Augusta GZ100

[Jeff]

Hi,
Any one help with the above, ive seen it quoted as GZ-IOO G-ZIOO and seen pics of it flying yest as GZ100, what is the current official reg ?

Jeff

[rh226]

Hi Jeff,

The official military serial is GZ100.  It is still using its civilian hexcode of 406F50 (at the moment).

According to G-INFO, it was taken off the civil register on 9th May 2016.

Hope that helps,

Bob

[Jeff]

Thank bob,
Out of interest, was the GZ- prefix ever used ?

[davebasing]

Jul 9, 2016 16:23:43 GMT Jeff said:

Thank bob,
Out of interest, was the GZ- prefix ever used ?

No G_ prefixs were ever allocated or issued. Serial allocations stopped at FZ828 (Fairchild Argus) & resumed at HB100 Beech C45 (HA was not used as HA was the wartime abbreviation for Hostile Aircraft). The FA-FZ series was allocated solely for lend-lease aircraft. It is perhaps a fair assumption that the G_ series may have been kept aside for further lend lease aircraft should the need have arisen.

[rh226]

According to UK Serials, only the GA series was used - for 11 Bu.181s, Jeff.

Bob

[Jeff]

Ah right, for some reason I though the civil GZ- was one of the channel isles prefixes !

[rh226]

TJ- is for Jersey and 2- is for Guernsey.

[davebasing]

Jul 9, 2016 16:38:44 GMT rh226 said:

According to UK Serials, only the GA series was used - for 11 Bu.181s, Jeff.

Bob

Its a bit academic, but personally I doubt the listing in the otherwise very useful UK Serials. Looking closer, the entire serial block from ET100 to HD 799 was allotted to the British Air Commission In Washington for allocation to lend lease aircraft and aircraft directly purchased from the USA & Canada for the war effort. This was accompanied by a specific instruction that the GA-GZ & HA-HZ series were not to be used for any aircraft. This edict was subsequently modified and the series from HB100 to HD776 was made available to Washington for lend lease aircraft and later the block JS100-KT100 was also made available to Washington (with the instruction that KA100 to KB999 were to be used for Mosquito & Lancaster aircraft built in Canada - though the first 350 odd JS serial aircraft were also Canadian built). It would be very odd if former Luftwaffe aircraft could fall into such an early allocation anyway and it seems that Air Ministry Records show no GA-GZ allocations were ever made (but it was wartime and who knows what might have gone on unofficially in the field, a number of Bu181s were allocated "proper" serials though most were never taken up and were made more for recording purposes. Perhaps a bored but enterprising erk with the occupation forces and a paint brush decided on his own initiative that GA would stand for German aircraft?).

On the civil front, the highest G- series used was G-U which was temporarily allocated to South Africa from 1927-1928. So again no use of G-Z until out of sequence marks became available in 1974 at an added cost to owners to swell the coffers of the CAA (and which no doubt helps pay for my pension!).

Geeky bit over.

I was also at RIAT on Friday. Was a good (and mercifully dry) day. Managed to see everything on the field (save for the Jordanian Falcons which remained hangared all day) and first indications are that I made an amazing 53 which is my highest at RIAT for some years.

[rh226]

I bow to your geekiness!!

[Jeff]

The knowledge out there is incredible! Thanks for putting the effort in to reply, much appreciated

[zz]

Jul 9, 2016 16:56:27 GMT rh226 said:

TJ- is for Jersey and 2- is for Guernsey.

ZJ- is for Jersey.

After about 7 months, the register finally got its second aircraft in June!


As for the the Agusta, I saw it a few months back wearing G-ZIOO.

[rh226]

zz, it is known as a typo - aka finger trouble. I've been seeing ZJ-THC labelled as "Military" on ADS-B Exchange for months.  LOL

[zz]

Ah, fat fingers! I'm a regular sufferer from that and fat brain!