Given the right conditions, the Bendigo couple will fly Ishtar, their restored Tiger Moth aeroplane, all the way to Avalon for the first day of the Australian International Air Show.

They expect the journey to take about an hour, but in reality it will be the product of many hours hard work.

Mr Brown has spent the past six-and-a-half years working full time to restore Ishtar to the condition it was in when first put to use by the Royal Australian Air Force in 1942.

It has been a labour of love for the former Ansett air craftsman, who estimates he has devoted "thousands of hours" to restoring the aeroplane.

"Why I bought this I think only a psychologist could say - I certainly didn't need a Tiger Moth to rebuild," Mr Brown told The Advertiser yesterday.

Mr Brown put his handiwork to the test a fortnight ago when he took the "old girl" for its maiden test flight.

Asked how it performed, he proudly patted Ishtar's wings and responded: "beautiful, absolutely beautiful".

Constructed largely of wood and dacron fabric, the two-seater Tiger Moth weighs 828 kg, far less than any small passenger car.

The aircraft is simply pushed onto most runways and its propeller has to be started by hand, but once in the air its 130 horse-power engine is capable of getting the old girl up to speeds of 177 kmh (75 knots per hour).

Mr Brown has undergone regular testing and scrutineering to get the plane to meet modern-day safety standards.

Registered A17-521, it was originally used to train pilots during World War II, and while Mr Brown knows a great deal about its history, he hopes the trip to Avalon will unlock a few more secrets.

"I hope when we take it down there we might find some people who learned to fly in it," he said.