Iconic DC-8 heading back home

The aircraft that transported Queen Elizabeth II to the 1974 British Commonwealth Games in Christchurch is being rescued from being scrapped and will soon return to New Zealand.

The aviation charity, Bring Our Birds Home, plans to repatriate the ZK-NZC Douglas DC-8 to New Zealand between September and October. Currently located at Manaus–Eduardo Gomes International Airport in Brazil, its future home will be the National Transport and Toy Museum in Wānaka.

This DC-8 is the sole survivor of the eight that were once part of Air New Zealand’s fleet.

Paul Brennan, founder and trustee of Bring Our Birds Home, remarked, “This aircraft is responsible for Air New Zealand becoming a fully-fledged international airline.”

Constructed at the Douglas Long Beach facility in California, USA, the airplane was delivered to Air New Zealand in September 1965.

On January 30, 1974, it carried out the royal flight from Rarotonga to Christchurch, transporting the Queen to conclude the British Commonwealth Games at QEII Park on February 2, 1974.

Brennan commented, “It’s hard to believe the Queen sat in there, but she did.” Princess Anne and Mark Phillips were also aboard.

He described the plane as a “nation-building artefact.” Prior to its addition to Air New Zealand’s fleet, the airline, known as TEAL then, only flew to the Pacific Islands and Australia.

“So it represents a great leap in New Zealand’s connectivity with the world back in 1965,” he added.

Air New Zealand retired the aircraft from service in 1981. It changed hands several times before ending up in Brazil. Its last owner donated it to Bring Our Birds Home, with anonymous donors covering the dismantling and shipping costs.

Brennan mentioned that a team is ready to dismantle the plane, which will be transported back to New Zealand by sea for reassembly and restoration.

“It’s 150 feet long, for God’s sake. It’s quite a job to break down an airliner that carries 200 people,” he noted.