WONZ 220 – Neville Worsley

Guest: Neville Worsley

Host: Dave Homewood

Recorded: 9th of February 2020

Released: 17th of April 2020

Duration:  51 minutes 4 seconds

In this episode Dave Homewood chats with longtime pilot Neville Worsley about his long career in flying as a commercial pilot in aerial topdressing and tourist flying, and his hobby as a recreational pilot and sport flyer.

Neville flew all sorts of topdressing aeroplanes including the early Fletcher, the Airtruk, the Beaver and the Douglas DC-3 all around New Zealand. In the tourism industry he flew out of Rotorua in the Tiger Moth and Pitts S2. He has also test flown a lot of aeroplanes among the 80 or so different types he has flown.

He and his sons fly an Acro Sport II ZK-CAW these days. Neville is a keen member of the Sport Aircraft Association of New Zealand, the Hawera Aero Club and the Tiger Moth Club of New Zealand.

This was one of those recordings where the opportunity arose and we grabbed it while we could. The venue was the Hawera Aero Club rooms, where unfortunately there was a little background noise from other club members and visiting pilots. But it was worth getting Neville’s story recorded regardless.

Here is a selection of photos from Neville’s career, thanks to Bernice Hintz and Les Worsley for kindly supplying them. All photos are copyright Neville Worsley.

Neville Worsley preflight checking the Acro Sport II ZK-CAW

Neville with de Havilland DH82a Tiger Moth ZK-BCI

Neville in Piper PA-18A Super Cub ZK-BOX at Stratford in 1962

Neville climbing into an Air Contracts DHC-2 Beaver

Fieldair Beaver ZK-CZO in the snow

Neville with DC-3 topdresser ZK-AWO at Woodbourne

Neville with DC-3 topdresser ZK-APB

Checking the oil on a DC-3

Neville dropping a load of superphosphate from ZK-AWO near Napier

A Fieldair DC-3 dropping its load on a hilltop

Neville in de Havilland DH89B Dominie ZK-AKY

Neville, left, when flying tourists from Rotorua to White Island

Neville with the Acro Sport II biplane ZK-CAW at Dannevirke

Neville with Vans RV-4 ZK-RVG

Neville with his sons and ZK-CAW at Taumaranui

NB: The music at the end of this episode is Wild Flower by Joakim Karud