DH82A Tiger Moth ZK-ASV

An interesting visitor to Pauanui airfield today was the very yellow DH82A Tiger Moth ZK-ASV.  Restored several years ago at Mandeville it is resident at Drury and displays its former RNZAF identity, NZ786.

 

Forecast - Showers with hail and thunder.

 Ashburton on Thursday.

Pending inclemency.

The larger mobile aircraft have been parked outside during the day whilst the security system has been installed in the 'Super Hangar'.

We had the very very strong Northwesterly winds on Wednesday. 

And as above, on Thursday, we had the prognosticated Showers with Hail and Thunder.

Fortunately this Cumulonimbus skirted the airfield depositing only a brief period of very large raindrops with is scattering of graupel.

A Look Back at Sindlinger Hurricane ZK-VYX

Back in 2009 I posted several blog posts on the unique Sindlinger Hurricane ZK-VYX which was a 5/8 scale replica of the Hawker Hurricane:

Here is a photo I took of ZK-VYX at Ashburton at the 2009 SAANZ flyin.  It had been rebuilt by Bob Gibson of Dunedin from Dave Comrie's original ZK-FVW.  I never knew why it was re-registered as ZK-VYX but a recent news article shed some light on why.

The news article was on the passing of the last of "the few" RAF fighter pilots from the Battle of Britain, John (Paddy) Hemingway on March 17 2025 aged 105.  John Hemingway was just 21 when he was shot down and crash landed near Maastricht in Holland on May 11th 1940 while flying Hurricane VY-X (L1979) - one of several Hurricanes coded as VY-X.  He made his way back to his 85 Squadron base on foot and by hitching a ride.  Then he flew in the Battle of Britain and was shot down 4 more times during the war including parachuting into the North Sea and being rescued, crash landing in the Pitsea Marshes (East of London), parachuting out of a Douglas Havoc night fighter (quite rare to survive due to its high tail design), and being shot down in a Spitfire behind enemy lines in Northern Italy then being rescued by Italian peasants and hidden in fields and being led back to safety dressed as a peasant by a young Italian girl - a remarkable story of survival.  He was awarded the DFC and was promoted to Wing Commander just after the war and went on to finish his RAF career as Station Commander at East Leconfield in West Yorkshire in 1966 before retiring back to Ireland.

Does anyone know where ZK-VYX is now?

ZK-ETP in the Outback Air Race 2025

Arriving back at its Pauanui home base this afternoon was Doug & Zoe Batten's Cessna T210N ZK-ETP.   This had participated in the 2025 Red Planet Outback Air Race with the 40 participants raising funds for the Australian Flying Doctor Service.   ETP carries its Race # 16 and was entered as the "Kiwi Flyer" team coming 12th in the overall results.

The race commenced on 24 August at Yulara in the Northern Territory and finished some 3800km later on 7 September at Carnarvon in Western Australia.      ETP flew back into Auckland yesterday after a flight from the Gold Coast via Lord Howe Is and Norfolk Is.

The other NZ participant in the race was NZ Aero's PAC 750XL ZK-EPO.

 

Microlight Aircraft of New Zealand - Pioneering North Cape to Bluff Flight in February 1982

Shortly after the first microlights were registered by CAA, three early microlight pilots planned a pioneering flight from North Cape to Bluff by microlight.  The three were Ken Asplin and Trevor Barrett from Hamilton and Marty Waller from Auckland.  Ken and Trevor were Kiwis while Marty Waller was an American who came to New Zealand with the Quicksilver agency, and with his business partner Tommy Namais they formed Pacific Sails Ltd.

Ken Asplin and Trevor Barrett both flew Ultraflight Mirages and all three were among the first microlights to be registered in New Zealand.  Ken’s machine was ZK-KJA (MAANZ/011), Trevor’s machine was ZK-ESQ (MAANZ/013) and Marty Waller flew his Quicksilver MX ZK-MRW (MAANZ/010).

The epic journey began on 7 February 1982 at North Cape and the trio completed the journey in 60 hours flying time, finishing up in Bluff on 27 February.  Here is an article that appeared in The Press newspaper at that time:

 Three microlight aircraft pilots – Trevor Barrett, Martin Waller and Kenneth Asplin – completed the last leg of a flight from North Cape to Bluff on Thursday.  People have walked, cycled, and ridden horses the length of New Zealand but few would have felt these pilots’ exhilaration

 You pull the stick back and feel yourself lift into the sky and the smooth air said Mr Barrett.  Then it’s the wind rushing past your cheek and throbbing in your eardrums – what he called “back to basics flying”.

 There are no gauges or cockpits on the microlights and navigational aids were not necessary because right down the country it was a matter of following the roads or the coastline.

 The trio completed the journey in 60 hours flying time.  They began their flight from Cape Reinga on February 7 and the last leg from Gore was like a carnival of flying machines in the sky.  The microlight plane trio had been joined by Murray Hagen in his Pterodactyl and the pilot of a motorized hang-glider or “trike” as it is known in the trade.  The five all taxied across the paddock together and rose effortlessly into the air.

 The three pilots had a good time in the air.  They took pictures, waved to one another, and evolved a system of sign language.  When it was time for “smoko” they hailed one another and chose a paddock to land in.

 The view is beautiful and you have a fabulous feeling of peace said Mr Barrett.

 The Press, 27 February 1982.

Bob Kerr, an aviation historian and photographer took photos of two of the three North Cape to Bluff  Mirage microlights during a stopover at Timaru on 23 February 1982:

Ken Asplin’s Mirage ZK-KJA (c/n MAANZ/011) with 10 Draught Beer sponsorship which was also applied under the wings.  I understand from another source that none of the three microlights carried registrations under their wings, and the white colour of the Mirage and the sponsorship logos raises the possibility that this was a bespoke set of sailcloth covers.

And here is Trevor Barrett’s Mirage ZK-ESQ (c/n MAANZ/013).

And a photo of Marty Waller's Quicksilver MX (c/n MAANZ/010) , taken later at Pikes Pont.

The MAANZ constructors number system started at MAANZ/010 which like the AACA system may have allowed for earlier microlight aircraft constructors that came before 1981 (even Richard Pearse?!).

That Cessna 172 ZK-WGS. Coming back from the Dead !

Now located on the Postmans Road side of the North Shore Airfield is the very tired looking Cessna 172K ZK-WGS c/n 17257420. 

It would appear that the engine is the focus of some attention. 

Will it fly again ?

For previous blog posts on this aircraft SEE HERE

At Nelson this morning from Bill Mannix.

 Bill Mannix snapped these four at Nelson Airport this morning - 16-09-2005.

The Cessna 180J Skywagon ZK-DXA c/n 18052516  has had only two operators since importation by Rex Aviation (NZ) Ltd in mid 1975.

Astro Air Ltd of Napier listed it from late October of 1975 and sold it to Gunson Enterprises Ltd from late May of 1976. It has been with them ever since.

R & B Bearhawk ZK-RJE c/n 1534B was listed to Avitec Ltd of Nelson on 18-09-2020 and first Flew from Nelson on 26-11-2020.

            The Cessna 680 Sovereign ZK-RXD c/n 680-0250 of Skyline Aviation Ltd of Napier is still in the Generation Global hangar having a full internal refurbishment.

This was originally listed to the Cessna Aircraft Company as N5231S in about mid 2008 before taking up the N680JG marks, still with Cessna later that year

In October 2009 it became VH-VPL2 with Twentieth Super Pace Nominees Pty Ltd.

It is probably best known in Australia for its 'Lifeflight' role.

In December 2017 it was at Melbourne for maintenance and repaint before ferrying from Essendon to Napier on 19-05-2018.

On the 22nd of May 2018 it became ZK-RXD with Skyline Aviation Ltd of Napier.

The Cessna 560 Citation V ZK-ZGO c/n 560-0067 arrived in NZ in February of 2021 and was registered to the Ambler's of Albany before being relisted to NZ Jets Ltd on 29-08-2024.

For more details on this airframe See HERE

Flying to the AOPA Flyin at Haast, July 2025

The recent coverage of aircraft at Neils Beach by Aaron Murphy was, I think, part of the recent AOPA flyin to Haast.  This flyin was held in lovely weather and featured flyouts to quite a few remote airstrips in South Westland.  One of the participating aircraft was the Taieri based Bearhawk ZK-FHR2 of Murray Paterson.  

Jonathan Powles flew in the Bearhawk over the flyin and he has posted an excellent video on You Tube documenting the flight over to Haast and back, as well as landing on the many remote airstrips.  The video starts with a flight from Pukaki up the Tasman Glacier and over to the West Coast.  I have taken some screenshots and included the link to the video below.

Heading up Lake Pukaki in glorious weather,

And up the Tasman Glacier,

At the top of the glacier,

And over the divide with a view of the Tasman Sea (the 4 bladed prop is a photographic illusion).

Here is the link to the video (it is 46 minutes long):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bu1fGX9Mx0

New arrival at Rangiora 08-09-2025 ZK-WTR.

 The ICPMXP-740 Savannah ZK-WTR c/n 04-06-51-299 ferried into Rangiora on the 9th from Whangarei, Raglan, Foxton and Omaka.

Built in Australia and listed as 19-4221 in November of 2005 it was cancelled on 13-12-2006 having been exported to New Zealand to become ZK-WTR.

It was registered to the Bill and Brenda Ward Family Trust of Invercargill on 06-07-2006.

They sold it on to James Matthews of Ruakaka from November 2018.

The Savannah is now with Douglas Heaton and replaces his Best of Skyranger Swift ZK-JAY3.

Neils Beach fly in 23-07-2025

 Aaron Murphy has kindly sent in some photographs from Neils Beach, South Westland - taken during a fly in on 23-07-2025.

The stunning Neils Beach village and airstrip - part of the larger Jacksons Bay - with the Arawhata River in the foreground.

The Cessna 180 ZK-BKG with the c/n 30376 makes it one of our oldest C180 airframes in NZ.            It has been with the Windwhistle Syndicate since late 2015.

The Cessna 180D ZK-BZP2 c/n 18051050 which is about eight years younger than ZK-BKG. 

It arrived in New Zealand from Australia in March 2008 and became ZK-BZP with the Tokoeka Bush Co from 21-05-2009.

Murray Patterson's R & B Bearhawk ZK-FHR2 c/n 127-2491250-1249 arrives with room to spare.

Two views of Paul Godfrey's well travelled Skystar Kitfox IV ZK-JFA c/n C94080051/MAANZ/527.

      Built by Alex Taylor and registered on 22-03-1995. It was purchased by Paul Godfrey in late 2015.