Way back in 2007 just after displaying at the Masterton Airshow, Wings over Wairapa, I approached the organisers of the more established Warbirds over Wanaka to see if they would be interested in a gyro demonstration for Easter 2008. I was a amazed that they seemed keen but reports from Masterton were positive and for once gyroplanes were welcome and seen as an attraction for the thousands of spectators expected over the long weekend.

I left the detail of travel fairly late and eventually the option of combining a training flight for Phil Chalmers with my need to take an Eagle to Wanaka became a win win solution. Phil had recently acquired a turbocharged Eagle but due to his working overseas in six week spells had only received spasmodic training by the time this trip started. Two weeks and some forty hours flying later he was fully qualified for an advanced national certificate! We were blessed with some of the best flying weather of the year and with an early start from Tauranga staged in easy legs through Taupo to Foxpine before crossing a millpond calm Cook Strait to Omarka.

We watched in horror here while an aircraft landed perfectly on the newly seeded runway and sank nose wheel first into the soft soil. The main runway 03/21 was closed with marker crosses, as a consequence all runways which bisected the main runway were also closed, a temporary 03/21 had been established alongside the main strip and was marked by coloured tyres. All this was on NOTAM but the situation was not made clear by the controllers at Woodbourne who directed everyone to land on 03/21 without mention that there was a displaced temporary runway.

In the 15/20 knot crosswinds that existed many light aircraft would have been better off opting for half an into wind runway rather than accepting the temporary strip. As we departed we heard another victim come unstuck or should that be stuck in the soft soil with a damaged prop and ego to match.

We had lunched and felt uplifted having crossed the ‘ditch’ without incident and pressed on towards Kaikoura taking a short cut over some fierce terrain which involved climbing to 6500ft; maybe not the smartest decision of the day but I took some comfort from the new PLB with GPS positioning that was tucked beneath my lifejacket.

The 914 Rotax purred along and as we were only consuming around 20 litres per hour we made Rangiora as the evening air began to cool hinting that the infamous Christchurch mist would form overnight. The day was beginning to feel long enough to me although Phil had been doing all the flying; with two hours before dark he was still keen to push on South. Passing over Rangitata Island airfield we were called from the ether by some tempting Siren voice inviting us to drop in but we were now set on a mission to make Timaru that day. What a welcome, evening sun and wall to wall blue sky, calm winds and a selection of large runways but no-one in sight, deserted! Phil scratched around and eventually found a friendly group of aviators packing machines in a hangar, thanks guys for storing the gyro, the lift into town and the guide to the easy eater. Really appreciated and hope we can reciprocate sometime.

The next day was a New Zealand record temperature of 35 degrees Celsius at Timaru, fortunately I had climbed into my open cockpit South Island flying gear of ski suit and thermals and departed inland and upward before the heat wave struck.

What a beautiful flight up over the lakes to gliding heaven at Omarama. Coffee at the Kahu café demanded a souvenir mug for the Kahu gyro team back at Tauranga and then on to the daunting Lindis pass and Wanaka. I found it noticeable that the more challenging the terrain the less I took photographs, maybe it was searching in vain for potential landing sites that occupied my time!

We were of course a very small cog in the well oiled machine that is the Warbirds event, none the less we had a trade stand, supported by our ground crew from Tauranga, and a display slot, timed for the lunch interval but well received by the crowd. Even the usual biased commentator had come round to wanting an Eagle after seeing it deal so well with three seasons weather in as many days.  Day four in Wanaka was taken up with trial flights for prospective gyronaughts and an excursion to Cromwell to give Phil some circuit training. Great was our surprise to find another gyro with purpose built hangar on this quite grass field, shame that it was suffering a puncture which prevented some joined up flying.

Without respite the next day we headed to the West coast and North to Franz Joseph airfield. This has to be the most memorable sector and the camera was working well. Early morning mist had lifted and formed a thin layer of broken cloud that sat about 1200 feet above the valley floor as we headed through the Haast pass. As we could see down through the layer we were able to fly in clear skies above a carpet of white mist surrounded by mountain peaks in a surreal world that should have been silent but was, I’m pleased to say, pierced by the constant steady sound of the Rotax behind me.

Without incident we wondered at the majesty of the high Alps and the rugged Western coastline all the way up to the sealed runway and modern mini terminal that lies in the shadow of the Frans Joseph Glacier.

Only as you look out away from the hill do you realise the sharp fall that the ice field makes heading for the valley below. Phil flew me in on the second sortie which must be a unique qualifying cross country! In clear skies we maintained four thousand feet and followed the coast over-flying Hokitika and on to Greymouth to refuel. I held both Shell and BP fuel cards but this was one of several fields where a Mobil card was the only currency accepted, fortunately help was at hand but we will know better next time.On again following the scenic coast we overflew the tourist buses at pancake rocks before heading inland through the Buller gorge towards our destination Marsterton. On rounding the last turn in the river valley I expanded the GPS picture to maximum and still struggled to identify the particular paddock that is Masterton Airfield. A gyro gathering was scheduled for the weekend but we were early and the grass had yet to be cut, the lone areo modeller with car that occupied mid field clearly believed that use of the field was on a first come basis!

We were welcomed by the airfield manager who lived nearby and informed that there was no hangar and airfield rabbit shooting was the local night-time sport. Phil decided to sleep in a car beside his machine!Although we were keen to meet up with local flyers the forecast was not good and with no protection for the aircraft we decided to press on North. The overcast skies were threatening as we tracked, via the Nelson Lakes, seeking out the long Wairau valley running down towards Blenheim and the coast. Our plan was to avoid controlled airspace and to slip through the hills to Picton Airfield. Dark rain clouds hung around the high ridge to our left and at one time Omarka looked a likely diversion, however

Woodbourne allowed us to transit the Northern side of their zone and the Picton valley opened up between the showers. On landing at Picton we were reminded why we had left this airfield out of our southbound flight plan; there is no fuel available and the landing fee is inflated to keep out strays. We were lucky enough to be offered Mogas normally reserved for lawn mowers which helped minimise anxiety on the next leg across the water to Foxpine. The weather improved and again the Cook Strait was calm and innocuous, familiar landmarks fell into place and before long we had been made welcome at friendly Foxpine and departed with full tanks north to Taupo.

With ease we transited corridors and made the desert road without a hitch but as we climbed we became aware of a dark horizon and a squall awaited us on the summit. Down the northern face we slid with the rain clouds forming a descending ceiling matching exactly the fall of the land below. Through damp murk we followed the road down to Lake Taupo and along the shore to the airfield. A night stop was inevitable.  A keen gyro enthusiast runs a helicopter school at Taupo and it was a relief to find Bruce Harvey on hand offering hangar space alongside his R22 and a lift into town. Thanks Bruce your beer was welcome too.

Next day the weather was poor all around but Taupo was clear, the airfield was quiet and so we made the most of calm conditions and Phil did his first solo flying! Not the usual syllabus but we had covered a lot of ground and offered some unique experiences on the way. Later in the day we squeezed through the Rotaroa Lakeland and back to Tauranga which welcomed us with a breathtaking sunset and the fabulous vistas for which the Bay of Plenty is rightly famous. As a footnote let me say that over the next week or so Phil Chalmers completed solo cross country to Advanced National level and jumped from novice in one step, saves on paperwork!

The Eagle just purred along wherever we wanted to go, put in fuel set the revs and check the GPS, who would have thought Tauranga to Timaru in a day with an encore up a glacier! Gyros have just got a whole load better! Tony Unwin.

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