On the Ramp Right Now: On the Ramp in NZ!!!

I agree with you Kim.  It's a beautiful aircraft, but there's a sad post-script to this story.  Towards the end of the day, for some crazy reason, the pilot of the Rapide decided to take a bunch of kids for a taxi up & down the strip.  At one point I witnessed the crazy scene of the plane turning fast circles on the grass strip with one brake locked.  It then sped down the strip, lifting the tail, looking like is was going to lift off.  It was going way too fast as it approached the end of the strip and went to turn at the end to make his way back to the hangar area.  For whatever reason he turned way too early and taxied straight into a cypress tree nose first.  The door burst open and half a dozen young kids streamed from the plane, followed by the pilot.  He'd managed to shut down both engines quickly and I couldn't see it they had been impacted.  I avoided joining the crowd that rushed over for a look, but as they dragged the plane back from the tree I noticed that the nose cone was stoved in, just below the windscreen.  I could see no other damage from where I was but someone suggested that a prop may have struck the tree.  Sad to see, and from my perspective, a stupid thing to do at a public event.  I'm sure there will be an investigation, but at least it will be in the right place to be repaired.

Eric.  Being a fly-in and not an air show, only one aircraft did any more that arrive and depart.  A third DH.82 was kept busy all day taking up joy flights.  At a cool $185 for 15 minutes, with barely a break all day, I'd suggest it was fairly lucrative.



An interesting note was that I struck up a conversation with one of the local officials when he saw my "Holden" hat. Holden was an Aussie GM manufacturer and is a very popular brand in New Zealand. (You got Aussie designed & built rebadged Holdens in the States). He told me that if I were to get the pilot to lift the hood, I'd see that the Gypsy Major engine was bult by Holden at Melbourne's Fisherman's Bend. Fisherman's Bend was not only where the Holden Plant was, but also the home of the "Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation" who manufactured aircraft during WW2. It seems that they pressed their neighbours into service, manufacturing components for the CAC.

Rod.