Its really a feast or a famine at Ardmore (as we've stated previously in an early post!!). And it was indeed a feast on the afternoon of Friday 27 May with a number of aircraft making the most of a break in the otherwise humdrum autumnal weather the region has been experience these last couple of weeks. The timing of our visit also coincided with a guest appearance by
Greybeard - a contributor to sisterblog
www.nzcivair.blogspot.com
There is talk she may be remarked to represent Jean Batten's Percival Gull G-ADPR and have the UK registration applied for decorative purposes while still remaining on the ZK register. However she appears to have flown south via Timaru yesterday.
The sixth Vans RV12 to hit the register has taken up the
ZK-ERV letters for Allan Kearney of
Auckland. These letters have not previously been allocated.
Tara-Iti's Eurocopter EC130 T2 ZK-HTI has undergone an identity change and as of 21 April 2016 it has become
ZK-ITI with Advanced Flight.
http://www.taraiti.com/
Another Vans RV12 on the move 27 May, this time ZK-LSV. Nice to catch it during a glimpse of the sun. Registered to Jim Evans of Rotor Blades (NZ), Whitangi, this aircraft was factory built for Van's by Synergy Air of Eugene, Oregon, as N302VA and registered to them on 26 October 2015. It was shipped to NZ and registered here on 10 March 2016 with a first flight at Whitiangi 4 days later, the same day as ZK-ERV had its first flight.
Lancair 360
ZK-MHS is a regular flyer at Ardmore and a brilliant review of the type in New Zealand can be found at
http://nzcivair.blogspot.co.nz/2014/01/neico-and-subsequent-lancairs-of-new_16.html
Piper Aerostar 600A
ZK-MVY has been in the country since 1993 and has spent its NZ life based at Ardmore. It is registered to Buckley Air and is seen here conducting very spirited circuits.
MXS Aircraft MXS
ZK-MXS is an almost daily sight at Ardmore as the owner maintains his aerobatic skills. Always nice to see it out and about.
It was apt that we got to photograph this aircraft for the first time on a Friday afternoon! Piper PA28R-201T Arrow III
ZK-TGF turned up on the register 14 April this year being re-registered from ZK-REC. The aircraft has been in the country since late 2001.
The following info is thanks to
Bluebus:
The history of the Piper J3 Cub goes back to 1937 when the Taylor/Piper2
Cub was upgraded and re-designated. Recently arrived from the States is a model
J3C-65 for Ardmore Aviation Services Ltd which is now registered as ZK-YLO (Yellow). The ‘C’ in the
designation indicates the engine manufacturer (C for Continental, L for
Lycoming, F for Franklin etc) and the number indicates the horsepower. This
airframe was built in 1946 but its history is rather obscure (to me) but it was
registered as N98808 by June of 1956 and later was re-registered as N923BC.
Later owners include Oliver Clow of Oswego Illinois from June of 2005 followed
by Jack Sprague of Austin Colorado in March 2007 and finally Dave Phillips of
Pauma Valley California from February of 2014. With the latest arrival we have
now had twelve of these J2 and J3 models on the NZ register.
