Omaka # 4

On the Thursday evening prior to the Show I captured the  Eurocopter AS 350 ZK-HPE (c/n 4052) from Reid Helicopters Nelson Ltd  doing some filming work.

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 Airshows are not all about aircraft. 

Food and drink is rather important as well.

Here we see dawn preparations being carried out.

I was deeply grieved that I could not find and ordinary common old mince or steak and cheese pie on the field !
Plenty of other good food though.

The Bell 206L-3 LongRanger ZK-HTA2 (c/n 51220) from Marlborough Helicopter Ltd going though its 'Jet Ranger' Drug Running Scenario on the Saturday.

Omaka # 3

Yak, Yak, Yak.

Yak-3M ZK-VVS (c/n 0470106) landing behind the Yak 52 line up.

 Probably the most photographed 'Loo' in the world is about to be obscured by The Chariots of Fire Fighter Collection FW 190 A8/N ZK-RFR (c/n 990001) .

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 The Yak Blue flight barrel.

At the end of another lovely day. 

The P40N Kittyhawk ZK-CAG (c/n 28492) has just shut down outside its hangar in the low evening sun.

Omaka # 2

Some of the more sedate aerial chariots noted during the weekend included the Nieuport N11 replica ZK-NII (c/n DAS01) of Classic Aircraft Sales.

 The Pietenpol Air Camper ZK-ABY2 (c/n 02-ZK-ABY) as built by Bob Wagner.

 The Gert Van Kruiningen Airdrome Aeroplanes Bleriot XI ZK-BXI2 (c/n BLE-003).

And the lovely De Havilland DH60G Gipsy Moth ZK-ADT (c/n 1101) of Jan and Jerry Chisum.

Anzac Service Fly Over at Warkworth

Tiger Moth ZK-CCQ flew over the Anzac service at Warkworth this morning.

I imagine there would have been lots of aircraft fly overs at Anzac services across New Zealand today.

Pauanui

Interesting visitors post Easter continued to arrive at the Pauanui airfield including up from Dunedin the 1989 model Beech A36 Bonanza ZK-PVA,  which was imported from Australia in 2014.

Anzac Pup for Anzac Day

Photo of the Anzac Pup taken at this year's Wings Over Wairarapa airshow on 23 February:

The Vintage Aviator's Sopwith Pup ZK-AFS2 is painted to represent N6185 from 4(N) Squadron RNAS which was the aircraft flown by 21 year old Australian pilot Flight Lt Charles J Moir in May 1917.  It originally bore the code A but the letters NZAC were added. 

The first Anzac Day commemorations in New Zealand were held at Tinui near Masterton on 25 April 1916 and TVAL provide a fly over of some of their aircraft to the modern day Anzac Day commemorations at Tinui.

Nice Model of Sunderland ZK-AMK

When I was last through Wellington airport I took a wander up to see the new Rydges Hotel which had been recently opened.  I wondered if there would be any aviation related themes and I came across this really nice large model of the New Zealand National Airways Corporation Short Sunderland III ZK-AMK "Takitimu" in a glass case.

The real ZK-AMK was ex NZ4104 of the RNZAF.  It was registered ZK-AMK in December 1947 and operated from nearby Evans Bay to the Chatham Islands.  A very good summary of NAC's Sunderland operations to the Chathams can be found on our sister blog:  http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2014/07/nac-first-civil-operator-to-chathams-on.html

New A 22LS Foxbat ZK-JTF at Stratford

The Finer/Hardwick-Smith Syndicate of Eltham's new Aeroprakt A 22LS Foxbat ZK-JTF (c/n 346) was at Stratford on 20 April.

ZK-JTF was first registered on 5/2/19.

But wait!  There is more!  The Finer/Hardwick-Smith Syndicate also owns Foxbat A 22 ZK-FTA (c/n 136) that was first registered back on 29/11/05.  Here they both are at Stratford on 20/4/19.

Thanks for the use of the photos Nick.

Omaka

 Both the relaxed Friday and the full on Saturday mornings began like this.

Calm and clear with just a hint of frost and/or heavy dew and with the sun pushing the moon above the horizon.

Harvard row - with covers removed and waiting for some heat from the sun to soak up the heavy dew.

And a time for the pre flight checks and last minute adjustments.

Pauanui

The flow of interesting visitors over Easter to the Pauanui airfield continued with the Cessna U206 ZK-EDI up from Blenheim,  and looking very smart for being 50 years old

And from down the coast came Opotiki Helicopters'  MD500N ZK-IPR