This Site is dedicated to all those families of the people that have tragically disappeared on flights in and around New Zealand. I only hope that from all the effort in building this site and from all the effort of those taking part in this venture, that it will bear fruit in bringing ‘closure’ to their memories!
Gavin Grimmer
Gavin Grimmer
August 2011
In a recent edition of Pacific Wings (June 2011), Darryl Sherwin published a really good article titled “The Disappearance of Ryan Moynihan and ZK-FMQ - Is it Time to Look Again?”.
Darryl and I have been working in together for a little over a year now, in fact it was due to some of Darryl’s excellent research that I was able to come to the conclusion of why and where we believe Hughes 500 ZK-HNW disappeared to.
At some point, Darryl sent me a KMZ Google Earth file with lots of Placemarks with explanations of sightings/hearings of ZK-FMQ he had gathered from the RCC files. He had also telephoned a lot of the witnesses and had noted the basics of the conversations. At the time, I perused them, but like in the case of ZK-AFB, all the observation positions looked rather chaotic. Darryl also explained his theory of FMQ being in the Mt Peel area, although we agreed to disagree as I believed after reading Chris Rudge’s article in his book “MISSING,” FMQ was somewhere west of Hokitika. It still seemed like a good possibility though, so I was happy to help out Darryl wherever possible. I’ve found over the years that you always need to keep an open mind to all possibilities.
Prior to the time of talking to Darryl, I had placed on Google Earth my own Placemarks with all the sightings of an aeroplane on the West Coast that Chris Rudge had compiled in his book from extensive research done by Ryan’s father, Mike Moynihan, and I had also talked to a few people in the Ross/Lake Kaniere area.
In the past, I had spent quite a bit of time communicating with Chris Lind, who also spent a tremendous lot of time over the years researching this mystery.
I must point out at this stage, that I can’t take too much credit for what I’m about to show you as it is only a result of an accumulation of all the good work put in by all the research done by those just mentioned. I’m just the person who has managed to put it all together - hopefully correctly!
I must also point out that this is only my scenario/theory, as after showing this to Darryl, we still agree to disagree. At the end of the day, Darryl, I, and everyone else, just want to find Ryan and FMQ, and put an end to the mystery.
After reading Darryl’s article in Pacific Wings, I thought it was about time I researched Darryl’s theory in case there was something Darryl had overlooked, that might help define the search area further. I think Darryl was getting a little bit tired of all the badgering I gave him with all the emails going back and forth! At one stage, I thought I’d found a flaw in Darryl’s theory as to the plotting of the radar track, but as it turned out, Darryl was right...and I was wrong!..... (Egg on my face again!)
It soon became apparent that Darryl had really done his homework and had made a very thorough, accurate, job of it....well done Darryl.
It was then that I noticed one of his Placemarks at Lismore, and it had this note in the associated description box: REF E-mail From Vincents. Mrs Vincent saw red and white Cessna 180/185 fly past farm at 10:40 am and return after 12:00 pm. At 12:00 pm thought it was going to land on their airstrip, Wx very bad, She ran across road to watch. Saw it disappear into murk following transmission lines.
I had had contact with the Vincent’s in the past, and I knew that they were a long standing aviation family (from at least the early 50’s) and that if Mrs Vincent said she saw a red and white Cessna, then she SAW a red and white Cessna!
In a recent edition of Pacific Wings (June 2011), Darryl Sherwin published a really good article titled “The Disappearance of Ryan Moynihan and ZK-FMQ - Is it Time to Look Again?”.
Darryl and I have been working in together for a little over a year now, in fact it was due to some of Darryl’s excellent research that I was able to come to the conclusion of why and where we believe Hughes 500 ZK-HNW disappeared to.
At some point, Darryl sent me a KMZ Google Earth file with lots of Placemarks with explanations of sightings/hearings of ZK-FMQ he had gathered from the RCC files. He had also telephoned a lot of the witnesses and had noted the basics of the conversations. At the time, I perused them, but like in the case of ZK-AFB, all the observation positions looked rather chaotic. Darryl also explained his theory of FMQ being in the Mt Peel area, although we agreed to disagree as I believed after reading Chris Rudge’s article in his book “MISSING,” FMQ was somewhere west of Hokitika. It still seemed like a good possibility though, so I was happy to help out Darryl wherever possible. I’ve found over the years that you always need to keep an open mind to all possibilities.
Prior to the time of talking to Darryl, I had placed on Google Earth my own Placemarks with all the sightings of an aeroplane on the West Coast that Chris Rudge had compiled in his book from extensive research done by Ryan’s father, Mike Moynihan, and I had also talked to a few people in the Ross/Lake Kaniere area.
In the past, I had spent quite a bit of time communicating with Chris Lind, who also spent a tremendous lot of time over the years researching this mystery.
I must point out at this stage, that I can’t take too much credit for what I’m about to show you as it is only a result of an accumulation of all the good work put in by all the research done by those just mentioned. I’m just the person who has managed to put it all together - hopefully correctly!
I must also point out that this is only my scenario/theory, as after showing this to Darryl, we still agree to disagree. At the end of the day, Darryl, I, and everyone else, just want to find Ryan and FMQ, and put an end to the mystery.
After reading Darryl’s article in Pacific Wings, I thought it was about time I researched Darryl’s theory in case there was something Darryl had overlooked, that might help define the search area further. I think Darryl was getting a little bit tired of all the badgering I gave him with all the emails going back and forth! At one stage, I thought I’d found a flaw in Darryl’s theory as to the plotting of the radar track, but as it turned out, Darryl was right...and I was wrong!..... (Egg on my face again!)
It soon became apparent that Darryl had really done his homework and had made a very thorough, accurate, job of it....well done Darryl.
It was then that I noticed one of his Placemarks at Lismore, and it had this note in the associated description box: REF E-mail From Vincents. Mrs Vincent saw red and white Cessna 180/185 fly past farm at 10:40 am and return after 12:00 pm. At 12:00 pm thought it was going to land on their airstrip, Wx very bad, She ran across road to watch. Saw it disappear into murk following transmission lines.
I had had contact with the Vincent’s in the past, and I knew that they were a long standing aviation family (from at least the early 50’s) and that if Mrs Vincent said she saw a red and white Cessna, then she SAW a red and white Cessna!
