So you noticed we had an airplane in our Taproom?

As with all good conversations that are had while having a couple of beers, occasionally the ideas you come up with lead to getting a plane for your bar.

Here is some history of the plane.

Air Chathams

The aircraft in this video is ZK-CIE EPIC Air

 https://youtu.be/BaJAV3fTYl4

 

http://www.aussieairliners.org/convair/zk-cie/zkcie.html

EPIC Air is a CONVAIR CV580
It appears model type changed from 440 (piston engine powered, slower, less range & AUW) to 580 (turbo-prop, faster, greater range & AUW). It was originally configured as passenger aircraft, built/purchased for UNION Oil 1959

 

 

ZK-CIE. Convair 580. c/n 399.

Was also registered as: N98G; N98GL; N57RD; N565EA

This aircraft was constructed by the Convair Division of the General Dynamics Corporation at San Diego, California

It was built to an order from Union Oil of California - 1956

It was built as a Convair 440-83

It was rolled out at San Diego - January 23, 1957

First flown - January 1957

Entered onto the United States Aircraft Register as N98G - 1957

It was accepted by Union Oil at San Diego - March 05, 1957

Sold to Gulf Oil Corporation - August 16, 1957

It was converted to a Convair 580 - 1961

Redelivered to Gulf Oil Corporation - November 04, 1961

The aircraft was reregistered as N98GL - March 18, 1971

Sold to Rowan Drilling Company - March 30, 1971

Sold to RDC Marine Inc - July 01, 1975

The aircraft was reregistered as N57RD - February 25, 1977

The aircraft was reregistered as N565EA - June 1966

It was sold to ERA Aviation Inc, Anchorage, Alaska - July 16, 1967

It was withdrawn from service by ERA Aviation - 2005

The aircraft was prepared for sale to Air Chathams

Departed Anchorage on the ferry flight to New Zealand - April 2005

It arrived at Palmerston North on completion of the ferry flight from Alaska - April 16, 2005

Ferry route: Anchorage - Cold Bay - Honolulu - Christmas Island - Pago Pago - Palmerston North

Sold to Air Chathams - April 16, 2005

Cancelled from the United States Aircraft Register - June 13, 2005

Entered onto the New Zealand Aircraft Register as ZK-CIE - August 10, 2005

Registered to Air Chathams Ltd, Waitangi, Chatham Islands

Ferried Palmerston North - Auckland - Tonga on delivery to Peau Vava'u, Tonga - September 09, 2005

It was wet-leased by Peau Vava'u from Air Chathams

Returned to Air Chathams at the end of the wet-lease - February 2006

Ferried Auckland - Suva on wet-lease to Air Fiji - January 2007

Ferried Suva - Auckland at the end of the wet-lease - February 26, 2007

Ferried Auckland - Suva on wet-lease to Air Fiji - September 15, 2007

Ferried Suva - Auckland at the end of the wet-lease - March 2008

Wet-leased to Chathams Pacific Airways Tonga - April 21, 2008

Returned to Air Chathams at the end of the wet-lease - November 2010

Wet-leased to Real Tonga Airlines - June 19, 2014

Returned to Air Chathams at the end of the wet-lease - September 2014

Air Chathams association with aviation in Tonga ceased when this aircraft returned to New Zealand

Operated its final revenue service - March 2021

It was withdrawn from service and stored at Auckland - April 01, 2021

It was observed at Auckland minus engines and tail - May 06, 2022

Although in the process of being scrapped it remains on the New Zealand Aircraft Register as of - June 07, 2022

Cancelled from the New Zealand Aircraft Register - June 23, 2022

Delivered to Epic Brewing Company, Onehunga, Auckland - 22 July 2022

Installed in Epic Taproom - 5 December 2022

 

more images here