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Saturday, February 5, 2011

Air BP Round New Zealand Air Race - February 1991

I was trawling through some photos recently and stumbled across a significant number of aircraft featuring the addition of race numbers on their tails and it took my memory back to busy skies at Nelson on a summer's evening when the Air BP Round New Zealand Air Race swarmed into the regional airport.  Parking spots were packed with participants and the western grass was also graced with a large number of aircraft.

An excerpt from the Aviation Historical Society Aerolog February 1991 details the following:

"The largest air race ever held in NZ took off from New Plymouth on 5 February to circumnavigate the country.  One hundred and one aircraft headed off from the delayed start due to low cloud to the south, their being five non-starters from the official entry list.  The fleet stopped for lunch at Omaka before continuing onto Wigram and the the first night stop.  Next morning, a rough southerly front meant that the race leg to Oamaru had to be abandoned, but the competition continued on around Dog Island in Foveaux Strait and overnighted at Invercargill.
On 7 February the aircraft flew around the bottom of the South Island to Queenstown, where the next day was spent resting, before heading up to Ashburton, the West Coast leg via Hokitika being dropped due to low cloud again.  After lunch the race continued onto Nelson and a night stop.  The race entrants re-crossed Cook Strait on 10 February after a delayed start due to very low cloud, stopping off at Masterton before completing the day at Rotorua.  After a rest day here, the race continued on 12 February to Kerikeri.  The following day, after completing the circuit around Cape Reinga, the aircraft occupants lunched at Whenuapai and night stopped at Hamilton.
The last day of the race, 14 February, featured a trip across to Gisborne, but bad weather to the west forced the cancellation of the last race leg, a navigation exercise to New Plymouth, and the contestants had to make their own way to the finish line!  The overall winner was adjudged to Harry Hobin on Tampico ZK-TBA.  Twelve overseas registered aircraft took part (10 Australian and 2 from the USA) and one RNZAF Airtrainer NZ1942.  Some of the latter stages of the aircraft were accompanied by aircraft of the NZ Warbirds group (as noted below) and C150 ZK-OKI also joined in.

Race entrants at the start were (all ZK unless otherwise prefixed)
Grumman AA5 : DLA, DLI, DLJ, EHB, ERJ
Aerocommander 500: DCF
Beech C23 : DVC
Beech V35 : VH-DYX
Beech 36 : VH-FMD
Bolkow 108 : CJG
Cessna 150/152 : ZK-EHP, FLF, FPH, NPE, TDI
Cessna 170 : ERR
Cessna 172 : DRT, EZF, FGF, SMP, EZL, DRW, DRS, FJB, EZK, EXD, CHN, CFD, DKD, ETA, EJY, EOF, EOS DHS, DHT, COM, CSI, EKE
Cessna 177 : DWU, ELP, DIG
Cessna 180 : DAH, BJV, BUG, EEJ, DBX
Cessna 182 : ETX, NPC, FGY, N8531S
Cessna 185 : CAN, CGG
Cessna 206 : EJH
Cessna 207 : FPM, NPA
Cessna 210 : KKL, VH-ROH (both also took part in Singapore-Christchurch Air Race in 1987)
Cessna 310 : VH-NXA
CT4B : NZ942
DH Dove : KTT
DH60 : AEJ
DH82 : BAH
Rands KR1 : KRT
Long Eze: EZE, VH-LDL, VH-MJL
Minicab : DAG
Mooney : RFN, EDL, CPF, VH-KEC
Piper PA23 : DIO
Piper PA28 : EBZ, EQC, DOS, BZH, CIP, DIQ, EBW, FRT, DUX, NDA, FGH, EID, EYA, WEH
Piper PA28 Arrow : TFD, EZM, JSS, FHP, DQV, DUY, DJA
Piper PA30 : VH-KBZ
Piper PA32 : DOJ, EBG
Piper PA34 : VH-PBL
Piper PA46 : N2486Y (later became ZK-MBU)
Piper PA60 : VH-LMW
Partenavia : ERA
Thorp T18 : EDF, VMS
Tampico TB9 : TBA, TGW

In addition, the following were noted at Rotorua
Sea Fury SFR, Spitfire XVI, Trojan JGS, Harvard's ENE, ENF and WAR.









All photos Mike Condon

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