Another Beech Bonanza in New Zealand

Back in October my mate Martin Farrand took delivery of a 1978 Beechcraft A 36 Bonanza VH-WHH and flew it across the Tasman with its previous owner, from Caboolture in a marathon effort with stops at Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island with some minor glitches and weather delays, as well as having to deal with a lot of officialdom.  It is now based at North Shore and comes up on FlightRadar 24 as WHH.  Martin intends to keep it on the VH register for the time being.

Martin's Bonanza VH-WHH (c/n E-1236) and his Cherokee ZK-CUC at North Shore.

And at Wanaka last week.  Thanks for the photos Martin.

Bantam B 22 ZK-JEE Leaves Kaipara Flats

A quick trip out to Kaipara Flats airfield yesterday saw the Micro Aviation Bantam B 22 ZK-JEE (which was based on a farm airstrip nearby) on the back of a trailer prior to being driven South to the Wairarapa by its new owner:

Interestingly the trailer was a proper Bantam transporter complete with Micro Aviation sticker!

Westland Scout ZK-HVD arrives at Rangiora.

The Westland Scout AH/1 with the c/n F.9704 was built for the UK's Army Air Corps in 1967

 and allocated the serial XV129.

Withdrawn from use in 1995 it was auctioned off by the MoD on 10-10-1995 as sold to New Zealand.

It was stored in Auckland for a while before popping up on the New Zealand register as ZK-HVD2 on 21-10-1999 with Metro Air Ltd of Christchurch.

It first flew from their yard on Harewood Road, Christchurch on 07-11-1999 and is seen below on 10-11-1999.

Above and below at Harewood Road on 10-11-1999

It was listed to the Ford Family Trust of Stratford on 09-08-2001 and operated under the Heli-Logging name.

It is seen here - above and below - at Wanaka on 09-04-2004 in a different paint scheme and wearing Heli-Logging titles.

Wanaka 09-04-2004

It was off the register for a short time between 16-04-2008 and 19-11-2008 when it reappeared listed to The Wessex Trust of Stratford.

Its registration was revoked on 21-11-2013.

It has now become part of the New Zealand Helicopter Heritage Museum collection at Rangiora.

Noted going into storage at Rangiora on 09-12-2022.

This is the second Westland Scout gifted to the Museum by Mark Ford/Heli-Logging after ZK-HUK2.

It arrived along with the Hiller UH12 VH-HJW ex ZK-HJW.

Volta Aviation

Currently on loan to Ardmore based Volta Aviation until their second Sikorsky S-76C arrives is AS355F1 ZK-IJK2.    This was originally imported from France by Airlift NZ in late 2020 as ZK-HFQ6,  becoming IJK in February 2022.

Coming from Malaysia,  Volta's second S-76C is expected to arrive next week but will not enter service until later in the first quarter of 2023.

 

Before the War

 From the depths of my shoe box came these two very interesting photos taken outside the Otago Aero Club building at Taieri.

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We have ZK-ABO on the left with the number14 on the rudder,  

ZK-AAW to the right number 15

In the center, more distant is ZK-ACD.

And the NZPAF DH60 873 (I think) beyond.

Below same scene, same day, engines running and ground helpers holding the wing struts with others taxying out.

Left to right we have ZK-ABQ, ZK-AAW, ZK-ACD and NZPAF873.

I think that is ZK-ACI in front of ZK-AAW.

Photos possibly by A E Philips.

Below is an extract nicked from 

NZ Airshows History (cambridgeairforce.org.nz)

South Island Air Pageant And Inaugural Meeting of The Otago Aero Club Otago Air Port, North Taieri, 21st of February 1931
____________Aircraft_Participant_____________		______Pilot_and_Crew______
DH60 Moth of the NZPAF, Wigram	870
DH50A of the NZPAF, Wigram	135
Gloster Grebe of the NZPAF, Wigram	NZ50_
Bristol F2B Fighter of the NZPAF
DH60 Moth	ZK-	S/Ldr Jim Findlay
Avro Avian	ZK-
Simmons Spartan	ZK-	F/Lt Tiny White
The Programme Time   8.45am Formation Flight Over City 10.00am Heats: All Transport Race First Heat Winner - F/Lt Tiny White Second Heat Winner - S/Ldr Jim Findlay Third Heat Winner - F/O Ted Olsen 11.00am Heats: Otago Aerial Derby (Five miles) First Heat Winner - S/Ldr Malcolm McGregor Second Heat Winner - F/O J.H.M. Smith Third Heat Winner - S/Ldr Jim Findlay 12.00 noon Formation Flight Over City 1.30pm Grand Parade and Landing Competition Landing Winner - S/Ldr Malcolm McGregor 1.50pm Formation Flying and Aerial Drill 2.15pm Landing Competition for Club Trained Pilots 2.45pm Aerobatics and Inverted Flying 3.00pm Final of the All Transport Race Winner - F/O Ted Olsen Second Place - S/Ldr Jim Findlay Third Place - F/Lt Tiny White Parachute Descent 3.20pm Aerobatic Competition Joint Equal Winners - S/Ldr Malcolm McGregor and F/O Ted Olsen 3.45pm Height Estimating Competition 4.00pm Final of the Otago Aerial Derby Winner - S/Ldr Jim Findlay Second Place - S/Ldr Malcolm McGregor Third Place - F/O J.H.M. Smith 4.20pm Aerial Dog Fight S/Ldr Malcolm McGregor vs Captain Maurice Buckley 4.30pm Bombing the Baby Winner - S/Ldr Jim Findlay Second Place - F/Lt Tiny White Third Place - Ronald Sinclair 4.50pm Balloon Chasing (weather permitting)   Notes: This pageant marked the opening of Taieri Aerodrome, aka Otago Air Port. This was the Otago Aero Club's new home base after moving from their old field at Green Island, and this was also the club's first official meeting at Taieri. This event is reported to have had perfect weather. Nine aircraft from the Canterbury region took part, six of them from the Air Force aerodrome at Sockburn, and three from the Canterbury Aero Club. Aircraft also attended from the Otago, Southland, Wairarapa, Wellington and Marlborough Aero Clubs The formation flight of eleven aeroplanes over the city of Dunedin was led by Wing Commander Grant Dalton, the Air Director. One of the participants and competitors was Oscar Garden. The crowd was around 10,000 people. Music for the event was provided by the Band if the 1st Battalion, Otago Regiment On Monday 23rd of February 1931, while en route back to Wigram Aerodrome, Sockburn, two of the NZPAF aeroplanes crashed near Silverton, the homestead of Mr. J.M.H. Tripp, 14 miles from Geraldine. The DH60 wooden Moth that had won the Aerial Derby when flown by S/Ldr Jim Findlay at the pageant was being flown back to Christchurch by Flight Sergeant S. Simpson (the Chief Mechanic at Wigram aerodrome), He and his passenger, Flight Sergeant L.A.C. Dini were shaken but unhurt. __ The other aircraft was a DH60M Metal Moth flown by Wing Commander Grant Dalton. He and his unnamed passenger were also shaken but unhurt. It was reported that the cause of both accidents remained unknown but the atmospheric conditions were particularly bad with thunder, lightning and low clouds, and severe air pockets. The Metal Moth was the first to strike the ground, breaking the undercarriage and causing other damage. The wooden Moth crashed only seconds later, wrecking the undercarriage which was pushed up through the flooring of the pilot's seat and breaking the propeller. They came down in a "tussocky, wind swept waste" of a field a quarter of a mile from the homestead. The wooden Moth was eventually trucked back to Wigram, and the Metal Moth repaired in the fieild to allow it to be flown back to base. Other aircraft also suffered on the homeward trip from the pageant. Captain Jerry Steadman and his passenger Mr. C.C. Waite in the Wellington Aero Club's Spartan (ZK-ABL) were forced to land in a paddock due to the weather conditions, and the aircraft overturned and smashed its propeller. they were unhurt. Mr Jamieson, who'd been flying with the in a Moth, turned back and landed safely next to the overturned Spartan. Two other aircraft travelling with them, one flown by Ron Sinclair of Masterton and the other by F. McDonald of Wellington carried on to Blenheim, and only just made it to the airfield with very low fuel left. Source: Details gleaned from the official souvenir programme of the event and several newspaper articles via Papers Past

Below are two interesting links to the ODT pages of the day.

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT19310223.2.14

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT19310224.2.74

Another Mosquito at Avspecs

When I last visited Ardmore I was surprised to see another Mosquito fuselage at Avspecs.  I enquired of Warren Denholm and he confirmed that it is the ex Glyn Powell airframe that they are now working on for an American client:

Watch this space!

New to NZ MD500N NOTAR at Kaipara Flats 6-12-2022

While Richard Currie was at Ardmore I was out at Kaipara Flats airfield to get the annual inspection done on my D9 (it passed).  And while we were having a cuppa a strange sound got louder until the McDonnell Douglas MD500N NOTAR ZK-IKE hovered into view:

ZK-IKE (c.n LN067) was registered to M C Redgrave of Auckland on 20/7/22.  It was imported from the US where it was N150WF.

This was the first time I had seen a no tail rotor helicopter flying and I could hear the clatter of the blades as well as a whistling sound - was that the sound of the NOTAR?

Ardmore 6 December

A visit to Ardmore on a very overcast day was rewarded with Rob Mackley's stunning Lockheed L10A Electra ZK-AFD2  painted as such on the port side.

And in Linea Aerea Nacional of Chile titling and emblem on the starboard side.

Nearby was the latest addition to the Heliflite Charter & Training fleet,  AS350B2 ZK-IFN.   This was originally imported from Slovakia in 2021 and acquired by Heliflite in Novemeber 2022.   Since arrival it has been painted in a smart new red scheme.

And in for fuel was another of the 6 Abu Dhabi Agusta Bell 206B Jetranger IIIs imported by Volation Ltd for resale or lease,  ZK-IEO2.

 

Rutan Long Eze ZK-KRS at Tauranga

Chris Hoskins built two other Long Ezes (ZK-LEZ and ZK-LET with Grant Nicholls) before building ZK-KRS.  However ZK-KRS was quite heavily modified with Berkut style canopies and a fully retractable undercarriage.  It also had a heavily modified Mazda rotary engine that produced 240 HP and was projected to give a top speed of around 200 knots.  It was a long term project and I saw over many years it as it came together in Chris's hangar at Tauranga airport.

ZK-KRS (c/n CH007) was registered to C J Hoskins of Mt Maunganui on 14/10/22.  It is photo'd here with permission in Chris's hangar where you can see the Berkut style canopies.

I understand that it made its first test flight on 27/11/22 and it is photo'd above during that flight.

Sadly it suffered an engine problem on take off from Tauranga airport on 29/11/22 resulting in it making a forced landing in the shallows of Tauranga Harbour.  Fortunately the pilot was not injured.

Thanks to Mark and Corrin for the use of their photos. 

Pauanui

Amongst the recent visitors to the Pauanui airfield has been the Tecnam P2008 ZK-CJN4 which is currently in use with the Hauraki Aero Club as a replacement for the accident damaged P92 ZK-NSL2. This was originally imported new in 2012.

And down from Ardmore the Piper PA28-161 ZK-MBK in a smart new paint scheme.   This was imported from the USA in 1990 and has been with its current Auckland owner since May 2022.