Aviation enthusiasts were treated to a rare spectacle at
the Idaburn airstrip this week when a DC-3 heritage airliner
and P-51D Mustang took to the sky. Rosie Manins joined
hundreds of Maniototo residents and school children at the
rural airstrip, near Oturehua, for the Southern DC3
Charitable Trust's Heartland Tour of the South Island.
It is not every day school-aged children and
teenagers from rural New Zealand can touch the underbelly of
an old war plane before sitting in its cockpit.
• Pilot's homecoming
Hundreds of Maniototo school pupils relished the opportunity
for a close examination of a 1944 DC-3 aircraft, which was
once used to carry soldiers into battle.
The two-engined transporter was parked on a grass airstrip
alongside State Highway 85 on Tuesday.
After a brief lesson on the aircraft and its 66-year history,
pupils were invited on board to examine its interior.
For some, it was their first experience of being inside an
aeroplane, while for others, the DC-3 provided an intriguing
contrast to the high-tech appliances of modern commercial
aircraft.
A detailed inspection of the DC-3 followed, which for many
was the first and most likely last time they would sit on an
airliner's wheels and count the rivets in its frame.
At 2pm, Wanaka pilot Rob Broek made a dramatic arrival in his
World War 2 Mustang fighter, navigating a low, high-speed run
over the 1160m landing strip at Idaburn.
Southern DC-3 Charitable Trust chairman and volunteer DC-3
pilot Dave Horsburgh, of Christchurch, said being able to
witness both aircraft in flight was special, particularly in
the rural setting.
"During the war, soldiers would have been parachuting from
the DC-3, while the P-51D Mustang was being flown underneath
to protect them.
"This is like the Wanaka air show coming to the Maniototo,"
he said.
It was the first time the P-51D Mustang joined the 1944 DC-3
on the Heartland Tour and would likely be the last, Mr
Horsburgh said.
More than 150 people boarded seven scenic flights in the DC-3
from 9am, taking in a 30-minute loop of the wider area,
including St Bathans, Naseby, Ranfurly, Wedderburn and
Oturehua.
"We've had huge support from the Maniototo area.
"To date, we've been averaging about four flights each day
and this has virtually doubled that, so we are very
grateful," he said.
Idaburn marked day 11 in the scheduled 44-day "barnstorming"
tour, he said.
Mr Horsburgh said due to the DC-3 having a light wing load it
flew "like a magic carpet".
Despite being only 12 tonnes, the DC-3 had wings the same
size as a 66 tonnes Boeing 737.
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