Sunday 17 November 2013

Whenuapai Gliding

A trip to the RNZAF Aviation Sports Club (Gliding Section) at Whenuapai Air Base yesterday resulted in a couple of photo opportunities and some interesting discussions.  The club use a very nice large grassed area to the East of the airfield and have a glider hangar that was relocated from the now closed Hobsonville Air Base.

Their towplane is the B&F Technic Vertriebs FK 9 Mark IV ZK-RDW, shown here returning from an aerotow.  The tow rope attachment structure is factory designed and supplied.

And then towing off the locally owned Rolladen-Schneider LS 4a ZK-GKP....

....with lift off.

I was told that the club's use of ZK-RDW as a towplane is proving successful, with a new engine that was required costing less than an overhaul of an O-320 (and then the repaired Rotax 912 was sold).  ZK-RDW has been registered in the Light Sport Aircraft category (from a Class 2 microlight).


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