Vintage passion takes to skies
New year festivities took flight in Woodville, with aviation enthusiasts banding together in celebration.
About 60 people and eight planes, including two rare vintage aircraft, gathered for the annual Wings Over Woodville on Sunday.
The event was held at Athol and Betty Sowry’s farm in Woodville for its 12th year.
Wings Over Woodville is the first aviation event for the calender year.
Athol Sowry said it was a special celebration this year as a two rare agricultural planes – a Yeoman Crop Master and a Auster Agricloa – attended the event with their pilots.
It was the first time in more than 40 years both planes were on the same airfield together.
Hallett Griffin has been an agricultural pilot for nearly 53 years and has around 40,000 hours of flying experience.
Only eight Austers were built in England. Seven of those were shipped to New Zealand in the 1950s, and his plane was later built from the parts, he said.
Griffen said planes were his passions.
‘‘I just love agricultural flying. It’s doing something productive – we’re achieving something.’’
He said top soiling had played a big part in New Zealand’s agriculture. Using planes to top dress and spray farms was productive and also an ‘‘exhilarating’’ experience by flying so close to land, he said.
Pilot Linday Mcnichol said his Yeoman plane was extremely rare and, as far as he knew, it was the only working plane of its kind in the world.
‘‘I still do top dressing with it. I do it for myself and airshows.’’
He said the event was a good way to catch up with pilots he had known for years.