Winter has arrived and as usual the flying clubs of Hawke’s Bay, Manawatu and Wairarapa areas have started their winter fly-ins. Waipukurau had the first event planned for Sunday 13 May but wet weather caused its cancellation.
Next on the list was Feilding on Sunday 10 June, when the weather gods were in a good mood and it was all systems go.
The fly-in and spot landing event was jointly organised by Manawatu Flying Club and Feilding Flying Club, and members of both also prepared and cooked the breakfast barbecue.
I was on site at Taonui airfield to record the first arrival at 7.20am—Cessna 172S ZK-RQA of Whanganui Aero Club flown by Leroy Johnston. A total of 22 aircraft arrived that morning, from aerodromes as widely spaced as Levin, Stratford and Tauranga. Winner of the furthest distance travelled was Geoff Thompson and his Tecnam Echo; two Tecnams flew in from Tauranga, but Geoff won by living slightly further away than the other pilot, a Papamoa resident.
The spot landing on arrival competition was won by Brian Hill in Cessna 180 ZK-CBH who made a perfect landing, right on the line, one of the best spot landings I have seen. Second was Derek Simmons in Rans S6S Coyote II ZK-CHB, only 1m off the line, and by coincidence their registration letters were the same but in a different order.
After all the visitors and locals had enjoyed the barbecue breakfast it was time for Colin MacMillan, president of Manawatu Flying Club, and Graeme Allen, Feilding Flying Club captain, to present bottles of wine to the winners of the first landing, farthest travelled and winner and runner-up of the spot landing competitions. A numbers draw for each of the pilots was next with the winners being given various donated gifts.
That concluded the morning’s activities. Colin MacMillan was very positive about the event—22 aircraft and about 40 people to enjoy the barbecue, plus good weather, a great crowd and no mishaps all adding up to a perfect day.
Well done to Colin and Graeme and all the other flying club locals for putting on a grand event.
- Report and photographs by Clive Wilkinson.