots Championship on 1st February 2020.

Follows is a selection of the Cessna's.

 Cessna 180 ZK-BJV as driven by Wallace Steel.

 Cessna 180 ZK-BJX and Dee Bond.

 Jason Deer with Cessna 185 ZK-CAK. 

 John Geary in Cessna 185 ZK-CAV.

 Cessna 185A ZK-CBS with Molly Griffith in charge.

 Cessna A185F ZK-CES and James Rogers.

And John Evens with Cessna 172A ZK-CKX - third in the Precision landing class.

Cessnas at Nelson and Motueka

The former Nelson Aviation College Cessna 172R ZK-NAA4 has been undergoing refurbishment at Nelson for the Tauranga Aero Club and in the process was reregistered ZK-ZAA2

Added to the Nelson Aviation College's Motueka fleet in December 2019 was Cessna 152 ZK-NAU2, which was imported from Australia

Not looking quite so happy is Cessna 185A VH-GKI which suffered a landing accident at Motueka back on 13 December 2019, at the culmination of a Trans-Tasman ferry flight.   It is registered to an Alexandra owner.

Northern Aviators Club Flyin at Makarau Today 1-2-2020

The Northern Aviators club held a flyin today at Rex Swensson's airstrip at Makarau (which is in the hill country between Parakai and Warkworth).  This coincided nicely for the Bay of Islands Aero Club who sent down their Tecnam Golf ZK-NOL from Kerikeri to pick up their newly acquired Aeroprakt A 32 Vixxen ZK-CHE2 and fly it back home to Kerikeri, calling in to Rex's strip on the way.

NAC member Willy Morton (in the middle in the photo) was the ferry pilot for the return journey in ZK-CHE2.

I couldn't make it but thanks to NAC member Brian Leach for the photo.

Omaka and the Healthy Bastard's competition

Omaka airfield today hosted the annual Healthy Bastard's flying competition and of interest amongst the competitors and visitors were the following.   

1953 model Cessna 180 Robertson STOL conversion ZK-BDD which is registered to a Nelson owner

From Hawkes Bay came 1973 model Cessna 172M ZK-DWO

Locally based Marlborough Helicopters' sprayer Bell 206B ZK-HZE returning from a job

A recent import from the UK is Rockwell Commander 114 ZK-MJL3 which is Picton based with its UK immigrant owner.  It was formerly G-BMJL and was registered here in November 2019.

Tailwheel Cessna 172 conversion ZK-MLY2 is a 1956 model imported in 2011 from the US,  and is Blenheim based

Also imported from the US, but in 2012,  is the smart Cessna 170B ZK-SJK,  registered to a Nelson owner.