For Masterton man Clive Thorne, watching the Cessna aeroplanes at Hood Aerodrome brings back great memories.
He flew the planes from 1956 to 1964, fertilising and spraying Wairarapa farms for a topdressing business with his late twin brother Colin.
"They bring back many, many memories," he said.
"They were such a lovely aeroplane
to fly.
"They're really quiet and for someone my size they're perfect - there's plenty of room in them."
Mr Thorne was back at the aerodrome this week, watching some of the 70-odd Cessnas coming to town to celebrate 50 years since the birth of the Cessna 185 in 1961.
The planes are coming from all over the country, carrying around 250 people to Hood to coincide with this weekend's Wings Over Wairarapa.
Group president Ken Macdonald, who flew up from Rangiora on Wednesday in an hour and 25 minutes, said the Cessna was a special plane.
"They're just the best flying machine that's ever been made. The guys that own them and fly them - they just love them."
His Cessna 185 is "the second oldest in New Zealand" and is from the original manufacturing run in the United States in 1961.
He said that with at least 70 of New Zealand's 116 registered Cessnas coming to Masterton it was very likely the single biggest private gathering of 180s and 185s at one place anywhere in the world. "It's almost Guinness World Records material."
Another Cessna enthusiast, Nigel Griffith, flew over the Tararuas from Kapiti [journey time 18 minutes], and said the planes "commanded respect" from their pilots. "If you don't do it right, you'll get bitten."
He said the beauty of the plane was that it could fly slow enough to land in a football field but also "fast enough to get from A to B quickly".
He said that the weekend would be a special celebration of the aircraft, the last of which was built in 1985.
Organiser Jeff Griffith said planes were coming from the West Coast to the East Coast, from Northland to Stewart Island, with everything from topdressers to ski planes involved in the celebration.
A handling display by Nigel Griffith would take place at the airshow over the weekend, with a dinner for up to 300 people to be held at the aerodrome on Saturday night.
