Interesting Devon photo on eBay

[Antonio]

Interesting pic of Devon NZ1807 with what appears to be a Vickers Viking in the background.



eBay link

[oj]

Probably not a NZ photo. We didn't have any battery carts of that configuration.

[Antonio]

Jun 3, 2023 21:33:35 GMT 12 oj said:

Probably not a NZ photo. We didn't have any battery carts of that configuration.

Ahhh.
Good point.

[tbf2504]

Possibly taken at Singapore on the delivery flight. The aircraft in the background is more likely to be a Valetta which were based at Changi during that period. NZ1807 was ferried UK - Wigram and taken on charge 5/3/1953

[sundnav]

Jun 3, 2023 21:33:35 GMT 12 oj said:

Probably not a NZ photo. We didn't have any battery carts of that configuration.

Possibly taken en route during the ferry flight from UK circa 1953?

[davem]

New on here so trying to find my way around.
But I have a question:does anyone recall a Dove/Devon that was operated by the Northern Districts Aero Club as a commuter airliner between Whangarei and Auckland in the 80's?
I flew on it a number of times and have always wondered what became of it.
It was one of the most comfortable aircraft I ever flew on!
Thanks in advance.

[McFly]

Jul 22, 2024 17:08:17 GMT 12 davem said:

New on here so trying to find my way around.
But I have a question:does anyone recall a Dove/Devon that was operated by the Northern Districts Aero Club as a commuter airliner between Whangarei and Auckland in the 80's?
I flew on it a number of times and have always wondered what became of it.
It was one of the most comfortable aircraft I ever flew on!
Thanks in advance.

Link..

"The Club always saw their service as complementary to NAC’s Auckland-Whangarei service and providing Whangarei business people an early morning departure. The overnighting of a Friendship at Whangarei from the mid-1970s caused some competition for the Club but the service continued. In October 1980, however, the Air New Zealand schedule was changed and the early morning service to Auckland was withdrawn. The club realised it needed a larger aircraft for the expected increase in passengers on the Auckland service. In late 1977, Dave Culham, an aero club member and director of Culham Engineering Ltd, had purchased four De Havilland 104 Devons from the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The Club introduced Devon ZK-UDO (c/n 04412) to the Auckland air service on the 27th of October 1980. Initially only a morning return service was operated but a late afternoon service was added later. A second Devon, ZK-KTT (c/n 04324), was also used on the service.

Taken at Hokitika on 13 August 1983.

In 1983 a group of Northland rugby enthusiasts were following the Northland rugby team around the South Island in Executive Air Taxis' De Havilland Devon ZK-UDO. Unfortunately weather precluded them getting to one of the games and so the Devon flew them to the sunny West Coast. I was lucky enough to get on board a flight offered to local aero club members.


On its home patch, De Havilland Devon ZK-KTT at Whangarei on 1 November 1986.

By 1985 the service had been rebranded as Whangarei Air Taxis and by the late 1980s the Club was offering three return flights each weekday. Flights departed Whangarei at 6.50am, 9.00am and 3.00pm and return flights departed Auckland at 8.00am, 10.00am and 5.00pm. By this time the costs of operating the aging Devon aircraft were becoming prohibitive and the Club decided to replace the Devons with a 12 seat Nomad aircraft. The cost of introducing the new aircraft was a $300,000 project, which included the purchase price, training, ground support and advertising, and it sought to raise this capital by way of debentures, the same way it had financed its first aircraft. The GAF N22B Nomad, ZK-NDB (c/n N22B-37), was registered to the Club in mid-August 1988 and introduced to the service some time after this.

De Havilland Devon ZK-UDO rebranded as Whangarei Air Taxi in March 1985."

[jaybee]

Jul 22, 2024 17:08:17 GMT 12 davem said:

New on here so trying to find my way around.
But I have a question:does anyone recall a Dove/Devon that was operated by the Northern Districts Aero Club as a commuter airliner between Whangarei and Auckland in the 80's?
I flew on it a number of times and have always wondered what became of it.
It was one of the most comfortable aircraft I ever flew on!
Thanks in advance.

ZK-UDO was written off after a hard landing at Ohakea in 2006. The airframe was stripped for parts and I rescued what was left before it meet the scrap man. I have been gradually restoring the cockpit section over the last few years and have managed to find most of the required parts (major missing part is a canopy) to bring her back to an original RNZAF fit out. Details of her history can be found at www.adf-serials.com.au/nz-serials/nzdh104.htm. Cheers

[Antonio]

Interesting link about UDO:  Here