Airwork's Piper Brave 375s?

[corsair67]

Just wondering if anyone here knows how many Piper Brave 375s were operated by Airwork in Canterbury in the late70s - early80s, and/or does anyone have any photos of them?

I went for a flight in one piloted by the the late Peter Irvine when I was about 12 in 1979 from our old family farm on Banks Peninsula, and I'm now curious to see if it is possible to identify the particular aircraft.

I don't recall the rego at all, but I do recall it had the name "Mako" painted on the cowling(?).

[Bruce]

There is an article about the Pawnee series in the latest aviation news, including the "underwhelming" Braves. there is a photo of one in the article,I'll see If I can find it tonight.

[corsair67]

Bruce, you wouldn't believe it but I have a copy of the latest Aviation news - but haven't even opened the envelope yet as I'm working my way through the latest editions of Australian Aviation and Aero first!

I'll have a look tonight after work.

[Peter Lewis]

By my reckoning, Airwork operated 5 Pawnee Brave - ZK-EIA EIG EII EIJ and EIW.
Others were operated by Rowley (ZK-EIN and EQF) Pask (ZK-EIH and EIQ) and two co-operatives at Timaru (ZK-EIZ) and Balclutha (ZK-EQN).

So what was wrong with these aircraft anyway? The first one arrived in 1977 and they were all gone by 1984.

[corsair67]

Peter, it would be interesting to know why these aircraft weren't very sucessful in NZ service. Possibly not enough horses under the cowl for safe and productive operations in high country areas?

There are still about 30+ on the Australian register; whether they are all still flying though is another thing altogether!

[Peter Lewis]

My thoughts are that the hill country performance was not that great. Probably OK for the wide flat areas of the USA and Oz. All of the NZ Pawnee Braves except for ZK-EIH (burnt) eventually went to Australia.

No sign of any personalized name on any of the Airwork ones as I have them. Mind you, it could have been applied at a different time.

ZK-EIA Rukuhia 5Nov1977


ZK-EIG Wigram 9Sep1978


ZK-EII Ardmore 18Jan1979


ZK-EIJ Ardmore 16Dec1978


ZK-EIW Ardmore 2Jul1979

[fletcherfu24]

Early '80s there was a issue with all up weight of the Brave,I think it was being used to cart up to a tonne but there was a restriction that limited it to around 3/4 of a tonne from memory.
The 375 Brave had the same motor(but derated) as the 400hp Fletcher so it didn't lack for grunt.
The early '80s the demand for topdressing slumped to an all time low,NZ was awash with idle ag planes.Airwork went tits up in 1982,the only market for most agplanes at that time was Aussie.Brave production ceased in '83.

[Naki]

Quite a nice looking machine for an ag plane though

[corsair67]

Thanks for all the info guys, and for your wonderful photos, Peter.

I'm starting to think that the one I went up in was EII, but I guess I'll never be 100% sure. On the day I was having a picnic with my family on our old property not far from Little River, and because the Brave was working off the airstrip only about 100m from where we were sitting, I spent most of the time leaning on the fence beside the strip watching all the action.

The loader driver came over to me after he and the pilot had had lunch and asked me if I'd like to go up for a flight - to which I of course said "Yes, please". He said that I should check that my parents are okay with me going up, and then come back to see him if they were okay with it. Of course, there was no way Mum and Dad were going to be allowed to say no...........! ;D

The strip I flew off was your typical hill country strip, and I recall thinking at the time that accelerating down a hill towards a plantation of pine trees seemed to be the weirdest thing to do, but once we were airborne I then started to thinking about what the uphill landing was going to be like! ;D

I also couldn't get over how basic the fitout of the aircraft seemed and how loud it was even though the engine was way up front on the far side of the hopper. I also was surprised that Peter was only wearing a flying helmet, a pair of shorts and boots & socks!

Anyway, once we got back on the ground, I don't think I stopped smiling for a week afterwards.

[Peter Lewis]

Nice story there - thanks for sharing the memories.
I think it deserves a colour photo:

ZK-EII - by Bruce Gavin, early 1981, place unknown (possibly Feilding?)

[corsair67]

The September Aviation News article quotes Robin "Hank" Calder as stating that he thinks the Brave 375 wasn't such a great sucess due to it having some "premature wear and tear issues" and that the undercarriage and airframe had some problems "staying together"!

[airtruk]

Its funny how stories from the same era are so close but yet miles apart… My first ride in a topdresser was also in a Brave 375 operated by Airwork (NZ) Ltd out of Waimate around the same time as the story above. The pilot Col Bolgar was topdressing on one of our family farms and he offered to take me as an eight or nine year old back to the Waimate Airport where my father would fetch me. We also owned a property that bound the airport and Col flew around the farm where we waved to my mother who was hanging out the washing when Col announced that he wasn’t sure where the airport was? I replied that it was over there and with that off we went, just as the wheels were about to touch the ground he asked if we were in the right place? We weren’t we were in one of our paddocks that was next to the runway, to which I replied no and as the wheels touched the ground he smoothly applied the power and we came back around and lined up with the runway. Now with the runway insight and in front of us he once again come into land but once again landed in the paddock that was at the threshold of the runway… As nine year old boys do I was quick to tell him that we were in the wrong place again and with that he added power, skipped the fence and the wheels rolled smoothly onto the runway. As we taxied in I could see my father sitting on the bonnet of the truck waiting for us, once we had shutdown my father wandered over and asked if we got lost to which I replied that we had had some problems but we had at last found the right place…. I can remember looking up at Col who was still in the cockpit and he had a grin on his face which lives with me to this day and will forever more as he knew I’m sure that he had changed my life forever…..I knew that day that I was going to become a pilot.

Col Bolgar flew ZK-EIW out of Waimate for Airwork from 1978 until 1981 when ZK-EIW was written off by Glen Speeden north of Timaru in a spraying accident. I’m not sure what the details were but I think the aircraft ended upside down in pine trees. I can remember seeing the wreckage on a Transport Waimate truck but have no idea what happened to it after that. At the time of the accident Col was away on holiday and arrived back with another Brave ZK-EII which he operated until Airwork was sold to Rowley Aviation in late 1981. I think all the Braves were sold at this point by Peter Rowley to Australian interests and Col flew one of Rowley’s Thrust Commander’s until he and Donald Hart formed Skyfarmers Holdings Ltd, operating Airtruks and Skyfarmers in 1982.

The first Brave into New Zealand was also flown by Col Bolgar, who was then in 1977 based in Rangoria and he was asked to evaluate the aircraft for Airwork. The first aircraft was ZK-EIA, which was a 300 horsepower Brave. It was the only 300 imported into the country and after a successful evaluation Airwork then brought in the 375’s.

The aircraft was and still is today a very good spray aircraft, which is still operated in a number of countries around the world including Australia and the USA. Most of the aircraft have been upgraded to what is known as the “Super” Brave which increased the horsepower output to 400 horsepower. This upgrade was very straight forward as the 375’s engine was an I0-720 which had been de-rated from 400 to 375 horsepower; this is the same engine as the piston Fletcher uses.

However in New Zealand the aircraft didn’t handle the rough airstrips and the topdressing work, it was after all built as a spray aircraft. The comments made are correct that sadly the aircraft had a habit of shedding parts and I know of at least two occasions that ZK-EIW arrived back in Timaru without a main gear leg which had broken off on some high country airstrip.

Once again I do have a number of photos of both ZK-EIW and EII in the hands of Col Bolgar working around the Waimate area during that period that I will have to dig out when I arrive home in December.

[corsair67]

Airtruk, that's a great story, and it's nice to think we were both introduced to the wonders of aerial topdressing by Piper Braves.

Sadly though both pilots are now deceased - killed in accidents whilst aerial spraying or topdressing.

[hairy]

Sorry for the resurection of this thread, but I just came across this in my pile.
Unfortunately there is no info with it (photographer, date, loction etc.)

[Peter Lewis]

Got to be 1979 - 1981, as that was India Whiskey's service life.