Forestry Town's Businessliners

This is the second in a series on air services to Tokoroa. The first was http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2010/06/beavering-away-in-tokoroa.html

In 1955 the Auckland Aero Club started two new air services. In August is started a twice weekly service between Auckland and Great Barrier Island. Then later, in December 1955, the Aero Club started advertising an Auckland – Kinleith (Tokoroa) air service initially using a Cessna 170 “Businessliner.”

Cessna 170B, ZK-BGK, at Christchurch. Photo : D White Collection

The Auckland Aero Club operated four Cessna 170s...

• ZK-BGE Cessna 170B (c/n 26455), the first one of the fleet, crashed at Dargaville on the 2nd of April 1960 and was not rebuilt.
• ZK-BGK Cessna 170B (c/n 26456) named 'C.B. Smith'
• ZK-BLS Cessna 170B (c/n 26455) named 'H.M. Buchanan'
• ZK-BJS Cessna 170B (c/n 20351) replaced ZK-BGE

The other early Cessna that the Auckland Aero Club operated was:

• ZK-BUF Cessna 180A (c/n 32935) named 'Sid Langston'

Tokoroa’s first air service was started by James Aviation in December 1954. During the winter of 1955 that service seemed to peter out, however, it was restarted in November 1955, albeit with the one flight leaving Kinleith for Auckland at 3 p.m. with the return flight leaving at 4.30 p.m.

South Waikato News, 8 December 1955

This service seems to have petered out, especially given the introduction of the Auckland Aero Club which would have suited NZ Forest Product’s officials wanting to do a day’s business in either Auckland or at the mill at Kinleith. The association with NZ Forest Products was to last many years with the Aero Club carrying many company officials and in return the forestry company helping to fund the Aero Club’s purchase of Cessna 336, ZK-CGF Skymaster (c/n 336-0168). This was registered to the Aero Club on the 12th of March 1964 and operated by them until it was sold in December 1971.

Cessna 336 Skymaster, ZK-CGF, at Greymouth on 25 June 1972 after passing from Auckland Aero Club ownership. Photo : B Whebell

Earlier, in April 1970 NZ Forest Products purchased its own aircraft, Piper Pa23-250 Aztec D, ZK-CUS (c/n 27-4499), which became the mainstay of transporting company executives between Auckland and Tokoroa. The Aztec was operated until February 1978 when it was sold to Cookson Airspread of Wairoa, it being replaced by replaced by Piper Pa31-310C Navajo, ZK-PNX (c/n 31-7712092). This was registered to NZ Forest Products on 3 October 1977. It was sold in Australia and departed from Auckland on the 6th of June 1985.

Above, NZ Forest Products first plane, Piper Aztec, ZK-CUS, taken at Tokoroa. Photo : D White Collection

Below, CUS's replacement, the Pinex plane, Piper Navajo, ZK-PNX at Ardmore in Septmeber 1981. Photo : S Lowe

NZ Forest Product’s final aircraft was Piper Pa31T3 1040 Cheyenne (c/n 31-8475001) which was aptly registered ZK-FPL. This was first registered to NZ Forest Products on 17th of December 1984. On the 9th of October 1987 ownership was changed to Pineair Operations Limited, and on the 15th of January 1991 to Airwork Holdings Ltd.  

Piper Pa31T 1040, ZK-FPL, at Rotorua on 25 March 1987. Photo : S Lowe

With the expansion of the pulp and paper mill Kinleith Corporate giants Elders Resources NZFP Ltd, who had bought out NZ Forest Products, was instrumental in the development of the Tokoroa airfield and the provision of an 850m x 18m sealed runway. With the sealed all weather strip came the introduction of scheduled services for company personnel as well as being available for the general public. For some years the operation of NZ Forest Products aircraft was undertaken by Airwork NZ Ltd who operated an unscheduled, as required, service for Elders/NZFP from Ardmore. From the 1st of October 1989 Airwork NZ took over the service and using the Piper T1040, ZK-FPL, operatied it as Auckland-Tokoroa Air Services. Piper Pa31-350 Chieftain, ZK-EBT, was also often operated on this service.  

On the service... Auckland-Tokoroa Air Services Piper Pa31T 1040 at Tokoroa on 1 February 1990 (above) and Piper Pa31-350 Chieftain ZK-EBT at Tokoroa on 24 January 1991 (below). Both photos : G Gavin

The January 1990 issue of NZ Wings in describing the air service, records that “Elders have a preferential booking arrangement with Airwork but that both parties see it as being in their interest to make a reasonable number of seats available to the public each day in the nine passenger aircraft. Flight time for the 90 nm trip, largely over some scenic Waikato farmland, is around 30 minutes at a typical cruise altitude of 6000 feet at 210 knots. Use of the call sign "Pinex One (to Four)", a historic connection with a NZ Forest Product wall product, is to continue. Crewing the Piper for Airwork will be Les Marinkovich, Ian Shades, Graham Purvis or Greg Barrow. Ground handling at Auckland International is under the wing of Mount Cook Airlines” Advertising of the Auckland-Tokoroa Air Services first commenced in the South Waikato News on the 21st of November 1989. Advertising continued until the 2nd of July 1991, when it appears the service petered out.

South Waikato News, 21 November 1989

Many thanks to Bruce Gavin and Bob Kerr for their help in compiling this post. If I have made any mistakes or if you have more information to fill out the details please e-mail me at westland831@yahoo.co.nz

For other posts on air services to Tokoroa see...

Akarana Air
http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2010/07/akarana-to-tokoroa_04.html

Air North
http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2010/07/air-north-to-tokoroa.html

NZ Forest Products
http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2010/06/forestry-towns-businessliners.html


Auckland-Tokoroa Air Services
http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2010/06/forestry-towns-businessliners.html


Pine Air
http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2010/07/pineland-airline-pine-air.html

Buckley Air
http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2010/08/last-flight-to-tokoroa-buckley-air.html