Aviation enthusiasts in New Zealand have long been familiar with Fokker Triplane replica aircraft being flown at air shows around the country. Recently, a completely different type of triplane took to the New Zealand skies when a Sopwith Triplane replica, which was started by Chad Wille in Corning, Iowa, was completed by The Vintage Aviator Ltd (TVAL) for its owner, ...

The second prototype of the Tecnam P2006T has now flown and, reportedly, all test flights have confirmed the positive characteristics and performance displayed by the first prototype of this twin-engine light aircraft. Static tests and further flight tests are nearing completion, and Tecnam expects to receive the Type Certification for this version (fitted with analogue instruments) at the beginning of October ...

On 17 July, Christchurch International Airport Ltd (CIAL) officially launched the first of two new Rosenbauer CA-5 Panther fire appliances that it has ordered as replacements for appliances in its ageing fleet. The vehicle is the first of its type in New Zealand and, according to CIAL, it represents a massive step forward in terms of fire fighting technology. The former ...

In an effort to avoid losing sales of new aircraft as fuel costs continue to soar, Cessna has initiated two tempting offers for potential buyers of its most popular single engine aircraft, the Skylane T182. Cessna is offering “Free Fuel until December 2009” as well as a significant avionics upgrade. For Australian buyers, Cessna’s offer has been translated into a US$15,000 cash ...

Airbus Military has rolled out the first complete A400M military transport aircraft from its final assembly line facility in Seville, Spain. Although “complete”, the new aircraft has yet to fly and no date has yet been set for its first flight, which is, nevertheless, expected in 2008. The A400M has been designed to fit a requirement for a new military airlifter ...

Red Checkers - Part 1, 1948-1976 Part one of a two-part article by Dave Homewood (the webmaster for the popular cambridgeairforce.org.nz website) about the history of the Red Checkers - New Zealand’s longest-serving aerobatic display team. Auckland Airport ILS Upgrade - Putting the Precision Into Precision Approach Fog has long been the bugbear of operators at Auckland International Airport. However, as David Clemow ...

By Dave Homewood. The Red Checkers are the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s longest serving aerobatic display team. Their performances have thrilled audiences around New Zealand and they have built up a reputation for precision flying that is second to none. Currently, they are into their 41st year as the Red Checkers, but the team’s origins stem back much further. Red Checkers ...

By Leigh Neil. Safety is the number one priority for all good pilots, right? So what happens when the supposed quest for safety impinges on a pilot’s normally accepted rights and privileges? Leigh Neil reports on a recent court case in Hamilton that highlights some potentially serious issues with New Zealand’s aviation safety investigation structure and its application. Before I get into ...

By Rob Neil. For ploughing a field, one would choose a Clydesdale horse; for racing, a thoroughbred racehorse. For affordable, economical, practical, speedy flight for up to six people over short distances, one would choose a Mustang. When the first Citation Mustang was delivered in 2006, it became the smallest in the family that Cessna appropriately calls its “Sensible Citations”. The family ...

By Rob Neil.

“Real airplanes have round engines,” says a popular pilots’ bumper sticker. Anyone with aviation in the blood knows that it is radials the sticker is referring to and not jet engines (and any aero-Philistine who tries to suggest that jets are also round is likely to be stoned or pilloried). Radial engines epitomise the “golden age” ...