Sounds Air Flight 717 from Christchurch to Wānaka

More from my flying with Sounds Air on 1 September 2025... this time from Christchurch to Wānaka on S8 717...

The ride south in Pilatus PC12 ZK-PLB

Tarmac action at Christchurch

West Melton - once a crossroads with just a few houses - now growing rapidly

Icing on the climb to 21,000 feet

The Ashburton River/Hakatere near Ashburton Forks

Lake Heron and Sugarloaf in distance

The Ranigtata River

The Ranigtata River again with a skiff of snow on Mount Peel

Lakes Tekapo and Pukaki coming up

Fairlie

Lake Tekapo and the smaller Lake Alexandrina just above it

Lake Pukaki with the hydro canal flowing into it with the Irishmans Creek, the Tekapo River and Sawdon Stream at the bottom of the photo

Lake Ruataniwha and the hydro canal flowing into Lake Benmore

The Ahuriri River flowing flowing down from Lindis Pass area

Descent into Wānaka with the lake in sight

Descent over Tarras, the site of our next international airport???

The Clutha River

Looking up to Lake Hawea

A spectacular oxbow in the Clutha

A beautiful day in Wānaka as PLB awaits her passengers for Christchurch... sadly a sight soon to be lost from Wānaka skies

 

GA at Alexandra

My second ever photo of Piper PA28 Cherokee 160 ZK-CUG at Alexandra on 3 September 2025... the first photo can be found here https://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2012/10/25-years-ago-october-1987-elsewhere-in.html  

Stoddard-Hamilton SH-2 Glasair RG ZK-LHX was flying locally and in the circuit at Alexandra on 3 September 2025

 

Heading back to Rangiora from Alexandra on 3 September 2025 was TL TL-2000 Sting ZK-PHW... looking very tidy with its gear up 

Mercy Mission to Alex

Delighted to catch the NZ Flying Doctors Service's Beech Super King at Alexandra on a mercy mission today, 3 September 2025.  

I was saying to my friend I'm staying with this would be an ideal aircraft to fly an air service to Alexandra... well maybe when regional airlines had a level playing field. As I was downloading these photos it occurred to me that Pacifica Air, that did fly did Alexandra, used a Beech Super King Air in its early day. By the time Pacifica Air did fly to Alex they were using a Metroliner (it was used for the inaugural flight), Piper Chieftain and Piper Aztec. For more on Pacifica Air see https://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2010/10/pacifica-air-profile.html 

Great to meet the NZ Flying Doctors Service's crew...

What I was hoping to achieve... action photo without revealing people's faces

Sounds Air Flight 649 from Blenheim to Christchurch

 

Some weeks ago Sounds Air announced it was going to sell its Pilatus PC12 fleet and withdraw its Blenheim-Christchurch and Christchurch-Wānaka services. Sadly, even after Monday's news of a $30 million assistance package to regional airlines, Sounds Air says the Government support is too little, too late. It’s just cancelled several regional routes. “The planes have already been sold and redundancies have taken place,” said managing director Andrew Crawford. 

Before it was "too late" I wanted to try both services and on Monday the 1st of September 2025 I did the two sectors heading south from Blenheim to Wānaka 

Early morning at Blenheim's Woodbourne Airport... Air New Zealand's 6.00am to Auckland departed as I arrived... their 7.00am to Wellington cancelled. Sounds Air departed to Wellington on time

Marlborough Airport

Woodbourne Tower on watch

Do you want to buy an Orion or two?

The Marlborough vineyards

Snow on the western ranges

Looking out to Lake Grasmere and Cape Campbell

A light dusting of snow

On the left Tapuae-o-Uenuku, the highest peak on the Inland Kaikoura Range and the Pinnacle in the centre

Lake McRae

Flight Level 180

End of the view for a while

North of Motonau

Banks Peninsula in the distance

Motonau Beach and Island

Waikuku Beach and Ashley River Mouth

Pegasus and Woodend

Crossing the Waimakariri River on finals

My ride to Christchurch, Pilatus PC12 ZK-PLS