Eurocopter 350B3 ZK-IJF, registered in February 2009 and photographed at Ardmore in April of that year ex a repaint was cancelled from the ZK register today, 01 September, on export, possibly to Papua New Guinea.

The AS350 was noted arriving at Cairns from Townsville on 04 August 2010 and departed for Coen 25 August 2010.

At Ardmore post repaint prior, Mike Condon photo

We've all seen the ads:  "Full IFR-Equipped LSA!"
A few top-line models offer such instrument packages, such as Flight Design CTLS, Evektor MAX, Tecnam's P2008.
But is an LSA legal to fly IFR?
Quick tell: Yes -- when flown by an appropriately rated pilot.
We already know that a Sport Pilot license holder can only fly in day VFR up to 10,000 feet.  This discussion is about the airplane.
As pal Dan Johnson, who just took up this issue on his own blog, notes, ASTM's F37 committee has worked hard to create an IFR standard, but unsuccessfully so far. The committee did add a line to the latest Design and Performance (D&P) Standard (yet to be adopted) that prohibits S-LSA flight into Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC).
This does not however prevent a rated IFR pilot with a current medical from flying a currently registered SLSA into IMC, and of course let's also assume the airplane is rigged with the appropriate Full Monty: IFR instrumentation, lighting and powerplant.
That last item gives LSA watchers some pause, since most Rotax and Jabiru engine models, which power the vast majority of S-LSA, are not certified for IFR flight.  Only an FAA-certified powerplant is legal.
(Note: Rotax does indeed have certified versions such as the 912F and 912S, certified to Part 33 and used on Diamond aircraft, which are IFR legal.)
The same criteria hold for night flight: it's legal, as long as the pilot is rated and the airplane is properly equipped such as with landing lights.
Just to say it one more time: a Sport Pilot-only licensee cannot legally fly at night or into IMC.
As Dan notes, once FAA accepts the latest D&P Standard, LSA makers will be able to outfit LSA with instruments as specified in FAA regs that will allow qualified pilots to file and fly IFR...but only into VMC (Visual Meteorological Conditions). 
Ironically, many (if not all) FAA folks, sez Dan, are supporters of allowing LSA for IFR training including into IMC, which is currently verboten. 
But to sum up, the bottom line remains: all currently registered S-LSA and those that are registered before the new D&P Standard is finally approved by FAA can legally operate in IMC flight - but only if they have the proper equipment and a suitably rated pilot at the controls.
And here's yet another distinction: IFR training on LSA is also legal in the IFR airspace system - but only into VMC. Only an aircraft type-rated for IFR training in IMC can legally do so.
Head buzzing yet?  Mine is. 
This topic surfaces consistently on various pilot forums online. 
One poster recently suggested that potential IFR-equipped LSA buyers make sure they talk it all over thoroughly with the manufacturer/dealer first, to ensure everything stays kosher.
Of course, since we pilots, especially when we post on the internet, are deliberative beasts who love to parse a topic until its magnetos fry, the idea has been put forth that pitot heat should be required on any hypothetical IFR LSA, and composite versions shout have a metal mesh impregnated into the airframe to handle lightning strikes, such as on a Columbia 350.  Others, of course, disagree.
And at this point, my brain cries "Enuf!" and defers this fine topic for another day, in the interests of preserving what little cognitive power I have left for my J3 flight later this afternoon (before dark, natch).

Fourteen aircraft in operation

It seems that at least one of the 2010 promises made by Jat CEO, Srdjan Radovanović, will come true. Jat’s entire fleet of fourteen aircraft will be in operation by mid November. At the beginning of 2010 half of Jat’s fleet was grounded due to the airline’s inability to purchase spare parts. However, things have changed. A total of twelve are now operating in the Jat fleet, with another Boeing B737 to join in two weeks. “We no longer have any aircraft lying around in the hanger. Out of the two aircraft which are currently undergoing maintenance, one will join the fleet in fifteen days and the other in November”, Radovanović said. Two Boeing B737-700s are expected to be leased by the end of the year. Jat operates four ATR72s and ten Boeing B737-300s. It returned one of its leased B737-400s earlier in the year.

Meanwhile, the daily “Blic” reported that Jat had brought in the largest number of transit passengers to Belgrade this summer. A total of 25% of Jat’s passengers, or one in four, uses the airline in order to transit through Belgrade to onward destinations. A total of 10% out of the 352.992 passenger that used Belgrade Airport in July were transit passengers.

Well we finally got there - Do you really think you are worthy of the chocolate fish after that second batch of clues ?

The answer is Beechcraft V35B Bonanza ZK-EDJ.

Airscoop on upper rear fuselage of ZK-EDJ.
Andy Heap photograph.

Shadow of ZK-EDJ at Christchurch on 24-04-2008.

Tip of tail of ZK-EDJ in its earlier scheme. Photo at Oamaru on 04-11-1978.

A couple more clues to help you with this one.

This is the original clue - correct way up.

Now I am not too sure if this is the elevator or rudder !

Shadow !

More investment and new flights planned for B&H

Following the resignation of Nudžeim Rečica as the CEO of B&H Airlines, its Turkish owner plans to make some changes to the way the company is being managed. Turkish Airlines Chairman, Hamdi Topcu, has said his company is planning on making further contributions to the Balkans, particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Speaking at a dinner organised by Turkish Airlines in Sarajevo last week, Topcu said that following the launch of Turkish’s flights between Istanbul and Podgorica, they now fly to every country in the Balkans. “We provide our friends living in the Balkans the opportunity to reach every corner of the world via Istanbul, which is an important transit point. We will continue to invest in the Balkans and Bosnia and Herzegovina in particular”, he said. Topcu emphasised that Turkish Airlines is transferring all its knowledge and expertise to B&H Airlines in order to transform the Bosnian carrier into a leading airline in the region. He said their success has been confirmed by B&H’s increasing number of passengers. The airline carried 78.600 passengers in the first seven months of this year, a 107% jump over the same period last year. Topcu also noted that the airline’s market share rose to 25% this year, up from 14% prior to the Turkish takeover.

Turkish is also hoping to make managerial changes to the airline. Amir Jašić has been named the airline’s acting CEO. B&H’s fleet will shrink this September when its Boeing B737-400 is returned to Turkish Airlines as agreed. B&H will continue operating with its new Airbus A319 jet and two ATR72s. The airline is also expected to launch services to Amsterdam this winter in order to provide its passengers with a quick transfer to the United States. A service to Skopje or Podgorica is set to replace the recently terminated flights to Zagreb.

Jat to make Portorož all year round service

Jat Airways is expected to sign an agreement with the Piran-Portorož tourist board by the end of next week and make its seasonal summer flights from Belgrade to Portorož a year round service. The flights to the Slovenian coastal town will continue if the Portorož tourist board receives an acceptable price from Jat. Since the service is being subsidised by the tourist board, Jat is expected to suggest a price for the 2010/11 winter season. Jat resumed services to Portorož in April 2010 after almost two decades. The service has been somewhat successful for the airline, with two weekly flights operated by the ATR72. The Piran-Portorož tourist board has subsidised the flights with 104.000 Euros so far and wants to continue subsidising the service for the same price throughout the winter.

Flights to Portorož have already been extended as the service was initially supposed to run until July. Flights have now been extended until October 30. Portorož is Jat’s second destination in Slovenia and an agreement between Jat and the tourist board is expected to take place during next week.

An unusual sound passing overhead had me dashing out of the hangar at Rangiora yesterday afternoon (Saturday 28th) to see the Jurca MJ5 Sirocco ZK-FNQ , c/n AACA/601, and the PAC Cresco 08-600 ZK-PKB , c/n 022 , in formation.

Cresco ZK-PKB and Sirocco ZK-FNQ descending into the downwind at Rangiora.

On finals. Sirocco ZK-FNQ leading the Cresco ZK-PKB.

Cresco ZK-PKB hit the NZ civil register on 03-03-1998 for Enfield Enterprises; perhaps better known as Oamaru Airspread and has pretty much spent all its life in the North Otago region. It has also flown under the Agflight Central South Island and Central South Island Helicopter titles; returning to Enfield Enterprises after each period . Lasted ownership move on 01-04-2010 was to the Wanganui Aero Work (2004) Ltd. I believe it is based on the Evans strip at Hawarden North Canterbury. (replacing the Walter Fletcher ZK-EUF which is now Franz Josef based in the parachute dropping role).

Cresco ZK-PKB (branded as a Cresco 750 on its wingtips).

The Jurca MJ5 Sirocco ZK-FNQ first flew on 05-07-1991 after a ten year project by Wylie and Sue Evans of Hawarden. It was sold to Phil and Lynnie Meredith of Rangiora (AACA/1009) as from 01-8-2007. It has recently come off a major refurbishment by Phil, and Arnold Gallagher; flying again on 25-07-2009.

ZK-FNQ taxies to its hangar.

So, not really an unusual combination considering the builder, owners,  pilots and sites involved.

Zadar continues to impress

In July, Croatian airports continued to recover from the economic crisis as most of the country’s major hubs reported an increase in the number of handled passengers. Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Pula and Zadar all reported significant increases. However, on the other hand, Rijeka continues to suffer with a big passenger decrease with Osijek on its heels.

The country’s main hub, Zagreb, managed to handle 234.071 in July 2010, up from 225.102 in July 2009, an increase of 3.9%. Croatia’s largest airport by size, Dubrovnik, saw its passenger numbers increase by 17.3% with 223.800 passengers using the airport. Split recorded impressive numbers with an increase of over 24%, while Pula continued its recovery with a 13.5% passenger increase. Zadar continues to benefit from Ryanair as the airport saw an impressive 44% passenger surge.

The only two Croatian airports reporting negative growth were Rijeka and Osijek. Rijeka continues to slide not only passenger wise but financially as well. The airport managed to handle 15.517 passengers and record a 37% decrease compared to July of 2009. Osijek also reported a passenger slump of 5%, although it should be noted that the number of flights operating in and out of Osijek has also decreased by 28%.

Below you can view July 2010 results for Croatian airports:

Airport	Passengers JUL 2010	Passengers JUL 2009	Change (%)
Zagreb	234.071	225.102	▲ 3.9
Dubrovnik	223.800	190.722	▲ 17.3
Pula	81.877	72.095	▲ 13.5
Split	246.084	198.172	▲ 24.1
Zadar	55.466	38.491	▲ 44.1
Osijek	4.477	4.713	▼ 5.0
Rijeka	15.517	24.874	▼ 37.6

Knocking around the net looking for signs that Light Sport is alive and well...
<>Michael Combs is nearing the end of his 19,000 mile odyssey - what a vision.  Latest word from PR dude Dave Gustafson is that the Flight for the Human Spirit in a Remos GX has made it to my old west coast stompin' grounds.  Five jewels of the left coast - San Diego, Burbank, San Luis Obispo, Monterey and San Jose - were on the itinerary for one magical flight day over one of the most beautiful stretches of coastal landscape in the world.  God speed Michael, 18,000 miles and 45 states and you're nearly done.
Imagine the human experience he's having, flying all summer, meeting all the great people he's met. I'm jealous, I admit it.
BTW, pilots are encouraged to fly along for any portion of Michael's Flight.  

<> Slow recovery?  Double-dip recession?  Not as far as Skyraider Aviation is concerned.  This hustling sport pilot flying club and training center is plenty active at Denver's busy Centennial Airport as well as at it's Erie Municipal location nearby.  A new PiperSport just joined the training and rental fleet - that's bound to perk anybody up - to share duties with two Gobosh 700s, an Evektor SportStar and a Remos G-3.
The outfit has operated for four years and claims to be the first in Colorado to offer specific Sport Pilot training.
<> Loosely Connected To Light Sport Dept., Another of those weird and wonderful experimental alternative-powered aircraft just made its maiden flight.
AeroVironment, the braintrust company begun by the late Dr. Paul MacCready, who gave us the Gossamer Albatross, first successful human-powered aircraft, back in the '70s, has begun flight test on Global Observer,an unmanned hybrid-electric surveillance prototype that will eventually be powered by a liquid hydrogen fuel system.
It launched from California's famed Edwards Air Force Base and flew for an hour at 4,000, controlled from a ground LRE (Launch and Recovery Element, officialese for a flight sim-like control booth) with a retired Air Force light colonel at the controls.  Can you say "X-Box"?

Here's an in interesting image phrase the company uses: "The future is unmanned".  Indeed, it's pioneering all kinds of hand-launched small electric-powered surveillance aircraft for the military (can mini flying grenades  be far behind?)
Global Observer will ultimately fly between 55,000 and 65,000 feet for up to a week at a time for disaster relief, reconnaissance and surveillance.  Expect some sophisticated tech fallout that will in time trickle down to general aviation from projects like this.
<> Not to be outdone by the West, a local news organ in the Greenville, South Carolina area reports that Spartanburg's downtown aircraft have discovered Light Sport aircraft and anticipate it will "fuel growth" at the airport.  The report compares the initial purchase price and operating costs between LSA and GA aircraft.
Although it was a bit wide-eyed in its example of an LSA that will fly at 120 knots for 9 hours straight, the story clearly gets the advantage the public is beginning to perceive from our piece of the personal flight pie, and that's a good thing.

<> Finishing up back on the west coast comes a news story, this time from Yakima, WA, that profiles a retired LSA pilot who flies his Challenger II from nearby Prosser Airport.  The article accurately chronicles the inception of the Sport Pilot rule and claims Light Sport training is the biggest student draw at the airport -- a "miniature boom in activity" - an increase of 50% in operations since 2007.
In this economy, it's good to see the word is getting out and people remember that instead of moping around,  there are still plenty of affordable ways to get out and enjoy life - like flying an LSA!
     --- photos courtesy  Skyraider Aviation, AeroVironment and Quad City Challenger

Montenegro Airlines in Niš

Jat Airways’ CEO, Srdjan Radovanović, announced that the Serbian national carrier has struck a deal with Montenegro Airlines, which will see the two co-operate on key routes between Serbia and Montenegro. In a vague press conference on Wednesday, Radovanović said that the two airlines would no longer overlap each other on routes between Belgrade, Niš, Tivat and Podgorica. This way the airlines would cut costs on fuel and fees and as a result ticket prices between Serbia and Montenegro would be significantly reduced. It is unclear whether the new agreement will lead to the cancelation of some Montenegro bound flights.

Montenegro Airlines has suffered a big passenger decrease on flights to and from Serbia. On the other hand, Jat has managed to claw back passengers on the route and report a big passenger increase. Last year, Jat suffered badly on the route when the airline’s previous management signed a damaging agreement with Montenegro Airlines, which saw Jat practically hand passengers over to its rival. In a recent industry evaluation, Serbian tour operators ranked Jat ahead of Montenegro Airlines on flights to Podgorica and Tivat. While Montenegro was firmly ahead in the evaluation when it came to aircraft, comfort and scheduling, Jat moved ahead with connecting flights and additional services.

Most of Jat’s and Montenegro Airlines’ flights between Serbia and Montenegro depart within a ten minute interval from each other. The two airlines have held a monopoly on the route and have had matching prices, around 110 Euros (return ticket with taxes). Radovanović says that the new agreement is the first step in the formation of a regional alliance and called upon all interested to join.

The new look Montenegro schedule will step into force on October 31, for the 2010/11 winter season. Both airlines are yet to release their winter schedules.

Three more Alpha R2160's were delivered into Christchurch for the Canterbury Aero Club this afternoon.
ZK-CTQ2 c/n 160A-07006 was the first of twelve for CTC Aviation Training (NZ) Ltd of Hamilton and was registered to them on 17-01-2007.
ZK-CTR c/n 160A-07010 went to CTC Aviation Training from 16-05-2007.
ZK-CTV2 c/n 160A-07013 was listed to CTC Aviation Training on 17-08-2007.
All three aircraft went to Hamilton Aero Maintenance Ltd from 31-10-2009 and have been parked up at Hamilton.
Title passed to Alpha Manufacturing Ltd of Hamilton on 01-07-2010.
They will in due course be registered to the Canterbury Aero Club in the ZK-VC* block of letters, following on from the two earlier aircraft ZK-VCA and ZK-VCC, and off course the Club still has the earlier ZK-RBN.

ZK-CTV, ZK-CTQ and ZK-CTR doing an over fly and peel off over the western grass at Christchurch on delivery to the Canterbury Aero Club.

ZK-CTQ taxies past the Club rooms.

ZK-CTR taxies past the Clubrooms.

ZK-CTV taxies to its new home.

All three in the Club engineering hangar.

Falcomposite Furio ZK-NJS/2 was out and about at Ardmore 25Aug10. This is the first time I've seen this aircraft flying. It was registered to NJ Sutherland of Dunedin back in 2008 and was set to carry out its first flight in March of this year.

Mike Condon photo

An unfortunate, yet not unexpected cancellation from the NZ civil aircraft register today was that of Dave Phillip's mighty Hawker FR74S Hunter, ZK-JIL. This magnificant aircraft was first registered in NZ just over 10 years on 15 March 2000. It spent much of its time at Ardmore and was employed on occassions by the NZ Navy to simulate air/sea attacks after the demise of the RNZAF's fast jet squadrons. In recent times, the Hunter has resided at Tauranga and to the best of my knowledge has not actually flown for a reasonable period of time.

Some background info is at www.nzwarbirds.org.nz/hunterfr74.html

On an upbeat note, Venom ZK-VNM was wheeled out of the Rural Aviation hanger at Ardmore today in preparation for engine runs and test flying before its delivery south to new owners in
W(h)anganui.

The Hunter rests next to the Mig 21 currently in the news and for sale on Trademe.

Ardmore, February 2005

Operating from Dunedin, ZK-JIL made for a wonderful airshow participant at the 2006 Warbirds over Wanaka airshow.

All photos Mike Condon

B&H dumps Zagreb

Extremely poor loads have forced Bosnia and Herzegovina’s national carrier, B&H Airlines, to terminate services from Sarajevo to Zagreb starting September 1. The service, which commenced only several months ago, failed to interest many passengers and most flights until September 1 have already been cancelled. The six weekly service is operated by the regional ATR72 aircraft. The news will be more than welcomed by Croatia Airlines, which has been in direct competition with B&H. During the 2010/11 winter season, Croatia Airlines will continue to operate fourteen weekly flights between Zagreb and Sarajevo.

Meanwhile, the cancelation of the Zagreb route leaves B&H with more unutilised aircraft. It is believed that B&H will replace the Zagreb service with another regional destination, either Podgorica or Skopje, both of which were terminated last year due to low interest.

B&H will soon be getting a new CEO as Nudžeim Rečica, the now former CEO, has had his resignation formally approved by the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mr. Rečica will now become the Ambassador to the State of Qatar.

N3083K at Pacific Aircraft Services on 05-07-2010.

Appearing on our register today listed to Mountain View Helicopters Ltd is the Robinson R22 Beta 11 ZK-IIL. This is c/n 4049 and was previously registered as N3083K.

"O"  (N3083K) as seen on 19-07-2010.

ZK-IIL as seen today 26-08-2010 at Pacific Aircraft Services, Christchurch.

Oshkosh is over but wait!  There's more!

One of the surprise hits last year was Chris Collins's Midwest LSA Expo.  Held at Mount Vernon Outland Airport (MVN) in Illinois, the new show attracted 42 airplanes and 30 exhibitors and what was reported far and wide as a focused and motivated LSA crowd.
Many sales were closed in the months following the 2009 gathering.  One main factor was the psychological continuity Midwest provided after Sebring (Jan.), Sun 'n Fun (Apr.) and Oshkosh (July/Aug).  By postponing the "end of summer" flying mindset into early Fall, normally an aviation wind-down time for pilots who live in the less temperate parts of the country, potential customers got one more opportunity to refine their buying decision process.
The Midwest LSA Expo will run a week earlier this year: from Sept. 23-25. Mark your digital calendars!
Attendance should be strong: there's a huge population base in the midwestern market that stretches from Chicago to New Orleans, Denver to Charlotte.
Chris Collins hopes to grow the event and does everything to make it as enjoyable an experience as possible, including shuttles to local restaurants and lodging from the airport.
So far, more than 35 vendors are scheduled to show up and they're bringing many of the most popular LSA.
Scroll down on the home page for the current list and you'll see that quite a few of the biggest players and several others you've wanted to see up close will be there.
I'll be there too to get in some flying and flight reporting that proved to be impossible in the crush of Oshkosh.
If you're flying in, here are some particulars:
<> 6500’ x 150’ main runway
<> five precision approaches including ILS
<> 9.25  acres of concrete ramp space

<> Class “E” airspace
<> ARFF (Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting) Index A for those of you familiar with this safety index.
<> Aircraft exhibitor spaces will be right out on the main ramp to make lots of demo flights easy...that's important when you're out there kicking tires.

Windjet – the saviour of Niš

Niš Constantine the Great Airport in Serbia has handled 16.000 passengers in the first seven months of the year, an increase of 25%. The airport has already handled the same number of passengers as it did for the whole of 2009. The big increase is mostly due to new airlines operating out of the airport, in particular the low cost Italian airline Windjet. Besides Windjet, the airport is also used by Montenegro Airline and Atlasjet. The authorities at Niš Airport are hoping to persuade Montenegro Airlines to commence flights from Niš to other cities, on top of the current service to Podgorica.

Although the airport is recording financial losses, the Government of Serbia recently created an airport investment fund. While Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport will receive 118 million Euros from the fund, Niš is second in line. The airport also has exemplary relations with its rival Belgrade, which has donated equipment to its Niš counterpart and is training Niš Airport’s staff. The airport has received more funds as the European Union recently donated 150.000 Euros. Niš also recorded a big increase in the number of handled cargo, with a total of 820 tonnes handled, more than in the past three years combined.

From Priština to Ljubljana, Munich and Frankfurt with Adria

After the recent announcement that Slovenia’s Adria Airways would introduce flights from Priština to Munich, on top of the existing Ljubljana – Priština service, the airline has now confirmed that it will commence flights on the Priština - Frankfurt route. The new service will operate five times per week using the Airbus A319. The new flights from Priština will see one of the airline’s Airbus’ based in the city, thus solving the problem of the aircraft’s utilisation during the winter season. If the German routes prove successful, Adria will most likely hand them over to Lufthansa at the beginning of the 2011 summer season and return its A319 to Ljubljana where it will be needed.

Meanwhile, Adria will reduce its current fourteen weekly flights from Ljubljana to Priština to seven times per week during the winter season. The 2010/11 winter season begins on Sunday, October 31 and lasts until the end of March 2011. In total, Adria will have nineteen weekly flights operating out of Priština to Ljubljana, Munich and Frankfurt.

All flight details for the new flights can be found on the right hand side in the new route launches section.

Aegean terminates loss making routes

The Greek Aegean Airlines will terminate its flights from Athens to Belgrade on October 30 as part of a series of cost cutting measures, after the airline reported losses for the first time in its history and passenger numbers remained unchanged. The airline’s management has made the decision to cull less popular services, one of which is Belgrade. “The negative economic environment had a profound impact on our first half financial performance. We proceed with the necessary adjustments on our network and costs, with immediate effect, so as to protect the company during the crisis”, Dimitris Gerogiannis, Aegean’s Managing Director said. “Among the restructuring measures undertaken, the company has already proceeded during the first half of 2010 with the reduction of its fleet by three aircraft. As a result of the fleet reduction and given efforts to improve the efficiency of its network within a particularly weak economic environment, the company will exit, with immediate effect, two domestic (Athens – Ioannina and Athens - Kavala) and three international routes (Athens - Tirana, Athens – Belgrade and Athens - Vienna) which are particularly loss making”, he said.

The director of Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport said that Aegean’s exit and AirBaltic recent temporary service withdrawal won’t have a major impact on the airport’s results. Belgrade has seen major growth over the summer, with a projected passenger increase of 18% this August.

Aegean Airlines commenced flights to Belgrade on January 1, 2010 after Olympic Air handed the service over to them. Aegean’s announcement is a major coup for Jat, which will have no competition on the route for the first time in almost ten years. Aegean and Olympic will merge operations by the end of the year.

?

New round of Jat – Airbus talks begin

After a letter of intent for the purchase new aircraft was signed nearly a month ago between Jat Airways and Airbus, new talks are set to resume tomorrow in Berlin, Srdjan Radovanović, the airline’s CEO announced to the media. “This is the next step in the negotiation process and the clarification of the aircraft order. We are looking to strike a deal which will benefit both sides. The conditions on the market have drastically changed in the past few years and the Serbian Government will deliver the final verdict on the Airbus deal”, Radovanović said.

Meanwhile, Radovanović revealed that Jat’s financial balance has been drastically improved in the past twelve months. “We are trying to position ourselves on the Bosnian and Macedonian markets. However, in order for us to succeed we need the support of the Government, in particular from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Infrastructure. Such support does exists but I am asking for more”, Radovanović said.

Piper PA-18A-150 Super Cub ZK-BOY , c/n 18-6172 , has found a new owner in Darlington Drilling & Piling Ltd of Paraparaumu from 12-07-2010. This Cub gained its CofA on 30-01-1958. By 1966 it was glider towing with the Hawkes Bay Gliding Club before moving into the deer recovery role in South Westland from about early 1968. The photo below shows it at Dunedin on 17-01-1975 whilst officially listed with Alpine Aviation Ltd. It still carried the S.W. Venison Packers title on the lower section of the cockpit door.
Are there any other photos of ZK-BOY lurking out there ?
If you have one and would care to share it with us - please send either to bluebus@windowslive.com or to Nigel at  darlington.hm@xtra.co.nz  . thanks.

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Robinson R22 Beta 11 ZK-IGD , c/n 2905 , came onto the NZ  register on 30-11-2007 for Whakatane Helicopters Ltd after a period of operations in El Salvador. In late August of 2008 it was listed to Rick Lucas Helicopters Ltd of Palmerston North and was transferred to Helipro Aviation Training Ltd at Paraparaumu on 08-08-2009. The pic below shows it at Paraaparamau on 17-02-2009. It returned to Whakatane Helicopters in November of 2009 and was listed to Bladehire Ltd at Taupo on 26-06-2010.

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Schempp-Hirth Duo Discus ZK-GYY , c/n 306 , was originally registered to Drake Aviation as ZK-GRZ5 on 03-12-2001.

ZK-GRZ5 at Wigram on 15-12-2001. Could well be the occasion of its first flight.

It was re-registered as ZK-GYY on 14-10-2003 and ownership finally moved to Glider Rentals at Omarama on 10-05-2004.

ZK-GYY at Omarama on 31-12-2007.

It was involved in a serious accident on Mount St Cuthbert, close to Omarama on 27-02-2009. The remains were listed to Lindsay Stephens of Drury in April of 2009 and then to the Smith, Brown & Gaddes Syndicate from 01-07-2010. It was again re-registered - this time to ZK-GYL on 06-07-2010.