Originally Posted by
Beano
Some key facts:- TEAL’s Solent flying boat Ararangi departs Evans Bay, Wellington on 03 October 1950, on the first trans-Tasman service to Sydney, commanded by Captains C. Griffiths and T. Brewer.
- The service initially operated twice weekly, continuing until 25 June 1954, when international flights paused for the construction of a land-based airport.
- Flights resumed on 26 July 1960 with Electra aircraft, later replaced by DC8 jets until 15 December 1981.
- Services restarted on 30 September 1985 with Boeing 767 aircraft.
- Today, the Wellington – Sydney service operates daily.
In the past decade, the airline has flown more than 7,800 flights on this route, carrying over 1 million passengers.
Can anyone remember flying on the Solent flying boat or the Electra aircraft ?
My first flight was in 1968 from WLG-CHC on the newly arrived 737-200. I flew to CHC with my younger brother for the school holidays returning on a Viscount.
My first international flight was in 1978 from WLG-SYD on the DC8.