The Sea Plane
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Tue 5 Aug 2014 22:57
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The Sea
Plane
  Amphibian Airways Ltd: Adventure in the
great southwest. Amphibian Airways Ltd., Invercargill New Zealand, specialists
in unusual holidays. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New
Zealand.
 The
model of the sea plane hanging in the
museum.
 Her
story hanging in our hotel the South
Sea.
Islanders
remember the amphibian aircraft service with affection, “The landing was of
great moment for the Island people” the Southland Times wrote of its first
flight to Oban, “and almost every resident was gathered on the beach.”
Regular services to Stewart Island were inaugurated on the 1st of October 1951.
By the late 1950’s there was a Monday, Wednesday and Friday twice-daily
scheduled service, and an occasional charter flight at other
times.
The
District Nurse Sister Sinclair told of how the “amphib” – and her new Land
Rover, had transformed medical emergencies. Prior to the “amphib” an emergency
trip to Invercargill was usually a four-hour ordeal on the fo’c’sle on the deck
of a fishing boat.
The
Widgeons were used to service Fiordland as well as Stewart Island and were an
important link in exploring the area and in the crayfish boom of the
1960’s.
ZK-AVM
made national news on the 24th of October 1968 when a landing at Halfmoon Bay
went wrong and “Its in the Bag” Selwyn Toogood had to be pulled out of the
water. No-one was hurt, ZK-AVM was returned to Invercargill on the ferry,
Wairua the next day and prompt action in dismantling and washing
everything to get rid of the salt saved the airframe. The aeroplane was back in
service by Christmas.
Flying
as a passenger in the “amphib” was fun. You entered by a hatch in the rear of
the fuselage. In the main cabin four small bucket seats faced each other, each
with a small window that gave an excellent view. If you were lucky you got to
sit next to the pilot.
 Landing
on or taking off from the water was the highlight of
the flight and was probably he most skilled part of the operation for the
pilot.
Onlookers
soon learned to turn the other way as the aircraft manoeuvred on the beach, to
avoid a blast of sand in the face. ZK-AVM was a familiar sight on Stewart Island
until the construction of the airstrip and the introduction of the first
Islander.
 ALL IN ALL A REAL
TREAT OF A STORY
INTRIGUING AND
FUN |