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Lockheed Electra 10A ZK-BUT (painted as ZK-AFD)
ZK-BUT was flown to New Zealand in 1957 for service with Trans Island Airways by two New Zealand pilots. It was too late in the summer to fly it to from the United States to New Zealand via the North Atlantic, as it had no de-icing equipment. So they had to fly it here via the other side of the globe.
The real ZK-AFD was probably the most important Electra in New Zealand. It was often the first to fly the new national routes of the 1930s and 1940s. MOTAT has the fuselage of ZK-AFD which will soon be used to tell the story of this important aircraft. Here it is shown flying over Auckland in 1938. Leo White Collection, Alexander Turnbull Library.
The aircraft flew a long-winded route from Kansas City to Brazil. In Brazil the aircraft was broken into, items stolen, and the life raft damaged. From there it flew to the island of Fernando De Neronha where the men found some unwanted drums of fuel which they put in the aircraft and pumped manually into the plane’s system. They flew very low because of the extra fuel, towards Africa, eventually reaching the Sudan. There they were arrested as the airport was not expecting them. The route was then Aden to Oman via the Indian continent, South-east Asia, Australia, and Norfolk Island.
Between Australia and Norfolk Island the two men fell asleep because the cockpit was warm and sunny. One awoke to find the fuel tank almost empty and the aircraft flying very low. Luckily they were able to manually pump enough fuel through to get the plane back up again.
The aircraft was named “Spirit of Tasman Bay” and operated for less than two years before being involved in an accident and written off in 1959.
Date: 1939 Manufacturer: Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, Burbank, California Type: Twin-engined high speed passenger and freight carrier Wing span: 16.76 m Length: 11.76 m Engine: Two 400HP Pratt & Whitney Wasp-Junior SB engines Accommodation: 2 crew and 10 passengers
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This
aircraft has been painted to represent pioneering New Zealand aircraft
ZK-AFD, but the aircraft underneath the paint scheme has its own
interesting story.