FlyStark's Airvan Welcomed

This from the Mercury Bay Informer from 7 September 2016

It was an impressive sight at Whitianga Airport last Friday morning when the Whitianga Volunteer Fire Brigade welcomed local airline FlyStark’s new eight-seater (pilot plus seven passengers) Airvan aeroplane to Mercury Bay with a traditional water salute. FlyStark commenced scenic and charter operations out of Whitianga less than a year ago with a single four-seater Cessna 172 aircraft. Soon a second 172, which was based at Ardmore Airport south of Auckland, was added to the fleet. The Airvan, registered ZK-FSR, will initially be based at Ardmore, until a new FlyStark hangar that will be able to accommodate two Airvans has been built at Whitianga Airport. A consent application or the new hangar is expected to be launched with Thames Coromandel District Council in the next few weeks. “The Airvan has large windows and a cargo pod that can take up to 200kg of baggage,” says Mark Hedley, the pilot who flew ZK-FSR into Whitianga on Friday morning. “The interior is spacious. It’s an ideal aeroplane for sightseeing flights and larger groups of people who want to travel together. “The plane is easy to fly and can operate in and out of relatively short airstrips. In the Airvan Ardmore is only 25 minutes away from Whitianga and Pauanui 10 minutes.” Several Mercury Bay community leaders, members of the Mercury Bay Aero Club, community volunteers and children attending Peanuts Early Learning Centre in Whitianga enjoyed a morning tea put on by FlyStark on Friday morning while witnessing the arrival of ZK-FSR.