Stolen!
Originally published 2 March 2020, written by Chris Morris of the Otago Daily Times.
MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE AFTER A DARING FLIGHT IN A STOLEN PLANE
Half a century ago, a young man stole a plane and vanished into thin air — only to come back from the dead years later. But even now, mystery still surrounds his remarkable story of survival. Chris Morris reports.
He doesn’t want to circle back.
He keeps a low profile, living quietly in a small South Island town, and refuses to discuss the events of 50 years ago. Those dark days should remain in the past — buried by the passage of time, he argues when contacted by the Otago Daily Times this week.
"People like me like to move on. I’m not proud of what I did. It’s something I’ll regret for the rest of my life," he said.
Read the rest of the article at the Otago Daily Times.
POSTSCRIPT:
When ZK-CGI was located in Lake Duncan, a tender was issued for the recovery of the aircraft, resulting in 18 expressions of interest. Southair Ltd, the light aircraft maintenance company at Taieri Airfield, won the tender and retrieved the aircraft from Lake Duncan, with the assistance of renowned helicopter pilot Bill Black. It had come to rest in the muddy bottom of the lake in a nose down position. The alloy propellor and engine were badly corroded from sitting in the mud and the wheel hubs, made from magnesium alloy, had dissolved completely but the tyres were still inflated. The rest of the aircraft, having sat in very clean cold fresh water, was in good condition.
Three months later, Southair had finished the aircraft repairs and ZK-CGI was back in the air again training students at the Otago Aero Club. In 1977 it was sold to the South Otago Aero Club where it stayed until 1982 when bought by Fielding man Steven Elliot.
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