The biggest gathering of Hughes/MD500 helicopters ever seen in New Zealand landed in a paddock near Hanmer Springs at the weekend.
The Great Kiwi 500 Fly In came about because the owner of Alpine Springs Helicopters woke one morning with a burning question on his mind.
Bill Hales says he'd been talking with a mate who flies fixed wing aircraft and he had told him about all the fun they had on fly-ins.
‘‘I was laying in bed one morning about 2am and thought I wonder how many MD500s we could get in a paddock? And it snowballed from that."
Mr Hales asked around and talked to a few guys about if it could work, and they said it could.
So he asked others to help and they soon put the call out.
Some couldn't come as they were being used to help North Island regions hit hard by the devastating Cyclone Gabrielle last week.
‘‘We had a few who couldn't come because they were working hard helping others up north, and one of the oldest ones broke down on the way here, but it was great to see them all.
‘‘They are an iconic machine for New Zealand, and part of our aviation history.’’
The Hughes/MD500 has been in operation in New Zealand since the 1970s, working predominantly in the helicopter venison recovery industry, he said.
The fly-in is a networking event, where owners and operators and those who work with the MD500 in New Zealand met to discuss the continued support of the helicopter with the United States-based manufacturer and industry supporters.
There was much history sitting there, all neatly arranged in straight lines in his paddock, he said.
‘‘One of the oldest people attending was veteran Hughes 500 pilot Mel Cain from the United States, who bought the first Hughes 500C model into the country. He’s 90 now and he's sitting over there enjoying himself.
‘‘It’s great to see the old guys sitting here today talking about the old stories and remembering mates who didn’t come home.’’
The MD500 fly-in was made possible due to the support of the helicopter industry.
Mr Hales said they held a dinner on site, as it was a chance for owners and operators to meet the American MD factory staff, who talked about future developments for the industry.
He loved the iconic MD500 helicopter, an aircraft he had been flying for 45 years.
‘‘These 500s were made for New Zealand mountains, originally they went to Vietnam, but hell, they should have come straight to New Zealand.
"They are an iconic machine as nothing makes a noise like these machines do, some people don’t like them - but a lot of us love them.’’
- North Canterbury News
