Saturday 15 March 2014

Non amateur built # 3

 Some more non amateur built visiting aircraft noted at Hastings last weekend.
 Cessna 177B Cardinal ZK-DFU (c/n 177-01663) was a December 1971 listing to Rex Aviation (NZ) Ltd of Ardmore which did not reach its CofA and first flight in NZ until 12-05-1972 followed by delivery to the New Plymouth Aero Club.
A lengthy list of owners followed: Briefly they were Peeceejay Holdings at Timaru from 07-11-1972; P T Collins at Waipukurau from 25-01-1974; the HB and EC Aero Club at Hastings on 09-04-1975 and back to P C Collins on 27-05-1975. S F Thodey and S E Barley of Hastings feature from 16-05-1978; then A V Martyn of Timaru from 23-04-1987. Grant Bissett of Four Seasons Tours of Ashburton appear on the paper work from 24-04-1992 with Doug Hamilton of Westair Flying Ltd at Hokitika featuring from 17-07-1994; then to Westair at Fox Josef from 01-06-1995. It then spent ten years with Air Safaris and Services (NZ) Ltd - mainly at Tekapo - from 01-04-1996 until 30-03-2006 when it moved to John Sturgess of Auckland.
Current owner Michael Black of Cardinal Capers of North Shore took it on from 04-07-2008
 Cessna 182P ZK-DJN (c/n 182-61800) was another Rex Aviation import - being listed on 17-04-1973. I R Bright and Cliff Skeggs of Dunedin feature from 10-09-1973 followed by W H Buston of Mt Nicholas Station from 16-01-1978. Then to Queenstown for Dickson Enterprises from 18-12-1986. From 04-06-1987 A E M Taylor of Christchurch was paying the bills followed by R M Patterson of Mosgiel from 21-11-1991. Next base was Te Anau with John and Jenny Peek from 11-04-1994 until Rakiura Adventures of Stewart Island took it on from 12-09-2001. From 08-12-2004 it was in Auckland with A L and D E Sharp and then to current operator Airline Flying Club (Inc) since 03-07-2005.
 Piper PA-18-135 Super Cub ZK-JLB2 (c/n 18-4025) was built as serial number 54-2625 for the US Military and was delivered in 1955 under the Military Aid Program to the Italian Air Force (then Army), initially as MM542625 then as I-EIVK and EI-281. It was returned to the US and became N9972Q but I believe was cancelled on 20-10-1989.
I next noted it as VH-CAK with R N L (Dick) Thompson of East Ryde, Sydney from 24-05-2004. This was cancelled on 26-07-2013 for its move to NZ for James L Benbow of Nelson from 22-08-2013. So it has every right to be classed as a "Warbird".
 Tecnam P2002 Sierra ZK-JNG5 (c/n 0151) originated from Australia where it had been listed as 24-5030 on their Australian Ultralight Federation registration list. It came to NZ via David Trust of Thames and has been listed with the Hauraki Aero Club since 21-01-2011.
Cessna 172N ZK-WHY (c/n 70200) was built in 1973 and resided in Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas as N738SL before coming to NZ for Bruce and Sandra Painter of Auckland from 01-07-1994.
Owners since have included the Ardmore Flying School from 31-01-1997; Southflight Aviation of Christchurch from 01-10-1997 and Flight Safety (NZ) Ltd of Ardmore from 03-02-1998. From 01-06-2000 it was with The NZ Pilot Academy of Auckland followed by Salt Air at Paihia from 28-02-2001. Then came the North Shore Aero Club at the end of May 2001 and Rockum Aviation Ltd of Auckland from 20-10-2004. Then Crookston Holdings took over on 14-02-2005; CTC Aviation Training (NZ) Ltd on 03-08-2007 and the Wakatipu Aero Club at Queenstown on 04-03-2008. They flicked it to the Southern Districts Aero Club at Gore on 09-12-2008 -  which became the Gore Aero Club on 25-05-2010.

6 comments:

  1. A 172N will not be a 1973 model. More like 1983.

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  2. Evening Anon.
    Actually we are both wrong.
    ZK-WHY was listed in the States as N738SL with Sterling Air Services in Colorado in March of 1978 (I misread my own written notes).
    "N" production ran to 6425 units from 1977 thru to 1980.
    Tks for pointing out the anomaly.

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  3. Good to have the record straight.

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  4. The record is not correct, I bought N738SL in Kansas with just 1909 hours total time, a one owner pristine 172 that I flew around Colorado, Kansas and Texas, before shipping it to NZ, where I continued to fly it on my FAA licence, until it was sold to Bruce Painter, thanks Rodger McCutcheon

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  5. Evening Rodger.
    I have gone back and dug out the old FAA microfiche files on N738SL with c/n 17270200.
    The build date mentioned in the blog is wrong - more likely 1978.
    I have the following details on ownership from the microfiche.
    N738SL listed with Sterling Air Service Inc, Sterling, Colorado 06-03-1978.
    G & K Land Inc, Curtiss, Nebraska by 06-1983.
    Trego Aviation Inc, North Platte, Nebraska by May 1990.
    J H McArthy, North Platte, 07-1990.
    Moyer Aviation Inc, Ulysses, Kansas 05-1993.
    Morris Ranch Inc, Hugoton, Kansas 27-07-1993.
    Assembled Ardmore 10-1993..
    US registration cancelled 13-06-1994.
    Became ZK-WHY 01-07-1994.

    Cheers
    Dave P

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  6. Hi Dave, well there you go, when I opened the hangar door in Hugoton Kansas and saw it there in pristine condition, seems I was lied to, being told it was a one owner, it was a cheery as they say, and I never checked any history apart from damage, which it had none. Morris Ranch gave me the 172 as a contra deal for getting them a warbird with history in action, and indeed I honored my part of the bargain, and got them a Douglas Dauntless, with logbooks and entries from its first test flight in the USA, to its final missions in the Pacific theater. The 172 was part of the deal, and I shipped it to NZ after flying it around the Midwest USA. I never transferred the ownership of the aircraft into my name, I kept is simple and flew it on the US registration, and eventually would do an NZ rego. The handshake deal I did with the good ole Kansas boys, well their word meant nothing. The 172 was for sale for 28k, they said it was pocket change to them, and for all the work I did in getting them a historic warbird, the 172 was mine and I could do what I wanted with it. About 6 months after I got it back to NZ, they called me and said they were in some financial hardship, and they wanted me to now pay for the 172, I was shocked, said we had a deal, but nothing was in writing, although one would think having been able to ship the aircraft to the other side of the world, should speak for itself. In the end, they had the Bill of Sale in their name, and the aircraft was sold off. Being a 1978 with the H2AD engine, it was due overhaul, so I reluctantly decided to just let it go. We live and learn, and when they came back to me for more assistance, I politely declined. Regardless I did some great flying in N738SL in the USA and NZ, and I recently caught up with WHY down on Gore, still a great 172. Cheers Rodger

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