‘AMY’ Returns to Ohakea
Peter Layne is an aviation historian associated with the Southern DC-3 Trust. Together with Pilot Officer James Cole, a Royal New Zealand Air Force pilot under training on the 09/1 Pilots course, they were motivated to write this article following the recent visit of a vintage aircraft to Base Ohakea.
By Peter Layne and PLTOFF James Cole
In fine formation
The once familiar rumble, but now forgotten sound, of the two Pratt and Whitney Twin Wasp engines—belonging to ZK-AMY—was recently heard in the skies overhead Ohakea. ‘AMY’—as she is affectionately known—was visiting Ohakea as part of the DC-3 (Charitable) Trusts’ fundraising ‘Heartland Tour’.
The aircraft visited 34 North and South Island townships in seven weeks. By the time ‘AMY’ reached Ohakea, she had exceeded 160 flights and carried approximately 4,000 passengers, many of whom had never flown before. On each flight a rugby ball, sponsored by Sterling Sports and autographed by Trust Patron, Honorary Squadron Leader Richie McCaw, was presented to a lucky passenger.
ZK-AMY spent two days based in Ohakea and her visit coincided with a visit from the Variety Club’s Annual Bash road trip. As a result, the aircraft was put on static display for the personnel of Base Ohakea, Variety Club Bashers, visiting school children—and even Ronald McDonald—to get up close and personal with this magnificent aircraft.
On the Saturday the airfield was opened to members of the public and ZK-AMY carried over 100 passengers on four scenic fundraising flights. The pilots, used to operating from shorter airstrips (even grass), were spoiled for length with Ohakea’s two large runways.
AMY symbolises veteran wartime air operations, and she provided a unique opportunity for those photographers who braved the strong Manawatu wind to get that perfect shot.
History
‘Mac’ attack!
‘AMY’ was assembled about the time of D-Day in 1944. Though not a D-Day participant, this DC-3 went across the Pacific after manufacture to serve in the Philippines campaign to liberate that country from the Japanese. Typically, it served as a transport aircraft moving men and machines in the war zone to as afar away as Australia.
After peace resumed, AMY went to South Australia where she was ‘civilianised’. Unlike her stable-mates, she was destined for a long life as a calibration aircraft rather than spending many hours on long haul flights in the Australian airline industry. Consequently, the aircraft has comparatively few, (18,000) hours on the airframe whereas many other DC-3s have hit the 60,000 hour mark. Following her decades of calibration work, predominantly as VH-CAN, this DC-3 passed through numerous Australian private owners, until arriving in New Zealand in 1994.
Vincent Aviation of Rongotai used ZK-AMY until 1998 on charter work but her usage was not enough to justify the expense in protecting her from the salt air ravaging Rongotai where she was based. From late that year until 2001, she was stored in a Fieldair hangar in Palmerston North. Pionair Adventures (based in Christchurch), looking for another DC-3 for their fleet, snapped her up and had her re-activated.
AMY was soon seen on both sides of the Tasman fulfilling tour bookings. In 1994, along with ZK-AWP, she headed to Tonga to work a contract with Peau Vava’u, serving the Islands of the Tongan Group. The arrangement worked well initially, but October 2005 saw ZK-AMY return to Christchurch where she was put up for sale.
Old warhorse
The Southern DC-3 (Charitable) Trust was formed early in 2006 determined to keep the aircraft in New Zealand and so an intensive fund raising campaign began with the aircraft being seen in many parts of New Zealand fulfilling charters.
The ZK-AMY aircraft has now been gifted in perpetuity to the Ashburton Aviation Museum, where a purpose-built hangar has been constructed. Fundraising from the ‘Heartland Tour’ is hoped to enable a debt-free handover. Special thanks go to CRT and Farmlands, without whose sponsorship and support a tour of such magnitude would not have been possible.
Plans are afoot to do charter work, scenic flights and to make future tours for many years to come. Let us hope that she will remain flying in our skies for as long as possible serving as a perpetual reminder of one of the finest aircraft ever built.