25 years ago - 21 May 1988 - North Island Road trip - Thames

The only photo of the day... Fieldair Fletcher ZK-CDZ at Thames

Aerostar ZK-MVY

Parked up on the Western grass near the Canterbury Aero Club today was the Piper Aerostar 600A ZK-MVY (c/n 60-0649-7961206). As the c/n implies it was manufactured in 1979 and registered as N8245J with Ted Smith Aerostar Corporation of Santa Maria, California.

 In early 1982 it dashed down to Australia and became VH-MVY on 17-08-1981 to Ansett General Aviation and then to McKnight Airlines Pt Ltd at Deniliquin from 31-07-1985. After a lease to Western N.S.W Airlines at Wagga Wagga it returned to McKnight Airline. It flew into Auckland after an Island hop on 24-09-1993 and became ZK-MVY on 27-10-1993 with Stewart Buckley of Papakura. From mid May of 1994 it spent about seven months listed to Airline Flying Club, returning to Buckley Air Ltd on 02-02-1995.

Current owner is David and Margaret Brown of Auckland.

Photo above taken today.

Photo below shows it at Christchurch on 06-07-2005.

25 years ago - 20 May 1988 - North Island Road trip - Matamata, Hamilton and Tauranga

At Matamata

Out at Matamata was the local Aero Club's Cessna 150 ZK-CST

Also at Matamata was Piper Pa28 Cherokee 180

Over at Hamilton there were a lot of planes but lousy weather...  Remember when you used to be able to wander and get photos???

At Hamilton I captured Piper Cub ZK-BPK

Aerial Work Mid Northern's Fletcher ZK-CRY was engineless...

while Kaitaia Aerial Topdressing's Fletcher ZK-DBZ was just about to be exported

Robertson Air Service's Fletcher ZK-DHE was also engineless

The Opotiki Aero Club's smart looking Piper Cherokee 140 ZK-DEL

Cessna 172 ZK-DKC 

Cessna 180 ZK-DKE

Cessna 206 ZK-DOV 

A couple of Cessna 152s... ZK-EJZ and ZK-EOQ

...and a couple of Eagle Air Embraer Bandeirantes... ZK-ERU (above) and ZK-FHX  (below)

Piper Pa28 Archer ZK-ESK

Cessna 182 ZK-EWJ 

Another Cessna 152, ZK-FNV

Back at Tauranga...

The Tauranga Aero Club's Piper Pa28 Archer ZK-EQE and Cessna 152 ZK-TAC 

Mount Cook Airlines - DC-3s to Queenstown

 



Would anyone happen to have the date Mount Cook Airlines received clearance to fly DC-3s into Queenstown and details of the first flight in???

 

Is this also when Mount Cook began a thrice weekly Queenstown-Dunedin service or was it happening before???

 

Thanks Steve.... westland831@yahoo.co.nz 

25 years ago - 19 May 1988 - North Island Road trip - Gisborne to Tauranga

Eagle Air's Embraer Bandeirante ZK-KIP at Gisborne.

The only aircraft I have ever photographed at Opotiki... Piper Seneca ZK-DCO

A pleasant surprise at Whakatane was Christian Aviation's Piper Navajo ZK-CAM

Cessna 172 ZK-DEY at Whakatane

Bell Air's titleless Shrike Commander ZK-PAT

Over at Kawerau was long time resident Cessna 172G ZK-CKV

Cessna 172 ZK-ELG was at Rotorua

as was Floatplane Air Services' engineless Cessna U206G Stationair ZK-FEO

The Helicopter Line had two Bell Jetrangers at Rotorua - ZK-HWE above and ZK-HWM below

 

Island Air's fleet at Tauranga.... de Havilland Canada Beaver ZK-AZB and Cessna 206 ZK-DRD

 

Cessna 188 Agwagon ZK-DMA at Tauranga

At the pumps was Piper Pa28 Cherokee ZK-EIC

Cessna 172 ZK-EYC at Tauranga

New Air NZ Airbus in Black and White Scheme

 

Soon to be ZK-OXA is depicted in the clip showing of its new winglets and the black and white. The Airbus is expected to handed over to Air New Zealand at the Paris Air Show. It does look rather smart but I still think it is a boring scheme.

 

 

 

25 years ago - 18 May 1988 - North Island Road trip - Palmerston North to Gisborne

Fletcher ZK-DMU was at Dannevirke

as was Fieldair's Fletcher ZK-EMV at Dannevirke...

...while a surprise at Dannevirke was Bell Jetranger ZK-HZE

A little further up the road at Waipukurau was Eastland Contracts' Cessna 188 Agwagon ZK-CSD (above) and Cessna 172 ZK-DAY (below).

 

  

At Hastings' Bridge Pa aerodrome Cessna 180 was in for maintenance...

as were Langslow Aviation's Fletcher ZK-CBG...

...Fletcher ZK-CMG...

and Astro Air's Cessna 188 Agwagon ZK-CQX.



Down at the pumps was Robinson R22 ZK-HBG...



...while parked outside the Aero Club was N B Macdonald Services' Piper Seneca ZK-MSL. There is a brief post on the courier run this Seneca was used on at http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.co.nz/2011/01/n-b-macdonald-services.html

At Wairoa Cookson Airspread's Fletcher ZK-DHD wasn't working...

nor was the gate guardian at Gisborne, Lockheed Lodestar ZK-BUV

Also at Gisborne were Farmers Air's Fletchers ZK-CMY and ZK-EMB...

as were Fieldair's Fletchers ZK-CRF and ZK-EUH

Also not flying were Air Gisborne's Cessna 172 ZK-DXF with a Timberlands logo (who I was working for at the time) and Grumman American AA-5 Traveler ZK-JER