NZFF

The great scanning project continues and I thought that I'd but these up here just because I know how much Doug loves this aircraft.

Just before the end of Safe Air Argosy operations, my old man conducted a one of a kind photo flight. Unfortunately the aircraft turned out to be the leased ZK-SAL rather than the traditionally painted SAE or SAF however the results were pleasing. The photo ship, a Cessna 182, and SAL (operating as Safe 898) met over Pegasus Bay on it's way out to the Chathams. The Argosy crew were Steve Petersen and Russell Deaker.

Thanks Nick I also know Steve Petersen very well I worked with him on a Yak 11 that he was restoring also been on a few trips with him in his Nanchang.

He is a bit of a 'man about town' around Omaka

The photos were taken in 1990 shortly before SAFE ceased operating as an airline. It continued until 2018 as a maintenance operation and is now part of Airbus. The images were taken on Kodachrome hence the good quality. The SAFE Argosy fleet operated between 1973 and 1990 with two aircraft initially ZK-SAE and ZK-SAF with ZK-SAL being leased from Australia as VH-IPB. SAL only survived until the end of 1990 where it was scrapped at Essendon. ZK-SAE survives near Woodbourne in NZ and ZK-SAF may exist in parts still but is essentially scrapped. The only passenger service that the Argosy ran was out to the Chatham Islands using a 'cabin' that was inserted into the fuselage.

Choppernut,

Thanks for awesome answers

Regards,

Aharon

Fantastic pictures, loved seeing the Argosy when I was a kid. Great memories!

Brilliant stuff Nick and Dave, and how interesting that STP is in the hot seat! What wicked photos!

Would be cool to see one of these in operation.

chopper_nut wrote: ZK-SAE survives near Woodbourne in NZ and ZK-SAF may exist in parts still but is essentially scrapped.

Both are still near Woodbourne. ZK-SAE at the Runway Cafe to the North West of Woodbourne as you said and ZK-SAF fuse and centre wing on a farm less than 100m west from the South West corner of Woodbourne airfield.