North Tui Sports
| Tui Sports | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | REQUIRED |
| National origin | New Zealand |
| Manufacturer | Fred North |
| Status | under restoration / replication |
| Number built | 1 |
| History | |
| First flight | 4 January 1934 |
The Tui Sports is a New Zealand light aircraft of the 1930s, named after the Tūī bird.[1] It is small single seat aerobatic single bay biplane of fabric covered wooden construction, with a streamlined circular section fuselage, powered by a Szekely 3 cylinder engine.[2]
The Tui Sports was built by Fred North at Dannevirke and first flown by Allan McGruer from a field near Whenuapai on 4 January 1934.[1]
History
Plans for the plane are dated to 5 May 1931.[3] Originally intended as a one-off construction, its success encouraged Fred North and the Dominion Aircraft Company to prepare for production in Auckland. However, New Zealand's declaration of war against Germany on 3 September 1939 resulted in these plans being postponed and latter scrapped.
The Tui Sports crashed on Ōhope beach in 1941.[2]
References
- ^ a b "Tui Lincoln Sports biplane, Māngere Aerodrome". Kura - Auckland Libraries. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Incident Tui Sports ZK-ADV, Friday 29 August 1941". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ "The "Tui" Sport Plane [Plan view assembly]". MOTAT Collection Online. Retrieved 3 June 2025.