Draft:Cliff Tait
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Comment: There are entire sections which are currently unreferenced - these should have reliable citations added before the article is resubmitted. Turnagra (talk) 18:36, 1 November 2023 (UTC)
- Comment: There are large amounts of text here that have no citations. Where is this information from? -- NotCharizard 🗨 13:25, 17 September 2023 (UTC)
Cliff Tait | |
|---|---|
| Born | Clifford Vincent Tait 29 October 1929 Wellington, New Zealand |
| Education | Stratford Technical High School |
| Known for | aerial circumnavigation in 1969 |
| Spouse |
Joyce Fielding (m. 1952) |
Clifford Vincent Tait MBE (born 29 October 1929) is a New Zealand pilot and author. In 1969, at the age of 40, he flew around the world in a small single-engine two-seat aeroplane, the AESL Airtourer 115, believed to have been the smallest aircraft to attempt such a flight at the time.[1][2]
Early life and family[edit]
Tait was born in Wellington on 29 October 1929. He was educated at Stratford Technical High School and left school at the age of 15 to work for A. & G. Price, servicing marine engines. He was accepted into the Royal New Zealand Air Force as a student radio mechanic, but was medically discharged before completing the course, due to a spinal defect which resulted in his wearing a spinal brace. Tait then worked as a technician at Musik Radio, as a carpenter in the building industry, then as a tram conductor and motorman before working as a bus driver. He subsequently worked in the electrical trade and formed an electrical contracting business. He ventured into a milk bar business but it proved unsuccessful.
Tait married Joyce Fielding on 2 August 1952, and they had four children.[3][4]
In 1965, Tait was offered a job as sales manager with Dimock Machines, selling cash registers.
Aviation career[edit]
Early flying experience[edit]
Tait learnt to fly in an AESL Airtourer and attained his private pilot licence in August 1966, at the age of 37. In preparation for the world flight, Tait completed his instrument rating, becoming the first New Zealand private pilot to hold this qualification.[5]
[edit]
Tait’s idea to fly around the world was to promote New Zealand manufacture by flying the locally produced AESL Airtourer aircraft. His employers, R. C. Dimock Ltd, offered to lend $1,000 for Tait to buy an aircraft for the flight, and AESL Airtourer 115 ZK-CZU (Serial number 521) “Miss Jacy” was purchased.[6][5]
With only 240 hours of flight experience, Tait departed Hamilton, New Zealand, on 12 May 1969, to fly around the world. The flight was via Norfolk Island, New Caledonia, Espiritu Santo, Honiara, Rabaul, Kavieng, Truk, Guam, Iwo Jima and Tokyo. Tait then planned to fly via Petropavlovsk and the Aleutian Islands to Anchorage and Vancouver, but the clearance to fly into Russia was denied. This meant that Tait had to ship the aircraft from Tokyo to Seattle.[7][8] The aircraft then travelled by train to Vancouver.[5]
The world flight then resumed from Vancouver to Lethbridge, Winnipeg, Moncton, Goose Bay, Narsarssuaq, Sondre Stromfjord, Angmagssalik Kulusuk, Reykjavik, Prestwick. London, Marseille, Rome, Athens, Cyprus, Damascus, Badanah, Bahrain, Karachi, Lahore, New Delhi, Varanasi, Calcutta, Rangoon, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Mau Hau, Jakarta, Bali, Darwin, Mount Isa, Longreach, Brisbane and Norfolk Island.[9] Tait landed at Hamilton on 1 August 1969, after completing the 30,500-mile journey in 284 flight hours.[5]
“Miss Jacy” is now on display[10] in the Aviation Hall of the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT)[11] in Auckland, New Zealand.
Ferry pilot[edit]
Tait completed his commercial pilot licence, and by 1973, he was Chief Pilot for N.Z. Aerospace Ind. Test flying and delivering the company’s aircraft. By the time he resigned in 1978, Tait had completed more than 90 international flights, half of which had been over the world’s oceans, solo, in a single engine aircraft.
Speed record[edit]
In 1982, Cliff Tait set the fastest time from England to New Zealand,[12] flying a Beechcraft Bonanza.
Accident[edit]
On Saturday 19 November 1983, Tait was involved in an aircraft accident at Tokoroa Aerodrome.[13] The aircraft was destroyed by fire and Tait escaped with injuries.
Honours and awards[edit]
In the 1979 Birthday Honours, Tait was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services to aviation.[14]
Books[edit]
Tait wrote two books about his adventures, Flight of the Kiwi: Around the world solo in a tiny single engine plane[15] (1970) and Water Under My Wings: Modern day aviators savour a little of those glorious and heroic years of aviation’s infancy[16] (1980) about his ferry flying and later adventures.
References[edit]
- ^ Renshaw, Chelsea (7 April 2020). "The flying Kiwi: a photo essay". MOTAT. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ^ "Pioneering Kiwi aviator celebrates special milestone". 1 News. 1 August 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- ^ "MOTAT oral history interview with Cliff and Joyce Tait". MOTAT Collection Online. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- ^ "Photograph of Cliff Tait with his wife and four children by his Airtourer before he flew around the world". MOTAT. 1969. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ^ a b c d Tait, Cliff (1970). Flight of the Kiwi: Around the world solo in a tiny single-engined plane. First: Sydney N.S.W.: Ure Smith; Christchurch N.Z.: Whitcome and Tombs. pp. 3, 6, 9, 13, 19, 21, 31, 48, 52, 88, 91, 95, 96, 118, 143, 174. ISBN 0725400226.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "Kiwi celebrates 50 years after flying single engine plane around the world". Newstalk ZB. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ^ "Cliff Tait round-the-world flight in Airtourer ZK-CXU "Miss Jacy", 1969". MOTAT Collection Online. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ^ "Kiwi celebrates 50 years after flying single engine plane around the world". Newstalk ZB. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ^ "Selection of Cliff Tait photographs". MOTAT Collection Online. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- ^ Gardner, Chris (14 December 2011). "Trailblazing Airtourer on public display". Stuff. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ^ MOTAT. "MOTAT Aviation Hall". www.motat.nz. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ^ "Aircraft". findNZarticles. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ^ "Incident AESL Airtourer 115 ZK-CXQ". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ^ "No. 47871". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 16 June 1979. p. 29.
- ^ "Flight of the kiwi : around the world solo in a tiny single-engined plane / Cliff Tait". National Library of New Zealand Catalogue. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ^ "Water under my wings : modern day aviators savour a little of those glorious and heroic years of aviation's infancy". MOTAT Collection Online. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
