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SOUTHERN DC3
23 Sir William Pickering Drive,
Burnside,
Christchurch 8053

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Southern DC3 Staff Page

Charter Adventure Packages Darfield Adventure Lake Hood Adventure Central Otago Rail Trail

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Otago Aero Club Wings & Wheels Open Day Sunday 12th February 2012

It was a nail biting game for all to watch but you fought France until the very end,  New Zealand and the Southern DC3 are incredibly proud of you all.

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Crusaders charter DC3 to Wellington

Crusaders' rugby flesh worth millions of dollars made a successful raid on Wellington Airport in a DC3 yesterday.  And tonight the team hopes to compete the double as they confront the Hurricanes in their Super match at Westpac Stadium.
With ash from the Chile volcano placing their travel plans in jeopardy the Crusanders, thanks to the help of injured skipper Richie McCaw, who is a trust patron of the Southern DC3, organised a charter flight on the 67 year old plane instead of taking a commercial flight.
Being able to fly at an altitude of around 5500ft ensured the plane was not affected by the ash that has disrupted commercial flights all wee.  The franchise has also put the DC3 on standby if the ash continues to be a problem when they return to Christchurch tomorrow.
Travelling on the historic DC3, which ferried American paratroopers in the pacific in WWII, was a far cry from when the squad travelled business class to London and Johannesburg earlier in the season.  Entertainment was provided by centre Robbie Fruean, while his team mates were able to walk towards the cockpit and observe their pilots at work.
"Robbie Fruean did the safety briefing for us and handed out the lollies, so he played his part as well,"  Crusaders manager Tony Thorpe said.  "The flight was not as noisy as we thought it would be and it made for quite a relaxing and enjoyable trip.  It was another unique experience for us, another chapter in the Crusaders' 2011 book."
As they took off above Christchurch the Crusaders were given a sobering view of the inner-city, with the pilots completing a "figure eight" manoeuvre before heading across Pegasus Bay and towards Wellington.
Twenty-eight players and management staff flew in the DC3, while several other members of the management team drove a van with the team's gear from Christchurch to Picton to catch a ferry to Wellington.  Tonight's match is officially a "home" match for the Crusaders because AMI Stadium was damaged in the February 22 earthquake.

The Christchurch Press Article Saturday 18th June 2011
by Richard Knowler

DC3 flies to the Rescue

Some passengers stranded in Christchurch yesterday because of volcanic ash were able to fly - thanks to a 67 year old plane.  The historic Southern DC3 made a special trip to Christchurch Airport to take a small number of stranded passengers to Wellington.
Flight attendant Geoff Cambridge said the plane which was built in 1944, was able to take off because it flew below 10,000 feet.  "It's the normal flight pattern for us," he said.
The plane is based at the Ashburton Aviation Museum and is used for sightseeing, charters and charity work.  "It's a museum piece.  It's wonderful she's still flying," Cambridge said.
Twenty-four people took up the offer yesterday afternoon, paying $380 for a one-way ticket.  The plane also flew stranded passengers back from Wellington.  Cambridge said the DC3 would fly the Crusaders rugby team to Wellington today for their match against the Hurricanes on Saturday night.
Captain Dave Horsburgh said the crew had dubbed the mission "Christchurch airlift".  "We're all airline pilots and it was our day off today and we said we can help Christchurch.  We're only to pleased." 
The plane is looked after by a charity, the Southern DC3 Trust, Horsburgh said.

The Christchurch Press Article Friday 14th June 2011
by Nicole Mathewson   

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/5153937/DC3-makes-mercy-dash-to-capital                                        

Southern DC3 Trust wins at the inaugural Christchurch Heritage Awards!