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The Coast Hoppers
Making its mark on the East Coast flying scene is the Ruatoria Aero Club. It has its own aerodrome on Neil Thatchers property at Ruatoria and is an associate member of the Rotorua Aero Club. Representatives of various clubs around the North Island came to Ruatoria recently as part of a "Fly-In".
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Rod Milne, the club's flying instructor from Taupo, prepares to refuel one of the planes.
Taxi-ing out his Turbulent is John Perry of Opotiki.
Well known now in Ruatoria is this Aero Commander 100, the club's training plane.
All that flying makes a man hungry and John Reuben prepares a bar-b-q. At left are Phil Prouse and Ray Barrett, the club president, while at right is a group of visiting student teachers.