You may have seen it, you certainly would have heard it – a slice of aviation history over Tauranga. What a sight, what an experience?

It was Air Chatham's DC-3 called Powhaitere, which started half-hour scenic flights out of Tauranga Airport last weekend.

She rumbled westward over Otumoetai – those big radial piston engines powering to a 1000 feet. The sound had Tauranga running outside to see who was passing over.

'That's the pull she has,” says Air Chatham's general manager Duane Emeny.

Twenty-one passengers were on the maiden flight on Sunday. 'There were a lot of smiling faces afterwards.”

'Especially one passenger who worked on DC-3s just after the war around the time of the Berlin airlift.”

There are a couple of flight tracks – a loop of the city and Mauao taking in any cruise ships. 'Then one route heads west up to the Coromandel, over Waihi mine and Katikati; the other heads eastwards to Te Puke.

'A beautiful region from the sky and the ideal aircraft to see it from.”

Seats can be reserved via Classic Flyers on 07 572 4000 and paid for on the day of flight. Flights can also be purchased as gift vouchers directly from Air Chathams on 0800 580 127 or online at: www.airchathams.co.nz.