Cottle said he intended to bring the plane home to Mangaweka, but where and when it would land was yet to be descided. After the plane was restored, it would need to be sheltered from the weather to prevent similar damage so he intended to construct a purpose-built hangar to protect the plane for years to come. Cottle was currently redeveloping the former Mangaweka International Airport café into a retro-themed gas station with Allied Petroleum – and had initially intended for the DC-3 to remain a part of the business. But it might not be possible to make the purpose-built shelter work with that, so he was looking for other potential locations.