Avro Anson pilot Bill Reid flies with Gracie Hills (front seat), Al Marshall (directly behind her) and an unnamed passenger. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
The Avro Anson Mk1, flown by Nelson owner Bill Reid, has put on a display at every airshow since 2014.
Mr Reid said this week he was in the process of breaking the plane down into pieces, so it would fit into five containers bound for a vintage aircraft collection in the Czech Republic.
The plane is the last of its type in flying condition.
It was built in the 1930s for Britain’s Royal Air Force and used during the World War 2 for submarine patrols around the Australian coast.
Mr Reid said it was later used for a time to transport crayfish from Tasmania to Melbourne.
The only airworthy Avro Anson MK1 in the world flies over Lake Wānaka during 2016 Warbirds airshow. PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERY
"I got to know it pretty well — right down to its basic bare bones."
