Oh what a perfect day
Posted: Sat Nov 23, 2024 4:13 pmJust Jono and I at home today, SWMBO is in Japan, Chris is in AKL....So its been a full on aviation based day...sim, flight radar, general discussions about aviation, with the odd chat about sport and politics.
And to top it off, we had a low slow flyover by ZK-JGB, which the big guy will capture on the ground tomorrow...he did get a good shot of her over home, but I cant post it at the moment.
Amazing to see an 80 plus year old Aircraft airborne....that's not a rebuilt Spitfire or whatever.
Looking forward to the day I see ( wishful thinking) an 83 year old A-350 or similar....I wont hold my breath.
Ok....enough of that, below, you will find some information on this old ladies past...if you don't already know.
This 1942 build spent it’s first four years with the USN then took up a corporate transport role with a series of different owners in the USA.
In 1979 it went to Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia for 8 years operating with marking “Sara”, the name of one of his daughters.
After a brief period back in the USA it ended up in South Africa in 1990 going on to operate safari type passenger charter work for Naturelink to destinations such Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Vilanculos, Mozambique and Maun in the Okavango Swamps and Botswana.
With a move and a new career intended in Iceland in 2006, it got held up at Dunsfold in the UK due to bureaucratic issues and spent 6 years in storage. After 6 months in France in 2012 it was eventually flown to New Zealand on a 23-day journey retracing the epic 22,000km route taken by Jean Batten on the first flight from England to NZ back in 1936 when she was just 27.
New owner Mark Oremland from the Te Anau Lodge and his team had a great welcome at Te Anau – Manapouri when they arrived in 2012
It was transferred to the NZ register as ZK-JGB (c/n 4363) on 16-02-2015.
Civil registration, ZK-JGB was subsequently cancelled later that year, with registration being held for a time in the UK and USA, and then in 2016 after some heavy maintenance was carried out by JEM Aviation at Omaka, it was registered to Airscapade Affairs Limited, Te Anau.
In 2020, consideration was given to turning the aircraft into accommodation, but this idea was quickly dismissed “because it would be such a shame to ground forever such a wonderful flying legend - a pillar of modern aviation”. The aircraft spent some time in Napier when The Hawkes Bay DC3 Charitable Trust was set up intending to sell shares, purchase the DC3 and operate it via the trust as an NZCAA licensed aircraft operation, flying around Hawke's Bay.
However, this did not progress to purchase and Airscapade returned South to continue with the plan to operate commercially for tourists and locals in the South Island. Consequently, it is going through the process of getting a commercial license and the many challenges are being addressed and overcome in the same way as when it came out from England in 2012.
We look forward to seeing this beautiful aircraft in our skies regularly again soon.
Interested in owning a10% share of ZK-JCB and being part of it's future? Get in touch for further details."
And to top it off, we had a low slow flyover by ZK-JGB, which the big guy will capture on the ground tomorrow...he did get a good shot of her over home, but I cant post it at the moment.
Amazing to see an 80 plus year old Aircraft airborne....that's not a rebuilt Spitfire or whatever.
Looking forward to the day I see ( wishful thinking) an 83 year old A-350 or similar....I wont hold my breath.
Ok....enough of that, below, you will find some information on this old ladies past...if you don't already know.
This 1942 build spent it’s first four years with the USN then took up a corporate transport role with a series of different owners in the USA.
In 1979 it went to Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia for 8 years operating with marking “Sara”, the name of one of his daughters.
After a brief period back in the USA it ended up in South Africa in 1990 going on to operate safari type passenger charter work for Naturelink to destinations such Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Vilanculos, Mozambique and Maun in the Okavango Swamps and Botswana.
With a move and a new career intended in Iceland in 2006, it got held up at Dunsfold in the UK due to bureaucratic issues and spent 6 years in storage. After 6 months in France in 2012 it was eventually flown to New Zealand on a 23-day journey retracing the epic 22,000km route taken by Jean Batten on the first flight from England to NZ back in 1936 when she was just 27.
New owner Mark Oremland from the Te Anau Lodge and his team had a great welcome at Te Anau – Manapouri when they arrived in 2012
It was transferred to the NZ register as ZK-JGB (c/n 4363) on 16-02-2015.
Civil registration, ZK-JGB was subsequently cancelled later that year, with registration being held for a time in the UK and USA, and then in 2016 after some heavy maintenance was carried out by JEM Aviation at Omaka, it was registered to Airscapade Affairs Limited, Te Anau.
In 2020, consideration was given to turning the aircraft into accommodation, but this idea was quickly dismissed “because it would be such a shame to ground forever such a wonderful flying legend - a pillar of modern aviation”. The aircraft spent some time in Napier when The Hawkes Bay DC3 Charitable Trust was set up intending to sell shares, purchase the DC3 and operate it via the trust as an NZCAA licensed aircraft operation, flying around Hawke's Bay.
However, this did not progress to purchase and Airscapade returned South to continue with the plan to operate commercially for tourists and locals in the South Island. Consequently, it is going through the process of getting a commercial license and the many challenges are being addressed and overcome in the same way as when it came out from England in 2012.
We look forward to seeing this beautiful aircraft in our skies regularly again soon.
Interested in owning a10% share of ZK-JCB and being part of it's future? Get in touch for further details."
