The airstrip in a paddock, about 2km north of Oturehua, will host a DC-3 heritage airliner for the first time on February 9 as part of the Southern DC-3 Charitable Trust's Heartland Tour of the South Island.
The trust hopes it will be the first flight in a regular service to ferry corporate groups to ride the "downhill" section of the Otago Central Rail Trail.
"We're actively marketing it to corporate groups as a team-building exercise, so they can partner a flight in a DC-3 with a wonderful activity like biking the rail trail," trust chairman Dave Horsburgh said yesterday.
The 30-seater 1944 DC-3, ZKAMY, was given to the Ashburton Aviation Museum, to secure the plane's future, and the trust continues to raise funds to maintain it.
"This venture will be perfect- it adds value by offering more than a plane ride and ties in with a popular activity," Mr Horsburgh said.
The trust was actively marketing the idea and two companies had already expressed interest.
All going well, the plane might land at Idaburn once every four to six weeks.
The Idaburn airstrip on Mr Becker's farm was fully registered and certified by the Civil Aviation Authority, and "exceeded all the requirements", Mr Horsburgh said.
The airstrip is in a triangular paddock next to the State Highway 85-Omakau-Ida Valley Rd intersection.
Mr Becker said the airstrip had been used regularly for many years by top-dressing planes.
The plane may land on the airstrip briefly on Sunday afternoon for a test run.
• The Heartland Tour begins tomorrow with a stop in Rangiora followed by a stop at Darfield on Sunday. The southern leg of the tour includes stops at Twizel on February 1, Wanaka on February 2, Cromwell on February 3, Queenstown on February 5, Alexandra on February 6, Dunedin on February 7 and 8, Idaburn on February 9, Roxburgh on February 10, Manapouri and Te Anau on February 11, Invercargill on February 12 and 13, Gore on February 13 and 14, Oamaru on February 16 and Timaru on February 17.
