NZ DC3 [ZK-AWP] sold to Darwin [VH-X73]

[Mwenenzi]

Gooney Bird Adventures

www.gooneybirdadventures.com

04 Feb 2025 From Air Chathams Farewells AWP

Yesterday Air Chathams' staff had an opportunity to farewell the company's classic, nearly 80 year old Douglas DC-3 ZK-AWP. A couple of scenic flights were operated from Auckland before the plane departed for Ardmore for some brief work in preparation for its ferry flight to Darwin. It then flew to Matamata where it will do crew training before leaving the country, at this stage on Saturday.<snip>

10 Feb From

https://www.facebook.com/HistoricAustralianAircraft/posts/1028838005938588

EX Kiwi Dakotas migrate to Australia
Long term resident in New Zealand, C-47 ZK-AWP arrived at Essendon Fields airport on Sunday the 9th February after crossing over ‘the ditch’. This C-47 has been in New Zealand since its delivery to the Royal New Zealand Air Force on the 13th May 1945, where it became NZ3543
<snip>
By 2007 it was out of service and wasn’t until 2010 when it was restored back to airworthiness and flying with Chathams Pacific in Tonga. 2013 and a homecoming was made when it was again cancelled from the Tongan register and returned to New Zealand as ZK-AWP.
The aircraft new life in Australia commenced in early February when it was purchased to begin operations with Gooney Bird Adventures in Darwin, Northern Territory. The aircraft will fly with the registration of VH-X73. It will soon be joined by another ex New Zealand C-47 ZK-DAK. The airline will start operations in May.

 

[jpp42]

Gooney Bird Adventures

www.gooneybirdadventures.com

Looks like they're charging $490 for a 3-hour flight. That's pretty steep - I wonder why the flight is so long?

 

[eastwest101]

Gooney Bird Adventures

www.gooneybirdadventures.com

Looks like they're charging $490 for a 3-hour flight. That's pretty steep - I wonder why the flight is so long?

Its only a 1 hour flight, they are padding out the 3 hours as pick up from town, drinks and snacks and then drop off to markets etc, I think I paid about half of that for a 30-minute jaunt in a DC-3 at Wanaka pre-Covid, so those prices and operating costs aren't completely unrealistic when you consider the fuel, aircrew, apron fees and landing charges all the regulatory guff and hoops to jump through plus a profit margin, and the fact that the aircraft is more of a novelty than a modern airframe that could be making money doing more regular charter work. Might get work once or twice a year for a movie or TV show but not going to be making money or flying in the wet season.

 

[Mwenenzi]

.....modern airframe that could be making money doing more regular charter work. Might get work once or twice a year for a movie or TV show but not going to be making money or flying in the wet season.

Darwin NT is not the best place for aircraft in the wet season. Hope they fly it south to a drier climate in the off season to preserve it.

Still not due to operate until May 2025. Will take a lot of paper work and bureaucracy to get in the air.

 

[docjames]

8/2: Delivery on 8/2 as ZK-AWP routed AKL-KAT-NLK-SYD. THen a short hop the next morning SYD-WOL.THen 10/2 WOL-MEB. Appears to yet leave MEB (per FR24).

I had to look up KAT - turns out that is Kaitaia at far northern end of north island NZ. Looks like NLK-SYD the longest leg at 907nm (KAT-NLK is 452nm).

 

[jpp42]

8/2: Delivery on 8/2 as ZK-AWP routed AKL-KAT-NLK-SYD. THen a short hop the next morning SYD-WOL.THen 10/2 WOL-MEB. Appears to yet leave MEB (per FR24).

The drop-in at Albion Park was a quick visit to HARS, I suppose?

I had to look up KAT - turns out that is Kaitaia at far northern end of north island NZ. Looks like NLK-SYD the longest leg at 907nm (KAT-NLK is 452nm).

Interesting choice of KAT. I wonder if they required customs clearance for departure or if that could be handled at AKL? Sometimes delivery flights trying to avoid Auckland use Bay of Islands (KKE/Kerikeri) as they have the customs and quarantine facilities "sort of" available (you still need to pay for a call-out, but it's possible). However, KAT has a 1402m runway versus only 1190m at KKE, so that's probably the reason for choosing KAT for the DC3.

Given they clearly had the range to fly NLK-SYD at 907nm, unsure why they diverted via the Northland at all (AKL-NLK direct is 589 nm). I suppose it means they had to uplift slightly less fuel at NLK which is probably very expensive.

 

[nancypants]

Darwin NT is not the best place for aircraft in the wet season. Hope they fly it south to a drier climate in the off season to preserve it.

Still not due to operate until May 2025. Will take a lot of paper work and bureaucracy to get in the air.

MMA is going OK sitting here year round. I’m guessing this mob are part of Hardy’s also (or possibly Paspaley?) who have a very good track record of keeping ancient planes running nicely

unsure of the optics of having it follow “the historic flight path of the bombing of Darwin”- shouldn’t that be a zero?!

 

[markis10]

Air Chathams fleet age suddenly halved, although they did buy some Rex birds to keep the vintage feel