Super Cub BPC on Floats...

[chinapilot]

Sorry - Lousy photo..

Those were the days when you did a few circuits and off you went by yourself...the instructor took it for me. It was the blind leading the blind but great fun

Somewhere around Christchurch [can't for the life of me remember where] 1970

Wonder if the small boy on the right decided then that aviation was the way to go??

[lumpy]

That is a brilliant photo , looking at the bank on the other side , it has to be a dam or irrigation canal ( if not , what would the photographer be standing on ) ?But I do wonder what that is in the upper left ??

[chinapilot]

Thanks...Looking at Google Earth it might be 'Main Drain' before the tree growth...it was definitely a straight stretch of a 'canal'...

[Peter Lewis]

There is something really cool about the Cub on floats.

Another photo of ZK-BPC from the Temple Martin page at
wings.net.nz/tmartin_album4.html

[thomarse]

Didn't it used to operate out of the river/estuary at Kaiapoi?

I seem to recall the late Keith Wakeman had something to do with it. Also recall seeing her taking off from the deck of a truck at Christchurch Airport - perhaps after the floats were fitted initially.

[dakman]

This aircraft also operated from the Clive river in Hawkes Bay at one stage
perhaps its where Temp Martin worked on it ??

[cessna180]

Nice shot. I did my tail wheel rating in BPC and flew her for a while. Does anyone know who brought the bits after the crash?

[westland831]

Looking at the top photo my guess would be the Cam River through Kaiapoi - I remember the Cub being there as a kid

[chinapilot]

westland831...think you are right - the area around the bridge looks like the place - thanks!

BTW were you the kid sitting there? :-)

[kooloosj]

Hi all,
Opposite the Cure rowing club in Kaiapoi is correct, I grew up there as a kid so recognise it well, also worked on Keiths farm as a teenager and remained in contact until his death. Funny the last time I met with him he mentioned the "taking off from the truck" escapade also, reckoned he nearly flew "through" the truck cab! JK

[eieio]

In recent times someone wrote of their experience flying bpc off the river at Kiapoi.

[merv]

My recollections of this was as you say in in the estuary at Kaiapoi during the mid/late 1960's. It was owned by the late Keith Wakeman. For servicing at Airwork he would land on the wet grass and as you also say would take off from the deck of a truck at Christchurch Airport.

[chinapilot]

Found another shot taken that day...back of photo is Sept '69.
It was operated by the 'Christchurch Flying School' [who also had BJY 'on line' at one stage] which was operated by John Jones and another John whose name escapes me at the moment. Next day I was back on 'skis'

Again not a great photo and I need to clean the smudge on the leading edge near the cockpit. Explains the black smudge below the Z on the first shot.

[thomarse]

Here's how it's done....in NZ too!

[dakman]

Hey Thomarse thanks for the post

[Peter Lewis]

The landing-on-the-grass version is here:

[kevsmith]

The other John mentioned in the post by chinapilot was John Reid - ex Napier, ex Auckland Flying School and Gisborne at some stage and now at Tauranga.