It may be being purchased to fly 28 miles from Land's End to the Isles of Scilly, but to get to its new home this plane must complete a slightly more epic journey – 4,500 miles from Canada.
The Twin Otter is due to be delivered to its new home at Land's End Airport next week but first the 19-seater plane must complete a six-day journey, including 26 hours of flying with stops in Greenland and Iceland.
It is the fourth such plane bought by Skybus, which offers a year-round service to the Scillies and favours the aircraft for its short takeoff and landing capabilities.
But the planes are popular and not easy to get hold of, so the operator had to look across the Atlantic to find one.
Skybus engineering manager Mick Yould is making the journey with veteran pilot Doug Cochrane.
He said: "This sounds a bit like the pioneering days of aviation, but the Twin Otter is actually a really tough piece of kit renowned for its ability to operate all over the world.
"I'm looking forward to the journey, especially the bit when we touch down at Land's End."
The Twin Otter has been fitted with a giant fuel tank to enable it to travel further than its usual 650-mile limit. It flew from La Ronge in Saskatchewan to the Arctic city of Iqaluit in northern Canada yesterday. It will later fly to Greenland and from there to Iceland and the UK. Land's End Airport's new £1 million terminal opens on April 9.
