VH-PUV Grumman G-164 Ag
Cat
(c/n 441)
Clearly designed for functionality rather then good
looks, the Ag Cat was first flown in May 1957.
When Grumman was absorbed into
Gulfstream American, production of the Ag Cat was handed
over to
Schweizer Aircraft of Elmira, NY., who have produced most of the 2000
built. VH-PUV
was first registered
in May 1967 to dealers/importers Aerial Enterprises Ltd of
Brisbane (ex N929X).
. It was quickly sold to
Western Aerial Services at Cunderdin, WA and, after three year service
as
an agricultural
sprayer in
the WA wheatbelt, was sold in NSW, and later to Cropcair Aviation, back
in Brisbane. .
Geoff Goodall's shot above was taken at Mackay, Qld in August
1974. Two months
after this picture was taken the Ag Cat was seriously damaged in an
accident
near Mackay on 22
October
1974. The remains languished until 1981 when they were sent to
New Zealand ostensibly
as parts for
ZK-MEW. However, in the event, the airframe underwent a complete
restoration at
West Melton for
Pionair. This raised some certification issues, but these were
sorted out by a visit
from the CEO of the
AgCat corporation, and the aircraft was registered in New Zealand in
August
1996 as
ZK-MEX. It was later leased to De Bretts Aviation
at Taupo, and
has subsequently
changed owners a
couple
of times, but remains at Taupo, operated (incredibly) as a tourist
sight-
seeing
machine! Phil Treweek's photo below shows it sitting idle
one day at Taupo.
