The Tui Sports was a
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
light aircraft of the 1930s.
The Tui Sports was a small single seat aerobatic single bay biplane of fabric covered wooden construction with a highly streamlined circular section fuselage. It was powered by a Szekely 3 cylinder engine. The Tui Sports was built by Fred North at
Dannevirke
Dannevirke ( "Earthworks (archaeology), work of the Danes", a reference to Danevirke; mi, Taniwaka, lit= or ''Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua'', the area where the town is), is a rural service town in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of the North Island, New ...
and first flown by Allan McGruer from a field near
Whenuapai
Whenuapai is a suburb and aerodrome located in northwestern Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on the northwestern shore of the Waitematā Harbour, 15 kilometres to the northwest of Auckland's city centre. It is one of th ...
on 4 January 1934. It was named after the highly maneuverable
Tui bird. The silver and gold Tui became very popular, being used for aero club flying and airline pilot training. Originally intended as a one off homebuilt, its success encouraged Fred North and the Dominion Aircraft Company to prepare for production in
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
, however New Zealand's declaration of war against
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
on 3 September 1939 resulted in these plans being postponed and latter scrapped. The Tui Sports crashed on
Ōhope
Ōhope, until 1974 known as Ohope Beach, is a beach settlement in the eastern Bay of Plenty, on the northeast coast of the North Island of New Zealand, six kilometres east and over the hill, from Whakatāne.
Name
The New Zealand Ministry for Cu ...
beach in 1941. As of 2006 it is undergoing a slow rebuild at the
Museum of Transport and Technology
The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) is a science and technology museum located in Western Springs, Auckland, New Zealand. It is located close to the Western Springs Stadium, Auckland Zoo and the Western Springs Park. The museum has ...
.
Aircraft manufactured in New Zealand
1930s New Zealand sport aircraft
Dannevirke
Biplanes
Aircraft first flown in 1934
Single-engined tractor aircraft
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