Odyssey 86 restored and on display after 40-year journey
The historic DC-3 that flew around the world for Expo '86 is back home in Kelowna, fully restored and premiering a new documentary about its adventure.
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On June 7, 1986, a DC-3 took off from Vancouver for an ambitious two-month global tour timed to Expo '86. Forty years later, four of the crew gathered in Kelowna on June 9 to see their adventure on film for the first time.
The Odyssey 86 visited 55 cities across 28 countries, a feat that required meticulous planning. Flight coordinator Doreen Olson reached out to Canadian embassies and politicians ahead of each landing. Navigator Bob Blanchard worked with primitive technology—no satellite links, only hope that his dead-reckoning was accurate. Pilot Bill Gillies recalled the Hawaii-to-Samoa leg, where they had perhaps an hour of fuel to spare over 17 hours of open ocean.
KF Aerospace founder Barry Lapointe, who was a pilot on the original crew, owned the Odyssey at the time. Years later, he learned the plane had been sitting idle and damaged in Hilton Head, South Carolina. In 2021, Lapointe repurchased it and brought it home to Kelowna for a full restoration.
"I'm pretty proud of her right now. She looks the best she's ever looked," Lapointe said.
Over 200 people attended the premiere at the KF Centre for Excellence. The documentary, Odyssey 86 – 90 Years of the DC-3, features never-before-seen footage from the journey. The aircraft is now on permanent display at the centre, its history as a symbol of Canadian aviation and Expo '86 finally preserved.