WONZ 347 – Flying Boat Month: Grant Harnish

Guest: Grant Harnish

Host: Dave Homewood

Recorded: 19th of February 2026

Released: 20th of February 2026

Duration: 45 minutes 34 seconds

In this Wings Over New Zealand Show “Flying Boat Month” episode Dave Homewood speaks with Grant Harnish of Salt Air in the Bay of Islands. Grant owns and flies ZK-CFA, which is the only airworthy Grumman Widgeon flying boat in the Southern Hemisphere.

Grant talks about operating the Widgeon, and also sistership Widgeon ZK-AVM, commercially with Salt Air at Paihia from 1992 through till 2000. And he discusses buying ZK-CFA back many years later and embarking on a big restoration that brought it back to pristine airworthy condition.

He also talks about the rest of the Salt Air fleet, a mix of helicopters and fixed wing types, and their various roles. The helicopters are based on the Paihia waterfront, and the Gippsland GA-8 Airvan is based at Kerikeri Airport.

Quick Links:

•  Salt Air

•  The 3rd Level New Zealand Blog page on ZK-CFA’s history

The following photos are used with permission from Grant Harnish and from the Salt Air Facebook page, here

Grant’s Grumman G44A Widgeon ZK-CFA

Living the Dream with ZK-CFA

History on display.

Rafael Sanchez on the left in Cuba, circa 1950s with CU-N346, which is now ZK-CFA

Grant in the pilot’s seat at Kingfish Lodge, back in 1992 or 1993.

This was at a fire in Ahipara.

A barracuda hunt fishing competition, mid ’90’s. Grant says, “We won heaviest fish…. bit of a story with that one.”

Bringing CFA north before the rebuild.

Above: In the right hand seat this is Katja Sanchez, whose grandfather owned ZK-CFA, which was back then CU-N346, in Cuba from 1949 through till 1962. So her family flew in the same plane 70 years ago!

The music at the end of this episode is Wild Flower by Joachim Karud.