Museum Expansion Plans

[Dave Homewood]

It is interesting that the three most important aircraft or aviation museums in New Zealand are all planning major expansion programmes.

Motat has long planned their new building which never seems to come but is always a year or two away...

The RNZAF Museum at Wigram is also planning a major new wing which will be rather grand and very good for the facility, bringing all the aircraft in the collection into the one building along with the restoration facility, etc. They plan to expand eastwards from Hangar 1 onto the apron where the Andover currently moulders away.

And interestingly, the New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum at Wanaka has bought a new larger building and some land, and is to expand dramatically it seems. This seems very interesting since the aircraft normally housed in the museum have mostly been sold and the rest are for sale, so I guess they will be inviting other operators to store and display their fighters with them in future? It is great at least to hear the NZFPM will continue after the AFC is gone.

These are three very worthy projects, and all will be raising funds. I hope they don't all falter because of this. I think Motat needs more building space more drastically than the other two museums, but even with the hangarage they have they don't always look after the planes as well as the other two organisations.

I'd love to see their Ventura go to Wigram and get properly restored and housed. It's currently corroding away depspite many years indoors.

Wanaka is currently the only facility that operates their exhibits, so if this continues then I suppose this will bring in money from future air displays and hangarage fees from private owners, something the other two don't get.

I'm worried that if all of the Wigram museum exhibits are brought into the one building, what'll become of Hangars 2 and 3? I hope they wont be declared surplus and sold off, or worse, given away like the rest of the station was.

There are numerous issues involved in each project, but I for one would like to support them all some how, if only in raising some awareness that these projects are happening.

I'm keen to hear your thoughts on the three expansion plans.

[Dave Homewood]

Here are some blueprint proposals of what is hoped to be done at the RNZAF Museum, at Wigram.

I photographed these from the RNZAF Museum's excellent display tent that had at Wanaka. The phictures were printed on vinyl fabric and so were not easy to photograph, but they give you an idea.

Later back at Wigram I spoke with my old friend Dennis Gibbons, who's the Warrant Officer in charge of the Museum Restoration team. He said currently a specialist fundraising person is investigating how they'd like to commence the raising of fiunds. He said it could be some months yet before the fundraising actually begins, but he's confident it won't be too many years after that before action begins on the building.

I personally really like the plan but I worry it may be a huge expense they cannot reach. I hope not.I did talk to one of the older and longer serving guides at the museum who expressed an opinion that it wasn't necessary at all as it works well enough now, and the funds could have been used elsewhere. I do see his point too, however to remain a world class museum progress has to occur I believe. Also, the curent situation is doing nothing to preserve the poor Andover, which is looking extremely sorry for itself nowadays, much worse than when i saw it just two years ago. A new building is needed alone for that aircraft. So I support this move.

Anyway, here's the plans:








NB- disregard the fact that the aircraft have all but one been moved from the Atrium in the plans. Dennis says this is unlikely at this stage, and probably only the A4 will be moved.