Tui Sports
Encyclopedia
The Tui Sports was a New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 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
Dannevirke , is a rural service town in the Manawatu-Wanganui Region of the North Island, New Zealand. It is the major town of the administrative Tararua District, the easternmost of the districts in which the Regional Council has responsibilities...

 and first flown by Allan McGruer from a field near Whenuapai
Whenuapai
Whenuapai is a suburb and airport located in the western Waitakere area of Auckland City, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on the northwestern shore of the Waitemata Harbour, 15 kilometres to the northwest of Auckland's city centre. It is one of the landing points for the Southern...

 on 4 January 1934. It was named after the highly maneuverable Tui
Tui
As a noun, Tui may refer to:* Tu'i , a title of nobility in Polynesia and some of Melanesia* Tui Awards, New Zealand's annual music industry awards* Tui , a brand of New Zealand beer produced by Tui Breweries...

 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
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

, however New Zealand's declaration of war against Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 on 3 September 1939 resulted in these plans being postponed and latter scrapped. The Tui Sports crashed on Ohope beach in 1941. As of 2006 it is undergoing a slow rebuild at the Museum of Transport and Technology
Museum of Transport and Technology
The Museum of Transport and Technology is a 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 large collections of civilian and military aircraft and other land transport vehicles...

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