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Warbirds over Wanaka


Steve Fish
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Here's a few snaps from NZ. Warbirds over Wanaka takes place every 2 years. From a pom's perspective, I just could not believe how close spectators are allowed to get to the aircraft and the flightline. It's not often you can enjoy the prop wash from a restored P51.
La-39, Vampire and P51
2-seater P51 - "Dove of Peace". It flies out of Wanaka and will take paying passengers for 30 minute flights for $3000NZ a time.
Jurgis Kairys flies his own design aerobat, a "Juka", very close to the underside of a DC3. You can see the red pain reflected in the DC3.
Incidentally, the DC3 had paying passengers on aboard. This is something that is not allowed in Europe we were told on the PA at the show: apparently the lack of over-wing inflatable escape shoots, emergency gangway lighting and a terrorist-proof cockpit make passenger carriage impossible in Europe. Anyone know anymore about this?
The only one of four remaining Lavochkin La-9 aircraft that flies and it was a barnstorming performance.
La39, La9 and Yak3

Edited By Steve Fish on 11/04/2010 22:02:31

Edited By Steve Fish on 11/04/2010 22:03:39

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Great pics steve.
I missed going this year and will have to wait for the blenheim show next easter.
For those who dont know , the warbirds is held in a mountain setting , Looking out beyond the field there is a deep valley , great for  dogfight sequences ,giving the illusion of aircraft going into the deck, with added pyrotechics it is something to see.
 
 
Speaking of prop blast , I was at a airshow here in westport about 10 years ago.
A c130 hercules came in and did its reversing routine and then shut down for display.
The next morning upon start up it proceeded to blow over about 10 porta loos.
Helluva funny.
 
 
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Warbirds over Wanaka - WoW - is exactly that. I'll be going again in 2 years time.
David s absolutely right and with all the excitement of the airshow it is easy to take for granted the fantastic backdrop of the hills and mountains.
There were an astonishing number of aircraft. The finale included a Catalina, 2 DC3's, 12 Harvards, 9 Yak-52s, 2 P51s, MkIX Spit, Corsair, 2 P40 Kittyhawks and a Mitsubishi A6M3 "Zero" - the latter was the first time such an aircraft had flown in NZ since 1945.
One of the Kittyhawks is the only one equipped with a working cannon, ble to fire live rounds - which it did whilst in display with the Zero. Of course, the obligatory smoke began pouring out of the Zero.
Earlier the L39 Albatross, La9 and Yak3 were airborne together and toward the end, the L39 
 teamed up with a vampire and a mustang to fly in formation.
As for modern jets, 4 Hornets from the Australian Air Force paid several "surprise" visits, with low level runs of the airfield taking everyone by surprise and setting off numerous car alarms.
It was impossible to take it all in! It was difficult to know which direction to point the camera.
 

DH Fox Moth  one of many vintage models visiting WoW from Mandeville, near, Gore, Southland in NZ. There's a fascinating DH restoration workshop there, and visitors are alowed, for a donation to walk around the workshop unaccompanied. Well recommended.

Edited By Steve Fish on 12/04/2010 11:39:26

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Beech stagger wing and the blue one is dehavilland dragon/ or rapide . always get the two mixed up .its the one with taper wings.
One went missing on the westcoast years ago and was never found
So theres a corsair and a dehavilland in the bush around here somewhere.
Ill keep looking.
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Awww, us NZers'll take over the forum if we don't give the poms a chance!
Right on, Beechcraft D17, aka staggerwing, and I'll give you the Rapide - aka dragonfly.
 BTW, the drgonfly is thonly one in the SOuthern hemisphere that's airworthy and only one of 2 in the world - the other in the UK. Beautiful craft.
Rightyho kiwi g, where did I photograph the D17?
 
...and what's this one ?
 

 
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Posted by kiwi g on 13/04/2010 10:07:38:
Beech stagger wing and the blue one is dehavilland dragon/ or rapide . always get the two mixed up .its the one with taper wings.
One went missing on the westcoast years ago and was never found
So theres a corsair and a dehavilland in the bush around here somewhere.
Ill keep looking.

 


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Incidentally, the DC3 had paying passengers on aboard. This is something that is not allowed in Europe we were told on the PA at the show: apparently the lack of over-wing inflatable escape shoots, emergency gangway lighting and a terrorist-proof cockpit make passenger carriage impossible in Europe. Anyone know anymore about this?

 
Yes, that's true. The Air Atlantique DC3 made a farewell tour of the UK last Summer, before the restrictions were imposed.  I was booked to fly on one of her trips out of Blackpool, but wouldn't you know it, that was the only day of the entire tour they had crew sickness problems, and cancelled all flights!  Gutted.  
Strangely, they  are still allowed to carry paying passengers  aboard their Dragon Rapide and Dominie.  Still, I suppose you can't get so many terrorists in one of those!
 
Great pictures Steve, visited Wanaka a few years ago, spent a super evening in a (the?) bar in Lubbock.  determined to get back some day.
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Gee steve that I dont know.
I would say that perhaps the dehavillands were at the croydon aircraft works ?? lower south island.
It doesnt look like the warbirds hanger.
 
Have you checked out the Omaka ,in blenheim , and the wigram airforce display in christchurch.
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Posted by kiwi g on 13/04/2010 20:54:52:
Gee steve that I dont know.
I would say that perhaps the dehavillands were at the croydon aircraft works ?? lower south island.


FULL MARKS!

If anyone comes to NZ, DO go further south than Christchurch!

Visit Wanaka and then proceed to Mandeville, 10 minutes out of Gore (good trout fishing all through this area!) and visit the Croydon Aircraft Company.

Yes I have been to Wigram... photos perhaps another time

BTW, where's your base?

 

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We got back from NZ on Monday having been on a family visit for a few weeks. We were in Mount Maunganui when the Zero you had down at Wanaka flew over. I think it had stopped at the airport there...gutted i didn't get to go and see it as many locals did and even more gutted when i found out that Wanaka wasn't anywhere near where we were. Never mind we'll be emigrating later this year so its on my list of must do's when we get there.
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Incedently would the hornets be the same ones i saw at Auckland airport back on the 26th March, my father-in-law told me the NZAF had just bought them and there were dozens or plane spotters around the airport as we left all straining for a look. There was a re-fueling plane and a large transporter also with them.
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The Hornets stopped over in Auckland on their way I believe to Amberley and are part of 24 to be bought by the Royal Australian Airforce.
 


 
When Helen Clarke was in power as PM here, she decommissioned all jets.

However the RNZAF do have some planes - CT4B trainers - the odd C130 and a handful of helis!
There's an aerobatic display team called the Red Checkers.

Unfortunately they're grounded as, if I remember rightly, a wheel of one aircraft cracked the canopy of another...probably just as well they don't have jets to play with...
Maybe if it continues like this they'll be rubber-powered - not that there's anything wrong with that of course, just as long as it's scale...

Edited By Steve Fish on 14/04/2010 11:49:33

Edited By Steve Fish on 14/04/2010 11:50:25

Edited By Steve Fish on 14/04/2010 12:07:35

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We have some a4 skyhawks at blenheim but theyre all covered up and we arent allowed to play with them , as so the aermachhi jets.( sorry about the poor spelling there)
I guess we could always breakout the old warbirds if needed
Not much chance of being invaded by antartica tho .
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