With a Private Pilot's Licence (PPL)
With a NZ Diploma in Aviation
Milford sound, Mount Cook, Queenstown
Friendly and knowledgeable experts to train you!
Hundreds of students have come to Mainland Air from other countries and loved their experience and training with us.
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Get where you want to be in no time! Glide over traffic, soar past peaks and take the direct route with a Mainland Air charter flight.
See New Zealand from a completely different perspective as you look down upon breath-taking scenery.
Continue business meetings and enjoy the peace and quiet with one of our spacious cabins all to yourself!
A local 40 minute flight where you'll see so much country and yet never leave the city. Depart and fly over Dunedin's city centre, celebrated Town Belt and the white sandbeaches of St Kilda and St Clair to Taiaroa Head. This is the only mainland albatross colony in the world, home of the giant but majestic northern royal albatross with a wingspan of several metres. After circling this ocean-ravaged headland and lighthouse we turn south and zig-zag down spectacular Otago Peninsula with its Pacific coastline cliffs and bays, sprawling sand dunes and of course, Larnach Castle. We continue down the Otago Peninsular, passing Cargill's Castle and Blackhead, before landing at Momona.
Take in the best of all worlds with a Milford Sound flight and the adventure of Queenstown. Depart Dunedin International Airport and overfly Central Otago, with dramatic barren landscape. We then descend into Milford Sound with its giant waterfalls, towering cliffs and much photographed Mitre Peak. Here, you have the option of landing for a scenic boat cruise on Milford Sound or we can continue on to Queenstown where we can land and you can indulge yourself in this tourist Mecca, famous for its bungee jumps, rafting, jet boating, paragliding, vineyards, lake cruises - the choice is yours. The return trip is equally dramatic, flying over Queenstown before following the mighty Kawarau and Clutha rivers, and crossing the tussock-covered Lammerlaw Mountains to Dunedin.
This is New Zealand's highest peak at 3,754 metres (12,316 feet), aptly named 'Aoraki - the cloud piercer'. Depart Dunedin International Airport and fly due north over the Maniototo Plain, famous for its dramatic light and cloud formations. Arriving at the Waitaki River, we take in the huge earth and concrete Benmore Dam before heading upstream over Lake Pukaki and the ice grey Tasman River. Its source is the Tasman Glacier, one of the largest sub-tropical glaciers in the world. And there it is - Aoraki Mount Cook, a breathtakingly beautiful peak of snow and icefalls. We will circle the summit where you can also look west to the névés of Franz Josef and Fox glaciers. We return to Dunedin via a refreshment stop in Omarama, then continue to the giant Macraes Gold Mine in East Otago.
An opportunity not to be missed - see New Zealand's Jurassic Park. Depart Dunedin and fly direct to Milford Sound, overflying barren Central Otago. You then have the option of landing at Milford Sound for a photograph and a quick snack. We then fly over the Milford Walking Track towards Sutherland Falls (the highest falls in the southern hemisphere). Venturing deep into Fiordland, we make our way to Dusky, Doubtful Sounds & Preservation Inlet, all important locations for New Zealand's discovery by Capt. James Cook.
Fly over stunning coastal scenery on your way to Rakiura Stewart Island, New Zealand's third Island and home to Rakiura National Park. Depart Dunedin and fly over the rugged Catlins Coast, where the forest grows to the edge of the Pacific's white sand beaches. View the wild Nugget Point, Tautuku Beach and Waipapa Point, the scene of New Zealand's largest shipping disaster, the sinking of the SS Taraua in 1881. Cross Foveaux Strait and land at Ryan's Creek airstrip at Halfmoon Bay, Stewart Islands only settlement. You are free to explore the township and close surrounds for three to four hours. Take a cruise to Ulva Island Bird Sanctuary, maybe a bus tour with an informative commentary or go for a bush walk and take in the native surroundings. The options are endless. Enjoy a meal of fresh and famous bluecod or salmon at the world's southernmost hotel before your return trip to Dunedin.
Established in 1991 Mainland Air has a proud history of safely transporting thousands of people all over New Zealand, showing off our beautiful country by air and training the next generation of pilots.
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