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@@spadgm Always amazes me how it can either be one of the most scenic flights out there on one day, and the next day it's absolutely atrocious - bouncing your way over at 4000ft watching the White Caps through the gaps in the clouds. Gotta love it! :)

@@FullyNZ so true!

Thank You so much :)

Great to have a bigger Air line in Whakatane Airport

I'd actually have to agree with you on that one. I've had well over 600 flights on a variety of different Turboprops. When compared to the likes of the Dash 8 or ATR, The Saab 340 definitely feels louder. That said, I do really love the hum of the Saabs General Electrics. They are a great Aircraft 👌

@FullyNZ the Saab 340s sound good but they do seem loud. Compare that to the F50...much quieter inside but loud outside.

Haha the Winterless North! Where everytime I seem to visit its muggy and wet! :) Surprised the Tarmac doesn't have Mushrooms growing out of the cracks :D

They are just the best! :) I must have logged a smidgen under 500 flights on the Dash 8, and all of them - bar one on a 100 series, were on the 300 series. I'd love to chalk up a ride on a Q400. I know Qantas have some flying around over in Australia. May have to tick it off the list next time I am over! :) Flybe were brilliant and certainly gathered a really good, loyal support base of Customers. Sad to see them fall over when, and how they did. And also seeing the collapse of the rebirthed Flybe. Aviation is a tough business..

@@FullyNZ Good grief 500 flights. That certainly is a few!! My 15 on Flybe seems insignificant in comparision. They were still enjoyable though.

It's incredible how quick they add up over the years :) I do quite like the fact that the Dash 8 is my most flown aircraft type :)

Thank you so much :) :) :)

They are incredible Aircraft! I know there are those who sit on the ATR side of the fence, or the Dash 8 side. I know what side I am on! :) The Dash 8s are stellar Aircraft to fly, and fly in. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next few years with Whangarei Airport. Whether it stays where it is, or whether they relocate and build and brand new one. They have a couple of sites worked out, with one particularly ideal one located. If that does happen, I will be most sad to see the Airport at Onerahi go. It's a gorgeous spot!

Where are the proposed new sites for the airport? Can't imagine the Whangarai city council wanted to spend that kind of money on a new airport!!

So at this stage they have two sites identified out at Ruatangata (North East of the CBD). From memory, one of those is more superior than the other. I'm sure I heard on the grapevine that the Council has purchased some land there. The third option is out at One Tree Point. Seems there are quite a few drawbacks to this location though. Namely how susceptible to flooding the area is, the somewhat high surrounding population which would be affected by noise/operations. And also the proximity of the port/refinery. The final option tabled was to leave the Airport as is at Onerahi. Unfortunately the Airport is no longer fit for purpose. It currently has the shortest Runway in the country that Air NZ operate to. It is only allowed to continue to operate under special dispensation from the Civil Aviation Authority, as the Airport has numerous non-compliance issues. One being the lack of RESAs on the Runway. With no room to expand the current Airport, it is completely unlikely these compliance issues will be met. I know the submissions to council on the projects finished back in 2022 or something. I would imagine we would hear something soon surely. :)

It's actually really deceiving. You walk up to a PC12 and think wow, that is small. And I mean, it is no A320, but the interior actually feels somewhat spacious. I think the large windows really help with that. The Seats are really comfy, and have a proper over the shoulder seat belt like you would find in a car. In all my flights on a PC12, I have never done anything over 70 minutes. But I can definitely attest to it being quite comfortable and really quiet as well for a flight of that kind of duration. :) :) I would take a PC12 over the likes of a Metroliner any day :) :)

Thanks so much :)

It really is an absolute stunner! As soon as you land and hop off the plane and smell that fresh West Coast air, it's an incredible evocative feeling of home :) :)

They really are just the best! I have an incredible fondness for them. After working on them for years, hundreds and hundreds flights, I still enjoy every Dash 8 flight. The 300 is an incredible machine :)

It's an incredibly special place that's for sure :)

It sure was :) :)

Thank You so much! :) :) :)

Thanks so much! :) Yes! Come on down. New Zealand is a fabulous place to visit and explore. We have some amazing aviation experiences to enjoy. Being an Island nation, our Weather can also make things pretty interesting :)

You are totally right. Rotorua is very much a cloudy area. The City/Lake sits in an ancient Volcanic Caldera, which means any cloud tends to hang around. On a rainy day the clouds can hang down pretty low over the Runway causing a lot of cancelled and diverted flights. On a clear blue sky day, Rotorua is a beautiful airport to fly into/out of. Heaps of beautiful lakes, volcanos, Volcanic vents, farmland, forest, bush. It's got it all :)

Air Chathams definitely know how to do Regional Airlinks well. They have provided the Eastern Bay of Plenty with a fantastic service for many years now. Unfortunately with the introduction of the Saabs to Whakatane, the schedule has seen drastic changes which now makes the service completely unsuitable for Business Travel. Time will tell whether this was a bad move, but many I know now travel to Tauranga Airport to take advantage of the better schedule.

That guy is Local Buller and Aviation Identity Mr Willie Sage. He has had a long association with Sounds Air. Heck of a nice guy. Sometimes if your lucky, the Sounds Air Pilots will let a Passenger sit upfront on both the PC12 and the Caravan. Definitely doesn't happen all the time, but I have had more than a few rides.

Sure Is :) I managed 27 flights on this airframe before she crossed over to Air Chathams.

It actually was! :) I checked the ATIS when I landed into Wellington, and it was showing TRG as way below mins, and a crosswind right on the limit for the Dash-8. By the time it came to board, the Conditions had improved a little, but I still expected some potential issues when it came to landing. Thankfully an hour later, and conditions had improved a heap and we got in first go. I too love coming through the Clouds and seeing the lay of the land. It's the mystery of wondering where you will come through the Clouds. It's really awesome! :) Thanks so much :)

Aw man so do I!! They were just the coolest birds. I enjoyed every single flight I had on them. From memory I logged over 160 flights on them, plus worked on them every single day :) Back in the days when you could fly on a Eagle Airways 1900D to places like Kaitaia, Masterton, Westport, Oamaru ect.

@@FullyNZ I used to joy ride AKL/HLZ just to go in one. They really had a powerful takeoff and those tinted windows... Class act all the way. Really opened up all of NZ too.

Thank You so much 😊😊😊

What an amazing flight that would have been! An iconic bird over a gorgeous part of the country. The DC3 really is special. Ah the 90s, back when Aviation had sooo many interesting aircraft buzzing around. Ah the Argosy. I am pleased to say that it looked pretty intact when viewed from the Road, driving in from the West Coast. Now there is a bird I would have loved to have flown on. That noise!! Nothing but impressive. Love the Argosy and so glad to see that that example is still intact. :) Thanks Heaps for Viewing :)

It's a very special place alright! :) Most of the time there is someone I know to talk to, but usually nothing else to do but Read a book, have a Cuppa and watch the endless blue of the Pacific Ocean or endless clouds roll by. :)

Thanks so much! :) They are a very special place. Winter is usually pretty quiet on the Islands, and with a lot of On-Island projects winding up, this winter has certainly been quiet. I flew back out the week after this video and there was only 3 passengers including myself onboard. The other week I counted 10 of us. However in the Summer, especially around Christmas, and Beginning and End of School Holidays, I have seen the plane nearly full. So yeah, it kinda is all over the show, with Passenger Numbers varying greatly :) The Regular Supply boat out of Timaru and Napier was out of commission for months on end during this year. Air Chathams were fantastic as usual at keeping essential freight travelling back and forth moving. Certainly, even with only a handful of seats occupied by Passengers, the rest of the Seats are full up of Freight and Mail. :)

Thanks very much for your reply! That is interesting to know. Seems like you are out there a lot - pretty lucky. Yes very true, Air Chathams have always been a great asset to the island community.

@Georgelnz They really have. Proof of what a well run, family and community based airline can achieve. Now we look ahead to hopefully seeing an Air Chathams Jet Airliner plying the Island Routes. Will definitely be better than the ATR. It really has not found favour with many of the Islanders. Hard to beat the economics of it though! The Convair 580 is definitely missed though. My special second home! Definitely feel blessed to have spent soo much time out there, Lucky to have amazing friends and whanau there too. :)

Thank you so so much :) :)