Hi from New Zealand

[Sanna]

Hi I have just joined, and will hopefully be flying soon, recently emigrated to NZ so need to get the plane through the the process here.

 

My plane is a Bushbaby Explorer with a 6 cylinder Jabiru

 

Cheers

Sanna

[skydog]

Welcome and I am sure you will love flying over the magnificent mountains, lakes and scenery of NZL.

[Love to fly]

I'm just back from flying in the Catalina from Ardmore to Kaitaia via Whangarei, spending a couple of days at Kaitaia, then back to Ardmore via Kerikeri, again in the Catalina. The scenery was amazing! And the friendliness and hospitality of the aero club at Kaitaia, the flying school at Kerikeri and the other pilots we met on the flight and along the way was outstanding. Good luck with the move.

[440032]

Bonus points if you can pronounce Whangarei correctly by time you get back here. (I'll be testing ewe.)

[facthunter]

What's not to like? Great place, great flying and unpronouncable place names. Nev

[boleropilot]

Bonus points if you can pronounce Whangarei correctly by time you get back here. (I'll be testing ewe.)

There's a bloke who flies a red Drifter out of Gatton who got into trouble at NZ Customs when he was trying to board a plane for his trip back to the West Island.

 

The Customs officer saw something move inside his rather large soft bag and asked him "what's in the bag, bro?" The reply was "just a wooly jumper".....

 

It certainly was - her name was Baaaaabraaaa…….

 

BP

[John M]

Hi I have just joined, and will hopefully be flying soon, recently emigrated to NZ so need to get the plane through the the process here.

 

My plane is a Bushbaby Explorer with a 6 cylinder Jabiru

 

Cheers

Sanna

New Zealand has been on my bucket list for many years. Been to Fiji, Cook Islands, Tahiti, etc, but regret we never made it to Kiwiland.

 

I fly an Avid Flyer MK4 with a Jabiru 2200 Gen 4 engine. Good for the Idaho back country strips.

[boleropilot]

Please note I am commenting here only from flight simulator experience: I have written hundreds of flightsim articles for Oz aviation magazines, including Australian Flying, Aviator, and Australian Pilot. I always do as much 'real world' research on specific areas before writing articles, and NZ does have a certain reputation for slipping the surly bonds in such mountainous terrain. NZ authorities are aware of this and have published some terrific information on how to aviate safely in this environment in a 'small' aircraft.

 

The sim I use is Microsoft FSX, due to be replaced by a super duper new version this year. As with all flightsim stuff, if you want top class reality you have to pay for it - there are some brilliant payware scenery packages available for NZ, the one I use is Orbx. I wrote an article for Australian Pilot using the abovementioned software, for a navex from Te Anau, north alongside Lake Te Anau, west towards Fiordland and then north to Milford Sound. The interesting thing about this flight is that if you want to land at Milford Sound airfield from the east you have to turn right out of the last canyon, then fly a little along another canyon, do a 360 degree turnback to the left (in a canyon intersection) and then set up for final approach - all at low altitude, with huge rock walls at your wingtips. Not for the faint hearted.

 

Flight simulation is a game. No argument there. But if you want to see what it's like to fly in NZ, do yourself a favour and get into flight simming. Be warned - it is addictive...

 

BP

 

PS can a moderator transfer this post to the Flight Sim section for me? Thanks !