New Zealand Warbird Scene

[Noha307]

Could someone explain the relationship between the various aviation museums at Wanaka? I know its the New Zealand equivalent of Chino, but I've never been quite clear on how the Alpine Fighter Collection, New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum and Warbirds and Wheels all fit together. Who owns what and how did each develop? My basic understanding is that everything stems from Tim Wallis and they seem to be reorganizations and renaming of the same collection, but I'm guessing that there's way more I'm missing.

Just to confuse the situation even more, I am aware that there also the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre and the Classic Fighters airshow at Omaka. (If I remember correctly, former is related to Peter Jackson - who is also responsible for The Vintage Aviator Limited I think, but latter I mix up with Warbirds of Wanaka.) I know enough to recognize that these are different locations, but my knowledge of New Zealand geography is not great, so they run together in my head. (I'm good on the Air Force Museum of New Zealand though. They're New Zealand's NMUSAF - static and government run - so its easy enough to keep it apart.)

Finally, I know that there's Wings Over New Zealand Aviation Forum and a Wings Over New Zealand Show podcast that sort of tie it all together, but I'm not quite sure how.

Signed,
A Confused Yank

[Spitty]

It all revolves around the two airshows at Omaka and Wanaka.Omaka is North Island near Wellington.Wanaka is South Island and close to the town of Wanaka near Queenstown.
Peter Jacksons collection TVAL is based at Omaka.
Tim Wallis was based at Wanaka.

[ErrolC]

Spitty has conflated the collections at Omaka (Blenheim, northern end of the South Island) and Hood Aerodrome (Masterton, about 90 minutes drive NE of Wellington at the south end of the North Island.

Omaka AHC displays items owned by various people/trusts, including many aircraft/exhibits controlled by Peter Jackson. The rest of Jackson's collection (TVAL, The Vintage Aviator Ltd) is at Hood. To see TVAL aircraft you need to go to the Wings Over Wairarapa Airshow held at Hood in summer of odd-numbered years (before the Omaka show each following Easter). No Jackson aircraft have flown at other airshows since Omaka 2017.

NZ Warbirds (Ardmore, Auckland) have a number of WW1 replicas (including one built by TVAL). Various other warbirds are based there too, many owned by NZ Warbirds members rather than the organisation itself. Have small shows once or twice a year.

[Zac Yates]

Could someone explain the relationship between the various aviation museums at Wanaka? I know its the New Zealand equivalent of Chino, but I've never been quite clear on how the Alpine Fighter Collection, New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum and Warbirds and Wheels all fit together. Who owns what and how did each develop? My basic understanding is that everything stems from Tim Wallis and they seem to be reorganizations and renaming of the same collection, but I'm guessing that there's way more I'm missing.

You've nailed it. The Alpine Fighter Collection was Sir Tim Wallis' fleet which were displayed at the NZFPM. After the collection was sold off in the early 2000s a smaller museum unaffiliated with Sir Tim but displaying his Hawker Hurricane (until that was sold overseas and was replaced by a full-scale replica), Warbirds and Wheels, was founded at the same location. This museum closed last year and its exhibits were sold off or returned to their owners. The AFC/NZFPM/W&W hangar is now home to restoration shop Twenty24 Ltd which has a Harvard (T-6) and several Beech 17s underway. Warbirds Over Wanaka is a biennial (even years) airshow at Wanaka at Easter, though sadly due to COVID the most recent was run in 2018.

Although there was a lot of activity at Wanaka in the 1990s to the mid-00s it was all centred on Sir Tim's collection, so it's more accurate to view Ardmore in the North Island as our Chino analog - there are two independent restoration shops (Avspecs and Pioneer) on the field as well as the NZ Warbirds Association (think CAF but without squadrons or ranks) HQ.

As Errol pointed out Hood Aerodrome at Masterton (lower North Island) is WW1 central with The Vintage Aviator Limited (Sir Peter Jackson)'s fleet based there, although there are several replicas popping up at Omaka along with a number of golden age aircraft and some WW2 fighters such as Yaks.

[Noha307]

Thanks for the information everyone. I appreciate it.

The Alpine Fighter Collection was Sir Tim Wallis' fleet which were displayed at the NZFPM. After the collection was sold off in the early 2000s a smaller museum unaffiliated with Sir Tim but displaying his Hawker Hurricane (until that was sold overseas and was replaced by a full-scale replica), Warbirds and Wheels, was founded at the same location. This museum closed last year and its exhibits were sold off or returned to their owners.

I have to ask: What happened? I don't know all of what was in it, but from the sound of things he had a really nice collection. Why couldn't it continue? Was there no one there to take over? Were they out of money?

It's interesting you mention the collection being broken up and sold, as I feel like most of the time I've seen it mentioned the source is not talking about the AFC itself, but in the ownership history of some airplane now located somewhere else. Essentially, a bunch of instances of "previously owned by the Alpine Fighter Collection".

[DaveM2]

Sir Tim suffered a debilitating Spitfire XIV accident in 1996 (aircraft now flying again and based here at Omaka) and ended up in a wheel chair and had to learn to speak again. The collection and AFC running of WOW continued, but for want of a better word the 'bean counters' began to exert their influence over the next decade and the duplicate aircraft began to be sold off (notably the Polikarpovs). That would have been the case anyway, although some were to be 'traded' I believe. Several projects due to come here were sold on (Spitfire V and Bf109E to Paul Allen) before they were completed, the Ju 87 and Bf110 projects (stored at Wigram in Christchurch) went to Berlin and so on.
The Wanaka council took over the running of the airshow after the 2006 event and it has never been the same since IMHO.

A very simplified overview, as I understand it. I think if Tim had not suffered the accident none of the above may have happened, he was the driving force behind AFC.....but who knows.