Taylor Monoplanes of New Zealand (2)

There have been 16 Taylor Monoplanes completed in New Zealand (plus one close cousin), of which 7 are still registered: 6 as Class 1 Microlights and one as an Amateur Built Aircraft. Here are the next 4 in registration order.

The photos are from the Keith Morris collection and I have taken most of them.

ZK-CTV (c/n AACA 51/1) was built by Jack Wheeler at New Plymouth over many years and it is one of a trio of Taylor Monos to come out of the Taranaki Chapter of the AACA. It was first registered on 15/5/67 but didn't fly until well into the 1980's. It was redesignated as a Class 1 Microlight on 2/2/00 but it crashed into some trees on takeoff at new Plymouth onn 26/11/00. It was cancelled on 9/5/01 as destroyed. The above photo was taken at the 1990 AACA flyin at Waipukurau, and was the only time I saw it completed.

ZK-CVH (c/n AACA 49/1 and then later AACA 170 - probably from 1987) was started by K M Krippner of Te Awamutu and was first registered on 8/8/67. It then passed through a succession of owners in Northland, but I believe that it was completed by Lee Middleton of Auckland, probably in 1988 as it crashed at East Pukekohe on 16/12/88, and it was cancelled on 23/9/93 as withdrawn.

However it was re-registered on 4/11/94, still to Lee Middleton of Pukekohe, and then cancelled again on 23/6/00. But wait, there is more! It was again registered to Lee Middleton, by now of Wellsford on 22/12/00 and it was finally withdrawn and cancelled on 22/8/02.

I am not sure who took the above photo but it appears to be at Ardmore.

ZK-CWG (c/n 43/1) was built by Greg McNicol at Taradale and was first registerd on 15/1/68. It's first flight was in the hands of Merv Meredith in February 1971 and it was judged to be an AACA Grand Champion aircraft. It was very colourful being mainly orange with various bits of black, white and dayglo as I recall. Greg owned a roadmarking company at that time and he used ZK-CWG to get around his road marking crews, often landing beside the road. The above photo was taken at the 1974 AACA flyin at Hastings when it had its original 1600 cc VW motor.

And this photo of it is when it had a HAPI 2100 cc motor installed (The HAPI was a highly modified VW). Greg went on to build his Thorp T 18 and ZK-CWG was sold to I L Cameron and A H Klenner of Kapuni in 1976. It was damaged in a nose-over incident at New Plymouth on 12/7/76. Ownership the passed to I L Cameron, M A Farr and B R Corbett of Hawera in 1978 and it was withdrawn from use and cancelled on 8/4/92.

I saw the aircraft at Jim Fordyce's workshop in the 1990's, so it may yet be restored.

And finally for this post, ZK-CZH (c/n AACA 78) was built over more than 20 years by Jack Hintz of Inglewood, and is another one of the Taranaki trio of Taylor Monos. It was first registered on 29/11/91. It was re-designated as a Class 1 Microlight on 29/3/00 and ownership transferred to G C Langlands of Hawera in 2005. I do not know who took the above photo but it was taken at Stratford quite recently. ZK-CZH is still current.