Skip to main content
  • Login
  • Home
  • Membership
  • Archives
    • The Aero Historian
    • Wings magazine
    • Author Index
  • Contact

Search form

You are here

Home

Ray Deerness

Find articles written by Ray Deerness using the links below. Articles are listed in descending order of publication

Fifty—Not Out

June 2007
Ray Deerness visits an industry icon and reports on the ag-aviation milestone reached by John Harding in late 2006.
Article Details |


AgWings: The Agwagon is 40

December 2006-January 2007

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


AgWings: AgWings on Tour

October 2006
This month, AgWings ventures across the Tasman
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Agwings: South Island Photo Album

July 2006

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


AgWings: My Favourite Aunties

June 2006
My Favourite Aunties - the Topdressing Dakotas, by Ray Deerness
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Ag Wings

April 2006
Autumn Album by Ray Deerness
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


AgWings

February 2006
Summer Album
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Ag Wings

December 2005/January 2006
Auster Haven
Article Details |


Ag Wings

May 2005

Article Details |


Agwings

February 2005
Early Snows, and Goodbye to the AT-602 by Ray Deerness
Article Details |


Ag Wings

October 2004
Turbines Galore - A Feleet review. By Ray Deerness.
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


The Fletcher is fifty

September 2004
September marks the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the Fletcher FU-24 in New Zealand, an aircraft that has become an aviation icon to an aviation - and agricultural-minded nation. Wings' ag specialist, Ray Deerness (with additional memories of the project by Gerald Barden) details the origins of this superb topdresser
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Ag Wings

August 2004

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Ag Wings

June 2004

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Ag Wings

May 2004

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Ag Wings

April 2004

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Ag Wings

March 2004

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Ag Wings

February 2004

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Ag Wings

December 2003-January 2004

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Ag Wings

November 2003

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Ag Wings

October 2003

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Agwings

August 2003

Article Details |


Agwings

July 2003

Article Details |


Agwings

June 2003

Article Details |


Agwings

May 2003

Article Details |


Agwings

April 2003

Article Details |


Agwings

March 2003

Article Details |


Agwings

February 2003

Article Details |


The biggest so far - the 2002 NZAAA conferece

October 2002
A watershed event in many ways, the ninth NZAAA conference attracted a large number of delegates with much to discuss. Ag correspondent Ray Deerness reports on the two days' proceedings from Hamilton.
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Ag Wings

October 2002
Another milestone, more Cresco's, cropdusterys and Flying Farmers Icon, by Ray Deerness.
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Agwings

September 2002
The Sterman - An Agricultural Icon
Article Details |


Agwings

August 2002
Far West Photo Album
Article Details |


Agwings

July 2002
Zins Arrive: The New, And The Not-So-New; Lancashire Prospector Arrives.
Article Details |


Agwings

June 2002
The Eastern Invasion, Aerial Sowing Group & Te Kuiti Airtrucks.
Article Details |


Agwings

May 2002
It's Big And It's Yellow, New Cresco's, And The Agricola's Departure.
Article Details |


Agwings

April 2002

Article Details |


Agwings

March 2002

Article Details |


Agwings

February 2002

Article Details |


Ag Wings

November 2001

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Ag Wings

October 2001
A new AgCat, Campbell Island sortie, turbine conversions and new Aussie Fletchers. By Ray Deerness.
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Agwings

May-June 2001
Avenger Sunset.
Article Details |


Agwings

April 2001
Ray Deerness Pays Tribute To Aviation Pioneer Peter Rowley, Tells Of Tigers To Turbines And Troubles At Ayres, While Colin Zuppicich Reports On Super Air's V8 Fletcher.
Article Details |


Ag Wings

December 2000-January 2001
Latest GA200c and thirty turbines, by Ray Deerness.
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Ag Wings: Fletchers, doors and Nine-Five-Fours

October 2000
Fletchers, doors and Nine-Five-Fours. By Ray Deerness.
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Agwings

September 2000
Ag Correspondent Ray Deerness Has Been Writing Furiously This Month With A New Cresco - Zk-Tmn, Walter Milestone, Full Circle, V8 Airframes Unite, Plus An International Feature: Air Tractor Deliver Five At-802Fs In May.
Article Details |


Agwings

August 2000
Changes At Taieri, Super Air And Midland Aviation.
Article Details |


Agwings

July 2000
Brazilian Fatman And A Vintage Turbine.
Article Details |


Agwings

June 2000

Article Details |


Agwings

May 2000

Article Details |


Agwings

April 2000
Waw Cresceo Twins Delivered And Enter The Fletcher Falcon.
Article Details |


Agwings

March 2000
The Californian Weatherly.
Article Details |


Agwings

February 2000

Article Details |


ZK-Review

December 1999-January 2000

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Ag Wings

December 1999-January 2000
Ayres to assemble Dromader and Turbine Dromaders at Trangie. By Ray Deerness
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


ZK-Review

November 1999

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


NZAAA Blenheim

November 1999
What the future holds. By Ray Deerness.
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Ag Wings

November 1999
Gwydir expansion, Final Fletchers and New Fatman. By Ray Deerness.
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Ag Wings

October 1999
The new Pawnee, I mean, Pulelche.
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Agwings

September 1999

Article Details |


Agwings

August 1999
The Noorduyn Norseman Remembered, By Ray Deerness
Article Details |


Anwings

July 1999

Article Details |


Agwings

June 1999
Turbine Dromaders.
Article Details |


Agwings

The Grumman Ag-Cat
Article Details |


Agwings

April 1999
Fletcher Fact File: The Mark IIs By Ray Deerness
Article Details |


Agwings

March 1999
The Mk I Fletchers
Article Details |


Agwings

February 1999

Article Details |


AgWings

November 1998

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


AgWings

October 1998

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Agwings

September 1998

Article Details |


Agwings

August 1998

Article Details |


The Gentle Giant - Mielec's Dromander

June 1998
Ag Specialist Ray Deerness Looks At This Peculiar Polish Radial.
Article Details |


New Zealand Ag Operators Directory

June 1998
Compiled By
Article Details |


Agwings

May 1998

Article Details |


Agwings

March 1998

Article Details |


Ag-Wings

December 1997-January 1998

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Ag WINGS

November 1997

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Ag-Wings

September 1997

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Ag-Wings

August 1997

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


NZAAA Conference

July 1997

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


The Choice

June 1997
The Air Tractor At-402B By
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Low-Level

June 1997
A Fletcher With A Stinger, Searching For Gold - By
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Hi-Fix

June 1997
A First-Hand Look At A Navigational And Invented Thirty Years Ago. - By
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Ag Company Directory

June 1997
Compiled By
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Ag Album

June 1997

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Agwings

May 1997

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Agwings

March 1997

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Agwings

February 1997

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Ag WINGS

December 1996-January 1997
Ray Deerness reports on the latest happenings in the ag scene, both home and abroad
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Ag WINGS

November 1996
Ray Deerness reports on the current Ag scene.
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


AG Conference report

November 1996
Ag flier's gather, by Ray Deerness
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Register review

October 1996
Additions, deletions and changes of ownership on the New Zealand Civil Register
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Register Review

September 1996
Additions, Deletions And Changes Of Ownership On The New Zealand Civil Register.
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Agwings

September 1996
Ray Deerness Outlines A Piece Of East Coast History.
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Agwings

August 1996
Ray Deerness Reports On The Local (Plus A Bit) Scene.
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Topdressing By The Stars

June 1996

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


NZ Ag Aviation Companies '96

June 1996
Compiled By
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


From The Moon To The Stars

June 1996
The Story Of Joe Hartt By
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Agwings

May 1996
Ray Deerness Reports On The Local Scene.
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


The 400 HP Fletcher

June 1995
A History Of Development By Ray Deerness.

THE 400 horse power Lycoming Fletcher has been with us now for twenty-five years. Today many new to the industry cannot imagine the aircraft powered with a 300 hp, or even a 225 hp engine as they were originally constructed...
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Introducing - The Airtractor

June 1995
IN New Zealand the Air Tractor tends gets confused with the Thrush, mainly because they were designed by the same man, a man who was not only an ag pilot and an operator, but who also designed and built agricultural aircraft - ag legend Leland Snow.
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Agricultural Aviation Companies

June 1995
An Annual Directory Compiled By Ray Deerness
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Ag-Wings

March 1995
Wings Classifieds.
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Tale Of A Thrush Or Two

February 1995
TWENTY years after the first turbine Thrushes appeared in the United States, an example has finally reached New Zealand shores; an example of the most popular version, the Pratt & Whitney PT6A-34AG fitted, double cockpit, S2R.
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


The Supermen

June 1994
Compiled By Ray Deerness
Article Details |


Ag Company Directory

June 1994
Compiled By Ray Deerness
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Offshore '84

June 1984
In which Ray Deerness takes a ride to the benreoch rig courtesy of helicopters (NZ) ltd. Report and photographs.
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Heavylift hue

April 1984
More muscle on the rotary scene. Report by ray deerness.
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Colour Wings No38

March 1983
Col Bolger pilots his skyfarmer through a spray run at Winchester in South Canterbury. Ray deerness photograph
Article Details |


Ag-WINGS — Fletcher Squadron Photo

April 1982
Fletchers on parade — Wanganui Aero Work's fleet of 400 hp Fletchers
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Ag-Bages - An Aerial Topdressing Revolution

November 1981
LAST month, Wanganui Aero Work completed a contract spreading nitrogenous fertiliser over several thousand hectares of timber stands owned by the Tasman Forestry and Logging Company In the Taupo area. Between them the two companies introduced to the industry a new method of handling, storage and distribution of urea using the one tonne bale bag.
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Agricultural Aviation: Directory of operators and current types

September 1979

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Agricultural Aviation Aircraft Directory

September 1979

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Southern Viscounts: Veteran NAC Trio Reunite with Independent

May 1979
IN THE LATE 1950's when New Zealand's National Airways Corporation introduced the first of its Viscounts, they heralded a new era of sophistication, comfort and speed, and put the airline into the sixties with some of the most modem equipment available for short haul routes. Today, twenty years on, three of these aircraft —since withdrawn from NZ service and dispersed around the world — have been sought out and purchased by a UK based independent airline operator.
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Wanganui: Helicopter City

June 1978
Helicopters have been flying out of Wanganui for the last twenty two years. Not only have helicopters been assembled there —they have been exported and imported by air freight to and from Wanganui Airport. Last year over thirty different helicopters were seen at the aerodrome. From one company in 1956 there are now five working out of Wanganui
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


The Fletcher Numbers Game

November 1977

Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Gidinbehind - and other means of clearing stock from airfields

October 1977
SEVERAL WEEKS AGO, the Civil Aviation Division issued CAIC GEN 22/1977 (Civil Aviation Information Circular —general) announcing the prohibition of the time-honoured practice of using aircraft to clear stock from airstrips (see August WINGS).
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |


Agricultural Directory: Current types and operators

May 1977
This is WINGS' first survey of the aerial work industry, and lists present operators and a summary of aircraft in use. Helicopters are not listed as they appeared in an earlier issue (May 1976 WINGS).
Full Text in Archive | Article Details |

Latest News

  • Short Stirlings And 75 (NZ) Squadron
  • Rongotai Recollections
  • Aloft and Afloat
  • An 80th Anniversary
  • Pan American Airways – The First Scheduled Services
View all
  • Home
  • Membership
  • Archive
  • Search
Powered by Lasting Library