Mark Fitzgeralds Q1

I have the full history of that airplane, because I sold it to Mark. These are the details I got from Neil France when I bought it.


A Brief History of Quickie #432

Previous Builders:
Built from plans s/n: 432 by Pacific Aviation in Rotorua, NZ for owner Jeff Zuill. Owned and registered 1984-1998 by Thompson & Thompson Aeronautics, Herald Island. Last owner 1999-2004 was Neil France of Taupo.


Brief Description:
This Quickie has a broken tail - damaged when flipped over by helicopter propwash while parked - and a partially complete trailer conversion. I plan to use a half-VW engine but am considering alternatives. According to NZCAA and records supplied, the aircraft was issued a Permit to Fly on 19 Jan 1983, registered as ZK-JGZ on 14 Nov 1984 and deregistered on 31 July 1998 for non-payment of the 1996-98 registration fees. TTAF is a genuine 20 hrs, the Onan engine was found to be too unreliable by the builders and the project abandoned. Photos of the airplane in the condition purchased can be seen on the next sheet.


From Neil France, Taupo NZ:
1/ Pacific Aviation was the name a couple of guys called themselves (probably for tax write off purposes?) when they imported a couple of kits together and started building them AS HOMEBUILTS. From what I could establish after talking with a guy who built another Q in conjunction with them, Jeff Zuill and the Thompson's constructed the plane together. As far as I know Pacific Aviation was never a LAME organisation, and even if it was I cant see how it would make the slightest bit of difference as the Quickie still had to be hand constructed from a non certified kit and plan set, and therefore still had to fall into the homebuilt / experimental category as opposed to the certified category which you seem to imply. Zuill's name is on the original construction ID plate.

2/ As far as I can ascertain the 20hrs TT is all the airframe ever did as a direct result of the original Onan proving to be unreliable and under powered. It was understood to have been discarded during the test phase (i.e. 20hrs) and because of a lack of a suitable alternative at that stage the airframe sat around engineless, collecting dust in the back of hangars for the next 15 or so years. The fellow I bought it from was the guy who also built another one at the same time this one was constructed and he has known of its history since new, hence I was able to find out why the lack of hours etc when I bought it. I tried to track the guy down since but evidently he seems to have vanished into thin air and efforts have proved useless. There is no second log book because it never flew again.

3/ Yes, the tail was broken before I purchased it. This occurred when the aircraft was wheeled outside the hangar one day and leant up against the wall on its firewall a few years back. A helicopter landed next to it and the down wash toppled the Q over onto its tail fin. It certainly wasn't a flight accident and therefore the CAA would have no record of it.


I also have a few more photos, but nothing very interesting. Mark Fitzgerald will be supplying some more recent shots soon. He has an engine being rebuilt right now, but since it's winter in NZ he's in no hurry.

Rob