Early Risers

The East Coast of the North Island was a pioneering area of New Zealand aviation. Gisborne-based East Coast Airways was the first New Zealand airline to be licensed and the first to operate twin-engined aircraft, de Havilland Dragons, from early 1935.

This book tells the adventures of the aviation pioneers; joyriding off beaches, hand-swung propellers, forced landings and a converted tramcar for a passenger terminal.

Illustrated by many rare photographs, this story describes how aviation made a significant social and economic impact on provincial New Zealand. The Gisborne-Napier route continues today as the oldest scheduled air service in New Zealand.

Richard Waugh, John King & David Phillips

Soft Cover 297x210mm

96 Pages

ISBN 0-473-04391-2