ZK-AIA de Havilland D.H.82A Tiger Moth
(c/n 3697)
A note
about the ZK-AI series of regos. All except two (ZK-AIP and -AIQ)
were Tiger Moths
mainly in the fleets of the
Auckland, New Plymouth, Middle Districts, Hawera, Wanganui, Hawkes
Bay and Canterbury Aero Clubs. After WW II the New
Zealand agency in charge of radio comm-
unication decreed that the letter 'R' would no
longer be used as the final letter in a registration. There
was, therefore, no
ZK-AIR. ZK-AIA was a Hatfield-built Tiger
exported in 1938 for the Auck-
land Aero
Club as ZK-AGI. It was impressed into service in 1939 as
NZ721. It rejoined the
Auckland Aero Club after
hostilities ended and is seen above at Auckland in
1949. Jim Dyson
took a photo of it (below,
courtesy of the David Molesworth collection) a little later on when the
rego
had been moved to the tail. This
aircraft is still current on the New Zealand
register.