Just before 10.30am on Saturday, Mr Troon (84) and six other passengers boarded the Dominie ZK-AKY at Queenstown Airport for one of three scenic flights over the Wakatipu basin.
The retired pilot began his training in Queenstown - at the then Frankton Aerodrome - in 1953.
In 1957, Mr Troon was involved in the first aerial sandfly control drop over Milford Sound. An ''old Tiger Moth'' with spray equipment was used to pour a mixture of diesel and DDT over the area in a bid to cull the sandflies.
''By all reports it made the sandflies grow bigger,'' he said.
Mr Troon, of Christchurch, was the most senior of about 130 former staff who attended the Aviation Pioneers Reunion in the resort held over the weekend.
They included staff and their families from the region's original airlines - Southern Scenic Air Services, Ritchie Air Services, West Coast Airways, Tourist Air Travel, and Mt Cook Airline.
Co-organiser Hank Sproull, of Queenstown, said the three-day event had been ''absolutely amazing''.
''Meeting people, [hearing] their stories from days gone by and just seeing everybody enjoying everybody's company and reminiscing about the old days.
''We've just been really overwhelmed by the whole thing, really.''
For Mr Troon, the reunion provided the chance for another experience in the Dominie, one of his favourite aircraft - his last flight in the 1943 de Havilland DH89 biplane, known as ''Tui'', was 56 years ago.
''The last time was 1961 in Queenstown - that's when I finished flying in Queenstown and went to join the National Airways, but I regret that now. It [Saturday's flight] was lovely. It brought back a lot of memories ... it's actually a bit louder than expected, it's quite noisy.
''Down the back there's quite steep too, when you walk up the aisle, but it's a lovely aeroplane.''
The expansion of the resort when viewed from the air took Mr Troon by surprise.
''It was only just a few houses and a couple of cars when we were here ... but it's almost a city now, I suppose.''
The reunion began on Friday night with a social event at the Air Milford hangar, followed by a lunch and open microphone session at Gibbston Valley Winery on Saturday afternoon.
Yesterday, a Palm Sunday church service was held at the Frankton Presbyterian Church, led by Aviation Chaplain the Rev Dr Richard Waugh, which included a presentation about Queenstown aviation pioneers and a tribute to those who died in early operations, including Geoffrey Houston, Eion Buckham and Alan Nicholas.
At the conclusion of the service the Dominie and two vintage Cessnas took to the sky, completing a memorial fly-past in Missing Man formation in their honour.
