Whanganui Aero Club open day & Whanganui Vintage Weekend ‘20

[Deleted]

Hi all,
Every Wellington Anniversary Weekend is the Whanganui Vintage Weekend event. For the past few years Air Chathams has supported the event by sending down their DC-3 to do scenic flights and this year was no exception. Resplendent in NZNAC colours she seemed very popular.

Coincidentally the Catalina also came to stay for the weekend after her winter hibernation at Ohakea, and also flew flew several times over the weekend.

To round things out the Whanganui Aero Club also held an open day today which proved popular with the public - lots of families and interested folk. There was an informal air display with slots flown by Darren Luff in his Pitts, his father John in the Venom, Richmond Harding’s Tiger Moth and Spitfire replica, and several others.

I’ll post photos later but in the meantime, here are some videos!

[Deleted]

Here are some photos I took over the weekend, and I've had some constructive criticism to help get prop blur in future photos Apologies if the captions seem too obvious, I've copied-and-pasted this from an overseas forum I posted at originally.

PBY-5A Catalina ZK-PBY by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Nose art on our Catalina ZK-PBY (she's actually a Canso with WW2 RCAF service).

18/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Selfie at the end of RWY 11.

18/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
My wife's car and Whanganui's premier spotting location, a WW2-built pillbox.

19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
The view from the pillbox. The large, dark grey hangar at left is the New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy.

18/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Richmond Harding's scale Spitfire replica, based at his private strip just north of town, arriving for the weekend.

18/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
The Civil Aviation Authority's site tells me this is an Aeroprakt A-32 LSA from the Hawera Aero Club. I lived in Hawera for a while and it's about an hour's drive from Whanganui.

18/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Piper Tomahawks aren't spectacular as such, but ZK-FRS is a stalwart member of the Whanganui Aero Club fleet and the aircraft I had my first lessons in, so she's special to me at least.

18/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
18/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
18/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Air Chathams' DC-3 ZK-AWP, formerly RNZAF, NZNAC, Fieldair topdresser, aerial mapping...now back to flying passengers in her old paintscheme and very popular over the weekend.

18/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Cat on finals.

19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
One of two resident DH Tiger Moths, ZK-BEF owned by Darren Luff.

19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Thanks to a club member they have this Korean War-schemed Titan T-51 Mustang replica, ZK-LSD, on the line.

19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
John Luff's lovely Glasair, one of three aircraft he has at Whanganui.

19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
A couple of local Pipers, Tri-Pacer and Super Cub.

19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
One of Air Chathams' Saab 340s on a regularly scheduled visit.

19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
A lovely light warbird we're fortunate to have here, Murray Shaw's ex-RNZAF AESL Airtourer ZK-LDG.

19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Darren Luff after displaying his other biplane, a Pitts S-1E.

19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
A nice surprise that was sadly too far for me to see properly, a lovely visiting Cessna 170.

19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Whanganui's other airworthy Tiger Moth, Richmond Harding's ex-RAF and former topdresser ZK-AUZ.

19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Our other Pitts Special was tucked up in the Aero Club's hangar, and amazingly is the one I flew in with my friend Adam in Queenstown in 2010! Also, he learned to fly Tigers in the aforementioned ZK-BEF. NZ is a small place!

19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
This tidy gyrocopter flew a handling display but I was at the runway so had to watch from afar.

19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Resident Super Cub ZK-BTU was demonstrating STOL ops in front of the crowd.

19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Neville and Les Worsley's Acro Sport also came down from Hawera.

19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
This very smart Cessna 180 went up to do a photo flight with the Catalina.

19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Another Cessna showed up and tried to outshine the Super Cub with a short landing.

19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Richmond Harding put on a spirited display in his little Spit.

19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Richmond's two lovely machines together, with the Cat in the background.

19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
John Luff's Swiss veteran de Havilland Venom J-1630/"WE434"/ZK-VNM is always a star at the aero club's open days. For the last year or so he's taken to flying her without the tip tanks. VNM also has the (IIRC) only live civilian ejection seat in New Zealand.

19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
No visit to Whanganui Aero Club is complete without checking in with Sherman, resident hangar cat. There's great photos on Facebook of him going up in a Cessna and not being at all helpful!

19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
19/01/2020 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
I was also surprised to meet a second hangar cat, the delightfully fluffy Hangar. Seriously - I asked the name on the club's Facebook page. This one was very spoiled with bits of sausage from visitors!

So there we have it! Should you want to trawl through my whole album you can find it here.

[campbellbox]

Nice coverage Zac. I really like the variety of schemes T-51s appear in. They all look excellent.

[johnnyfalcon]

ZK-BJV! My father used to fly this one and ZK-BEZ. I have memories as a kid going places in both. BJV had been domiciled in Rangiora (stored) for a long time and I was not aware there had been a move to return her to the air. Lovely to see sibling ZK-BJX complementing

[Dave Homewood]

Good report Zac.

[Deleted]

Thanks Dave