By Steve Lyttle
Friday 22 July dawned clear and calm in Timaru: perfect for heading to Haast for the 2022 AOPA NZ Winter Fly-in.
I’d spent some time preparing for the Fly-in, studying AOPA strip locations on OzRunways and Google Earth, and the flight to Haast provided a great opportunity to view several from the air.
Overflying Omarama and Makarora, I arrived mid-afternoon, refuelled, picketed and covered the plane, ready for the following day’s flying.
Chatting with other pilots over dinner at the Heartland Hotel provided more information about the strips we might be visiting over the coming two days. It also reinforced the importance of being properly prepared for any conditions we might encounter.
This was my third Haast Fly-in. My first was in 2020, when the weather had been so bad I’d opted to drive. Fortunately, I’d been offered a seat on Saturday in Eamonnd Johnston’s 180 and, despite imperfect weather, I gained a huge amount of knowledge about flying into remote strips.
My second visit was in 2021, when I flew my Alpi Griffon to Haast and focused on the easier well-formed strips to the north of Haast.
Roll on Haast 2022!
Our family is the proud owner of a Carbon Cub SS (LSA), which arrived in March this year and, with a taildragger rating already in place, it was a relatively easy process to get rated. Focusing on upskilling in the Cub became my next
priority, with the goal of being prepared to meet the challenges offered by the fly-in. Planning commenced immediately, with a range of flying activities in Timaru that focused on getting in and out of simulated short and one-way strips, along with simulated engine failures and glide approaches. At the same time, I amassed a full survival kit for the plane that would enable me to stay dry and spend at least a week in the open.
Haast 2022 Fly-in: Day 1
Saturday, we awoke to clear skies and, after breakfast and a pilots’ briefing at the Hotel, we were ready to go. Divided into groups, I’d chosen to fly with the group heading north of Haast. I’d landed on some of these strips in my Alpi during the 2021 Haast Fly-in, so it was known territory and a good way to relax into the weekend’s flying in the Carbon Cub. To avoid conflicting traffic over the weekend, northbound traffic was flying east of the coast over land while southbound flew just off the coast. The strips in the northern area are generally better formed and a bit longer that others in the Haast area.
With Ian Sinclair as team leader, we were soon on our way to Scully Road, a well-formed strip with a solid, smooth surface and plenty of room to park several planes. We were met at the strip by the owner, Gary Julian, and driven to his hangar to check out the RV he is building and view the two helicopters he operates.
Construction of the RV was well advanced, and the standard of workmanship was exceptional.
It was then on to Bowater, a farm access road that’s a bit wider than normal, and another good solid and very long strip. Next, a short flight to Poerua River (pictured above), where I was first to land. The strip is easy to find as it sits on top of a widened stopbank, and has a good solid surface. The approach is toward the road and there are power lines across the end of the strip, so if your touchdown is well into the strip, a late go-around is not an option. It’s also a strip where you need to hold a straight line as it has a 3m bank on either side; one side down into the river and the other down into small trees and a fence.
From there we flew to Okarito for lunch. Okarito strip lies between the beach and township, and is approached from the north over the coastline to avoid the wildlife reserve R700. Firm grass with a few undulations, it’s a great lunch stop. The Okarito Kitchen, located towards the northern end behind the first row of houses, has great coffee and is just a five minute walk away.
After a good break we headed back to Haast, with a stop at Karangarua strip, the shortest of the day, with a slightly raised surface, about 4m wide. The ground was soft either side and a bit of pushing was required to get one of the heavier planes landing, I did a few circles overhead the strip at a safe height, watching how the experienced pilots made their assessment of the strip’s suitability. Having studied their circuit/approach, I planned my own. Conditions were calm so I didn’t need to focus on wind direction. I planned my circuit and touchdown point based on a three-point landing, then worked backwards to establish my go-around point and where I wanted to be downwind at 300ft with the Cub configured for landing. With the others all on the ground, it afforded some relief that it proved a landing I could be proud of.
After Creswick it was a short hop up the valley to overhead Toi Toi, with a downwind leg and left turn to land up the valley. Toi Toi is a lovely strip with a bit of character as you roll to a stop. Richard Rayward from Air Safaris hiked into the area on foot in the mid to late 1960s and hand built the strip, subsequently making regular flying visits to camp. It’s a magical place and I can understand his motivation; I felt privileged to have been able to land there.
After departing Toi Toi and climbing to 6500ft to fly through one of the heavily snow clad passes, I reached for my phone to take photos of the stunning scenery, only to find it was missing. I had a fair idea where it might be, so radioed the others to let them know I was heading back to the strip to look for the phone.
When I landed back at Toi Toi and closed the plane down, I was struck by the absolute tranquillity. Not a breath of wind, clear blue skies and not a single man-made sound. It brought home what a privilege it is to be able to fly into such places, and how important it is that we protect the opportunity for future generations of pilots to enjoy.
Fortunately, my phone was roughly where I thought it would be. Airborne again, I climbed back to the saddle, took a couple of photos and descended to Forbes strip in the Hunter Valley. Afternoon tea was already spread out on a tailplane.
Underway again, we headed to Cotters Flat in the Dingle. There was valley fog as far as the eye could see down the Hunter, so we stayed high until we crossed into the Dingle. The approach to the strip was downwind on the west side of the valley, out of a soft spot. There had also been cattle on the strip, so most planes received a generous coating of cow dung.
Approaching Haast, we received a radio message asking us to give landing priority to an aircraft with overheating problems, currently east of airfield. The planes in the immediate vicinity either extended or orbited until the plane was safely on the ground. In typical AOPA fashion, the owner, with the help of members, quickly had the problem rectified. As planes landed they were refuelled and prepared for the next day’s flying.
The evening was a relaxed affair with talk about the day’s adventures and the opportunity to quiz the more experienced pilots about strips we might visit the following day.
Haast 2022 Fly-in: Day 2
Greeted with amazing weather, we shared another hearty cooked breakfast at the Heartland Hotel, followed by a briefing on the flying options for the day. At day’s end we’d all be heading home, so this was also factored into the direction we’d choose for the day. For me, the route which would work best put me under the watchful eyes of John Evans and Mike Oakley.
We flew up the Haast River and into the Landsborough Valley to the Creswick strip. Being a novice at this type of with a tight base leg and onto finals to land uphill to the north. The strip was hard to see from the air, with patches of what looked like hard snow on the ground, so caution would need to be exercised when braking.
The strip was one of my favourites. From around 5000ft it looked rather short and intimidating, given the valley was quite narrow, but I found it easy to land on my second approach, after being too high on the first attempt.
From Cotters, it was a short flight to Omarama for lunch then final goodbyes and home to Timaru.
Despite being held at short notice following the previous cancellation, the 2022 Winter Fly-in was a great success. For low time pilots like myself, and for those attending a fly-in for the first time, these events offer a safe and supportive learning experience. Briefings are a must, and there is always a competent team leader guiding each group, plus a wealth of other experienced pilots who can be approached for advice, which they share with enthusiasm.
There is time to socialise in the evenings and to catch up on the day’s adventures, and there are always some little gems of information shared that you can take away and smile about until the next time you meet up. We were made extremely welcome by the team at the Heartland Hotel Haast; it’s a great place to stay and offers genuine West Coast hospitality.
A huge thank you to the organising team and all the pilots who freely offered advice and assistance, and especially to John Evans and Mike Oakley, together with the rest of my Sunday group, for their support and encouragement. Without doubt, that Sunday offered the most amazing powered flying I’ve ever enjoyed, and I look forward to participating in as many AOPA events as I can. The flying support and fellowship offered by members is something special.
This article first appeared in the Summer 2022 edition of Approach Magazine, the dedicated magazine of AOPA NZ, which is published quarterly.