Taking Flight: The Fisher Monoplane and Early Aviation in the Wellington Region

(Paperback)

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On Saturday June 21 1913, the Fisher Monoplane took flight seven times from eight attempts. These historic flights - the first made by an aeroplane wholly constructed in New Zealand - took place in the Wairarapa, in paddocks about 10 kilometres to the east of Carterton. There were 'tricky wind puffs' so only straight runs were made but the plane reportedly averaged something like 60 feet in height and covered at least half a milein successive flights. In his introduction, John Best, from the Aviation Historical Society of New Zealand, recalls the grainy old silent footage held by the NZ Film Archive "showing the monoplane with wings detached, under tow along a Carterton back road, followed by two or three glimpses of the delicate little aeroplane momentarily airborne over Wairarapa farmland." Taking Flight is the story of how Percy Fisher came to build and fly his monoplane. It is also the first comprehensive history of the exciting early days of aviation in the Wellington region.