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129:. The first flight undertaken by Air Travel was in the De Havilland Fox Moth ZK-ADI, which is still in use. As the service became popular, another Fox Moth, ZK-AEK, was brought into service in 1935. Other aircraft included Dragonfly ZK-AFB (1937), Fox Moth ZK-AGM (1938), Dragonfly ZK-AGP (1938), Dragon ZK-AHT (1944), and Dragon Rapide ZK-AHS (1944). Further aircraft flown by the company included Dominies ZK-AKT, ZK-BAU, and ZK-AKS, which were flown in various liveries.
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and travellers relied on steamers and bullock tracks for access. Air Travel's first scheduled flight took place in Fox Moth ZK ADI on 18 December 1934, from
Hokitika to South Westland, and occurred shortly after the airline began delivering mail. In 1945, not long after Mercer died in an air crash,
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The New
Zealand National Airways Act (December) 1945 provided for compulsory acquisition of aircraft and other property held by Air Travel (any holder of an aircraft-service licence at the time the Act was passed) at any time before the end of 1947. New Zealand National Airways Corporation began
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although none of the passengers nor
Openshaw was injured. In 1944, Dragon ZK-AHT, piloted by Colin Lewis, crashed on Mount Hope, en route from Nelson to Westport. On board were six passengers, including Bert Mercer and another Air Travel employee, Maurice Dawe, both of whom died.
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NAC bought the company's shares but operations were not fully absorbed into NAC until 1 October 1947. The final Air Travel flights were in late
September 1947. Harry Worrall took charge of Air Travel after Bert Mercer's death and became a foundation director of NAC.
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Three
Aircraft operated by Air Travel have been involved in accidents, one of which killed Mercer himself. In 1942, Dragonfly ZK-AGP, piloted by Arthur Baines, lost a propeller and ditched into the sea, having just departed
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Two successful anniversaries commemorating Air Travel were held in 1994 and 2009, celebrating the 60th and 75th anniversaries. There have also been a number of books published with details about the company.
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There was no other form of transport on its routes so Air Travel's aircraft were not commandeered by the government in
September 1939 but took on patrol duties along the remote coastline on behalf of the
208:. All four passengers drowned. Newspaper reports of the accident noted that the airline had carried almost 22,500 passengers between 1934 and the end of June 1941.
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and continued restricted services to the public. By the end of 1945 they were reduced to four aircraft, two Fox Moths, a Rapide and a
Dragonfly.
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biplane aircraft at the end of 1934 and made it their business to carry passengers, mail and freight to remote parts of the
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Fox Moth ZK-AEK, piloted by Ozzie
Openshaw, crashed in 1943 while taking four passengers for a scenic flight over
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Over the 33 years that Air Travel was in service they operated a number of de
Havilland biplanes, including three
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97:. Mercer had seen potential for a commercial air service in this region because there were no roads south of
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the company came under government control but continued until 1967, when the national air carrier
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but Air Travel's aircraft and their routes kept a separate identity for some long time.
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began flights into
Hokitika. Eleven pilots flew for Air Travel between 1934 and 1947.
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and jeweller, J R Delahunty. Other families involved were: Cron, Nolan and
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to fly licensed scheduled air services. They took delivery of their first
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Original shareholders aside from the directors included a number of
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Henry Worrall, chairman (managing director of Sefton Flour Milling)
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Information about New Zealand airlines and various publications
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77:. The equipment and staff of Air Travel joined those of
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243:, managing (chief pilot to the Canterbury Aero Club)
228:Head Office - Christchurch. registered 15 May 1934
1211:List of general aviation operators of New Zealand
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507:Ed Coates' Civil Aircraft Photograph Collection
483:Ed Coates' Civil Aircraft Photograph Collection
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428:
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252:H C Newman of Hokitika (managing director of
633:page 70. Kynaston Trust, Craig Print. 2009.
613:page 26. Kynaston Trust, Craig Print. 2009.
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656:New Zealand's First Airline: Hoki to Haast
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611:New Zealand's First Airline, Hoki to Hass
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460:New Zealand's First Airline: Hoki to Haast
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1252:New Zealand companies established in 1934
631:New Zealand's First Airline, Hoki to Hass
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132:At first there were 14 landing grounds:
83:New Zealand National Airways Corporation
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20:
392:List of defunct airlines of New Zealand
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1242:1947 disestablishments in New Zealand
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73:all New Zealand's air services were
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1073:Kiwi Travel International Airlines
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397:History of aviation in New Zealand
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16:Airline in Hokitika, New Zealand
1247:Airlines disestablished in 1947
1237:Defunct airlines of New Zealand
1163:Queenstown – Mount Cook Airways
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93:Air Travel was the creation of
1198:Virgin Australia Airlines (NZ)
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188:required further improvement.
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1183:Tasman Empire Airways Limited
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1232:Airlines established in 1934
1108:National Airways Corporation
598:New Zealand Airline Research
81:in the new government-owned
27:ZK ADI, their first aircraft
7:
1178:Straits Air Freight Express
988:Canterbury Aviation Company
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262:Franz Josef's Graham family
46:, was the first airline in
42:, a small airline based in
25:De Havilland DH-83 Fox Moth
10:
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353:de Havilland Dragon Rapide
278:business on 1 April 1947.
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69:Immediately following the
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698:Biography of Bert Mercer
497:Phillip Treweek. accessed
420:page 22, 18 December 1934
1068:Kiwi Travel Air Charters
576:page 4, 21 December 1942
562:page 4, 29 November 1945
439:12 November 1934 Page 10
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1093:Mount Cook Air Services
785:Airlines of New Zealand
675:When the Coast is Clear
548:Page 10 3 November 1939
521:When the Coast is Clear
224:Air Travel (NZ) Limited
40:Air Travel (NZ) Limited
1138:Origin Pacific Airways
1063:Kiwi Regional Airlines
1043:Great Barrier Airlines
846:Stewart Island Flights
338:de Havilland Dragonfly
36:
28:
1143:Pacific Blue Airlines
1133:NZ Tourist Air Travel
1083:Menzies Aviation (NZ)
912:Texel Air Australasia
369:de Havilland Fox Moth
249:of Hokitika, merchant
34:
24:
1048:Great Barrier Xpress
998:Capital Air Services
495:Kiwi Aircraft Images
308:de Havilland Dominie
1058:Jetconnect (Qantas)
1008:Cook Strait Airways
958:Air Travel (NZ) Ltd
323:de Havilland Dragon
274:was a shareholder.
213:Franz Josef Glacier
35:ZK ADI in the 1940s
1158:Qantas New Zealand
1098:Mount Cook Airline
1023:East Coast Airways
978:Ansett New Zealand
559:Christchurch Press
545:Christchurch Press
436:Christchurch Press
417:Christchurch Press
37:
29:
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1128:NZ Aero Transport
859:
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665:978-0-473-15937-5
469:978-0-473-15937-5
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180:and Upper Okuru.
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1193:Vincent Aviation
1013:Dominion Airways
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519:Waugh, Richard.
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71:Second World War
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254:Newman's Motors
247:Paul E L Renton
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1153:Pasifika Air
1148:Pacifica Air
1118:Niue Airline
1103:Mountain Air
983:Aspiring Air
963:Air Auckland
957:
938:Air National
886:Air Kaikoura
821:Air Chathams
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204:en route to
198:
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186:Landsborough
166:Jacobs River
131:
108:
92:
75:nationalised
68:
52:De Havilland
39:
38:
18:
1113:Newmans Air
1088:Motueka Air
1038:Freedom Air
993:Capital Air
871:Air Safaris
826:Barrier Air
725:New Zealand
296:Introduced
154:Franz Josef
115:Dragonflies
95:Bert Mercer
60:Franz Josef
48:New Zealand
1226:Categories
1033:Fly My Sky
953:Air Timaru
943:Air Nelson
841:Sounds Air
403:References
241:J C Mercer
232:Directors:
162:Karangarua
160:glaciers,
66:glaciers.
56:West Coast
1053:James Air
973:Air2there
907:Parcelair
836:Originair
791:Scheduled
737:Companies
293:Aircraft
271:The Press
170:Bruce Bay
142:Greymouth
111:Fox Moths
948:Air Post
891:Salt Air
749:Aviation
600:accessed
588:accessed
509:accessed
485:accessed
386:See also
299:Retired
256:Limited)
202:Westport
138:Hokitika
134:Westport
121:, and a
44:Hokitika
1078:Kiwijet
1003:CityJet
921:Defunct
876:Airwork
864:Charter
711:Portals
586:Aerohub
182:Arawata
150:Wataroa
89:History
1168:Skybus
851:Sunair
681:
662:
637:
617:
527:
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302:Notes
206:Nelson
119:Dragon
113:, two
1173:SPANZ
900:Cargo
814:Minor
798:Major
286:Fleet
266:Hende
194:RNZAF
178:Okuru
174:Haast
679:ISBN
660:ISBN
635:ISBN
615:ISBN
525:ISBN
464:ISBN
376:1947
373:1934
360:1944
357:1944
342:1937
327:1944
314:1947
184:and
156:and
146:Ross
117:, a
99:Ross
62:and
158:Fox
104:NAC
64:Fox
1228::
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444:^
425:^
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152:,
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