Pionair Sydney DC3 flightseeing brochure

A rare air-to-air shot of Duclie flight seeing in the Northern Territories over Bullo River Station, during the Stanford Alumnin Education Travel air tour of Australia in 2003.

Desktop publishing as in-house designer for Pionair was a path of discovery. Why is striving to make something look better worthy toil? There are benefits to clarity, ease of understanding for busy people justifies hours in production.

Pleasing design that’s attractive in useful ways, needs no apology, even in technical publications, and in design for travel and tourism making visible what others only imagine, feel or think is necessary. Artistic expression in visual communication can be placed on the same level as informational expression of key messages.

Who were Pionair Australia?

Pionair Australia was simultaneously an airline that specialised in private air charter and air cargo and a ‘best in class’ tour operator.

This 8-page gatefold folder is a compact capabilities and product / service brochure that features a map of South East Australia, centred on Sydney, on the cover. The map shows the destinations that may be reached by Private Air Charter in 1–4 hours duration from Sydney flying aboard the Classic DC3 aircraft, “Dulcie”.

Flying ‘low and slow’, the classic travel experience

Pionair took off in 1991, it’s name paid homage to the glamour days of European air travel—‘Pionair Class’ was considered to be the way to fly across Europe. Pionair began service in New Zealand adopting that same early spirit of adventure travel, when getting there was both extraordinary and fun, over the next decade it rose to became a leader in both private air charter and customised tour development in the South Pacific region.

The private airline began in Queenstown with one meticulously restored DC3 airliner, air touring New Zealand and Australia. Pionair offered a premium, yet relaxed personal service, showing each guest the very best that downunder destinations have to offer.

After ten years of air touring, Pionair Australia was formed, with an operational base at Sydney Bankstown airport, to offer scheduled short flights, plus day trips and weekend getaways to the Hunter Valley and Mudgee wine regions based from Sydney

The hangar queen of this brochure is ‘Dulcie’, the immaculately restored DC3 skyliner ZK-AMS—her lavishly appointed cabin and alert, attentive crew kept alive the spirit of ‘Pionair Class’ classic adventure travel.

Credits

Printer: Precision Printers (Sydney)
Design firm: Pionair Propellor Studio (in house)
Copywriter: An in-house collaboration
Font credits: Futura, Futura Condensed, Trade Gothic Bold Ext