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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 13, 2018 7:57:11 GMT 12
This has been in the wind for some time, but today it was announced on the Masterton Matters Facebook page, which I quote:
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Nov 13, 2018 10:45:48 GMT 12
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Post by johnnyfalcon on Nov 13, 2018 12:16:20 GMT 12
I presume this is complementary to OAHC
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Nov 13, 2018 12:28:28 GMT 12
It's actually going to be a lot bigger than OAHC.
As well as having the entire Vintage Avation Ltd collection of airworthy reproductions and restored aircraft on display, it is going to also display a huge amount of artifacts collected by Sir Peter Jackson, it is going to have an education centre and also a training centre to train young aircraft engineers in bygone technology.
It has been on the cards for a long time, but I knew an announcement was imminent because I was having brunch at the cafe down the end of my street the other day when Tom Williams walked in and sat down at a table, followed not long afterwards by various other people involved in the trust and various aviation organisations and I couldn't help but overhear what they were discussing. Gene De Marco also told a group of us a lot of the details a couple of years ago before he and TVAL parted company and it has since been confirmed by other people still within that organisation. Masterton District Council purchased the land (4 hectares) immediately adjacent to Hood Aerodrome about three years ago and they are very much involved in the design of the new aviation centre.
There is a major article in the print edition of today's Wairarapa Times-Age, starting on the front page, then carrying on within the paper, but whether or not it appears on the website is another story. Since they've become a locally-owned newspaper again, they keep most of the stories they publish off their website, I suppose in order to encourage locals to purchases the newspaper.
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Post by johnnyfalcon on Nov 13, 2018 12:43:12 GMT 12
Sounds like a worthy significant initiative. An airworthy version of PJ's OAHC project? I can't help but wonder if he will shift some of his artefacts from there.
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Post by kiwiruna on Nov 13, 2018 16:31:31 GMT 12
Ba Hum Bug,
My taxes better not be spent on this,he's got millions made off the back of the actors.
NOW TO GET REAL, this is great news and hopefully there will be a Dambusters Lanc, parked out front.
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Post by saratoga on Nov 13, 2018 16:57:07 GMT 12
Nah, one hanging from the rafters, another being bombed up on the floor...
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Nov 14, 2018 16:19:30 GMT 12
It would appear the folks from STUFF/The Dominion Post read the article in the Wairarapa Times-Age yesterday and decided “me too!”. (That tends to happen a lot with Wairarapa news stories these days since the Wairarapa Times-Age became a locally-owned and printed newspaper again and tripled the number of Wairarapa-based reporters).• $10 million national aviation centre planned for Hood AerodromeInterestingly, the announcement of the new aviation centre and the Wairarapa economic development strategy it was part of must have been made at the Sport & Vintage Aviation Society's premises at Hood Aeroplane, because a further article in today's print edition of the Wairarapa Times-Age had a photogaph of Shane Jones speaking to the gathering next to a big radial engine mounted on a stand. |
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Post by saratoga on Nov 14, 2018 17:11:24 GMT 12
I notice in the Stuff article, the artists sketch shows a Lancaster as centrepiece...
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Post by johnnyfalcon on Nov 14, 2018 20:22:52 GMT 12
...and what appears to be RNZAF Squadrons listed along the wall
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Nov 14, 2018 20:52:15 GMT 12
...and what appears to be RNZAF Squadrons listed along the wall That would be the Sport & Vintage Aviation Society part of the planned new centre. It has always originally been their baby, and when Gene De Marco was talking about it a couple of years ago, I got the impression that both S&VAS and TVAL were involved with the proposed centre. And although it mentions in the STUFF article about Masterton District Council purchasing the block of land adjacent to Hood Aerodrome about a year ago, it was actually much longer than that. There was a story in the Wairarapa Times-Age at least 2½ years ago (and it may even have been as long as 3 years ago) about that land purchase. I guess what has pushed the project foward has been the prospect of tapping into Shane Jones' Regional Development Fund. And from TVAL's point of view, they have virtually run out of room for their airworthy restorations and reproductions in their hangars at Masterton. Which is one of the reasons why they haven't started holding open days at weekends again. Their hangars are so crammed full of aeroplanes that it isn't safe to allow the public in there. So this proposed new aviation centre has to be a good thing for everybody, especially if it opens up TVAL's collection to the public again and means we can see the huge collection of aviation artifacts held by S&VAS which currently aren't on public display. Plus, I understand Peter Jackson has an entire warehouse full of historic stuff at Trentham. I think that long-term, the Aviation Heritage Centre at Omaka and this new museum at Hood will actually compliment each other. And that has to be a good thing. |
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Dec 19, 2018 9:12:28 GMT 12
Published in the print edition of today's Wairarapa Times-Age...
Aviation Centre progress
Masterton District Council will today consider a draft agreement between it and the National Aviation Centre Trust. The matter is to be considered with the public excluded at an extraordinary meeting of the council. The Times-Age understands the council will be considering a memorandum of understanding for the four hectares of land the council previously purchased on the corner of South Road and Manaia Road, which adjoins the Hood Aerodrome. The council owns the airfield.
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Post by ErrolC on Jul 15, 2020 18:28:41 GMT 12
Related Masterton’s Hood Aerodrome is getting a $10m kick-start funding boost from the Government for its upgrade project. Mayor Lyn Patterson says the small airport is a treasured asset. t.co/tDZGNUusgZ |
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Post by Peter Lewis on Jul 15, 2020 22:59:33 GMT 12
"additional security" sounds ominous.
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Post by ZacYates on Oct 19, 2021 17:10:25 GMT 12
Given the lack of activity on the thread I have an idea of the answer, but has there been any progress on this exciting project?
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