NEW ZEALAND AIRCRAFT REGISTER

Compiled by David Wise

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ZM-AAA to ZZZ

The ZM- registration series has been used for two purposes:-

ZM-Axx was used in the late 1930's for Mignet Pou de Ciels, also called Flying Fleas. Two of these survive in museums.

ZMZxx was used from about 1953 to 1969 (dates uncertain) as radio callsigns for RNZAF military aircraft.


ZM-Axx

With thanks primarily to an article on http://www.warbirdsite.com/fleas.html plus additional material from other websites, and a message from "Flyernzl" on http://rnzaf.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=experimental&thread=6600&page=4

Scan of the NZ Civil aviation record cards for the three ZM- registered Fleas kindly supplied by Robert Kerr.

Some conflicting details have been published - any resolution would be welcome.

The ZM-Axx registration series was briefly used in the late 1930's for Mignet HM14 Pou-de-Ciel (Flying Flea) ultralights. These were certificated for limited operation within three miles of base. They were all formally cancelled in 1947.

Construction numbers are not known and were probably not assigned to any of them. Three were registered:-

ZM-AAA const. E.R.Perkins & L.Hawke, Waipukurau. Douglas Dryad engine. Registered 9/5/36. Roaded to display at New Plymouth in 1937. Believed hopped but never flown. Preserved at MoTaT, Auckland.

ZM-AAB const. A.McGruer & R.Downey, Auckland. ABC Scorpion engine. Registered to C.N. Spencer, Papakura 19/5/36. Flown at Mangere May 1936. Plans for commercial production abandoned. Remains burnt 1950.

ZM-AAC const. W.L.Notman, Oamaru. Scott Flying Squirrell engine. Registered 25/11/36. Flown at Oamaru May 1937. Preserved. At Ferrymead Museum, Christchurch in 1991. Moved to Toy & Transport Museum, Wanaka by 2002.

Others were known to have been completed and flown without being registered:-

??? const. E.R.Brewster, New Plymouth (or Brian & Ian McMillan, Stratford?). Fuselage preserved with the Taranaki Museum near New Plymouth.

??? const. Barnard Owen (or Owen & Arthur Jackson ?), Christchurch. Modified with inter-wing linkage to avoid the pitch problem. Scott Squirrell engine. Flown near Lake Ellesmere and at Wigram. Sold to K.Cox. Destroyed in fatal crash at Timaru May 1942 (or 28 Sep 1942 ?).

??? const. Cyril Aitken, Marton, untraced

??? const. Angus Denize, Waikawau Bay, built 1930's. crashed on first test flight Waikawau beach summer 1947.

??? A partly built Pou was given to the Ashburton Museum and was completed as a static exhibit by a team led by Ray Chalmers. It was reported there in 2005, and was painted as 'ZM-AAM' by 2011.

At least five other Pous are believed to have been started in NZ but were not completed.


ZMZxx

Radio callsigns in the format of pseudo-registrations (without a hyphen) in this block were used by RNZAF military aircraft from about 1953 until about 1969. Little has been published on this.

This listing should be regarded as "Work in Progress" and any additional information would be welcome.

The following is primarily taken from messages from John Dyer and David Paull on the AB-IX e-mail group in March 2006. See also http://www.nzdf-serials.co.nz/nz-serials/nzaircraft.htm

Those identified so far are:-

DH104 Devon (nav or signals trainer and comms variants)
NZ1801 ZMZFA
NZ1802 ZMZFB > ZMZSA
NZ1803 ZMZKA > ZMZLA
NZ1804 ZMZKB > ZMZLB
NZ1805 ZMZKD > ZMZLD
NZ1806 ZMZKG > ZMZLG
NZ1807 ZMZKH > ZMZLH
NZ1808 ZMZKJ > ZMZLJ
NZ1809 (not known cr 6/58)
NZ1810 (not known cr 10/53)
NZ1811 (not known cr 10/53)
NZ1812 ZMZKK (conf 6/63)
NZ1813 ZMZKL
NZ1814 ZMZFD > ZMZKU > ZMZLU
NZ1815 (not known cr 2/55)
NZ1816 ZMZKM > ZMZLM
NZ1817 ZMZKZ > ZMZLL
NZ1818 ZMZFG > ZMZKV > ZMZLV
NZ1819 ZMZKN > ZMZLN
NZ1820 ZMZTA
NZ1821 ZMZKO > ZMZLO
NZ1822 ZMZKT > ZMZLT
NZ1823 (not coded stored then to Malaysia)
NZ1824 (not known cr 1/56)
NZ1825 (not coded stored then to Malaysia)
NZ1826 ZMZKP > ZMZLP
NZ1827 ZMZKQ (conf 6/63)> ZMZLQ
NZ1828 ZMZKS > ZMZLS
NZ1829 (not known damaged & stored)
NZ1830 (not known cr 1/63)

Douglas DC-6
NZ3631 ZMZWA
NZ3632 ZMZWB
NZ3633 ZMZWD

Bell 47G Sioux
NZ3701 ZMZUL
NZ3702 ZMZUM
NZ3703 ZMZUN
NZ3704 ZMZUO
NZ3705 ZMZUP
NZ3706 ZMZUQ

Bell UH-1D
NZ3801 ZMZUA
NZ3802 ZMZUB
NZ3803 ZMZUD
NZ3804 ZMZUF
NZ3805 ZMZUG

Wasp
NZ3901 ZMZUV
NZ3902 ZMZUW

Sunderland MR5
NZ4105 ZMZGA
NZ4106 ZMZGB
NZ4107 ZMZGD
NZ4108 ZMZGG
NZ4109 ZMZGH
NZ4110 ZMZGJ
NZ4111 ZMZGK
NZ4112 ZMZGL
NZ4113 ZMZGM
NZ4114 ZMZGP
NZ4115 ZMZGQ
NZ4116 ZMZGS
NZ4117 ZMZGT
NZ4118 ZMZGV
NZ4119 ZMZGW
NZ4120 ZMZGZ
(the book "Ocean Sentinel" says that, from about 1960,
ZMZGx was used by 5 sqdn,
ZMZHx was used by 6 sqdn and
ZMZJx was used by MOCU and MRSU
the last letter was retained as the aircraft were pooled.)

P-3B Orion
NZ4201 ZMZMA > ZMZEL
NZ4202 ZMZMB > ZMZEM
NZ4203 ZMZMF > ZMZEN
NZ4204 ZMZMG > ZMZEO
NZ4205 ZMZMH > ZMZEP
NZ4206 (not known)

Hastings C3
NZ5801 ZMZAA
NZ5802 ZMZAB
NZ5803 ZMZAD
NZ5804 (unknown cr 9/55)

Bristol 170
NZ5901 ZMZBA (cr12/56)
NZ5902 ZMZBB
NZ5903 ZMZBD
NZ5904 ZMZBF
NZ5905 ZMZBG (sold 2/54 ZK-BEO)
NZ5906 ZMZBH
NZ5907 ZMZBJ
NZ5908 ZMZBK (cr 5/53)
NZ5909 ZMZBL
NZ5910 ZMZBM
NZ5911 ZMZBN
NZ5912 ZMZBO
NZ5913 <nil> {museum exhibit ex ZK-CLT sold C-FTPA)

Canberra B(I)12
NZ6101 ZMZOA
NZ6102 ZMZOB
NZ6103 ZMZOD
NZ6104 ZMZOF
NZ6105 ZMZOG
NZ6106 ZMZOH
NZ6107 ZMZOJ
NZ6108 ZMZOK
NZ6109 ZMZOL
NZ6110 ZMZOM
NZ6111 ZMZON

Canberra T13
NZ6151 ZMZOO
NZ6152 ZMZOP

Hercules C-130H
NZ7001 ZMZVA
NZ7002 ZMZVB
NZ7003 ZMZVD
NZ7004 ZMZVS
NZ7005 ZMZVT

Several other types were in use by the RNZAF during this period for which no ZMZxx callsigns have been reported:
Harvard 2A* & 3* (NZ1000 series),
Auster J/5 (NZ1701-06),
Douglas C47B Dakota (NZ3500 series),
DH Vampire T55 & T11 (NZ5701-11)
DH Vampire FB52 & FB5 (NZ5721-78)
plus the one-off Antarctic expedition aircraft:-
Auster T7 (NZ1707),
Beaver (NZ6001 renumbered NZ6010)
Otter (NZ6081).

Of these, messages on the Proboards website suggests that C-47 Dakotas NZ3519 used ZMZBO about 1945 and NZ3545 used ZMZAS in about 1953-4

 


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