A historic de Havilland 89 Dragon Rapide/Dominie has landed in Dunedin for a few days, before making the journey to Nelson this week to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first crossing of Cook Strait from Wellington to Nelson on November 11 1921.
The Dominie Tui, usually housed at the Croyden Aviation Centre, arrived in Dunedin on Friday afternoon.
The flight to Nelson would be piloted by Jordan Kean (27), chief flying instructor of Mainland Air at Momona, with Mainland Air’s Phillip Kean and one other crew member joining him for the journey.
The plane would leave Dunedin today or Tuesday, depending on the weather.
If the skies did open, the trip would have to be delayed, Mr Kean said.
The model was mainly used for passenger work during World War 2, and this plane once flew twice a day between Invercargill and Dunedin.
The 1943 model with twin Gipsy Queen engines was destined to be sold in Australia, before the Historic Places Trust stopped the sale, keeping the piece of history grounded on New Zealand soil. It was close to Mr Kean’s heart.
"I used to watch this aircraft fly out of Invercargill all the way back in the late ’50s," he said. "Then, it went to Te Anau and Queenstown, and I remember seeing it again at Gore Airport in the ’60s, and then in the ’70s it was sitting in the Queenstown shed for sale, and now it’s here.
"It’s an old friend coming home."
Mr Kean was thrilled to be reunited with the plane, and was interested in fostering a love in younger generations for the aircraft, and others like it.
"I’m coming to the end of my time, so you’ve got to pass these things on."
