Air Chathams DC-3 flights sold-out for Vintage Weekend

Air Chathams managed to get in nine scenic flights on its DC3 over Vintage Weekend. Photo/ Paul Brooks

Rain may have grounded yesterday's flights but Air Chathams still got in more vintage flights that ever this anniversary weekend.

As it does each Vintage Weekend the airline brought its DC-3 to town to carry out scenic flights over the city.

The 'graceful old lady' did five flights on Saturday and four on Sunday.

"We had planned for three on Monday but unfortunately due to weather conditions we've had to cancel it," Air Chathams commercial manager Adrian Ali said.

"It's not going to be a proper scenic flight with this sort of weather."

All 28 seats were sold on each half-hour flight which took in bird's eye views of Whanganui.

"People loved it," Mr Ali said.

"I guess because it's an old aircraft, it's 73 years old, built in 1945, and you don't get an opportunity to fly in this aircraft anywhere in the world. There's only two in New Zealand.

"The oldest person we had was a 93-year-old gentlemen. We had a lady who flew in the aircraft in 1963. And we also had some people who had won some competitions that we were running along with the Vintage Weekend."

Mr Ali said Air Chathams took DC-3 to various events around New Zealand.

"It used to be used for passenger traffic out to Auckland to Whakatane, but we've retired it now and now it's just for scenic flights."