Sunday, April 15, 2018

Strip flying at Nopera airstrip

This past weekend was an exciting time for me, with a dual check out to Nopera Airstrip!

Nopera is located in the Kenepuru Sound [part of the Marlborough Sounds] and the airstrip is located in a quiet bay within the Sound. It is the second time I have flown into Nopera, the previous time was a few years ago with Marlborough Aero Club.

Nopera is a one-way strip, with an uphill slope, gentle undulations along the length of the strip and trees and terrain at the far end.

The strip itself is a clearly defined grassed area in the paddock, surrounded by what looks like some low lying cattle feed. This is quite obvious in the photos and video which follows.

The weather on the day was OK. Gentle breezes and a wee bit of turbulence when level with the tops of the hills and clouds low enough that we fly around some of the hilltops instead of over them. On the airstrip itself, the winds were light, although with a slight southerly breeze and some tailwind on landing a later on.

All in all, fun times! I'm hoping to visit some more strips in the next few weeks and months. It is good for skill building and is a lot of fun!

Cessna 172N, ZK-FLT, operated by Wellington Aero Club

Looking down Nopera Airstrip

The aircraft photographed from a lump of dirt beside Nopera Airstrip
The following video includes just two of my landings. The video is sped up eight times normal speed. It gets a bit boring otherwise!

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