Avro Avians of NZ

[Deleted]

I didn't realise we'd had a radial Avian. It's interesting how Mothish it looks with the Gipsy up front in that cowl.

[Peter Lewis]

Avro 616 Sports Avian IVa G-ABCF was a single-seat long-range version used by Guy Menzies for his trans-Tasman flight (Australia to NZ) on 7Jan1931. This was the first solo flight between the two countries.

Unable to reach hs planned destination of Blenheim, he landed in the La Fontaine swamp, near Hari Hari, South Westland.

The aircraft overturned on landing.

After it was recovered and repaired at Wigram the Avian did some further flying in NZ before being shipped back to Australia where it crashed on 30Jun1931 and was destroyed.

G-ABCF at Rongotai after repair, early 1931

If you are in the area, you can visit the landing site by following a signposted route from the main road just south of Hari Hari town. You'd never find it otherwise, and the final leg is down a farm lane. At the end of the lane there is a display board.

The locals have erected a memorial back in the centre of their town, together with a small building that houses a replica of the aircraft along with with a mannequin dressed in appropriate 1930s aviator clothing.

The building is locked and the display difficult to photograph through the glass. The replica is very crudely finished, but I guess serves the purpose of giving Joe Public some idea of the size and structure of the Avian

Alongside is a signboard giving details of the event.

and another detailing the area's transportation history

So that's pretty much it for Kiwi Avians!

[Dave Homewood]

That's really cool, I never knew there was that replica and memorial, etc there. Great that a small community has invested in this to remember their past.

[Deleted]

I agree, I had no idea either memorial existed. How wonderful! Thank you, Peter.

[Peter Lewis]

Dec 4, 2018 10:18:28 GMT 12 madmax said:

Charlie worked for Aircraft Engineering Rongotai at that time and the conversion was carried out under their licence. It was supposed to be sold to a member of NACs Rongotai ground staff, whose name I am unable to recall, however as in Lynn MacGregor's usual bumbling style the conversion was so protracted that the deal fell through. Although perhaps in fairness to Aircraft Engineering I expect they would have been swamped with work at that time from an emerging agricultural aviation industry as they developed and fitted hoppers to many DH82s in the late 40s and early 50s.

1946 - 47 would have been a bit before any DH82 ag conversions.
The first AgTiger was not operational until May 1949.

I'd agree that AE may have been invovled in military-to-civil Tiger Moth conversions early post-war.

[Peter Lewis]

Marty has responded to my request, and supplied two photos of Avro 594 Avian IIIA G-NZAV (which became ZK-AAC).

Location looks to be Rongotai, and note the . after the registration. This was a feature of 1920s - 30s civil Avro aircraft, so presumably this sign-writing was applied before import at the UK factory.

and a photo of the other side, out in the field somewhere.

[Deleted]

I really like the cowling on G-NZAV. It makes for a fine-looking aircraft.

[Dave Homewood]

There is this photo on the National Library site here

[Dave Homewood]

SIGHTSEEING FROM THE AIR: A NEW VIEW OF AUCKLAND'S COMMERCIAL AREA AND WATERFRONT
A photograph taken this week when machine, from the Auckland Aero Club were flying over the city. Prince's Wharf (directly under the aeroplane) and Queen's Wharf (left) are in foreground, while the Western Viaduct leads across Freeman's Bay on the right.
NEW ZEALAND HERALD, 8 APRIL 1933

[Peter Lewis]

ZK-ACM was with the Club 1935 - 1938, so April 1933 would have been when Ron Kirkup owned it.

[Dave Homewood]

I wonder if all the negatives from the Herald's photos through those years were kept. It'd be really nice to get a nice sharp version of that one of ACM over the city.

[Deleted]

Nov 11, 2022 21:30:07 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

I wonder if all the negatives from the Herald's photos through those years were kept.

Have you asked them?

[Peter Lewis]

The accident history of Avian ZK-ABJ has always been a bit obscure.
It suffered a crash in the hands of its first owner, A V Jury, and the wreck passed to James F Cane who rebuilt it over a couple of years. 
However, it had a second and final crash in early 1935 with the location given as Waikanae.

As I have a few days in Waikanae right now I have been investigating, and following up a few leads with some success.

I now believe the following is accurate:

Jurys crash: Hit tree while landing at the owner's property 'Willowburn', Papawai, Greytown 2.30pm 29Mar1930 @ 39hrs

Cane's crash: Reported rudder bar jammed. on t/off from the Tararua Road airfield, Levin, 14Jan35 @ 423.30hrs, aircraft dived into the ground from 100ft.  Pilot A Greenaway, passenger J Cane. 

Backed up by newspaper reports from the day:

[Dave Homewood]

So I am guessing that is two pilots who later went on to good things in the wartime RNZAF:
Alan Victor 'Pete' Jury and Arthur Greenaway?

[Peter Lewis]

And Jimmy Cane later flew with NAC.

[planewriting]

Nov 19, 2018 21:46:37 GMT 12 @zacyates said:

Hi all,
I've been looking around for photos, diagrams etc of the Avro Avian type while I plan a (fairly far in the future) model project, and it got me to wondering about those which operated in New Zealand.

Being from Wanganui I have a very tenuous link as IVM ZK-ACM, our last example of the type, was based here for a time and was sadly lost in a fire in I think 1974.

In the spirit of the "Pile" threads for other types, I'd love everyone to chip in with any photos or memories of the type in NZ - including Guy Menzie's trans-Tasman machine.

Have at it!

(PS: this isn't me trying to cheat my way into photos, the one I'd like to build is an Aussie machine and I thought it might be neat to have a repository of the Kiwi Avians for future fans to see)

The fire occurred on the night of 23 February 1974 at Wanganui. If my memory serves me right, it was to be flown next day to Ardmore for refurbishment by K C  (Keith?) Trillo.

[chinapilot]

Planewriting - yes it was Keith.
Keith did a large amount of restoration on it at the back of the Wellington Aero Club hangar in the mid ‘60s when he was a NAC DC-3 Captain.