Splashdown by Russell Smith

I recently discovered and bought a copy of Russell Smith's book Splashdown which recounts the founding of Picton-based Float Air... a most excellent read. 

You can find my profile of Float Air here https://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-flying-dolphin-float-air-picton.html

Departing the Fleet and the Country

Flying from Blenheim to Ardmore yesterday as SOUNDSAIR VICTOR was Sounds Air's Pilatus PC12 ZK-PLV which has apparently been sold and is enroute to Alaska.

Sounds Air's Pilatus PC12 ZK-PLV with the ZK- international prefix ready for its ferry flight to North America. Photo taken at Ardmore on 29 March 2025

The PC12 arrived into Auckland from Sydney on the 20th of November 2016 as VH-VWO before being placed on the New Zealand register as ZK-PLV in January 2017. 

ZK-PLV flew its final Sounds Air flights on the 6th of March 2025, flying two return services from Blenheim to Christchurch as S8 643, 644, 641, and the final flight S8 642.

Pilatus PC12 ZK-PLV at Wellington on 9 November 2023

Sunny Sunday Afternoon at North Shore

Nanchang CJ-6 ZK-CVI arriving into North Shore on 16 March 2025

McDonnell Douglas 500N arriving into North Shore on 16 March 2025

Cessna TR182 ZK-MAS about to depart North Shore on 16 March 2025

Barrier Air's Cessna 208 Grand Caravan ZK-SDE arriving from Great Barrier Island and about to depart North Shore on the return flight on 16 March 2025

Island Aviation's Britten Norman Islander ZK-SFK arriving from Waiheke Island and about to depart North Shore for Great Barrier Island on 16 March 2025

From the Email Inbox #2

Thanks to Tim for sending through these photos of LifeFlight's latest Beech B200C King Air at Wellington on 21 March 2025...

From the Email Inbox #1

Thanks to Aaron who captured Golden Bay Air's Gippsland Airvan ZK-ZUG at Karamea on 8 March 2025... Golden Bay Air are regular visitors to Karamea servicing the trampers doing the Heaphy Track

 

Back to the Future? Back to Tonga

 

Positioning up to Tonga from Auckland today as CVA431 was Air Chathams' Saab 340 ZK-CIZ. 

There has been a bit of media speculation recently about the viability of Tonga's Lututai Airlines and there has been a few drums beating about Air Chathams restarting in Tonga. I don't usually post on rumour but the Chathams Pacific model was a winner for everyone. It's a reminder of the importance of sustaining viable regional air services.

The Photographer Photographed

I was delighted to capture Landpro's Piper Pa31 Navajo at Whangarei on 22 March 2025.. It has a long history of operating passenger services in New Zealand before becoming an aerial photography platform

See photos of ZK-JGA's nine air service operators here : https://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2016/08/jgas-8th-airline.html

 

Auckland on the 3rd

Sichuan Airlines' Airbus A350-941 at Auckland on 3 March 2025 

 China Eastern Airlines' Airbus A330-243 B-5968 at Auckland on 3 March 2025

Airwork's Boeing 737-4Y0 ZK-FXM at Auckland on 3 March 2025

Korean Air's Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner HL-8082 at Auckland on 3 March 2025

Atlas Air's Boeing 747-47UF, N418MC at Auckland on 3 March 2025

Air New Zealand's Boeing 787-9 ZK-NZN at Auckland on 3 March 2025

Air New Zealand's Boeing 787-9 ZK-NZQ at Auckland on 3 March 2025

Air New Zealand's Boeing 777-319ER ZK-OKM at Auckland on 3 March 2025

 

Blenheim Specials

 

Air Chathams has started flights to Auckland during March and April to fill return charter flights arriving in Blenheim. 

Chief commercial officer Duane Emeny said each year for more than five years, a business client in the US had chartered one of their planes to get its top performing salespeople on a holiday in Marlborough.

As a result, the airline needed to fly several empty legs, or re-positioning flights, so that its plane was available for regular commercial service in Auckland, or to pick up the Americans heading home.

For the first time, Air Chathams would sell seats on these re-positioning flights, for $150 per person including a checked bag, with six Wednesday 1.45pm flights to Auckland and six Thursday 9am flights back to Blenheim, between March 3 and May 1.

The flights with a checked bag between Blenheim and Auckland are on offer for a standard $150. Chief Commercial Officer Duane Emeny says the decision to open flights to the public was a “no brainer. It started with our commercial team, as we have charter flights to and from Blenheim with clients but that left us flying empty planes for one of the legs,” he says. “So, we thought why not sell some seats, make some noise in the market, and bring an opportunity for cheap Auckland travel and show off great Air Chathams service for Marlborough. Aviation is a tough industry at the best of times, so just being able to give Sounds Air and Marlborough Airport a call and set these flights up has been really encouraging. I hope it’s something we’ll be able to continue doing around this time of year into the future.”

The first flights, 3C 930 from Auckland to Woodbourne and the return 3C 931 were operated in Saab 340 ZK-CIY on 3 March 2025.

Saab 340 ZK-CIY departing Auckland and operating the first Air Chathams charter flights to Woodbourne on 3 May 2025

A Flying trip to the Barrier

Taking advantage of Barrier Air's End of Financial Year sale I took a day trip to Great Barrier Island on 10 March 2025...

My ride to Claris, Barrier Air's Cessna 208B Grand Caravan ZK-SDC

Four Caravans were operating services into Claris... ZK-SDD

my ride home, ZK-SDE

and ZK-SDG

 

Sunair operated three flights from Tauranga into Claris in Piper Aztec ZK-DIR

Island Aviation's BN Islander ZK-SFK operated a couple of services to North Shore

Other visitors were the Northern Rescue Helicopters Sikorsky S-76 ZK-HQC

and the Ardmore Flying School's Cessna 172 ZK-NUC

Something I missed

I took advantage of Barrier Air's $89 fare sale today to fly out to Great Barrier Island and was wondering where their first Cessna Grand Caravan, ZK-SDB, was. I was surprised to find operating between Queenstown and Milford Sound.

On the 18th of February ZK-SDB operated GB747 from Auckland to Claris before ferrying to Tauranga as GB910 and on to Queenstown as GB901. On the 20th it did some crew familiarisation flights before entering service with Truth South and flying a Queenstown-Milford Sound return flight as ZK-SDB on the 21of February 2025. It seems ZK-SDB has been leased to True South for the winter.

Wearing True South titles, Cessna 208B Grand Caravan ZK-SDB at Milford Sound on 13 March 2025

Airlift (NZ) and its Air Service to Paraparaumu

Airlift (NZ) Ltd was the “flying-side” of Lynn (Mac) MacGregor’s Aircraft Engineering Co of NZ Ltd. MacGregor was the managing director of both companies. Airlift (NZ) was primarily involved in aerial topdressing but in 1955, with a topdressing base in Masterton, it was contracted by the Wairarapa and Ruahine Aero Club to provide aircraft and flying services. The Club had been in recess since March 1951 due to financial constraints.

In June 1955 Paul Beauchamp Legg, who had just gained his Commercial Pilots Licence, was employed by Mac MacGregor to be the instructor and pilot for the Wairarapa and Ruahine Aero Club operation and as well as to do some topdressing as an employee of Airlift (NZ). His first lesson as instructor was on the 8th of July 1955 from Masterton. Over the next few years he was to fly long hours in pilot training, aerial photography and air charter and ambulance flights, as well as aerial topdressing.

Further expansion came in early July 1956 when Airlift (NZ) took over Tom Withey’s, Air Contracts, Percival Proctor, ZK-AQJ, charter licence, photographer and photographic equipment. Paul Beauchamp Legg wrote, In addition to the aerial survey work, the Proctor was used for charter flights and a few of the club members checked out in this roomy four seater.

Airlift (NZ)'s Percival P44 Proctor V, ZK-AQJ, at Masterton

The following month, on the 1st of August 1956, De Havilland DH90 Dragonfly ZK-AFB (c/n 7560) was registered to Aircraft Engineering Co of NZ Ltd. The aircraft was to wear Airlift (N.Z.) Ltd Masterton titles and was used by Airlift (NZ) for air ambulance, air-charter and air-taxi, aerial photography work out of Masterton. Paul Beauchamp Legg recounts, I was employed as a topdressing pilot and part-time instructor but I became so busy instructing that I was very much full time with ultimately a Proctor, Piper 90, three or four Tigers, the Dragonfly and some private aircraft. Training, charter, ambulance, photography, experimental and anything else interesting that was offering in those heady "give it a go" days. 

A classic Bruce Gavin photo - Airlift (NZ)'s De Havilland Dragonfly and the Nelson Aero Club's De Havilland Dragon.

In August 1957 work started on the reconstruction of Wellington’s Rongotai Aerodrome. The closure of the Wellington airport required Wairarapa residents connecting with NAC flights to make a very long road and/or rail journey to Paraparaumu.

In his book, My Masterton Flying Years – the Memories of a Flying Instructor, Paul Beauchamp Legg, recounts Two NAC men came with Athol Fairbrother from Masterton to inspect the Dragonfly. They were very keen for us to start a regular service between Masterton and Paraparaumu. I wanted Mac to be in on the discussions but he was too busy to meet with us, so it was left to me to make all the arrangements. After much negotiating and canvassing I started a twice-weekly air service from Masterton to Paraparaumu and back. The flight time was around 25 minutes.

As a result Airlift (NZ) started a twice-weekly air service between Masterton and Paraparaumu to link up with NAC’s main trunk services. On the 3rd of December 1957 Paul Beauchamp Legg flew the first Masterton-Paraparaumu service in the Dragonfly ZK-AFB. The first passengers were Mr K H Ferguson, a purser on the Lyttelton to Wellington ferry  Hinemoa who was travelling to Christchurch and Mr Robert Saggers and Miss Doreen Taplin, representatives of a travel agency. Flights were offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The first passengers for the first flight on 3 December 1957. From left, Mr K H Ferguson, Mr Robert Saggers, Miss Doreen Taplin and pilot Paul Beauchamp Legg. Photo : Wairarapa Times Age, 4 December 1957

 

Continuing his account Paul writes, Flying that service was quite an event, well supported by the business community who, by Christmas 1957, were starting to offer loads that were too big to fit into the Dragonfly. From the beginning we held our own financially and with bookings ahead, the service looked to make a reasonable profit.

Three Paul Beauchamp Legg photos of DH Dragonfly ZK-AFB with Airlift (NZ) titles

If there was very little freight or just one passenger who was agreeable and nothing to come back I sometimes used a Tiger Moth or our new 90hp Piper Cub BQZ.

Piper PA18 Cub ZK-BQZ which was occasionally used by Airlift (NZ) on its Masterton-Paraparaumu service. Photo : Don Noble

Bruce Gavin prepared some notes from a letter Paul Legg wrote to him about the service.,, The service was also flown using a 90hp Piper PA18 Cub two seat trainer on occasion when there was only one passenger. Paul reports "hovering" for about twenty minutes over a farmers cow shed during a thunder storm. He could see straight below, but not ahead. Winds for a short while would have reached the Piper's cruising speed of around eighty miles per hour. Once the storm had passed, Paul and his passenger carried on over the ranges west of Pahiatua to Paraparaumu.

In My Masterton Flying Years – the Memories of a Flying Instructor, Paul writes extensively on the challenges of flying over the Ruahine ranges between Masterton and Paraparaumu and the winds and turbulence that were going to be the downfall of the service. (Paul records the following incident as occurring on December 14th 1958) but as he was already in Hokitika at that time and I believe it should read as I have reproduced it as January 14th). On January 14th 1958 I managed to fly above the turbulence with two passengers Paraparaumu. While waiting there I took five passengers for a joyride around Kapiti Island, then, as there was neither freight nor anyone wanting to go back to Masterton I took off empty and climbed in the clear directly towards Masterton. Because I was going downwind I had the speed reduced to ease the severity of the turbulence.

"Thank God I'm through that lot," I said to myself, relaxing as the air smoothed.

Without any warning there was a terrific thump. It felt as if I'd been hit on the head with a hammer, a large hammer. Fortunately I did not have any freight on board and apart from cushions on the empty passenger seats being tossed around, all seemed well. I landed back at Masterton and as I was getting out I discovered that the middle seat was loose.

Inspection showed that the spar had been split. Next day Bruce Reeves, who had joined us from Air Contracts as an engineer, found the main spar split in two places.

The day was not finished for me. There was dual to do, books to enter, (2 for every aircraft, my own logbooks, the flying sheets and the fuel sheets to balance as well as the money. That particular day I finished a photographic job in the darkroom at a quarter to two in the morning. For that day I had done 19 hours. My phone rang at 6.a.m. next morning! I am amazed now at the hours I worked to keep the outfit going.

With the Dragonfly out of the air and the service now becoming established, Mac said that he would allow me to hire another aeroplane, "so long as it does not run at a loss." As I already had bookings to make the service pay well, I arranged with Wally Harding to hire his Fox Moth but Mac would not pay the insurance. Mac and I had an argument during which I pointed out that in the three years I had been with him I had never had a holiday and with the Dragonfly out of the air and no other aeroplane to do the service, I was going to take my family for a week to the seaside. Mac called me a bloody something. I may have reciprocated. I hoped to meet Claude Stephenson on our way to or from our holiday and hopefully he would sort Mac and me out, but I missed him. When I returned to Masterton John Pearce said Mac was prepared to accept my resignation. Whether he fired me or I resigned I do not know. I think I resigned. From Masterton Paul and his family moved to Hokitika where he was employed by West Coast Airways.

In a final postscript Paul writes of the service, We went regularly on certain days when we had passengers or freight. Had Mac allowed me to continue the service would have been very profitable. So ended Masterton’s first air service.

In July 1960 Airlift (N.Z.) Ltd was placed into receivership.

 

Registered to Airlift (NZ) Ltd

Auster B.8 Agricola        

ZK-BMJ (c/n B.102)        09/04/1958 12/05/1960 
ZK-BMK (c/n B.103)        00/05/1957 11/05/1957  Destroyed Masterton

Cessna 180

ZK-BGO (c/n 31183)       05/04/1955 21/04/1960 

De Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth      

ZK-AIT (c/n DHNZ64)      01/10/1954 00/00/1961  Withdrawn from use
ZK-ASY (c/n DHNZ130)  13/11/1953 13/03/1954  Crashed Matau, North Taranaki
ZK-BEY (c/n 84663)        05/05/1954 00/00/1965  Withdrawn from use
ZK-BFC (c/n 82301)        21/07/1954 03/05/1955  Crashed Toko, South Taranaki
ZK-BGV (c/n 85450)        17/12/1954 11/08/1957  Destroyed Masterton
ZK-BNA (c/n DHNZ169)  13/06/1956 22/05/1957 

Percival Proctor 5

ZK-AQJ (c/n Ae.50)         31/07/1956 24/03/1960 

 

Registered to Aircraft Engineering Co of NZ Ltd

Auster J/5F Aiglet Trainer

ZK-ATP (c/n 2650)          24/07/1950 26/06/1953

De Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth      

ZK-BMY (c/n DHNZ101)  22/12/1955 09/09/1961
ZK-BNB (DHNZ171)       22/12/1955 14/02/1958 
ZK-BRH (c/n DHNZ120)  26/09/1956 09/10/1957  Destroyed Masterton
- Wairarapa & Ruahine Aero Club, Masterton...operator
ZK-BRL (c/n DHNZ123)  22/05/1957 06/09/1961  

De Havilland DH.90 Dragonfly

ZK-AFB (c/n 7560)          01/08/1956 17/08/1960

Piper PA-18-95 Super Cub

ZK-BQZ (c/n 18-5978)     26/03/1958 05/11/1959 

Piper PA-18A-150 Super Cub

ZK-BPE (c/n 18-6191)     19/12/1958 09/08/1960 
ZK-BPF (c/n 18-6192)     19/02/1958 15/03/1961