Default.shtml

West Auckland Airport Parakai is available for General Aviation, drop-in visitors welcome. Radio 123.5 in MBZ. Due to frequent skydiving, please join downwind, base or final (not overhead). Visitor parking by the hangars down taxiway

ADSB in ZK-CDL Training aircraft: Commercial aircraft have long had 'Automatic Dependent Surveilance Broadcast' (ADSB) systems fitted. These broadcast a digital signal every second or so, with the position, altitude, heading, ID and much else. Unlike the older Transponders, they do so without needing to be asked ('Automatic'). These signals allow the aircraft to be displayed with great accuracy on the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) screens. Its going to be the primary method of ATC once the old radars are retired, so soon it will not be possible to enter controlled airspace without ADSB, and many recreational / training aircraft are now fitting it.

Fitting ADSB and testing for acceptability to enter controlled airspace, is not a trivial job, and NZ does not have an unlimited number of Avionics experts sitting around twiddling their thumbs. Those that leave it until the last minute will have to wait for an installation slot, and possibly miss the $2500 ATC subsidy from a capped total pool. So we're getting our aircraft done now, and first up was ZK-CDL.

Unlike the older transponders, ADSB should be left switched on all the time as the ground position broadcasts are relevant as well as those airbourne. The system knows what you are doing and broadcasts appropriately.

Aimm: Our 'Aimm' airport monitoring system now also handles ADSB, and for those airport clients who have almost all ADSB traffic, can do the whole job of recording Takeoffs and Landings untouched by human hands, accurately and economically. Plus it drives the Aimm mobile app which sends 'Approach notifications' of arriving aircraft direct to mower and sweeper drivers phones so they know when to clear the runway. And it drives the 'Airside Safety Tracking' of people who go airside, showing their position on a screen for the Safety Officer so it is immediately obvious if the fencing contactor decides to go for a walk down the runway.

The big red handle is the 'whole-aircraft' parachute for emergencies if there are no good options available

RAANZ AGM at West Auckland: The Recreational Aircraft Assn of NZ Annual General meeting was help in the Pilot Room at the airport recently, with a good attendance and a mix of fly / drive in members. Seen here as the flyers prepared to leave...

Crossing Cook Strait: The Dynaero, ZK-WIK recently delivered a whole-aircraft parachute to Greymouth NZGM. The route down and back was West Auckland to overhead Kapiti Airport NZPP then across Cook Strait at the narrow point to Greymouth, which keeps the flight over land almost all the way. (The straight line route is not attractive for a single engine aircraft, going out to sea over Muriwai Beach and not making landfall again until turning base at Greymouth, the plane might not know that it is over the sea for three hours but the pilot does :) )

The whole route is scenic, and especially the Marlborough Sounds with their many bays and anchorages. Picton is the South Island terminal for the inter-island ferries.

Weed Control: The Airport has been researching and experimenting with non-chemical control of the Alligator weed that has long invaded the ditches on the Kaipara and choked the drains. Letting in controlled amounts of seawater has proven effective, and is much kinder to the Inanga and juveniles of other fish species that breed in the harbour, compared to spraying weedkiller or using diggers to clear the ditches. Further work is being done in conjunction with the Council waterways biologists and the method developed is likely to be rolled out by the Council to other properties on the Kaipara Harbour and its rivers.

Bird Control: Work on this has also been quite effective, and by studying the habits of the birds and making the airport less attractive to them, its been possible to make the birds spend more time elsewhere. Skydive Auckland runs a bird scaring device on their swooping pond for the same reason... that's what causes the loud 'shotgun' type booms at regular intervals. The birds are not keen to settle if they think there are shooters in the area. With our 'Aimm' Movement Monitoring service now used by nearly half the active NZ airports, we use our client newsletters to spread the suggestions for non-lethal bird control to many other airports in NZ and Australia.

Low-emission Aircraft: The Airport's flight training aircraft have been low-emission for a long time, and produce less than half the emissions of a Cessna or Piper training aircraft. Partly this is due to the lighter weight of the Tecnam aircraft used at West Auckland, but mainly because their 1990s designed Rotax engines are considerably more efficient than the 1950s designed Lycoming and Continental engines traditionally used for training. The Rotaxes also use unleaded road vehicle fuel ('MoGas') getting a similar Km/Litre to an efficient car, rather than leaded aviation fuel ('Avgas') so there is a worthwhile benefit there too... more airports might move to Mogas aircraft if they were exempt from road taxes like those using Avgas :(. As soon as practical the airport would like to move to zero-emission electric training aircraft and ground vehicles, and is actively investigating these.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sat 14th December 2019, Mercer NZME: Armac (Auckland Regional Microlight Aircraft Club), Christmas BBQ lunch on the Mercer Airfield.

Click for airfield details

Mercer NZME. Note the canal with a bridge on the curve between the runway and buildings, a good marker to find NZME.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday 16th December, Sports Aviation Corp (SAC) Pre Summer Seminar. Te Kowhai Airfield NZTE.    A pre-summer safety evening is being organised by GMC, SAC and NZTE. This is going to be held on Monday, 16 December, from 7pm to 9pm’ish, at Te Kowhai Airfield. SAVE THE DATE! Refreshments will be served after the seminar concludes.

The aim of the evening is to bring the safety message to the forefront of our minds as we head into a busy summer flying season. We plan to review some accident reports, talk about safety culture, look at some helpful tools and techniques, and will have a guest speaker as well.

We look forward to seeing you there, and please let others know who may not have received this email. To help with managing the night it would be appreciated if you could reply to me at jonathan@nzte.net.nz to let me know if you are interested in attending.

See you on Monday 16^th December, 7pm at NZTE.

Cheers & thanks

Jonathan

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tue 31st December 2019; Whananaki Flyin. Always a popular event, and m

oved this year to New Year's Eve.    If attending, please note some local conditions:   The Whananaki Airstrip runs parallel to the harbour is a 500m paddock leased by local farmer Richard from the Whangarei District Council. From time to time he has stock on the strip so it is closed. Please be aware that not all locals are pleased to see aircraft using the strip and there have been complaints of increased usage. To respect the local resident’s peace and quiet it is suggested all pilots using the strip:

Don’t do any unnecessary circuits. Make their down wind leg well to the south of the dwellings at Whananaki South over the water. Your base leg for 03 as far to the west as possible. This may make for a larger circuit than normal but is necessary to avoid overflying the dwellings to the south of the harbour. Richard is very accommodating to us all when the strip is clear but he would like the complaints to cease. Click for airfield details

Whananaki Airfield, viewed from the North

Whananaki Circuit.   Due to noise sensitivities, follow this circuit and no Touch-and-Goes.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1st Jan 2020: First aviation event of the year. Hood Aerodrome Masterton NZMS:   Due to NZDT being 13 hours ahead of GMT, this is always the first aviation event of the year, anywhere.   This year at Masteron.     Get to see a lot of aircraft from the southern half of the North island, and some from the north of the South island too.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday 18th Jan 2020 - Mata Flyin – Arrive for morning coffee, and often excellent home made scones for the early arrivals. Always a well attended event that attracts aircraft from all over Northland, and often from quite far south too. A very civilised farm strip, Mata is long and easy to use. Click for airfield details

Mata airstrip, just south of Whangarei NZWR

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Proposed Northland Aviators Club events:

February 2020 - date TBA - The Poker Run. Click for airfield details

Beach Landing and picnic? – to be organized by Tim H. tba

Waiheke Flyaway? – to be organized by Trevor D. tba. Click for airfield details

Possible Makarau Flyin? – Will be organised by Brian L. Date tba. Click for airfield details

Possible overnight flyaway to Great Barrier Island? tba. Click for airfield details

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RECURRING EVENTS:

COROMANDEL NZCX: Second Sunday of each month from 12:30. Clubhouse Ph 07 866 2055. Click here for airfield details.

WHANGAREI NZWR: Last Saturday of each month at hangar 10, the Western end of the row of hangars. Whangarei Flying Club meeting at 10:30 with lunch to follow. Clubhouse phone 09 436 4053. Click here for airfield details.

MATAMATA NZMA: Last Sunday of every month from 12 noon. BBQ flyin. BYO meat for BBQ + gold coin. Click here for airfield details.