Sunshine, Vineyards and Classic Fighters

Omaka Aerodrome
Blenheim
New Zealand
Oct 08 – Oct 09


Blenheim, in Marlborough Province, is not only one of New Zealand’s sunniest places, and a major wine-producing centre; it is also a significant centre of NZ Aviation history.

We were there to pay a visit to Graham Orphan the editor of Classic Wings, (http://www.classicwings.com)
a founding member of The Aviation Heritage Centre (http://www.aviationmarlborough.com/ahc/index.shtml) and the owner of Classic Aircraft Sales Ltd (http://www.classicwings.com/sales.htm)

We were also there to confirm our attendance at Classic Fighters Marlborough 2007. (http://www.classicfighters.co.nz)

We’d hoped for maybe half an hour of Graham’s time, a look around the airfield and maybe a glimpse of some of the extensive WW1 aircraft collection that makes its home here.

What we got was so much more …

The Sunday we arrived turned out to be a practice day for those same WW1 fighters that we hoped to get a look at. Furthermore, at the airfield, we ran into Allan Udy one of the main AirShow organisers, and Alex Mitchell, a noted NZ aviation photographer (http://www.warbirdsovernewzealand.com/who.asp). Between the two of them they were able to arrange airfield access which let us get up close and personal with several of the aircraft operating that day. What a treat! Later, we met an RNZAF pilot who we had earlier seen doing his conversion and first flight in one of the Fokker Triplanes - his smile was worth a thousand words.

Allan, by the way, is also the Webmaster of the Classic Fighters website which contains much more than just event information. The annual Classic Fighters event is pretty much a ‘Must See’, but even if you can’t get there you should visit the website and sign up for Allan’s Newsletter. The enthusiasm is contagious, the photos are great and the history is fascinating. The address again is http://wwww.classicfighters.co.nz

That was the early part of our day. Later in the afternoon we had our appointment with Graham at the Aviation Heritage Centre The half hour we hoped for, stretched out to over 2 hours as we were given a preview of the Centre, a tour of some of the aircraft restoration work going on around the airfield, and a close look at Graham’s own projects both flying and on the workshop floor.

The Heritage Centre is scheduled to open on Dec 09 and it will be a very special addition to NZ’s aviation landscape. The first stage will feature the many WWI aircraft located at Omaka and with Peter Jackson involved somewhere in the background the exhibits are bound to be presented in an exciting and ‘illuminating’ way. Of interest to those who have seen the movie The Blue Max, will be the replica Pfalz flown in the movie by George Peppard. A replica that’s already historic!

Our tour continued with a visit to Graham’s personal collection of an Aeronca Champ and a Fleet Finch 16b, (both in flying order), a historic Aeronca K in the restoration process (http://www.classicfighters.co.nz/ac/aeroncak/index.shtml ) and pieces of a P40 Kittyhawk which (unbelievably to the uninitiated such as myself!) will one day take to the air again. Graham is also a part owner of a Nanchang CJ6 and a leading proponent of seeing more of these aircraft in NZ through syndicated ownership.

From there we visited several other impressive projects finishing with a visit to Mike Nichols and his Yak 3 and Curtiss Hawk 75 projects. This Hawk is one of only four surviving examples of its type and has a unique history which you can learn about at http://www.classicfighters.co.nz/ac/hawk75/index.shtml
Coincidently I had only just seen the only currently flying Hawk at the Lodrino Air Show. ( T link back to Lodrino Blog here )

As the afternoon wound to a close, Graham’s encyclopedic knowledge of the aviation world had filled our heads to overflow – which probably explains why his Classic Wings (one more link to Classic Wings here) magazine achieves the quality heights that it does – and it was time to head for a beer at the nearby and also historic Marlborough Aero Club (http://www.marlboroughaeroclub.co.nz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6&Itemid=47 )

It was here that aero club flying operations began in NZ and it was here that A.E Clouston and Victor Ricketts established aviation history with their England to NZ flight record.

What a great way to end a great day.

I’ll sign off with the reflection that this visit marked the closest we’ve been to so many restoration projects – the painstaking skills involved are very apparent and the rest of us less skilled enthusiasts are very lucky indeed that these individuals are doing what they do and that they provide or can find the necessary finance. We need to find ways to support their activities at every opportunity.

See you there next Easter.