NZ Giveaway Aircraft

[Dave Homewood]

New Zealand must have been fairly affluent in the 1970's compared to now. Did you know the Government actually gave away several aircraft to other countries as gifts.

One example is New Zealand paid to have a flying school set up in Bangladesh, and they gave the school at least three new Airtourers and a new Fletcher. It was all a goodwill gift. I wonder if it's still operating today and how many pilots have gone through it. I hope we're not still funding it.

Also in 1968 NZ gave Malaysia tow of our RNZAF Devons, which hadben suped up with bigger engines.

I wonder what else this country gave away, and who to.

An unrelated topic I note in the December 1974 Wings magazine is NZ Aerospace Industries sold (at least) 11 new FU24 Fletchers to Iraq. I wonder if any still exist today, or whether the yanks have bombed them all like they did some of their museum aircraft (Sea Furies and Hunters!!!)

[Peter Lewis]

Thirteen Fletchers went to Iraq 1974/75 - I think that there was a pilot training scheme also involved, run by Dalcolm Aviation Training at Wanganui.
One of the Fletchers (c/n 199) crashed in Iraq Jun76, the others all eventually found their way back to NZ. Peter Rowley seems to have been involved in bringing most of them back.

[Dave Homewood]

Cheers Peter.

Not 'the' Peter Rowley of Billy T. James fame I take it?

[corsair67]

Not 'the' Peter Rowley of Billy T. James fame I take it?

;D ;D ;D

No Dave, it's the Peter Rowley of "Rowley Aviation". Based at Amberley for many years - I don't think they exist anymore.

I seem to recall that NZ Wings had an article about those Iraqi Fletchers being returned to NZ sometime in the 1980s.

[Dave Homewood]

Cheers.

[Dave Homewood]

I note in the November 1976 edition of NZ Wings that one of the Airtourers that were gifted to Banglasdesh, ZK-DKU or latterly B569, crashed killing the Bangladeshi Air Force chief of staff and another officer.

It was reported NZ sent one of our own air crash investigators to help find the cause.