March 2018

Vol No. 44

THE M.A.C. FLYER

Ryan Southam and Bill Reid about to leave in the for

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE MARLBOROUGH AERO CLUB INC.

P.O. Box 73, Blenheim, 7240 Tel: (03) 578 5073 Email: [email protected] www.marlboroughaeroclub.co.nz M.A.C. Marlborough Aero Club

PATRON PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT John Sinclair Alistair Matthews Scott Madsen Ph: 03 578 7110 Ph: 027 428 7863 Ph: 027 453 9348

HON. TREASURER SECRETARY Tim McKendry Raylene Wadsworth Ph: 021 104 0721 Ph: 03 578 5073

COMMITTEE Mike Rutherford, Grant Jolley, Marty Nicoll, Victoria Lewis, John Hutchison, Jonathon Large

CHIEF FLYING INSTRUCTOR CLUB CAPTAIN Sharn Davies Ben Morris Ph: 03 578 5073 Ph: 027 940 3235

Check out our new website – www.jemaviation.co.nz Annual Inspections, ARA / BRA’s, repairs, modifications and rebuilds – we can handle it all! Ph. (03) 578 3063 Mob. 021 504 048 Email [email protected]

Hangar 22b, Heritage Centre Airpark, Omaka Aerodrome, Blenheim, NZ

2

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Greetings all. I write this report from Queenstown where I am attending the 29th World Assembly of IAOPA (International Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association). It happens somewhere in the world each year and NZ put their hand up for this year. There are all sorts here, USA, China, Russia, Sweden, Latvia, UK and others so quite a diverse group. We have just had 2 days of presentations on various topics and it is interesting that the problems that face this organization are pretty well the same as those that face the Aero Club movement. Not surprising really as we are all part of GA and I believe it is important that all the different GA groups in NZ do work together, which they do through the Aviation Federation with regular meetings to address concerns. We have had some good presentations on the Review of Medical Standards for PPL. Other countries have it easier than we do and it is about trying to get all countries to subscribe to one standard, or at least very close. It is interesting to hear the different points and how the results were achieved. We believe that we can get a simpler standard but the law works very slowly, and it is not necessarily CAA which holds things up.

3 Presidents Report Continued…. We have also talked about various technologies which are becoming available and the impact they may have on GA. This includes PBN (Performance Based Navigation) which is half implemented now for IFR but it does/can affect VFR and we need to be up with the play. Fortunately we have some very capable people working for us and unpaid to boot! Along with that we had a very good presentation on Air 's path to approval of night operations in to Queenstown. It was interesting and quite complex..

Tomorrow is a rest day and we go to Nokomai Station to show the visitors a high country farm and if the weather holds some will be flown in (but not by me, no room in the Bolkow!). We wrap up formalities on Thursday. So something different for me this week.

I will also take this opportunity to advise that I will be away overseas from 17th April to !st June so Scott will be keeping the chair warm in my absence.

As always I commend you to support all the club activities that are on offer and enjoy the flying. Is that not what we are about, safe fun in the sky!

Alistair 4 TREASURER’S REPORT

I thought we should take a moment to highlight a couple of interesting things in the MAC financial records this year. Income from Flying – When we set the budget we set a challenging flying hours target for the team to “chase down”. I for one think they have done particularly well given some of the weather we have had – especially the wet weather lately. By the end of February we budgeted the flying income would be $298,650 but it’s actually $4K higher. This has come about by the way we’re all using the aircraft ie comparatively speaking there are a lot more instructor flights than what we expected. This also reflect the change of aircraft available to MAC members as well.

5 Treasurers Report Continued….

Repairs & Maintenance - $138,700 on maintenance this financial year. This is $28,350 more than the amount we budgeted for when we set up this year’s committee. As you can see the over-runs come primarily two things DMF and the airfield itself. The airfield was particularly unexpected (to me) but both were necessary.

YTD ACTUAL YTD BUDGET BETTER/(WORSE)

ZK-EQH 11,523 13,000 1,477

ZK-DMF 28,898 16,670 (12,228)

ZK-DYZ 13,176 9,824 (3,352)

ZK-OMR 14,338 16,479 2,141

BUILDINGS 5,814 15,000 9,186

AERODROME 57,995 35,001 (22,994)

OTHER 6,956 4,375 (2,581)

TOTAL 138,700 110,350 (28,350)

Tim McKendry Treasurer

6

The Office is for Staff Only. Please only come in when getting the keys for the aircraft and filling in the intention log.

Briefing Room—this room is used for Exams, C-Cat training, briefing etc. Please check if it is available and book the room if you are wanting to use it. Bookings are on the board or in the diary. Please also ensure you clean the white-board after each use.

For Sale: MAC ties $25 each. Available in MAC Office

On Thursday 12th April at 2pm MAC is hosting some members of the Marlborough Stroke Club at the Club House for afternoon tea. It would be great if anyone has a spare hour or so to join us and chat with the members coming. A lot of them are ex-farmers and people interested in aircraft. If you would like to bring your plane along to show and chat to them about, that would be wonderful however just to come along and join us would be perfect as well.

7

CFI REPORT

March has been a bit quieter at the club. This has allowed us to take a quick breather and get a bit of instructor training in. Vince has now settled into his role and we have got him up and running on the Dynamic. We now have 3 microlight students training which is more than we have had in a while and the Dynamic is getting more use. I am away from Easter and not due back at work till the 16th April. I managed to find a gap in the traffic, so to speak, so I am going on my long awaited honeymoon! Just a gentle reminder to those privately hiring aircraft to ensure you get instructor authorisation prior to flight and fill out the intentions sheet fully. We have had one or two that have been a bit relaxed about this. My job is to make it as easy possible for members to access our aircraft but there is a procedure in place that must be adhered to for safety reasons. Daylight savings is about to end and with that in mind night flying will start up over the winter period. If you are interested in night flying please leave your name with Raylene or myself. Enjoy Easter.

Sharn

8 CFI Report Continued….

Aircraft available for training/hire with MAC ZK-COX: Piper Pacer The Pacer is 150hp with Vortex generators and an attitude to boot. It’s a great tail wheel trainer being short coupled between the mains and the tail wheel. It makes for a lively aircraft on the ground but once you have mastered the handling it is a well balanced machine and puts you in good stead for moving onto a larger tail dragger such as a C-180/185. Insurance requirements are 10hrs on type before private hire (in some cases that can be reduced, talk with Sharn). $285 per hour dual $250 private hire

ZK-EBH: Cherokee The Warrior is 160hp and very stable. It is a great machine for cross country flying (it has a rudder trim!) and can haul a reasonable load. If you want to take a machine away for a week but find OMR a bit busy this machine is the perfect choice. $300.50 per hour dual $250 private hire

9

FLYING HOURS

MAC Accommodation Find us on Facebook Pilot / RNZAC Member M.A.C Marlborough Aero Club

$120 / night Email: [email protected]

10 SAFETY REPORT

GAINING more GLIDER knowledge

In the previous newsletter, we looked at learning more about the gilders that operate out of Omaka and the associated procedures and safety highlights. Now we are going to extend our knowledge to include the Powered Glider operations and also look at a modified launching procedure for gliders that we hope will improve safety and efficiency on the airfield for everyone.

Powered GLIDERS

In the case of powered gliders, these self-propelled machines have the unique ability to taxi and self-launch. So, what does that mean for our situational awareness?

TAXIING Self-launching gliders are designed with a variety of landing gear systems and configurations. Most powered gliders at Omaka still require a vehicle tow from their hangar to the appropriate runway holding point.

When taxiing nearby, look out for the long wingspan and low wingtip ground clearance!

SELF-LAUNCHING Handling limitations for a given self-launching glider may include a minimum controllable airspeed with power on and minimum controllable airspeed with power off. Pilots also have to consider that with the engine extended but not running the rate of sink increases remarkably. This means that with a powered glider the decision for an out landing must be earlier than with a pure sailplane.

When operating nearby, be aware of the self-launching glider limitations and give way!

11 Safety Report Continued….

Modified launching procedure

Let us introduce ‘The Taper.’ To increase the visibility and lookout area for gliders waiting to take off and prevent interruption of normal runway usage the gliders will be using an offset taper. This will lead into RWY 30 from the right- hand side as shown in the diagram below.

Once the glider starts rolling on the taper they are going to eventually intercept RWY 30. However, when they are preparing for the flight and planning to line up, they will be clear of the vector allowing normal RWY 30 operation to continue.

When a glider starts to roll on the taper, they will eventually intercept

and continue the roll on RWY 30 - be aware and give way!

12

FOR TENDER

WATER TANK FOR TENDER

The water tank on the eastern side of the main hangar is up for sale and removal.

Standing on a 3.3 meter frame, this tank appears to be in very good condition.

Dimensions are 1.9m long with a diameter of 1.8m which gives a volume of approximately 4,800 litres.

Please note that due to its close proximity to the hangar, a “Hot Work Permit” must be provided before any grinding or cutting is commenced for its removal.

Tenders close at 1700 on Monday 16th April and are to be submitted to [email protected] Subject: Water Tank Tender

The Marlborough Aero Club has the right to accept or reject any tender submitted.

13

CLUB CAPTAIN REPORT

Hey folks,

March has been quite a busy month at the Club on the social front. First up was the Nationals held in Timaru at the beginning of the month with Peter Henn, Hayden O’Hara, Erin Creasy & Russell Young competing supported by Alistair Matthews & Aaron Patchett which was awesome to see! Huge congratulations to Peter Henn for getting 2nd place in the forced Landing competition and Alistair placing 3rd in the Professional Pilot Event, and a very big well done to all those who attended and gave it their all both competing and supporting! A big thank you is owed once again to the club members in supporting the team to make it to Nationals. Hayden O’Hara has kindly written about his Nationals experience for the MAC newsletter.

March 18th saw MAC club day with Motueka making an outstanding effort with at least 25 people flying over to enjoy a day of the famous competition ‘All transport race’ along with some friendly banter and a great BBQ thanks to head chef Sharn and Raylene for helping ensure everything was running smoothly. Keep a look out for Sharn on My Kitchen Rules one day!! The All Transport Race had great participation which involved an egg & spoon race, wheel barrow race with a huge ball which wasn’t allowed to fall out followed by the fastest circuit in a Tomahawk! Alistair Matthews and John Neal absolutely smoked everyone else in the egg and spoon & wheel barrow race!! Big well done also to Larry Nelson for making it all the way from Lower Hutt so he could attend before commencing his next lot of flying with the club. The combined time winners of the competition are listed below.

All transport competition results: 1st Kerry Hunter 2nd Alistair Matthews 3rd equal Raylene Wadsworth, Geoff van Asch Fastest Circuits: Kerry Hunter 2.28 Raylene Wadsworth 2.32 Alistair Matthews 2.41

14 Club Captain’s Report Continued….

A big thank you to everyone involved and for bringing your aircraft out for a well received club day and a special thanks to John Neal for his efforts of taking the seats out and allowing members to have a good look at the MAF Cessna 206. Was great to see such a good turnout from both MAC & Motueka so thank you and well done all! On the subject of Motueka, they also held their own club day last weekend (always the last Sunday of the month) and it was great to see OMR making the occasion carrying Vince Gardiner, Pete Wells, John Best along with Cade, a visitor to the club who tagged along to enjoy the day out before returning to Omaka for his trial flight! Well done guys that’s exactly what it’s about. Clubs supporting Clubs. Next club day will be Sunday 15th April with the bombing competition.

April 14th (Saturday) the Club will be holding a public open day from 1000 - 1400. This is an opportunity for the public to come out to have a general look around, learn about the club, what we do and meet the people which make the club what it is. That means you! If you own an Aeroplane and would be happy to show it off, please do bring it along in front of the MAC hangar for members of the public to admire however please remember strictly no joy rides regardless of what license you hold. Only a very select few on the field hold both the appropriate license and operator certificate to allow that so please don’t go there, which I trust nobody will. There will be a MAC information display, Young Eagles BBQ & display, Mission Aviation Fellowship Cessna 206, some aircraft from the eastern side of the field, trial flights and a few other things I’m working on getting but still subject to availability so I won’t put them on the spot in this newsletter!! Any help we can get from the members would be great. Even just walking around talking to people. People love talking! I still have some more work to do before giving too much info so please look out for the poster soon. No matter how big or small any help is appreciated. Simply showing up and showing support is enough.

15

Club Captain’s Report Continued….

Lastly thank you all for your efforts over the past month, for some to get out of your comfort zones and make the club social atmosphere even better! It’s been great to see. I’ve said it before many times but it’s so true that what you put in, is what you get out. I can’t say that enough. So well done to everyone! It makes me super proud. Keep up the awesome work. Next month I’ll be creating a profile for the newsletter of one club member per month. This will introduce the members and help put faces to names and likewise. Nothing major but I think it will be a good thing to have. People are the most valuable asset to our club, people are what make the club, without the people we have no club therefore having a members section about our own people and a small insight into their lives will be something well worth having. If you want to feature let me know! Again any issues, comments, complaints or suggestions remember to throw them at me and we’ll get stuff done. My phone number is on the front page so never hesitate to contact me. Anytime over anything. Have a good month and keep up the awesome work.

Safe flying Ben

16

FIRST IN FLYING—THE MARLBOROUGH AERO CLUB TURNS 90

Turning 90 is an achievement for anybody, for most of us it is more than a lifetime ago. The Marlborough Aero Club will be celebrating its 90th birthday on 4th July 2018 and a weekend of festivities is planned for 6th, 7th & 8th July. We hope to reunite many of the people and the planes that have contributed to its success over the past nine decades. Our members and ex- students have flown and are still flying in every corner of the world continuing a rich aviation history which began nearly a century ago. The Marlborough Aero Club was established by flying enthusiasts in 1928 …“to promote. encourage, and develop the study, research and practice of aeronautics." …. part of the wording of a motion that was carried at a public meeting in Blenheim on 4th July 1928, formally constituting the organisation. Encouraged by the Canterbury Aviation Company a local Marlborough Committee prevailed upon the then Borough Council to put aside 30 acres of the Marlborough Domain for an aerodrome, this was increased to 75 acres the following year. It became the historic Omaka airfield and is still the heart of aviation in Marlborough, home to (and still owned by) the Marlborough Aero Club. The Aero Club was the first in New Zealand to have its own aeroplane. It was loaned one of the first Gipsy Moth aircraft by the Government in 1929 and flying operations began on 19th February 1929, then, on 19th March ZK-AAA was presented to the Club and from there it grew.

17 First in Flying—the Marlborough Aero Club turns 90 Continued….

Marlborough, the Aero Club and the Omaka airfield have a colourful history with close ties to the pioneering exploits of New Zealand’s early aviators. From the world's first recorded topdressing flight by hot air balloon in the 1890 to Marlborough Aero Clubs first air pageant in 1931.

When Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm made the first trans-Tasman flight from Sydney to in the Southern Cross on September 11th 1928, Marlborough’s new aero club encouraged him to use the field for the historic return flight on 13th October 1928 and the famous aviatrix Jean Batten brought her Percival Gull to Omaka during her nationwide tour to celebrate her famous solo flight from England.

Omaka has also produced its own record breaking aviator - Arthur Clouston - who learned to fly there, and found fame in 1938 for flying round the world from London to New Zealand (via Australia) and back again. After landing at Omaka Aerodrome, he turned around the very next day and headed back to England, completing the epic trip in under 11 days.

18 First in Flying—the Marlborough Aero Club turns 90 Continued….

The Aero Club continues to go from strength to strength boasting a membership of over 350 and there is as much enthusiasm today as there always was. The club is all about keeping the fun in flying. It is the home of the Healthy Bastards Bush Pilots Championships and our regular strip flying courses help enable the skills of those early aviators to be passed on to a new generation, while the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre ensures that the skies over Marlborough are still alive with the fabulous and amazing flying machines of yesteryear.

Our anniversary weekend aims to bring together as many of our members and former members, instructors and officers, families and friends as possible, in fact everyone who has enjoyed the flying and the fun, the planes and the parties that have created your club, the Marlborough Aero Club. The weekend begins with a casual Friday night catch-up with friends, old and new, over a beer or two and a roast dinner at the Clubrooms. Spend Saturday amongst the aeroplanes with as many representatives of our fleet, past and present on display as we can muster, with visiting aircraft welcome. Anniversary Cake and afternoon tea to keep the strength up before dancing the night away at the Aviation Ball on Saturday night. To register or for more information please contact us on 03 578 5073 or email [email protected]

19

EVENTS COMING UP

20 21

90th ANNIVERSARY INFORMATION

As part of the 90th Anniversary celebrations one of our goals is to get as many airworthy ex fleet aircraft on the aerodrome as possible, for the weekend of 6th, 7th and 8th July, or to fill a gap, an example of ex fleet aircraft no longer with us for various reasons ie, written off, reduced to spares or unairworthy.

Although our first hangar was built in 1921 on Omaka Aerodrome by a committee of flying enthusiasts, the Aero Club wasn’t officially formed until 4th July 1928, but was the first Aero Club in New Zealand to have an aeroplane and start flying operations, commencing 19th February 1929 initially with the first of the Gipsy Moths imported by the Government, DH60G Gipsy Moth, NZAX and a short time later the first Aero Club to own its own aircraft, ZK-AAA a DH60G Gipsy Moth.

Over the years we have owned some 46 aircraft. At present it is known that 27 of our 46 aircraft exist. Of these 27, 5 are stored in private hands 2 are in Museums, 1 is airworthy in Australia and 1 is under active restoration to airworthy at Omaka. It is possible to have 41 aircraft here either ex owned, or one of the type to replace those ex owned aircraft no longer existing or not available from Museums or storage. 14 thankfully reside at Omaka leaving 27 needed. To do this we need your help.

I have contacted the owners of airworthy ex fleet aircraft and have had verbal confirmation from 17 that they would be keen to attend, some from Omaka and some from great distances. I have also contacted owners of “gap fill” aircraft which includes Tiger Moths, Fox Moth, Proctor, Austers, Dominie, etc

In view of the above, if any Member or Business would like to sponsor, part sponsor or make a donation towards an ex fleet aircraft or a “gap fill” aircraft, please let me know via email [email protected] or text on 0211 276 230 or ring after office hours. Alternately you can leave details with the MAC Secretary 03 5785 073, Raylene will take and pass on the details.

22 90th Anniversary Information Continued….

Hopefully we can have a rather full compliment of “MAC” aircraft for the weekend

There is also a whisper of Tiger Moth and other aircraft available for re- familiarisation flights to registered attendees.

Gap Fill aircraft at the moment are: 1 Gipsy Moth (now unavailable for that weekend) 1 Simmonds Spartan 7 Tiger Moths 2 Austers 1 Percival Proctor V 1 DH89 Dominie 2 Piper Cubs 1 PA28 140 Cherokee 1 PA28 180 Cherokee 2 C172

The MAC website will be updated soon with a 90th section link and registration forms. The MAC Facebook page will be updated soon with info and links to registration forms. Registration forms will also be available at the Flight Office and Clubhouse.

See you on the 6th, 7th and 8th July Cheers, Marty Nicoll

23 90th Anniversary Information Continued…. AAA DH60G Gipsy Moth Written off AAJ DH60G Gipsy Moth Written off ADA DH60G Gipsy Moth Written off AEM DH60G Gipsy Moth Written off

ABZ Simmonds Spartan Display, Geraldine Museum

AEL Waco UOC Restoration Omaka JEM Aviation

AFL Miles Hawk Major Written off

AGC Fleet 16B Airworthy Omaka (Not original AGC)

AGX DH82A Tiger Moth Written off AHH DH82A Tiger Moth Reduced to spares AIT DH82A Tiger Moth Written off AKI DH82A Tiger Moth Written off AKJ DH82A Tiger Moth Written off AON DH82A Tiger Moth Airworthy Napier APM DH82A Tiger Moth Stored BRG DH82A Tiger Moth Said to be stored

ALB DH89 Dominie Airworthy Sydney Australia

APT DH83 Fox Moth Airworthy Auckland

AQJ Percival Proctor V Stored

AYP Auster J1B Reduced to spares BDQ Auster Aiglet Stored

BPG PA18A Super Cub Stored BTO PA18 Cub Written off BQX PA18 Cub Airworthy Wellington

24 90th Anniversary Information Continued…. CPT B170 Display MAC

CLB Mooney M20C Airworthy Kaikohe

DAC Airtourer 115 Airworthy Rangitata Island

CIV PA28 140 Airworthy Gisborne DIZ PA28 140 Written off DUP PA28 140 Airworthy Canterbury Aero Club CNY PA28 160 Airworthy Rotorua DOT PA28 161 Airworthy Omaka DEA PA28 180 Stored EBX PA28 181 Airworthy North Shore

DMF PA38 112 Airworthy MAC EIU PA38 112 Stored EQH PA38 112 Airworthy MAC

DYZ Dynamic Airworthy MAC

GAL Slingsby T-31 Stored Ashburton Aviation Museum

BZU C172 Airworthy Wanaka OMK C172 Written Off OMR C172 Airworthy MAC BSU C172 Written Off

WNR Tecnam Airworthy Te Awamutu

XI Bleriot Display MAC

25 90th Anniversary Information Continued….

26 90th Anniversary Information Continued….

27 90th Anniversary Information Continued….

28

FLYING NZ NATIONALS

Happy Easter everyone, hope you've all had a great start to the year and are ready for the colder months to follow.

The Flying New Zealand National Championships was held in Timaru this year on the 28th of February and we were able to send a team down to compete. Our team that I'm very proud to have been apart of consisted of Erin Creasey who not only competed in the CPL Low Flying event but also had a go at judging a couple of competitions, Peter Henn who competed in the Microlight Landing and Forced Landing events in which he was able to place 2nd in both events, Russell Young who competed in the Wild Card Precision Circuits event, and myself in which I also competed in the Wild Card Precision Circuits event. We were also joined by Alister Matthews who judged a few events and also placed 3rd along with 2 other people in the professional pilot event in which all the judges competed against each other, and Aaron Patchett who came down as a supporter.

The first few days of the competition consisted of not only Formation and Aerobatic events during the morning and evening, and grid landing during the day but also the Wings event in which the New Zealand and Australian teams competed against each other, the New Zealand team was able to win the Forced Landing and Formation events while the Australian team won the Spot Landing and Aerobatic events. All in all the New Zealand team brought home the Wings Trophy.

On the second to last day we didn't start flying until 1200 because of fog and so they had to fly all the events for the day in the afternoon, so as you can imagine it was very camped in the air.

At the end of the day they did the Bombing and Life Raft Dropping events as well as an event called Streamer Cutting where a plane would drop a roll of toilet paper out the side of the aircraft and then he flies around cutting the paper with his wings as it unravels, they had to cut the paper 4 times before a certain altitude, I had never seen this event before, it was amazing to watch, perhaps another competition we could try Sharn?

29 Flying NZ Nationals continued….

The morning of the last day of the competition was when they did events that they didn't have time for during the previous few days and in the afternoon we watched a display by some Paramotors, and then a display by some RC aircraft which was amazing to watch.

So after all that it was an absolutely amazing trip, especially because it was my longest cross country yet of around 3 hours each way and I did it solo in areas where I had never flown before, as well as meet a lot of new people. Also because I got to have a ride in a Tiger Moth, thanks Aaron for taking me up, might get my Tiger rating sometime in the future.

And finally I would like to thank our team for an absolutely amazing week, a big congratulations to Peter and Alister who were able to get on the podium, also a huge thank you to Patchett Ag Air for supplying us with high vis polo shirts. The Marlborough Aeroclub as well as Ben Morris and Raylene Wadsworth for organising the trip and the Meat Raffle, as well as those who participated in the raffle, it would have been much harder to get down there without your help so thank you again. The next National Competition is up in Northshore, that is going to be a long trip to get up there, but it's a trip I can't wait for.

Thanks again everyone, good luck with your flying and see you around the Aero Club.

Hayden O’Hara

30 Events coming up….

MAC Club Day

Sunday 21st April 2018 ALL members welcome This will be held on the last Sunday of each month Competitions will be run—this month Bombing Bring your planes out for show… Go flying… Have a chatter with other members Join us for a drink in the bar afterwards More details will follow...

31

RETIREMENTS

Ray Patchett The old dad!

March 22, 2018 Ray Patchett and Nigel Griffith

32 Retirement—Ray Patchett continued…

In 1976 Ray left his job driving trucks for Gill's construction and went loader driving for aerial work Marlborough. In 2018 Ray has left his job loader driving for Patchett Agair and taken up a job driving trucks for Gill's Construction! In the middle he has flown many hours and Aircraft types. He has owned around 32 Aircraft and helicopters, employed and trained many pilots and ground staff.

But more importantly Ray has entertained everyone he has come in contact with. It has been a privilege to have been trained and mentored by Ray and I look forward to his continued role as Chief Pilot.

Nigel Griffith

33 Retirement—Lester Hope continued…

Sooo .... for all good stories start this way. Raylene stopped me in the supermarket and asked if I would write a few words for the newsletter NOW THAT I HAVE RETIRED

Sooo, as a picture is worth a thousand words, here are more than 21000 words! And I will do it this way

A typical day in the office... Deep in it... and they wonder why I gave it up ! (an old EML) and yes the shoe laces are usually undone.

34 Retirement—Lester Hope continued…

Started work at Safe Air in 1971. Minor and major licences when I came out of my apprenticeship. Now have heaps more Maintenance Engineer Licences covering just about every GA aircraft and some bigger ones. Started doing Avionic inspections on GA aircraft in 1986 when the Bristol's stopped flying.

Went out on my own about 7 years ago as Simply Avionics and have been more than flat out ever since. I need a break... and so I have retired. Sorry for the inconvenience but things like this need my attention.

Pearl. She’s now 113 years old... the boat... not my wife !

35 Retirement—Lester Hope continued…

You get to meet some really nice people and get to go some out of the way places—any guesses? Yes Bill Butt - but where?

Some things just keep on going.

36 Retirement—Lester Hope continued…

You get round - Servicing - up at the throne

Nothings too tricky...now where’s the on off switch!

37 Retirement—Lester Hope continued…

Man there’s some really clever people round here

Now which one do I start on ! Helicare Nelson)

38 Retirement—Lester Hope continued…

There’s never enough room.

Did I say there’s some really clever people round here ( Stuart Tantrum ) yes I worked on it ... everything from this to... 39 Retirement—Lester Hope continued…

And to

to

to these

Falcon 10 and 20 at Nelson

40 Retirement—Lester Hope continued…

and the list goes on. I have more than 385 registrations on my files and more than 220 types of aircraft

The hair has nearly always been grey !

41 Retirement—Lester Hope continued…

Who would have thought that an undercarriage had sooo much wiring !

What do I do in my spare time? building the Stuka at home 2003 - now in the AHC 42 Retirement—Lester Hope continued…

And the top goes on . 2005

43 Retirement—Lester Hope continued…

Checking it out to see if they got it right.

My favourite hate job !

44 Retirement—Lester Hope continued…

I will not miss under the instrument panel of an AESL150.

But I certainly will miss all the wonderful, friendly, ACCOMODATING, supportive people I have met on this 46 year journey.

Thank you.

Lester Hope

45

RUSSELL YOUNG—TE KUITI

One of the great things about flying is that you can keep in touch with mates who maybe now live far away but who are within easy commute by aeroplane. In my case, I have a number of flying mates who live up in Te Kuiti and I am fortunate to have need to visit there on a fairly regular basis. Most of them, for one reason or another, fly Cessna 180s. It they don’t have one, they are planning to acquire one. So, on New Year’s Day 2016 I received a text from one Paul Grayson, now living in Te Awamutu. Paul and me go a long way back: were previously in an aircraft syndicate and every second year shared the big adventure of going to the Wanaka airshow. Paul was also in the inaugural TransTasman NZ Flying team and a big bunch of us went over to Taree as supporters in 1994. Anyway, Paul was fizzing with excitement as he had just procured a Cessna 180 and was in Takaka for New Years, and suggesting I should pop over to catch up. So in the morning I hopped in my Piper Cherokee and had a very enjoyable hop over to Takaka. Imagine my surprise when I set eyes on Paul’s 180 – registration ZK-CDY looked very familiar! Indeed it had been hangered in Omaka with local owners Chris and Richard Gorman. It was clearly the start of a big love affair between Paul and his 180, and from that day to this, his Facebook page has received regular uploads of amazing

En route Takaka New Years Day 2016

46 Russell Young—Te Kuiti continued...

The other thing about Te Kuiti is that on the first Sunday of every month the landing mat goes out and everybody has a go at bombing and landing. This has been going on in Te Kuiti even before I learnt to fly there, back in the 1970s. My name is on every trophy in the clubhouse, except bombing. Every month, somebody in their club puts the aircraft on the spot. I have scored a first, and a very close second in the HBBPC precision landing, and I put that down to all those Sundays in Te Kuiti where good habits became ingrained. It is not surprising also that many of their pilots have won national trophies, and have made the TransTasman team on a few occasions. Needless to say I have exerted considerable pressure for a few of them to come down to Omaka to have a go at Healthy Bastards. Russell Young

Russell and Julia

47 Russell Young—Te Kuiti continued...

Paul with his 180

Russell in his own aircraft competing at Healthy Bastards Bush Flying Comp 2018

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HERITAGE AVIATION UPDATE

The world of vintage and aeroplanes continues to boom at Omaka and no one is making any apologies for wanting this little airfield to be a major centre for heritage aviation in the southern hemisphere! At any given time, there is a significant amount of activity taking place with the operation of existing flyable aircraft, coupled with the restoration and acquisition of additional examples which every year, expand Omaka's flyable fleet of heritage aeroplanes. This in turn makes it easier to host a major airshow like , without having to source all of the aircraft from elsewhere, which is of course, prohibitive. Likewise, the 'resident collection' allows this community to populate the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre's 50,000 sq.ft. of display halls, with a range of exciting aircraft, some of which are occasionally rotated to allow us to provide a variety of changing displays. For this newsletter we're going to touch on just two current projects, both of which have great significance to this airfield!

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One of the many exciting developments at present, is the looming return to flight status of Nanchang ZK-WOK. This was the aircraft which, more than any other, kicked off the heritage scene at Omaka in 1995 when we formed a 12- person ownership syndicate. In some ways it was an experiment to see if a small provincial NZ town like Blenheim could muster enough keen people to allow us to operate a reasonably serious ex-military aeroplane. It was so successful that one of the founding members, Steve Petersen, decided to buy his own Nanchang, and so we started the group off with not one but two interesting ex-military aircraft! We deliberately called it the Marlborough Association (instead of the Nanchang Syndicate) in order to convey the message that the door was open to anyone interested in old aeroplanes, to come and find like-minded people. As many MAC members will know, this syndicate has done really well and continues today, larger in numbers and with a younger Nanchang as well as a Tiger Moth. It has brought many new people into the fold, including some from out of town, so it has been a big plus for Omaka.

The broader MWA group likewise has thrived. Before we started, the only 'heritage' aircraft on the field was the Bristol, ZK-CPT, plus the Super Cub ZK- BPG. Today, if we count all vintage, warbird, classic or replica aircraft (both flying and projects) associated with this field, the number exceeds 100 machines! Quite impressive for small-town NZ!

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That Nanchang that started it all, ZK-WOK had a mishap over a decade ago and was quickly replaced within the syndicate with another example, whilst poor old ZK-WOK went into storage pending a decision on her fate, whilst in the meantime she suffered the indignity of being used as a 'parts tree' for other Changs from time to time. Eventually, the late Dave Simms started working through her airframe, quietly replacing worn items like the undercarriage legs (rather than overhaul the old ones, it was more cost-effective to buy replacements from China, brand new in the box and still coated in factory fresh soy sauce!). The old paint job was changed for a new and dramatic scheme created by Marty Nicoll and also applied by him in the JEM Aviation paint shop. The JEM team have carried out steady work on the old girl for the last year and as this newsletter goes out the door, the aircraft is awaiting her CAA inspection before taking to the skies for the first time in 11 years! When this occurs we will be able to boast FOUR flying Nanchangs on the field, the largest single concentration of the type in New Zealand and possibly in the southern hemisphere! There may have to be an Omaka based formation team formed, which of course in tribute to the RNZAF's former aerobatic team, would need to be called - 'The Chinese Checkers'!

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If that aircraft is one of the more influential on the field in recent history, perhaps the most historically relevant machine is one that is also making steady progress towards completion. In JEM Aviation's second hangar is the unique Waco UOC being restored for owners Rex Newman, Jay McIntyre and Paul & Pip Hally. At the present time, former MAC President Rex is the hands-on restorer pushing forwards with progress and making outstanding progress along the way. The fuselage has been put on its restored undercarriage and had the engine trial installed, cowlings made and fitted, propeller trial fitted, whilst a vast amount of work has been completed in the cockpit area. Everyone will remember that this was the flagship of the Marlborough Aero Club fleet for several years before WW-II and again for a time after the war before it changed hands, was damaged, then exported and stored in Australia for half a century (though it never flew there). This is certainly one of the most significant aircraft being restored at Omaka, especially with regard to local history, and with the growth in interest in the stylish American tourers of the 1930s, will add another significant machine to the line-up of Gatsby Glamour Girls like Trevor and Nikki Collins' Fairchild F-24C8c and Noel Kruse's Ryan STM, with several other machines of the era following not far behind. There is much to look forward to. In the meantime, the biennial Warbirds over Wanaka airshow is about to kick- off in central Otago. Our Omaka community is making a noteworthy contribution to the event sending a WW-II fighter - (the Yak-3 with Graeme Frew); a WW-II bomber - (The Anson with Bill Reid); a multi-purpose light transport - (the Devon with Mit Brereton); a trainer - (Nanchang with Jay McIntyre) and an executive tourer - (Beech 18 with Ronan Harvey). Once again an impressive delivery from this provincial centre. Well done to all of the crews involved, and have a great weekend!

Onwards and Upwards.... Cheers, GMO

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