You can't teach old dogs new tricks – but no one told this trio who have just taken a Cessna plane for a spin.

Three dogs were taken under the wing of New Zealand animal trainer Mark Vette and coached in piloting for four months as part of a British television show.

Reggie, a Labrador cross, was taught to fly a plane. Credit:Facebook/Mark Vette

In the final episode of Dogs Might Fly, which aired on UK television station Sky 1, the clever canines took to the air.

While a human took care of take-off and landing, the controls of the Cessna 172 were surrendered to each dog for enough time for them to make a figure 8 in the sky.