/ Air New Zealand ZK-NZC, is derelict and stored at Manaus Airport, Brazil. Service On board dining was a notable feature of the trans-Tasman and later, the Coral Route. The food was cooked from scratch on board. Morning and afternoon teas were prepared on board as well as hot meals. A dumbwaiter was used to provide access to the two decks of the flying boats. The military look of the earliest uniforms reflected the era—the aftermath of war. The male steward's uniforms were reassuring and gave the impression that flight crew could be expected to handle any situation. In 1946, women were appointed to the TEAL flying boat crew. Many had trained as nurses which was thought to be an ideal background for coping with any situation on board. In 1961, hostesses appeared in uniforms designed by Christian Dior and made locally by El Jay. Accidents and incidents Lockheed Electra L-188 crash On 27 March 1965, TEAL's Lockheed Electra L-188 ZK-TEC Akaroa, crashed during a training flight at Whenuapai. The airline had done the following manoeuvre many times before: the Electra, flying at precisely 140 knots, could be flown over the runway threshold, throttled back to idle to drop almost vertically and land on the runway. As this would never be done on a passenger flight; the reason for the procedure remains a mystery. On board were a captain, a check captain, a flight engineer, a navigator; the airline's industrial personnel officer and an emergency procedures officer standing behind them. As Akaroa'''s speed dropped below 140 knots the aeroplane landed very heavily, collapsing the landing gear; Akaroa'' shed wings, engines, tailplane and tail as it skidded off the runway and across the grass towards the control tower. Somehow, the two standing officers stayed standing, the fire extinguishers were turned on and everyone was evacuated through the cockpit windows, with one man burning his hand on the escape rope. TEAL salvaged what they could from the wreck and the remains were quickly pushed into a gully behind the NAC hangars before the public saw them. The crash took place in the early hours of the morning. The training procedure was quickly deleted from TEAL's manuals. TEAL purchased from Qantas a replacement Electra, VH-ECC, after it changed its name to Air New Zealand on 1 April 1965. It took the registration, ZK-CLX. At the time of the accident, ZK-TEC had the Air