Flying in New Zealand

[sclan]

Hi there,

Just a quick one. I am backpacking round the world at the moment and missing my flying in Bristol. I will be in New Zealand mid November December and was wondering if someone could recommend a flying school in the south island with PA28 that I could do some scenic flying with for a couple of hours.

I have left my licence in the UK for safe keeping so i was thinking of flying P2 & taking an instructor thus, not having to worry about navigation radios etc etc....

Sclan

[daria-ox]

Have a look at this website, quite a few good schools has been listed there.

Welcome to Flying New Zealand (http://www.flyingnz.co.nz/) :ok:

[jxk]

Try and get a school/instructor to take you round Mount Cook with a landing at Milford Sound - brillant.

[sleemanj]

If you're in Chch.

Try the NZ Flying School at Wigram - NZFS (http://www.nzflyingschool.com/) - which is a historic Air Force airfield which is going to close for good in February (being turned into a residential subdivision :mad::ugh::sad:), so you'd not only get to fly, but get to be one of the last few to use this piece of history. Wigram also has the Air Force Museum, which is worth your while.

Alternatively, the Canterbury Aero Club at Harewood ("other" side of Christchurch International) - Flight training, Learn To Fy, Charter Flights, Pilot Licences: Canterbury AeroClub Christchurch New Zealand (http://www.flighttraining.co.nz/)

If you want to try something different/cheaper, Welcome to the Canterbury Recreational Aircraft Club. (http://www.recwings.com/) just a few minutes north of Christchurch :ok:

[zeroviz]

I visited NZ this year for a tour around the South Island. I called in at Kaikoura to do some whale watching by air and at the same time found a very small school next door at Kaikoura Aero Club.

Unfortunately the PA28 was out of service but I went up in a C152 (ZK-DJW) and had a great flight up the coast. The instructor was a chap called George and I would recommend him as a relaxed guy who let the me do all the flying / take off and landing despite not having my log book or licence.:ok:

[Arclite01]

and while you are there visit the RNZAF museum at Christchurch (Wigram)

Great collection - get a tour with Ron Tait on a weekend - he's an ex-WW2 bomber pilot - absolutely fascinating - amazing stories...............


Arc

[josher]

you have to fly at Omaka - rent a warrior and fly the queen charlotte sound - spectacular. The museum there has a fantastic collection flying ww1 aircraft and then of course there is all the wine to taste. if you can afford it milford/doubtful sound from queenstown/wanaka is also good as is the far north island- I think you can rent from a field near Rusell. Then of course there is the Tiger Moth place in the far south island I never got to. Blimey there are so many I think I will have to go back!! Good luck and enjoy

[jxk]

Madelville - that's the place where they are building tiger Moths, a Moth Minor, Rapides and I believe a Mosquito.

[Wycombe]

Did a 1.5hr trip (regretably as pax only, I am currently lapsed) out of Wanaka over the Southern Alps in a Cessna 207 earlier this year whilst on hols in NZ.

Climbed up a long u-shaped valley, up thorough a convenient hole in the overcast at about 7000', then on upwards to about 11500' for a circuit of the summit of Mt. Cook and overflight of the Fox and Franz-Josef Glaciers.

Absolutely stunning! Learnt a bit about mountain flying aswell.

We did it by road, but I'd imagine a flight from Queenstown to Milford Sound would be equally awe-inspiring.

[jxk]

I think anyone who has been lucky enough to have flown in NZ and especially the Southern Alps will agree that it is a fabulous place and as the previous post said the trip around Mt Cook and the glaciers is magnificent.

[CEM1]

I travelled around NZ a couple of years ago and posted on the D&G GA and Qs forum for some suggestions about where to fly. I was given some useful contacts and took the opportunity to experience types of flying I could only dream about in the UK. Try Wanaka helicopters (03 443 1085- Dave Clark was my pilot) to experience rotary flying and the awesome scenery around that area. Kaikoura is also excellent. The flight school there will arrange whale watching trips, which you can also combine with some mountain flying. It's also possible to fly from Kaikoura to Wellington with Sounds Air (a scheduled C172 service) when you want to get back to the North Island- much better than the ferry crossing! I was the only pax on the day I flew with them, so was able to sit in the RHS and got a guided scenic tour from the pilot. And if you do have some time back on the North Island, try calling the chap who runs the floatplane on Lake Taupo. He will do instructional/sightseeing trips (07 378 7500) which are excellent value for money. Landing on water is well worth experiencing! Sadly I didn't have time for Tiger Moth flying at Nelson, hot air ballooning out of Christchurch, gliding at Omerama or aerobatics over Auckland but they are on my list for next time...PM me if you want any further details on any of the above! Everyone was happy to let me do a fair bit of flying based on my previous stated experience and I found the GA community in NZ to be very welcoming and helpful.

[sclan]

Thanks you so much everyone for the great information. Sounds like there is alot a fantasic flying that can be done......Mt. Cook and Fox and Franz-Josef Glaciers sound fantastic and will look into all your comments more when i arrive there in a couple of weeks time..............

Sclan

[InfraBoy]

Hi, some excellent info here as I'm also off to the North Island for 3 weeks in Jan and have just contacted one of the Balloon operators to do an instructed flight with them. Any additional info on the Lake Tampo floatplane operator or any aero club near the Bay of Islands most appreciated.

[setandcontact]

places you can't miss: Mandeville - north of Invercargill on the Gore to Lumsden Road. colin smith runs a de H restoration facility and his hangar is bliss on earth. No trip to SI would be complete without a stop at Wanaka, home of NZFPM. head across cook strait and up to Pine Park and Hawkes Bay and be sure to check out Ardmore - home of the Roaring 40's. this might not answer your qu's re flying but you'll meet some wonderful folks and see some magical aircraft......am jealous!!! have fun.....

[straightfeed]

Infraboy- North Island

Try the Bay of Islands Flying Club at Kerikeri-

Bay of Islands Aero Club | Kerikeri, New Zealand (http://www.freewebs.com/boiacnewsletter/index.htm)

[The Flying Pram]

I went there in '97 so rather distant memories I'm afraid. But I can back up much of what's already been said. Ardmore was an excellent day out - I paid for an hour in a 152 with instructor, I told him he would need to work the rudder as I'm a flexwing pilot, but he just sat back and let me wander across the runway. I got the hang of it eventually. We flew right over central Auckland at 1,000ft IIRC.

At Rotorua I got a ride in ZK-EFI, a float equiped C206. It (or a sucessor) is still visible on Google Earth, moored up at the jetty. Then flew down to Queenstown via Christchurch, the second leg in a B737 was a totally different approach to anything else I've ever experienced in a "Heavy". I had a short flight from there in a B22 Bantam microlight, then a RHD seat trip to Milford Sound and back in a BN2. All totally different to anything I'd experienced in the flat lands of East Anglia.

I spent a day at Wanaka visiting the museum and had a short flight in a R22. I missed out on the Glacier trip due to lousy weather unfortunately. I flew home from Christchurch, but was able to visit Wigram, and I am sad to hear of its impending closure. I hope you get some flying done while you're there, I am sure you will enjoy it.

[ExSp33db1rd]

Infraboy- North Island

Bay of Islands Aero Club, Kerikeri, 09 407 3000.

The website is unfortunately awaiting an update and not quite accurate.

Currently only a Tecnam P-96 GOLF is available for hire, this is categorised as a microlight and you will have to take temporary membership of the Aero Club and also temporary membership of RAANZ, the microlight organisation, who will issue you a microlight certificate via the club instructor.

Produce logbook, medical cert. date, and any licences you hold to assist with the certification.