Rex Manukau Flying School

[kesselrun]

Does any one remember this flying school? I've been communicating with a pilot who learnt to fly with it in the 1970s. He said at the time it ran out of Ardmore and had over 20 Cessna 172 and 177s? Is the name correct? Was it taken over by another company? Any info great appreciated.

[Dave Homewood]

Rex Aviation Ltd was based at Ardmore, and was run by former RNZAF Corsair pilot Miles Newton King.

[Dave Homewood]

I should say Rex Aviation (N.Z.) Ltd, as there was also a Rex Aviation Ltd in Australia.

[kesselrun]

OK, so no 'Manukau' in the name? Many thanks.

[Dave Homewood]

There was also the Manukau Flying School, which was founded by Bryan Cox in 1966. I have a feeling Rex may have bought that out? But Manukau Flying School still seems to exist today.

Someone here will have the details.

[kesselrun]

The former student (now in his 50s) called it the Rex Manukau Flying School so you might be right. It's a shame PapersPast does not cover this period.

[kevsmith]

In Bryan Cox's book, "Cats Have Only Nine Lives" Bryan states (on Page 168) "A somewhat similar, but different, incident occured one day after Manukau Flying School combined with Rex Flying School, etc etc".
So, while after my time and memory at Ardmore, there is some evidence that the flying school did in fact become the name quoted by the originator of this thread.

[kevsmith]

A little more looking at Bryan's book revealed on Page 115/6 further details on the merger/takeover apparently from 1st August 1974 to become Rex Manukau Flying School. On that day Bryan says he was appointed CFI of the Rex Manukau Flying School. He goes into further detail on subsequent name changes to Dalhoff & King, then Motor Holdings Flying School and Flightline Aviation.
I am also intrigued with Ardmore Flying School's claim in their advertising to have started in 1961.

[kesselrun]

Excellent, thanks so much for clearing that up. Very helpful. Adam

[oj]

"... former RNZAF Corsair pilot Miles Newton King."

There was a long established hardware and farm supplies building in Hamilton called Newton-King (I think in London Street).
It was about three or four levels.
We were told at AESL that there was a RR Merlin engine stored somewhere on the upper level.
I don't know anyone who had actually seen it, but some of the older hands at AESL (who had served in the Pacific Theatre or worked at the Bledisloe Hall engine overhaul facility in the CBD) spoke about it from time-to-time.

[thomarse]

I'll be interested to see where this goes...

My experience was of the Paraparaumu operation. When I first flew there in 1968 (phew....!) it was the Paraparaumu Branch of the Auckland Flying School. In early 1970 it became the Rex Flying School, then at some stage ownership transferred to Dalhoff and King but apparently the Flying School never traded under that name at PP as my last account from Rex is for June 1976 and D & K announced the closure of the Flying School on June 30th.

My first account with Associated Aviation which sprang up in their place is the following month.

My guess is that Rex Manukau Flying School was an amalgam of the Auckland and Manukau Flying Schools and that when D & K pulled out, someone resurrected the Manukau School but I look forward to clarification

[Dave Homewood]

Feb 28, 2023 19:55:52 GMT 12 oj said:

"... former RNZAF Corsair pilot Miles Newton King."

There was a long established hardware and farm supplies building in Hamilton called Newton-King (I think in London Street).
It was about three or four levels.
We were told at AESL that there was a RR Merlin engine stored somewhere on the upper level.
I don't know anyone who had actually seen it, but some of the older hands at AESL (who had served in the Pacific Theatre or worked at the Bledisloe Hall engine overhaul facility in the CBD) spoke about it from time-to-time.

Miles King was a descendant (grandson from memory) of Newton King, the man who owned the chain of stores bearing his name.

[Dave Homewood]

I assume Miles King was the King in the partnership of Dalhoff & King?

[Peter Lewis]

Up until the early 1960s (someone will correct me if I'm wrong with this date) pilots who trained with aero clubs could get a refund of part of their costs from the Government.
Thus any commercial flying school could not compete.
As far as I can tell, the original iteration of the Auckland Flying School Ltd dates from around 1963. Jim Bergman was behind this business. AFS is listed in the 1964 edition of Whites, with a fleet of two C150s and a 172.
He expanded into the Paraparaumu-based Central Flying School Ltd and Christchurch Flying School Ltd. and a bit later the Palmerston North Flying School.
NZ Aerosales run by Paul Legge then set up a flying school around 1965 at Paraparaumu as an add-on to their aircraft sales buiness.
The earliest date I can find for the Ardmore Flying School is 1974, but Liz could have been leasing aircraft from other operators prior to that time.

[thomarse]

Feb 28, 2023 21:59:17 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

I assume Miles King was the King in the partnership of Dalhoff & King?

No Dave; no relation as far as I know.

At the time that D & K owned the Flying School, Ken King learned to fly and used to get around in a Cessna 182 ZK EKK

[FlyingKiwi]

Feb 28, 2023 11:50:59 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

There was also the Manukau Flying School, which was founded by Bryan Cox in 1966. I have a feeling Rex may have bought that out? But Manukau Flying School still seems to exist today.

Someone here will have the details.

The current Manukau Flying School is run by an instructor based out of Ardmore and as far as I'm aware doesn't have any direct link to the original Manukau Flying School.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Leo.

[kevsmith]

Just to expand on the Auckland Flying School aspects, Jim Bergman's own writings say the School commenced operation on the 28th Sept 1963. I joined them a year later and he expanded firstly into Christchuch with the Christchurch Central Flying School in mid 1965. On the 5th & 6th of January 1966 I moved to Christchuch to be the instructor in charge of the Christchurch Central Flying School, starting on the 7th Jan. My assistant instructor was John Jones who later worked for Mt Cook Airlines and subsequently became the Director of NZ CAA. Colin Newlove was also employed as a junior instructor. In February 1967 Jim joined with Peter Matich as equal partners in forming the Taupo Flying School and Air
Services. Initially Jim provided a Cessna 150 and the Horizon on hire from the Auckland Flying School. A near new PA18-150 was also purchased for flights into remote areas.
In November 1967, Jim and Earl Cox started the Paraparaumu Flying School.

[nobody]

As a kid hanging around Ardmore in the 70's, whose father worked for Rex Aviation, later Dalhoff & King, I remember Rex Flying School and Manukau Flying School and the Rex Manukau Flying School. Rather than rely on memories from childhood, I have looked up this history in Bryan Cox's book "Cats Have Only Nine Lives" mentioned in another post.

Bryan, with a partner, formed Manukau Flying School in 1965 - page 102 in Bryan's book. In 1974 Bryan sold Manukau Flying School to Rex Flying School, which was part of Rex Aviation. This is detailed on pages 115 & 116 of Bryan's book. On page 115 he details the origins of the Rex Flying School, that being Jim Bergman's Auckland Flying School.

Bryan states that Rex was after Manukau Flying School because it was situated next to Rex Aviation's main hangar at Ardmore, which was fairly new at the time. I remember that Rex Flying School operated out of a "pre-fab" type building painted orange that was adjacent to the half-round wartime hangar next to the tower that was closest to 03/21. I think the hangar might have been painted orange too. The three hangars that were by the tower were demolished many years ago. After the acquisition, the Rex flying operation moved to the Manukau Flying School building over by the perimeter road.

The Rex flying operation was more than a flying school. They had the "Waiheke run", flying being much preferred over ferries for getting to the island back then. They regularly flew to Great Barrier Island. The developer flew prospective section purchasers into the Pauanui and Onemana developments using Rex Aviation. Just a few examples of the flying that went on back then. Of course, they had a fleet of new and near new Cessnas.

Also detailed in Bryan's book, was how Bryan stayed on with Rex Manukau Flying School as CFI. He was there through the school's many iterations, Dalhoff & King, Motor Holdings and Flightline Aviation, when I flew with him from the mid-80's. I expect the Rex Manukau Flying School name was dropped when it became Dalhoff & King.

[kiwined]

Nobody - I was out there around the same time. Used to go for rides across to Waiheke with Bryan on their scheduled runs, as well as with Gordon Needham, Lyn Giles Paine etc. Back then it was mostly in the 172s or the 206 and even ZK-DSE I think which was the 207. Great days back then.