Vintage weekend in Whanganui

Last weekend was the annual vintage weekend in Whanganui. Unfortunately I didn't get up [I was busy flying the Nanchang CJ6A instead 😃], but I heard that the weather was fantastic.

In addition to everything happening in town, there were a number of visitors to the airport. This included the Air Chathams operated DC3 and the Consolidated Vultee PBY-5A Catalina, ZK-PBY, which is operated by The Catalina Company!

I've only got one photo, but it's a good one [thanks mum!] of the Catalina.

Consolidated Vultee PBY-5A Catalina, Zk-PBY, operated by The Catalina Company

Also, note how nice the weather was, compared by Wellington from my previous post!

Whanganui Airport Open Day - Warbirds

Aside from the DC3, which is a genuine warbird in its own right, there were two other interesting warbird aircraft that visited.

First up was the de Havilland DH112 Venom Mk 1, ZK-VNM, which is operated by Wanganui Sea and Air Charters.

de Havilland DH112 Venom Mk1, ZK-VNM, operated by Wanganui Sea and Air Charters

de Havilland DH112 Venom Mk1, ZK-VNM, operated by Wanganui Sea and Air Charters

Second up was the Consolidated-Vultee PBY-5A Catalina, ZK-PBY, operated by The Catalina Company of a Papakura address. Unfortunately I missed getting photos of the fly past... you'll just need to trust me when I say it looked awesome!

Consolidated-Vultee PBY-5A Catalina, ZK-PBY, operated by The Catalina Company

Open Day at Whanganui Airport on 31 July!

News just in is an open day at Whanganui airport on 31 July!

This is not only a general open day for the airport, but also to celebrate the arrival of Air Chathams, which takes over the Whanganui to Auckland route from 1 August! Looking at the advert, it looks to be a fun day which a range of activities including scenic DC3 flights around the city!

While unconfirmed at this stage [ie: definitely subject to change!], it appears likely that the following range of Air Chathams and other visiting aircraft will be there:

Air Chathams aircraft

• Saab-Scania SF340A, ZK-KRA
• Fairchild SA227-AC Metroliner
• Douglas DC3C-S1C3G, ZK-AWP [available for scenics!]

Other visitors

• Consolidated-Vultee PBY-5A Catalina, ZK-PBY [The Catalina Company]
• de Havilland DH-115 Vampire Jet
• One or more Yakovlev Yak-52's

A range of local aircraft will also be there, including the Wanganui Aero Club and other local operators. It should be a good day!

Information will be updated as more details come to hand.

Wellington Aero Club Open Day 2010 #13: The Cat - post 2 of 2

In this second post on the PBY5A Catalina, ZK-PBY, I have a few pictures of the aircraft taxiing, post flight checks, engine start and soon after takeoff.

The RNZAF operated a few 10's of Catalina's during World War 2, in air-sea rescue, patrol and shipping escort roles, although I understand that these were all flying boats rather than amphibious models such as ZK-PBY. You can get more details on the Catalina Group's website.

Enjoy the pics!

Wellington Aero Club Open Day 2010 #12: The Cat - post 1 of 2

A huge highlight for many people [including myself] was the arrival of the Consolidated Vultee PBY5A Catalina, ZK-PBY.

The Catalina is one of those aircraft that is simply unmistakable. There's nothing [in this part of the world at least] that comes even close to the sight or 'presence' of the Catalina... which is probably why the Catalina Group of New Zealand were able to run 5 flights for visitors instead of the planned 2.

I understand that this is the only operational Catalina in Australasia. It is probably also one of the few times it has been in to Wellington, although maybe we will see it here more often from now on... here's hoping :-)

Needless to say, after marshaling the aircraft in, and throughout the day, I took a lot of pictures. There will be a second post up very soon so that I can cover of some of the better ones. In this post are pictures of the arrival, followed by a picture of the cockpit and through the blisters in the rear of the fuselage.

If you ever get a chance to have a look, or even go for a ride in this aircraft, I'd suggest that you take your chance!

Wellington Aero Club Open Day 2010 #1: Preview

The Wellington Aero Club's annual Open Day for 2010 has come and gone, and as expected it, was an absolutely stunning day, and complete with a couple of surprises.

We had a wide variety of aircraft, from our basic trainers through to gyrocopters, helicopters and some pretty flash warbirds! Last, but certainly not least, the Club annouced the winners of the Flying Scholarship [including an award of $5000 worth of flight training!]. My intention is to put together a series of posts, mostly concentrating on one or two aircraft types at a time.

I won't give everything away just yet :-), but here are a few sample pictures of the visitors. Top to bottom are:

Cessna 208, ZK-TZR, registered to Sounds Air
Pacific Aerospace CT4/E, NZ1991, registered to the RNZAF
Airport Fire, fire engine and rescue boat
North American T28C Trojan, ZK-JGS ["Trojan 63"], of the Trojan 63 Syndicate
Consolidated Vultee PBY-5A Catalina, ZK-PBY, registered to the Catalina Company

Europe Trip #11: RAF Museum Hendon - 6 - First of the multi props

After the single engined types, here is the first of 3 posts on some of the multi-engined types.

Like the singles, there was a good variety of aircraft - none of which I had ever seen up close before! Because of the size of some of these aircraft, I have included multiple shots where I think that may be of interest.

Top to bottom are:

Bristol Beaufighter TF.X
Bristol Beaufort
Consolidated Liberator B.VIII
Avro Lancaster [3 pictures]
Handley Page Halifax [2 pictures]

Wings Over Wairarapa # 7: Consolidated Vultee PBY-5A

The Consolidated Vultee PBY-5A is an interesting aircraft. Firstly, it's ugly :-) Secondly, it's a large type with an interesting history and is quite different from most other aircraft with its large boat-like hull. Certainly I can imagine that if I were floating around the ocean having bailed out, the sight of one of these beasts coming to the rescue would have been very welcome!

The RNZAF operated a number of these aircraft out of the old Hobsonville aerodrome, including seaplane facilities and so they have a clear connection to New Zealand.

Here are a few pictures of this awesome aircraft. My favourite picture is the one with the P40 tucked in tight.