Aircraft Owners & Pilots Assn of NZ - AOPA NZ

06/10/2026

🛩️ A little bit of AOPA NZ history at Taieri

These photos were taken at Taieri late on Sunday afternoon, and they feature a very special aircraft, ZK-AHE, owned by longtime AOPA NZ member Robbie Burnside.

Robbie flew AHE to Walter Peak on Lake Wakatipu for the gathering of private aircraft owners in 1968, or thereabouts. He has been a member of the Kittyhawk Flying Club and AOPA since it was first formed in March 1971.

While Robbie may have finished his own flying escapades, he’s now doing something pretty special for the next generation. He makes AHE available for young instructors to hire so they can gain valuable real-world tailwheel experience.

What a wonderful gesture, and a great way to keep both the aircraft and the skills alive. 👏✈️

📸 Photos thanks to Murray Paterson

01/10/2026

AOPA NZ member and Mainland Air - Flight Training & Charter owner Phil Kean said Capt Machchhar lived in Mosgiel and trained with Mainland Air as a student for 18 months in 2008-09.

Read more in today’s Otago Daily Times…

Dunedin flight school owner ‘blown away’ by former student’s actions during mid-flight stabbing

01/10/2026

✈️ Catch up on Approach!

All the latest editions of AOPA NZ’s Approach magazine are now available to read on our website. Have a browse, catch up on the latest stories and see what’s happening across NZ aviation.

Read Approach here → aopa.nz/approach-magazine/

📣 And a heads-up for aviation businesses: Ad bookings for our Summer edition have just opened today, and we expect it to fill up fast! If you’d like to get your business in front of our aviation audience, send us a DM and we’ll get your ad booking sorted.

In the meantime, grab a cuppa and enjoy the latest editions! ☕✈️

Link → aopa.nz/approach-magazine/

30/09/2026

Worth a watch for pilots! ✈️ A useful aviation video with plenty to take away. Grab a coffee, have a watch, and share it with your fellow pilots...

Approach tells you there's traffic at 2 o'clock, 3 miles, same alti...

28/09/2026

‘Absolute Kiwi ingenuity’: How a runaway pilot’s lost plane made its way back to the Taieri

24/09/2026

Clouds can change quickly. So can our thinking. 🛩️

This is a great reminder of how easily ‘get-home-itis’ can cloud good judgement. A worthwhile read for pilots of all experience levels.

🔗

By Roger Simpson This article is about a flight undertaken some months back that did not quite go to plan, revealing the pressures and pitfalls of ‘Get-home-itis’.  Tracking into Fiordland… for longer than expected! Photo credit: Roger Simpson Day 1: We lifted early one morning in my Robinson...

22/09/2026

21/09/2026

Darfield Fly-in 2026

17/09/2026

NMIT and NZAero will open a Hamilton campus to help fix global shortage.