Through the Oval window!

I snapped this interesting photo on a recent flight from Hokitika to Christchurch on board Air New Zealand Link/Eagle Airways Beech 1900D ZK-EAF.

Mount Cook (flat topped) and Mount Tasman clearly visible.

NZ's newst airport terminal

Congratulations to Golden Bay Air as their new terminal comes to birth at Takaka!

Check out the progress at

https://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.216527421785798.40098.176423422462865&type=3

Remote Adventures - Come Fly with Jim and Mit

Remote Adventures was founded by Jim Larsen in 1978 about the time he purchased Cessna 185D ZK-CKO (c/n 185-0790). The operation was centred Makakaho Junction in the Waitotara Valley, some eighty minutes drive north of Wanganui. From small beginnings Remote Adventures devleoped and by the early 2002s it was offering a variety of scenic flights over Egmont and Tongariro Nationals Parks as well as flight to the Remote Adventures home base with its associated farm tourism and farm stay options and local hunting, fishing and jetboating activities. These flights operated from Stratford, Hawera, Raetihi or Wanganui.

Remote Adventures' first country - the Waitotara Valley. 

 Source : Remote Adventures' Website

In mid-2004 Jim and Remote Adventures moved to Takaka. Again, a variety of scenic flights were offered including over Abel Tasman and Kahurangi National Parks, Golden Bay and Farewell Spit as well as providing an air taxi service to and from Karamea for trampers on the Heaphy Track. While the business was run throughout the year, the busy season was from October until the end of May with lighter bookings through the winter months.

The business forged ahead over the years due to growing numbers of tourists visiting Golden Bay and Karamea, client satisfaction, and that it was run by a very experienced operator. Remote Adventures also operated a website which it shared with a sister company near Wanganui that concentrated on farm stays and hunting adventures.

Remote Adventure's Cessna 185 ZK-CKO at Takaka on 12 October 2009

In the summer of 2004/2005 Remote Adventures inaugurated its first regular service with a timetabled service operating between Takaka and Nelson with two flights offered each day, subject to available traffic. The flights were offered during the summer season. After this the Remote Adventures website continued to advertise that the Nelson flights were available for confirmed bookings with price on application and times by arrangement. The regular service to Nelson did not resume the following summer.

The Nelson timetable, January 2005

In September 2009 Remote Adventures inaugurated a new service between Takaka and Paraparaumu, the company hoping to capitalise on people from the Kapiti Coast and points further north who wanted to visit Golden Bay. Initially two flights a week were offered. On Saturday moernings the Cessna departed Takaka at 7.00am and flew across to Paraparaumu. The return flight left Paraparaumu at 9.00 a.m. On Sundays the flight to Paraparaumu departed at 3.30pm with the return flight to Takaka departing Paraparaumu at 5 p.m.

The Paraparaumu timetable, September 2009

An additional flight Wednesday flight was added from December 2009. This flight left Takaka at 11.00 a.m., arriving at Paraparaumu at noon with the return flight departing Paraparaumu 12.30 p.m. and arriving at Takaka 1.30 p.m. Over the 2009/2010 summer season Remote Adventures operated Cessna 172M Skyhawk ZK-WFS (c/n 17261457) to help cope with the demand.

The leased Cessna 172, ZK-WFS, taken at Takaka in January 2010. 

Once again the scheduled service was operated on demand over the winter but regular flights resumed for the 2010/2011 summer with Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon flights being offered.

The early 2010s saw Remote Adventures continuing to offer scenic flights and flights for trampers from Takaka and Karamea and, after the opening of the Heaphy Track to mountain bikes in May 2011, it also offered flights for mountain bikers and their bikes!

In November 2012 Mit Brererton bought Remote Adventures bringing with him Cessna 185A ZK-MIT (c/n 185-0504). He was reported in the Golden Bay Weekly saying, "he will be running Jim’s business with the express aim of “keeping Jim proud”. “The name will remain the same for this season but next year we’ll change it to Adventure Flights Golden Bay so that the name will help publicise the Bay.”

Remote Adventures Cessna 185 at Masterton on 19 January 2013

Out with the old...

...and in with the new

In 2013 the name was changed to Adventure Flights Golden Bay but the aircraft continue to wear "Operated by Remote Adventures" titles. During the 2013/14 summer season Mit was using Cessna 185 ZK-CGH.

Cessna 185 ZK-CGH at Takaka on 22 January 2014

Adventure Flights Golden Bay continues to operate Cessna 185 ZK-MIT and operate services in support of trampers and mountain bikers on the Heaphy Track, air charter and scenic flights from Takaka, Awaroa, Motueka and Nelson.

Cessna 185 ZK-MIT at Takaka on 14 March 2015...

...and at Nelson on 16 March 2020

The company stopped operating in early 2023 with pilot/owner Mit Brereton relocating out of the Golden Bay area.

Wheels Up Landing - 25 years ago...

Grayson Ottaway has sent me this flashback to 25 years ago... Great spotting by the Palmerston North air traffic controller and to the Bandeirante crew!

ZK-FHX ‘Wheels Up’ NZPM

14-Apr-1987

Flight Crew: Captain Craig Mossman | First Officer Lance Slight

On 14-Apr-1987 at 1421hrs, an Embraer 110P1 Bandeirante, registered ZK-FHX was approaching Palmerston North Aerodrome, New Zealand. After a routine flight from Hamilton the aircraft, operating as "Eagle 15", was on short final for runway 25 when Palmerston North Tower instructed the aircraft to "go around'.

The tower controller had noticed from a distance of 1.5 km that the aircraft's left main wheel was missing. The aircraft was flown in the local area for some 40 minutes to burn off fuel and to allow the airline to obtain advice from the aircraft's manufacturer overseas.

The crew individually briefed each passenger on the emergency and secured all loose cabin baggage. A successful wheels-up landing was then made on runway 25, using 9° of flap and with the propellers feathered. Foam had been mistakenly spread on the expected touch-down point, however due to ‘ground-effect’ the aircraft floated for some distance above the runway, coming to rest on the runway 210m from the end. The aircraft had slid for 430 m on the runway surface, almost perfectly on the runway centre-line.

There were 2 crewmembers and 11 passengers on board the aircraft. The occupants evacuated the aircraft by the main cabin door without injury. Smoke was observed from the left engine area and foam was applied by the aerodrome rescue fire appliances but fire did not occur.

The missing left wheel, complete with all fittings, was found four days later on farm land 4 km north-east of the aerodrome. The location was consistent with the aircraft's path on right base for runway 25.

Examination of the wheel components showed that the central retaining bolt had unscrewed from the axle, permitting separation. The threads were undamaged. Damage to the inboard sleeve of the wheel and to the mating dust seal was sufficient to suggest that the wheel bearings had been substantially loose for an appreciable number of take- off/landing cycles but probably not for the 189 cycles since the wheel was last removed for maintenance.

The tyre did not show any unusual wear patterns from wheel looseness. The bolt locking mechanism consisted of a special collar/washer and a locking pin. Two dogs on the collar/washer engaged slots in the axle when the assembly was correctly torqued up against the wheel bearings. The pin then locked the slotted bolt head to holes in the collar/washer. It was possible to assemble the collar/washer incorrectly so that the dogs butted against the end face of the axle. This defeated the locking mechanism and forward rotation the left wheel would then be able to unscrew the bolt. If the wheel had been fitted in this way, the resulting gross looseness of the wheel bearings should have made this incorrect assembly obvious to the engineer performing the task.

The wheel and fittings were reassembled on the axle to measure the engagement of the locking dogs into the axle. This was found to be 3.75 mm, a normal amount, which demonstrated that no adverse build-up of tolerances had occurred to obviate the locking mechanism. The outer bearing races were correctly seated in the wheel halves, where they had been since new. The inboard bearing inner race was a good sliding fit on the axle and showed no evidence of incorrect seating, which could have prevented engagement of the locking dogs. The edges of the slot in the bolt head bore marks, which could have been made by a screwdriver used to lever the bolt undone and also punch marks.

The right wheel bolt had similar but lesser marks. The airline's engineering section used a special socket spanner for this job so the marks should not have originated from normal maintenance. The origin of the marks could have been the previous operator of the aircraft, or possibly some unlawful interference with it before the accident. No other evidence was found to suggest that unlawful interference had taken place.

The wheel had been replaced on ZK-FHX during a Bl inspection 132.6 flying hours and 189 cycles before the accident. A B2 inspection had been carried out the previous day, six cycles before the accident but this did not require removal of the wheel. Some instances of left wheel disengagements had been reported overseas early in the service life of this aircraft type.

These had occurred at eight to eleven cycles after maintenance and were attributed to incorrect assembly. If the wheel on this aircraft had been incorrectly assembled, it was unlikely that it would have remained in place for 189 cycles. The aircraft received substantial damage, however after some repairs were made to make in Palmerston North to make it airworthy – including replacing the wheel – it was flown gear down back to Eagle’s Hamilton base.

Interestingly when the wheels are retracted in a Bandeirante – and some other types too - they sit below the fuselage line and will still rotate in the event of a wheels up.

###

The float was caught on camera. Look at the props – sitting perfectly!

before...

and after... Photo : Christchurch Press, 15 April 1987

ZK-FHX at Palmerston North on 21 February 1985 (above) and at Christchurch on 8 September 1985 (below) Photos : S Lowe

A comparison of the Caravan versus the Grand Caravan... One of Sounds Air's Cessna 208 Caravans, ZK-TZR, as compared to below the larger Cessna 208B Grand Caravan ZK-SAA. Both photos taken at Wellington on 9 April 2012 by S Lowe

 

Masterton Timetable Change

A change to the timetable of direct flights between Masterton and Auckland has left at least one regular traveller stranded. Nicola Jefferies, of Masterton, who makes the daily return trip regularly, said the change meant it was no longer possible to fly up and back on the same day - which will frustrate many business people. "It's a real shame. It's so convenient being able to come back the same day, rather than having to stay overnight in Auckland or drive to Wellington at 4am to catch an early flight. The morning flights from Masterton to Auckland were always full, Mrs Jefferies said, and by changing their service, Eagle Air, which operates the route on behalf of Air New Zealand, stood to lose business.  There had been no warning about the timetable change from either airline, she said. Under the changes, the morning flight leaving Masterton at 7am will switch to a 12.15pm departure. The only return flight from Auckland leaves at 10.40am. Eagle Air general manager Carrie Hurihanganui said the changes were due to maintenance requirements for an Eagle Air aircraft that serviced the route, and was scheduled to last for six weeks, from May 6 to June 18. "The small number of passengers affected by the change will be re-accommodated onto other services and Eagle Air apologises for any inconvenience caused." Ms Hurihanganui said Eagle Air was using the opportunity to trial flights that better suit the leisure traveller and offer the chance for Aucklanders to spend a weekend in Wairarapa with a new fly-in Friday, fly-out Sunday option. "We have therefore taken this opportunity to trial services to gauge leisure passenger demand including introducing a Friday night flight landing in Masterton at 7.40pm, with a Sunday afternoon flight departing Masterton at 3.15pm." Masterton Mayor Garry Daniell said he understood every effort was being made to keep disruption to a minimum while essential maintenance was carried out. "The proposed new timetable will, however, give us the opportunity to trial mid-morning weekday flights and a convenient weekend service, which we have been advocating with Eagle Air for some time. "This may open up our region to new groups of visitors in the future and if these new times prove popular, there may be opportunities to develop the service to cater better for both leisure and business travellers." Destination Wairarapa general manager David Hancock said the new trial weekend flights were a fantastic opportunity for the region.

http://www.times-age.co.nz/news/flight-woes-upset-business-traveller/1336762/

Meanwhile in April 2009...

Air NZ changes Oamaru Fights

Air New Zealand is re-jigging its services between Oamaru and Christchurch, scrapping weekend flights and leaving just 20 minutes between arrival and departure times. From May 18 flights from Christchurch will depart at 8.30am and arrive in Oamaru at 9.15am. The current service operates in the evening, departing at 6.20pm and arriving in Oamaru at 7.05pm. Flights from Oamaru will depart at 9.35am and arrive in Christchurch at 10.20am. Currently they depart at 7.05am and arrive at 7.50am. General manager Grant Kerr said the changes would better meet the needs of business travellers. A review of the service showed more customers utilised the service into Oamaru rather than out of Oamaru, he said.

Oamaru was soon no longer on the Air NZ network. Why cut a supposedly successful service like Masterton instead of cutting a service out of a centre where there are more numerous service options... eg Tauranga, Gisborne or Whangarei???

About 50 flights out of Timaru have been cancelled in the last 12 months, with Eagle Air general manager Carrie Hurihanganui admitting she is disappointed with the number of cancellations in recent months. Eagle Air operated 1095 flights from Timaru in the 12 months to April 1. With 49 flights being cancelled, only 95.5 per cent of scheduled services flew, less than the company's target of 98 per cent. The number of cancelled flights was also up slightly on the previous 12 months when 95.7 per cent of the 1000 scheduled flights went ahead. The number of cancelled flights so far this year has been even higher with 19 of the 272 scheduled services cancelled. Ms Hurihanganui said she was disappointed with the number of cancellations in recent months and acutely aware of the impact they had on customers in the region. Of the flights cancelled this year, 11 were due to engineering issues, eight because of weather conditions and two due to crew unavailability.

Source : http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/6729954/Cancelled-Timaru-flights-disappoint

It runs in the family...

I took my sister and brother-in-law to last year's Raglan Black Sands Fly-in where she took quite a few photos, and later at Ardmore. Since then my sister has joined the ranks of aircraft enthusiasts...

She took to the air for the first time in a helicopter at Nelson on the 19th of November 2011 in Reid Helicopters' Aerospatiale Squirrel ZK-HEX. Photo : M Dellow

Then it was off to the Rangiatata Island strip with the Morris 8 Club on the 12th of February 2012...

...where she took to the air in DH Tiger Moth ZK-BRL.

 

As well as flying she took some photos of some of the locals... Cessna 180 ZK-BUQ was on parachute duties at Rangitata Island on 12 February 2012. Photo : M Dellow.

Rans S-9 Chaos ZK-KLI at Rangitata Island on 12 February 2012... Marg rightly complained it was difficult to get photos without other "stuff" in the background. Photo : M Dellow.

However, she got superb photos of Rans S-7 Courier ZK-RIC at Rangitata Island on 12 February 2012... Photo : M Dellow.

...and Rans S-6ES Coyote II ZK-SIX at Rangitata Island on 12 February 2012... Photo : M Dellow

For the fledgling fliers who have taken to the air in their own right there were a couple of "aircraft". Photos taken at Rangitata Island on 12 February 2012... Photo : M Dellow

However, maybe plane spotting has been in the blood for a long time... my two sisters and my cousin with Mount Cook Air Services Cessna 180 at Fox Glacier ZK-BMS some years ago. Photo : S Lowe Collection

Takaka Express

Flying Golden Bay Air's services to and from Takaka on Monday and Tuesday was Piper PA-32R Saratoga ZK-ZIG. The photo taken above was taken at Wellington on the 9th of April 2012, the photos below on the 10th. Photos : S Lowe

Paraparaumu Airliners

Mike Condon caught air2there's Piper Chieftain ZK-MYS on the taxi at Paraparaumu on the 30th of March 2012, while in the foreground sits Piper Navajo ZK-WHW and on the other sided of the airport an Air Nelson Bombardier Q300

Piper Chieftain ZK-MYS was enjoying the sun at Paraparaumu on the 9th of April 2012. Photo : S Lowe

Latest in the air2there fleet is Reims F406 Caravan ZK-XLF. Photo taken at Paraparaumu on the 9th of April 2012 by S Lowe

On duty for the day was the Cessna 208 Grand Caravan ZK-MYH which was caught on the taxi. Photo taken at Paraparaumu on the 9th of April 2012 by S Lowe



The whole air2there fleet... Navajo ZK-WHW, Reims F406 Caravan ZK-XLF, Grand Caravan ZK-MYH arriving from Nelson, and Piper Chieftain ZK-MYS. Photo taken at Paraparaumu on the 9th of April 2012 by S Lowe

"New" Cessna for Sunair

Sunair Aviation took over the registered ownership of Cessna 172M ZK-CBZ on 21 February this year with the aircraft photographed 09 April at Auckland on the carrier's service from/to Whitianga.

ZK-CBZ was first registered to CBC Aviation of Whitianga on 24 November 2011 after its import from the USA where it flew as N3591Q.

Wayne G photo

Islander Quartet!

The Easter long week holiday combined with school holidays and uncharacteristic nice weather meant the two scheduled operates between Auckland and Great Barrier Island were being kept very busy as is evident in the following four photos.

All photographed arriving at Auckland Easter Monday, PIZ landed at 1523, LGF at 1524, DLA at 1525 and LGC at 1526!!

MRC photos