Boomerang trainer plane crosses Tasman for expo

Seventeen flying hours got the Whitney Boomerang from Australia to New Zealand and this one will not be going back.

The tiny two-seater pilot trainer aircraft touched down at Hamilton airport on Thursday as possibly the smallest visitor to Avex, the New Zealand National Aviation Expo.

Pilot Warwick Henry took off from Kingaroy Airport, in Queensland, on Tuesday, September 30, and flew across the Tasman, stopping overnight at Lord Howe and Norfolk islands.

"I've flown 737s to New Zealand in three hours this took three days, " he said.

The plane was equipped with a liferaft and a spare tank of fuel on the passenger seat, but good weather made for a smooth flight across the Tasman.

"It performs flawlessly ... I wouldn't do it if I wasn't confident it could make it," Mr Henry said. "It's got excellent range (endurance) for a small aeroplane. Six hours for a little aeroplane is a lot."

Mr Henry landed in Kerikeri, where the aircraft was inspected and cleared by Customs and Maf staff, before landing at Ardmore and then flying to Hamilton for the three-day Avex expo at Mystery Creek, which ended on Saturday.

The Boomerang, designed and built in Australia by Dean-Wilson Aviation Ltd, has been in the skies only since January. The seventh plane is under construction and this is the first to come to New Zealand.

Dean-Wilson chairman Steve Wilson said there was a world shortage of light aeroplanes for training and the Boomerang was developed to fill a gap in the market.

"The beautiful thing is it is built especially for training," he said. "It's got everything they need to qualify to be a commercial pilot. You can fly it day or night and in any weather. There's plenty of cabin room, it's nice and comfortable."

The aircraft's most modern feature was its steel crash-crate, he said, adding that the Boomerang was the first two-seater aircraft in the world to be crash tested.

Mr Wilson said the plane would be sold in New Zealand.

- © Fairfax NZ News