A WING AND A PRAYER
New Zealand - France / 2013 / 45 min / BR
Director : Paul Oremland
Introduced by Mark Oremland
Lots of people said it’s crazy and that it would not be possible, that it would be a black hole, that it would never be ready in time! It started out as a fascination for the mythical machine, the Dakota, the model T Ford of the skies and gradually turned into the idea of flying half way around the world to New Zealand, while at the same recreating the first flight between England and NZ, undertaken in 1936 by the 27 year old Jean Batten, who has since become the hero of Kiwi aviation. The film traces the route, much the same as Jean Batten’s from her starting point in South-East England, via southern Europe, the Middle East, India, South-East Asia, Australia, Norfolk Island down to Auckland, Jean’s final point where she was welcomed by a huge crowd at Mangere Airport.