ZK-TEA. Lockheed 188C Electra. c/n 2005.
Was also registered as: N31231; LN-FOI.
This was the first of three aircraft ordered new by Tasman Empire Airways Ltd The purchase agreement was signed at Burbank - August 1958 Signatories: Sir Leonard Isitt (Chairman of Directors, TEAL); F. A. Reeves (General Manager, TEAL) and J. E. Boyce ( Lockheed Director of Sales, Pacific Area) First flown as 'N9724C' - October 14, 1959 Accepted by Tasman Empire Airways Ltd at Burbank - October 15, 1959 The aircraft was named 'Aotearoa IV' (Land of the Long White Cloud) It was leased back to Lockheed for flight testing - October 15, 1959 Departed Burbank on the delivery flight to New Zealand - ? It arrived at Auckland on completion of the delivery flight - November 19, 1959 Ferry route: Burbank - Honolulu - Nadi - Auckland Flight crew: Lockheed crew from Burbank to Nadi - unknown Flight crew: TEAL crew from Nadi to Auckland Captains J. McGrane, D. Keesing, P .F. le Couteur Entered onto the New Zealand Aircraft Register as ZK-TEA - November 23, 1959 Registered to Tasman Empire Airways Limited, Auckland, New Zealand Operated its first Auckland - Sydney - Auckland service (Captain J. McGrane) - December 01, 1959 Operated its first Auckland - Melbourne - Auckland service (Captain J. McGrane) - December 07, 1959 Operated its first Sydney - Christchurch - Melbourne service (Captain J. McGrane) - January 25, 1960 Utilised in joint Air New Zealand / Qantas pooled services on he Australia - Wellington route - 1970 Sold to California Airmotive - May 27, 1972 Operated its final service into Wellington - May 30, 1972 Withdrawn from service at ? Cancelled from the New Zealand Aircraft Register - June 01, 1972 Entered onto the United States Aircraft Register as N31231 - ? Leased to Flamingo Airlines - July to November 1972 It was converted to freighter configuration as an L188C(F) - December 1972 Sold to Fred Olsens Flyveselskap A/S - September 11, 1973 Entered onto the Norwegian Aircraft Register as LN-FOI - ? Cancelled from the United States Aircraft Register - September 24, 1973 Sold to Voksenkollen Hotelkompani and leased back to Fred Olsens - January 04, 1990 Sold to Fred Olsens - September 11, 1991 Withdrawn from use and stored at Baginton, Coventry - August 1997 Sold to World Aviation Services Inc but remained in storage at Baginton - December 1999 Scrapped at Baginton - June 2006 The nose section was shipped to Christchurch, New Zealand arriving July 22, 2006 The nose section will be restored and displayed at the Ferrymead Musuem |
N9724C. TEAL - 'Aotearoa' in the original livery with 'Jet Prop' titles somewhere over California, October 1959. (R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1808-947.) |
ZK-TEA. TEAL - 'Aotearoa' in the original livery with 'Jet Prop' titles at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, March 28, 1964. (E. D. Daw Copyright Image 1808-332.) |
ZK-TEA. TEAL - 'Aotearoa' in the original livery with 'Jet Prop' titles at Auckland Whenuapai Airport, circa 1964. (R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1808-770.) |
ZK-TEA. TEAL - 'Aotearoa' in the original livery with 'Jet Prop' titles at Auckland Whenuapai Airport, circa 1964. (R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1808-771.) |
ZK-TEA. TEAL - 'Aotearoa' in the original livery with 'Jet Prop' titles at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, circa 1964. (R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1808-759.) |
ZK-TEA. Air New Zealand - 'Aotearoa' in the revised livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, November 14, 1965. (E. D. Daw Copyright Image 1808-331.) |
ZK-TEA. Air New Zealand - 'Aotearoa' in the revised livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, December 21, 1965. (R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1808-484.) |
ZK-TEA. Air New Zealand - 'Aotearoa' in the final livery at Auckland Airport, date unknown. (R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1808-570.) |
ZK-TEA. Air New Zealand - 'Aotearoa' in the final livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, May 1966. (R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1808-634.) |
ZK-TEA. Air New Zealand - 'Aotearoa' in the final livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, June 10, 1966. (R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1808-265.) |
ZK-TEA. Air New Zealand - 'Aotearoa' in the final livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, July 21, 1968. (R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1808-511.) |
ZK-TEA. Air New Zealand - 'Aotearoa' in the final livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, August 14, 1969. (R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1808-266.) |
ZK-TEA. Air New Zealand Qantas - 'Aotearoa' in the final livery with modified titles at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, August 06, 1971. (R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1808-268.) |
ZK-TEA. Air New Zealand Qantas - 'Aotearoa' in the final livery with modified titles at Brisbane Airport, date unknown. (R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1808-346.) |
ZK-TEA. Air New Zealand Qantas - 'Aotearoa' in the final livery with modified titles at Brisbane Airport, date unknown. (R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1808-269.) |
N31231. Flamingo - in the standard livery at an unknown airport, August 1972. (R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1808-270.) |
N31231. Flamingo - in the standard livery at an unknown airport, September 1972. (R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1808-381.) |
LN-FOI. Fred Olsen - in the standard livery at an unknown airport, June 1979. (R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1808-272.) |
LN-FOI. Fred Olsen - in the standard livery at an unknown airport, circa 1979. (R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1808-799.) |
LN-FOI. Fred Olsen - in the revised livery at an unknown airport, February 1992. (R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1808-275.) |
LN-FOI. Fred Olsen - in the revised livery at an unknown airport, June 1992. (R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1808-431.) |
LN-FOI. Fred Olsen - in the revised livery at an unknown airport, date unknown. (R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1808-685.) |
LN-FOI. Fred Olsen - in the revised livery at Stuttgart Airport, March 1995. (R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1808-501.) |
LN-FOI. Fred Olsen - in the revised livery at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, March 1995. (R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1808-274.) |
LN-FOI. Fred Olsen - in the revised livery at an unknown airport, date unknown. (R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1808-277.) |
LN-FOI. Fred Olsen - in the revised livery at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, date unknown. (N. Roozen Copyright Image 1808-278.) |
LN-FOI. Fred Olsen - in the revised livery at an unknown airport, date unknown. (R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1808-279.) |