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Post by alanw on Nov 28, 2011 12:35:05 GMT 12
Hi All
Thursday, flew to Wellington for work, and flew home Friday.
Sitting at Wellington Airport waiting to take off (lift off due to the wind) and noted all the registration codes on New Zealand aircraft.
Question: (hopefully not asked before) When/where/why did the "ZK" prefix originate?
Thanks
Alan
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Post by shorty on Nov 28, 2011 12:53:41 GMT 12
From January 1929, the registration prefixes ZK- ZL- and ZM- were allocated to New Zealand by the International Radio Telegraph Conference and by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). So far, only ZK- has been used extensively for civil aircraft, ZL- not at all, and ZM- for two special applications (Flying Fleas).
As in other countries, aircraft registrations also fulfil the role of aircraft radio station callsigns. These prefixes are also used for other types of radio station, including ship radios, broadcasting stations, land mobile and radio amateurs
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Post by Darren Masters on Nov 28, 2011 12:56:37 GMT 12
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Post by mit on Nov 28, 2011 14:16:47 GMT 12
ZM- for two special applications (Flying Fleas). That's not quite correct, the ZM was used on three Flying flees ZM-AAA ZM-AAB and ZM-AAC, only two of which survive in museums. The ZM-Zxx was also used for the RNZAF from 1945 up up until the 1960's however little has been published about it. I have it on good authority these were used mostly when the aircraft traveled outside NZ. A few of the exRNZAF aircraft still have their ZM id on their call sign plate on the instrument panel. Devon NZ1806, you can see as G as she was ZM-ZKG later ZM-ZLG I have copied this from this website; www.dave.wise.btinternet.co.uk/DWZM.htmPlease let me know this is ok, I would hate to step on anyone's toes.. again... "The following is taken from messages from John Dyer and David Paull on the AB-IX e-mail group in March 2006. DH104 Devon NZ1801 ZMZFA NZ1802 ZMZFB > ZMZSA NZ1803 ZMZKB > ZMZLB NZ1804 ZMZKD > ZMZLD NZ1805 ZMZKF > ZMZLF NZ1806 ZMZKG > ZMZLG NZ1807 ZMZKH > ZMZLH NZ1808 ZMZKJ > ZMZLJ NZ1809 (unknown) NZ1810 (unknown) NZ1811 (unknown) NZ1812 ZMZKK NZ1813 ZMZKL NZ1814 ZMZFD > ZMZKU > ZMZLU NZ1815 (unknown) NZ1816 ZMZKM > ZMZLM NZ1817 ZMZKZ > ZMZLL NZ1818 ZMZFG > ZMZKV > ZMZLV NZ1819 ZMZKN > ZMZLN NZ1820 ZMZTA NZ1821 ZMZKO > ZMZLO NZ1822 ZMZKT > ZMZLT NZ1823 (unknown) NZ1824 (unknown) NZ1825 (unknown) NZ1826 ZMZKP > ZMZLP NZ1827 ZMZKQ > ZMZLQ NZ1828 ZMZKS > ZMZLS Bristol 170 NZ5901 ZMZBA NZ5902 ZMZBB NZ5903 ZMZBD NZ5904 ZMZBF NZ5905 ZMZBG NZ5906 ZMZBH NZ5907 ZMZBJ NZ5908 ZMZBK NZ5909 ZMZBL NZ5910 ZMZBM NZ5911 ZMZBN NZ5912 ZMZBO Hercules C-130H NZ7001 ZMZVA NZ7002 ZMZVB NZ7003 ZMZVD NZ7004 ZMZVS NZ7005 ZMZVT Canberra B(I)12 NZ6101 ZMZOA NZ6102 ZMZOB NZ6103 ZMZOD NZ6104 ZMZOF NZ6105 ZMZOG NZ6106 ZMZOH NZ6107 ZMZOJ NZ6108 ZMZOK NZ6109 ZMZOL NZ6110 ZMZOM NZ6111 ZMZON Canberra T13 NZ6151 ZMZOO NZ6152 ZMZOP Douglas DC-6 NZ3631 ZMZWA NZ3632 ZMZWB NZ3633 ZMZWD Hastings C3 NZ5801 ZMZAA NZ5802 ZMZAB NZ5803 ZMZAD NZ5804 (unknown) P-3B Orion NZ4201 ZMZMA > ZMZEL NZ4202 ZMZMB > ZMZEM NZ4203 ZMZMF > ZMZEN NZ4204 ZMZMG > ZMZEO NZ4205 ZMZMH > ZMZEP Sunderland NZ4105 ZMZGA NZ4106 ZMZGB NZ4107 ZMZGD NZ4108 ZMZGG NZ4109 ZMZGH NZ4110 ZMZGJ NZ4111 ZMZGK NZ4112 ZMZGL NZ4113 ZMZGM NZ4114 ZMZGP NZ4115 ZMZGQ NZ4116 ZMZGS NZ4117 ZMZGT NZ4118 ZMZGV NZ4119 ZMZGW NZ4120 ZMZGZ UH-1D NZ3801 ZMZUA NZ3802 ZMZUB NZ3803 ZMZUD NZ3804 ZMZUF NZ3805 ZMZUG Wasp NZ3901 ZMZUV NZ3902 ZMZUW" An interesting and almost forgotten register, I think anyway. Cheers Mit
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 28, 2011 14:30:16 GMT 12
Well I'll be jiggered. I didn't know that!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 28, 2011 14:32:36 GMT 12
By the way, before the ZK- prefix was assigned, aeroplanes here carried G-NZxx registrations. Were they technically on the British register with the G- prefix or was that just done becuse that's how Mother England did it?
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Post by shorty on Nov 28, 2011 15:03:13 GMT 12
Australian were also G-AUXX and the Canadians were G-CXXX but I don't think they were technically British registered.
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Post by alanw on Nov 28, 2011 17:35:23 GMT 12
Hi Guys
Thanks for those answers - much appreciated!
Mit- I never even gave any thought to RNZAF aircraft carrying a ZM code, Wow!!
Many Thanks
Alan
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Post by dakman on Nov 28, 2011 17:42:24 GMT 12
Thanks Mit had not realised that the RNZAF used ZM call signs Allan
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Post by Brett on Nov 29, 2011 8:52:08 GMT 12
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Post by expatkiwi on Sept 1, 2012 8:17:40 GMT 12
Does one forsee the possibility of ZK registrations running out? Once ZK-ZZZ is issued, it would either be ZL-AAA next or ZK-AA1...
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Post by johnnyfalcon on Sept 1, 2012 10:39:41 GMT 12
I remember my Dad explaining those military registrations being used on the Sunderlands he crewed on in Fiji.
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Post by starr on Sept 1, 2012 12:39:48 GMT 12
From memory I think DC3 ZK AZL was ZM ZAS during its military service.
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Post by FlyingKiwi on Sept 1, 2012 19:39:57 GMT 12
Does one forsee the possibility of ZK registrations running out? Once ZK-ZZZ is issued, it would either be ZL-AAA next or ZK-AA1... They don't issue them sequentially anymore - basically now you just request what you want and if it's available they'll give it to you. There are still quite a lot of un-used regos so I don't think they'll run out anytime soon (Australia hasn't run out yet and they also only use three letters!) but if they ever did I imagine they'd adopt the system of four letters following the prefix such as in the UK, France etc.
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Post by expatkiwi on Sept 2, 2012 4:34:17 GMT 12
Does one forsee the possibility of ZK registrations running out? Once ZK-ZZZ is issued, it would either be ZL-AAA next or ZK-AA1... They don't issue them sequentially anymore - basically now you just request what you want and if it's available they'll give it to you. There are still quite a lot of un-used regos so I don't think they'll run out anytime soon (Australia hasn't run out yet and they also only use three letters!) but if they ever did I imagine they'd adopt the system of four letters following the prefix such as in the UK, France etc. Good point.
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Post by ngatimozart on Sept 5, 2012 14:53:10 GMT 12
As far as I am aware, ZM is now used for NZ registered ships / vessels. When I was on Kiwi our non naval vessel ID started with ZM. Our normal radio call sign was "Warship Kiwi" if doing fisheries, DOC., patrols etc.
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Post by johnnyfalcon on Sept 5, 2012 17:00:13 GMT 12
Dad's logbook verifies mit's reply #3
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