WWII flying boat to visit Far North

A World War II Catalina flying boat, one of only a handful worldwide still operating, will visit the Far North later this month. Photo / supplied

A rare piece of World War II aviation history is set to make a flying visit to the Far North later this month.

The 1944 Catalina flying boat — one of only a handful around the world still operating — will be based at Kaitaia Airport during the weekend of March 30-31, with a possible landing at Bay of Islands Airport in Kerikeri on the Sunday.

Kaitaia's Paul Muller, an aircraft engineer and member of the Catalina Preservation Society, said the vintage aircraft and its crew would be hosted by the Kaitaia Aero Club.

''We're trying to stir up some interest in the Far North. It's often the forgotten part of New Zealand,'' he said.

The Catalina would fly to Kaitaia from its current base at Ardmore in South Auckland on Friday, March 29, with four crew and up to 16 members of the society on board. All would be billeted in Kaitaia.

From about 10am to dusk on the Saturday everyone was welcome to inspect the Catalina, see it flying and hear its distinctive 1200hp Pratt and Whitney radial engines.

The crew planned a flyover of Mangonui's Waterfront Festival which was on the same day.

Kaitaia Aero Club would also be holding an open day at its hangar at Kaitaia Airport and had invited other Far North flying clubs to take part.

On Saturday evening club members would organise a pig on a spit and a knees-up for their visitors while on Sunday the flying boat was expected to land in Kerikeri to refuel, giving Bay of Islands residents a chance to see the aircraft.

The Catalina first flew on March 20, 1944, making it 75 years old by the time of the Kaitaia visit.

''They started out as a long-range patrol boat, later they put wheels on some of them and made them amphibious. They were used for submarine hunting and picked up a hell of lot of downed airmen and survivors of navy engagements. They weren't very fast but they could fly a hell of a long way.''

Of the 3200 built during World War II only a few were still flying, Muller said.

''So it's a rare machine. They were never designed to fly for 75 years. A few years ago we spent hundreds of thousands of dollars refurbishing it. We're just lucky to have something like this, and people who are willing to work on it and put their hands in their pockets to keep it going.''

The Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina was built in Canada for the Royal Canadian Air Force. Later it flew in Costa Rica and Canada as a civil aircraft before ending up as a safari plane in Zimbabwe.

It was brought to New Zealand in 1994 on an epic 14-day flight from Africa. It last visited the Far North in 2009.

The RNZAF operated more than 50 Catalinas in the Pacific during World War II.