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Post by furyfb11 on Jun 17, 2010 16:27:07 GMT 12
Eight of these not very pretty,not very succesfull ag aircraft were imported into the country in 1966 ZK-CRA reg date 7/66 cr Orari Gorge 9/77 cancelled 5/81 ZK-CRB " " 7/66 cr Masterton 1/67 scrapped at Hamilton /67 ZK-CRC " " 6/66 withdrawn from use at Rangiora 8/78 ZK-CRD " " 7/66 cr Hunterville 2/69 cancelled 2/69  Taken at Wairoa 12/66 ZK-CRI reg date 7/66 withdrawn from use Timaru 5/75  Taken at Palmerston North 8/66 ZK-CRJ reg date 7/66 cr Dunback 9/75 cancelled 11/75 ZK-CRU " " 9/66 cr Whangaehu 3/68 cancelled 3/68 ZK-CRV " " 9/66 cr Oamaru 6/73 withdrawn scrapped 5/81 Did anyone else manage to photograph any of the other six? |
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Post by Peter Lewis on Jun 17, 2010 18:25:26 GMT 12
Yes
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Post by furyfb11 on Jun 17, 2010 19:29:48 GMT 12
So when will we see them?
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Post by Dave.K on Jun 18, 2010 11:23:35 GMT 12
The late Sam Bickerstaff was flying back to Taieri when he had engine problems and put it down on a strip. It was well tied down but the nor-wester blew it away over night. Probably was CRJ, turned out the IO 720 broke the crankshaft.
The calair has springs in the undercarrage legs, the guys at southair could tell whether it was a fletcher or callair by the squeaking as it taxied around the corner.
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Post by Peter Lewis on Jun 18, 2010 16:54:48 GMT 12
Could that have been Airwork's Callair CRA?
Logged as "Damaged by wind, Orari Gorge, 30Sep77"
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Post by Peter Lewis on Jun 18, 2010 16:55:55 GMT 12
So when will we see them? Probably when I have finished Ansetting. |
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Post by studentpilot on Jun 18, 2010 23:10:30 GMT 12
Wasn't there one with a 985 on the front in Unzud?
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Post by thomarse on Jun 21, 2010 11:06:45 GMT 12
Yes, CRU was converted to an R985 but didn't last long. That would be a mission - is there a photo of her with the 985?
Re Sam Bickerstaff etc, the story of CRJ fits better with Sam's career than CRA does but the similarities are interesting. A bloke at Ferrymead once told me that a Callair was rumoured to "still be down a gully in Central Otago" - anyone confirm?
Also interesting is the shot of CRD and one other in the background said to be at Wairoa - can't see any connection between Callairs and Wairoa?
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Post by furyfb11 on Jun 21, 2010 16:08:35 GMT 12
I took the photo of CRD during an airshow for the opening of the sealed runway at Wairoa.It was one of three that did a display.Also present were an NAC DC3(ZK-APK) an Airland DC3 and a U.S.Navy R4D which did a jato take off...photo to follow if I can find the slide.
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Post by bobgod on Jun 21, 2010 17:03:13 GMT 12
Sam Bickerstaff was quite a character,knew him when he was flying deer out of Haast. known as Swampy due to some mishap he had at some time.
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Post by thomarse on Jun 21, 2010 17:38:48 GMT 12
Anyone know what happened to Sam ultimately?
Re CRU, just looked the details up - she had only done 290 hours TT and just 108 since the R985 was installed. It was an overhauled engine with about 3300 hrs TT
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Post by Peter Lewis on Jun 21, 2010 19:26:06 GMT 12
Rangitikei Air Services who operated ZK-CRD at the time was based at Taihape, just a gumboot's throw over the hill from Wairoa.
This Callair would only have been about three months old at the time of the photo.
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Post by Dave.K on Jun 21, 2010 22:02:55 GMT 12
Thomarse,sadly Sam was knocked off his scooter near Taieri airport several years ago and died as a result of injuries. Shame a man can go through the deer wars and topdressing and get killed on a scooter.
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Post by thomarse on Jun 22, 2010 12:05:16 GMT 12
Thanks Dave, that was the clue I needed.
October 14 1987, aged only 48. I quite agree; can you even start to imagine the aviation experiences in his life?
His aviation biography would make a good story. He in his venison days and I'm guessing BUQ feature prominently in a great book "An Era Gone" by Dave Ratcliffe, to which I've referred earlier on this Board.
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Post by avagwhiz on Jun 22, 2010 13:26:43 GMT 12
From memory Ive got slides of CRA and CRC also bw of CRA and CRB.If I ever get round to sorting them out and working out photobucket or whatever I will post them.
Again from memory I thought a Callair went up in the old Air Contracts hangar fire around
65-66? Maybe it was only Ca188s?That occured around the time 4 pilots I knew all
had fatals and I worked out chances of surviving 40 years as an agpilot were 0.
Decided on a different career path!
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Post by thomarse on Jun 22, 2010 14:17:21 GMT 12
About time we heard from you again J A!
Nope, MS fire (15/5/65 from memory) a bit early for Callairs. C180 BFE BMX and a couple of Pawnees I think.
I do recall that on Wahine Day there was a special lack of attention given to protecting the "Yellow Submarines" in the hope that they would just blow away, but they didn't.
Someone in the Wairarapa - Harley Cadwallader perhaps - once told me that the most unpleasant feature of the Callair was that after lifting off cleanly and just when it was feeling like it was ready to establish a positive climb the aircraft would sometimes sink back onto the ground without any warning.
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Post by agile on Jun 23, 2010 14:07:23 GMT 12
Fascinating. I've never seen a picture of one of these beasties before, though I've seen bits of them. OK, starter for 10. Which one(s) do we have large bits of in the Nissen hut at Ferrymead?
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Post by Peter Lewis on Jun 23, 2010 14:40:15 GMT 12
ZK-CRC ex Airwork, Last flight 7Aug78. WFU at Rangiora & scrapped, components to Ferrymead museum.
10 please!
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Post by thomarse on Jun 23, 2010 14:57:41 GMT 12
Nah, nah.....
Front with the shot of an R 985ed CRU and you can have your 10 with much pleasure!
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Post by agile on Jun 23, 2010 15:09:03 GMT 12
ZK-CRC ex Airwork, Last flight 7Aug78. WFU at Rangiora & scrapped, components to Ferrymead museum. 10 please! Gordon Bennett that was fast! Heh, I never said 10 of what! 10 short lengths of knotted string will be dispatched forthwith.  In a slight deviation from the topic, can I just say how much I am enjoying your 'pictorial type history' threads, especially relative obscurities like the Agricola. |
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