My first awareness of aircraft was from the Taieri Gorge train as it passed along the boundary of Taieri aerodrome in about 1958, then an airshow at Taieri a little later when I took my first aircraft photos.
My first flight was in Auster J5F ZK-BRA at Taieri which led to gaining my NZ PPL through the Wellington Aero Club before I had my driver’s licence. This led to a US commercial ticket and working as a contract pilot for an international organisation.
Back in NZ I converted to gliding in North Otago, followed by Southland and Taranaki. After some years as an instructor with the Canterbury Gliding Club I leaned toward the microlight fraternity. These days I tend to just watch from terra firma, and I have now been writing about the NZ Civil Aircraft Register for 22 years.
