Wednesday 29 September 2010

Beavers & Beavers # 16 ZK-CPZ.

De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver , c/n 462 , was delivered to DH NZ Ltd on 14-07-1953 to become ZK-BDI with James Aviation Ltd from 03-09-1953 and first flew on 02-10-1953. It was blown over in a gale at Taupo on either 12 or 13-05-1958 and was cancelled on 22-08-1958. The wreckage went to Aerial Farming of NZ Ltd for it to be rebuilt.
It rejoined the register as ZK-BMO to Aerial Farming on 12-12-1958. It was crashed at Nihoniho on 02-09-1960 and was cancelled on 21-03-1961 with the remains being sold abroad.
In Australia it was rebuild by Aerial Agriculture Pty Ltd at Bankstown and was registered to them as VH-AAW on 15-08-1961. It transferred to Robby's Aerial Services Ltd of Parafield, South Australia and was re-registered as VH-RAS on 22-11-1962.
Its Australian registration was cancelled in March of 1966 and the Beaver returned to NZ to join the Fieldair fleet on 05-04-1966 as ZK-CPZ. It was damaged in a storm on 10-04-1968 (place unknown).
Two views of ZK-CPZ at Gisborne on 13-12-1970.
It did the Company name change thing to Fieldair Holdings (Central) Ltd on 18-11-1980
On 16-09-1983 ownership moved to Griffin Ag Air/Kairanga Aviation Ltd with the registration being changed to ZK-BDI on the same day.
It was moved to the Parakai Parachute Centre on 08-02-1988 and then to P Roberts on 26-09-1990 for cancellation on 20-11-1990 for export back to Australia.
On 10-01-1991 it became VH-BOS with Altair Aviation (P Roberts) of Bungador, Victoria and remains with them today.

Photos of c/n 462 can be found at:-
http://www.dhc-2.com/id1046.htm

Photos of this airframe as ZK-BDI can be seen at :-
http://www.kiwibeavers.com/BDI.htm

Photos as ZK-BMO can be viewed at:-

Additional ZK-CPZ view are at:-

1 comment:

  1. I loved this aircraft,when we went out to the old Taupo airport to inspect the damage it just about brought me to tears,the tail was nearly broken off and a lot of other damage. I guess the STOL characteristics worked against it,the ol girl just wanted to fly, and fly it did tore the tethers out of the ground and it ended up in a paddock over the other side of a road, How do I know all this well as an 11 year old I was mad on aircraft used to spend most of the school holidays out at the airport having lunch with the Pilot (Peter McNab and the loader drive mr Buckley) anyhow one day Mr Buckley said the I should go quickly over to the idling plane and go around to the port side,well the door opened and mr McNab said "come on lad times money" so up I climb he fastens the seat belt and away we go on a topdressing run over towards Rotorua This was my first flight ! and what a flight he folowed every contour and at the end of the first run put her into a sharp turn and turned to me and said 'still like flying lad" all I could do was shake my head YES, so after that I flew all over the central north Island with them,it also helped the a school friend Peter Buckley helped out in that direction,anyhow thanks for the info regarding the DH2 Beaver .

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