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Post by errolmartyn on Apr 12, 2015 7:53:23 GMT 12
As I understand it, it is not mandatory to display the ZK- prefix part of registration markings worn by civil aircraft operating within New Zealand. Was it always thus, or was it mandatory when first introduced and then the rule later relaxed?
Errol
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Post by Peter Lewis on Apr 12, 2015 8:23:09 GMT 12
On photographic evidence it seems to have been compulsory up to some time in the early 70s.
These days, only if the aircraft regulary travels overseas (airliners) or otherwise departs from NZ territory then it must be displayed.
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Post by The Red Baron on Apr 12, 2015 9:48:45 GMT 12
Used to have the rego on top and bottom of the wing as well on aircraft until they went to just the three letters on the fuselage.As
Peter said it was sometime in the '70s.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 12, 2015 10:38:57 GMT 12
Also I recall a piece in Wings Magazine which mentioned that Simon Spencer-Bower's Tiger Moth, which was restored at Wigram at the same time as the RNZAF Museum's and RNZAF Historic Flight's examples, was the first aircraft to get a special dispensation to not carry the registration at all, in order to allow it to look authentic in its wartime military colours. Many, if not most, warbirds now do not have their registration painted on, or have at the most got it hidden under the tail in tiny letters.
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Post by baronbeeza on Apr 12, 2015 14:03:30 GMT 12
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Apr 12, 2015 14:34:26 GMT 12
I vaguely recall reading an item in NZ Wings magazine back in the 1970s about how regulations had been changed and aeroplanes which flew exclusively within NZ now no longer had to display ZK- on the fuselage and wing.
I've probably still got the copy of NZ Wings that item was in, although it will be buried in one of several large boxes of magazines in my shed. It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack trying to find it. Somebody will get all of those magazines one day after I kick-the-bucket. I doubt if I'll ever open any of those boxes.
Also in those boxes is a heap of Meccano Magazines from the 1950s and early-1960s, which contain a lot of interesting articles about aviation during that era (and a lot of maritime and railway stuff, as well as heaps of articles about building stuff with Meccano). I acquired them as a kid when a neighbour died and his son had the big clear-out and passed them onto me. When I moved from Gisborne to Masterton in October 1998, I carefully packed them in large plastic bags (they're mostly in mint condition) and the professional packers who moved me packed them into cartons along with all of the other magazines which are in my shed. I've never unpacked them since I moved here.
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Post by shorty on Apr 12, 2015 15:19:42 GMT 12
Not only that but as all helicopter registrations start with ZK-H and gliders are all ZK-G they only have to display the last two letters of their rego
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Post by tbf25o4 on Apr 12, 2015 15:37:34 GMT 12
We are an interesting country in that the letters ZK, ZL, and ZM are reserved for civil aircraft registrations
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 12, 2015 15:55:54 GMT 12
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2015 16:17:21 GMT 12
ZM was explicitly intended for the Flying Fleas, I'm still waiting on an email back from CAA (acknowledgement and "we will reply in ten working days) received 17 march) as to whether that's still the case. I've seen reference of ZL being used for some form of radio testing.
Ravensdown Aerowork has only in the last year or two stopped putting the ZK on their aircraft, some of the engineers when I was there had no idea why we needed it on there!
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Post by Brett on Apr 12, 2015 17:01:45 GMT 12
ZK, ZL and ZM are International Telecommunication Union (ITU) designated call sign identifier prefixes for NZ broadcasters (radio, TV etc). ITU is a UN agency responsible for global communications issues. Most countries also use these identifiers to fulfil their responsibilities under various ICAO conventions. In NZ, 'ZK' has been used to identify aircraft on the New Zealand register. 'ZL' is used to identify land-based radio broadcasters (including amateurs - radio hams). For example, Newstalk ZB could be referred to as ZL-1ZB. ZM is used by radio transmitters on special occasions (Commonwealth Games, etc), but has been used in the past for 3 Flying Fleas and for RNZAF aircraft operating overseas. rnzaf.proboards.com/thread/14855/prefix-new-zealand-based-aircraft |
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Post by starr on Apr 12, 2015 17:07:15 GMT 12
ZK AZL still had the registration markings inside of ZM ZAS when I was both loading and flying it.
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Post by camtech on Apr 12, 2015 21:31:25 GMT 12
ZK AZL still had the registration markings inside of ZM ZAS when I was both loading and flying it. ZM-ZAS was the radio call sign allocated to that aircraft while serving with the RNZAF - it was used as a call sign when outside NZ. AFAIK all military aircraft capable of operating outside NZ had or have such a call sign. |
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Post by komata on Apr 13, 2015 5:03:03 GMT 12
FWIW: It is possibly worth recalling that these 'master' national prefix letters were originally promulgated back in the early 1920's, at a time when long-distance rigid airships (think Graf Zeppelin et al) were still considered viable and 'safe'. My understanding is that, rather than being 'Flea-specific', at the time they were originally allocatd to New Zealand (then a self-governing Dominion within the British Empire, as were Australia, Canada and South Africa), the -ZM prefix was specifically (and originally) allocated to New Zealand for AIRSHIPS!! This was part of the British Imperial Aviation Scheme, designed to link the Empire by air; some will no doubt remember it. The 'airship' part of the 'scheme effectively died with the crash of the R 101, although it was of course transferred to aeroplanes - items which, being both 'noisy' and 'speedy' weren't quite in the same category, and were very definitely not 'stately' or 'imperious' as the airships had been...
The -ZM registration block was, of course, never used for its original purpose (airship registration by New Zealand), so was apparently transferred to the 'Flea' circus, which was then at the height of its popularity.
As I am writing from memory (and can't access the relevant 'paper'within my archives), perhaps someone can confirm this?
Thanks.
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mrjohn
Squadron Leader
Posts: 106
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Post by mrjohn on Apr 13, 2015 12:01:23 GMT 12
I believe ZM is also used for maritime call signs. I have heard that ZK-AM.. registration block was once reserved for flying boats but later made available for the registration of 'period' aircraft, for example DC3 ZK-AMY.
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Post by oj on Apr 18, 2015 14:58:43 GMT 12
I don't really care much about the rego pre-fix but I wanted to say I loved my Meccano Magazine each month.
We were poor, but Mum knew I had an insatiable appetite for engineering so I was allowed that while other boys were buying Mickey-duck comics.
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Post by camtech on Apr 18, 2015 20:21:23 GMT 12
Meccano is a great hobby - I have probably 2 No 10 sets. Meccano Magazines are available on line in a searchable format - have a look at www.nzmeccano.com for an index and some amazing models. Enough of the thread drift!! |
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Post by planewriting on Sept 28, 2016 10:46:16 GMT 12
Regarding the ZM use by Flying Fleas and also by the military, am I correct to say that in the case of the military there is no hyphen used?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2016 15:25:00 GMT 12
Not sure about the military, but the Fleas seemed to have the hyphen.
When CAA got back to me they said any new HM.14s would be registered ZK-.
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Post by Peter Lewis on Sept 28, 2016 17:02:30 GMT 12
as in ZK-FLE  |
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