New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum

The New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum was an aerospace museum located at Wānaka Airport on New Zealand's South Island. It closed in {{end date and age|2011|03|p=y}} and was replaced in December 2011 by the Warbirds & Wheels museum of military aircraft as well as classic and vintage automobiles and motorcycles.{{cite news|publisher=Otago Daily Times|date=28 Dec 2011|author=Lucy Ibbotson|url=http://www.odt.co.nz/your-town/wanaka/192456/warbirds-wheels-fascinate-all|title=Warbirds, wheels to fascinate all|access-date=2015-03-27}}

The museum was founded by Sir Tim Wallis and housed in a new building at the Wānaka Airport. It was opened in {{start date and age|1993|p=y}} by retired Group Captain Colin Gray.Peat. Page 231. Its first curator was Ian Brodie. In 1996 museum became one of the first aerospace museums on the internet. The museum includes the Alpine Fighter Collection, dedicated to New Zealand's fighters during World War II.{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3901/is_200209/ai_n9086944|title=Ghosts Over Wanaka|access-date=2008-03-25|date=September 2002|author=Philip Makanna, Jill Herron|work=Air Classics|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007230941/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3901/is_200209/ai_n9086944|archive-date=2008-10-07|url-status=dead}} The museum was funded, in part, by grants from the Community Trust of Otago.{{cite news|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-11377340_ITM |title=Museum Money |access-date=2008-03-25 |publisher=Asia Africa Intelligence Wire |date=2002-12-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522071349/http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-11377340_ITM |archive-date=May 22, 2011 }}

Alpine Fighter Collection

The Alpine Fighter Collection is a collection of vintage aircraft based at the New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum at Wānaka established by helicopter and deer entrepreneur Sir Tim Wallis.{{cite web|url=http://www.listener.co.nz/issue/3403/features/4418/wanaka_warbird.html;jsessionid=DC279575BDF085E48D24102219952D7E |title=Wanaka Warbird |access-date=2008-03-25 |date=2005-07-30 |author=Bruce Ansley |work=New Zealand Listener |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930160539/http://www.listener.co.nz/issue/3403/features/4418/wanaka_warbird.html%3Bjsessionid%3DDC279575BDF085E48D24102219952D7E |archive-date=September 30, 2007 }}

The collection was started in 1984 with the purchase of a North American P-51 Mustang from John Dilley of the US.Peat. Page 224. Painted in RNZAF colours, it attracted much media attention as the first flying Second World War fighter seen in New Zealand for some years and played a major part in the 1980s and 1990s expansion of the Warbird movement in New Zealand.{{Citation needed|date=December 2013}}

The collection undertook a pioneering effort in recovering and restoring Warbirds from the post-glasnost Commonwealth of Independent States. It arranged and funded the first restorations to flying condition of Polikarpov I-16s (six restored) and Polikarpov I-153s (three restored). It also restored the first Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa to fly since the 1940s.{{cite web|url=http://www.ksql.com/myriad/warbirds_poly.htm |title=Myriad Aviation Warbirds |publisher=Ksql.com |date=1998-03-01 |access-date=2013-12-26}}{{cite web|url= http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3901/is_200101/ai_n8947196|title= Red warriors!|access-date= 7 September 2022|author= Mulqueen, Ray; Middleton, Tom; Hanna, Mark|work= Air Classics|date= January 2001|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060523022100/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3901/is_200101/ai_n8947196|archive-date= 23 May 2006|url-status= dead}}{{cite web|author=|url=http://www.aviapress.com/viewonekit.htm?OTH-072 |title=Other Publishers OTH-072 Polikarpov I-153 Soviet Fighter. Model kits, Military and Technical Books and Magazines on www.Aviapress.com |publisher=Aviapress.com |access-date=2013-12-26}}{{cite web|url=http://alpinefighter.co.nz/pages/afc.html |title=::Holding Page:: |publisher=Alpinefighter.co.nz |access-date=2013-12-26}}

In 1988, the collection's core members organized the first Warbirds over Wanaka airshow to showcase the collection - it attracted 14,000 people. The collection continues to provides the basis of the biannual Warbirds over Wanaka Airshow which attracted over 100,000 visitors in 2006.{{cite web|url=http://www.warbirdsoverwanaka.com/ |title=Warbirds Over Wanaka International Airshow - New Zealand |publisher=Warbirdsoverwanaka.com |access-date=2013-12-26}}http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3901/is_200209/ai_n9086944 {{Bare URL inline|date=September 2022}}

The collection was reduced by sales in the later years. The sole airworthy component is a Hawker Hurricane Mk IIA, with a de Havilland Vampire FB5 and Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a reproduction on static display.{{cite web|url=http://www.nzwarbirds.org.nz/aircraft.html |title=The Aircraft |publisher=Nzwarbirds.org.nz |access-date=2013-12-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130919003447/http://www.nzwarbirds.org.nz/aircraft.html |archive-date=2013-09-19 }}

Amongst the aircraft that were eventually transferred to the new Warbirds & Wheels museum were the Hawker Hurricane and the replica S.E.5a.

References

Bibliography

{{cite book | author = Brodie, Ian |title = Warbirds - Alpine Fighter Collection | location = Auckland | publisher = Reed Publishing | year = 2000 | isbn = 1-86948-833-4}}
{{cite book | author = Peat, Neville |title = Hurricane Tim : The Story of Sir Tim Wallis | location = Dunedin | publisher = Longarce Press | year = 2005 | type = Hardback | isbn = 1-877361-17-8}}

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20060105020216/http://www.nzfpm.co.nz/ NZFPM website]
[http://www.warbirdsoverwanaka.com/ Warbirds Over Wanaka]

Category:Aerospace museums in New Zealand

Category:Museums in Otago

Category:Wānaka

Category:Military and war museums in New Zealand

New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum

Alpine Fighter Collection

See also

References

Bibliography

External links