New Zealand Air Shows

Major Air Shows on the New Zealand Aviation Calendar

A description of New Zealand’s three major air shows: Warbirds Over Wanaka, the Classic Fighters Air Show and the Wings Over Wairarapa Air Show.

• Entertainment Events
• Aviation History

Air shows have been held in New Zealand since the early 1930s.

The Warbirds Over Wanaka International Air Show, Classic Fighters Air Show, and Wings Over Wairarapa Air Show have become established as major events on the New Zealand aviation calendar.

Warbirds Over Wanaka International Air Show
Warbirds Over Wanaka, held biennially at Wanaka Airport over Easter, is a major attraction associated with the New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum. The international profile of the event attracts aircraft, pilots and spectators from throughout the world, and regularly hosts crowds in excess of 80,000 over the three days of the event.

The air show traces its beginnings back to an air show and country fair held by Sir Tim Wallis at Wanaka Airport in 1988. Favourable reaction encouraged Sir Tim to build on the original event, and the show became a biennial air show held over the Easter long weekend.

Over the years the show has included flying displays by replicas of such notable WWI fighter aircraft as the Sopwith Camel, Pfalz D.III, Nieuport 11, and Fokker Dr.I triplane.

Flying displays by WWII fighters have included the Curtiss P-40, North American P-51 Mustang, Chance Vought F4U Corsair, Hawker Hurricane, and Supermarine Spitfire. Other, much rarer aircraft, including the Russian Polikarpov I-153 and I-13 fighters restored by Sir Tim's Alpine Fighter Collection, a Grumman FM-2 Wildcat, and another Russian WWII aircraft, the Lavochkin LA9, have also participated over the years.

Displays by post-war jets have featured the De Havilland Vampire jet fighter, the beautiful Hawker Hunter, and a favourite of boys both old and young, an RAAF F-111 dumping fuel into the exhaust on afterburner. 

Aerobatic displays are also a feature of the show, frequently featuring the ubiquitous Russian Sukhoi SU-31, and teams of North American Harvards.  

From its early days, the show has incorporated military history displays of restored vehicles and vintage machinery. In recent years it has been expanded to include an international aircraft trade expo featuring aviation-related products from key rings to full-size aircraft.

Classic Fighters Air Show
The 3-day biennial Classic Fighters Air Show is held at Omaka airfield over Easter in alternate years to Warbirds Over Wanaka. Omaka, nestled in the heart of Marlborough wine country 5km outside of Blenheim, is one of New Zealand's first airfields, and site of New Zealand's first air pageant.

Developed as a fund-raiser for the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre, the show attracts in excess of 25,000 spectators, and goes hand-in-hand with the Knights of the Sky Exhibition at the Centre.

Promoted as a family entertainment spectacle, each show is dedicated to a unique theme, for example 'Aviation and the Movies' and 'Italy'. Re-enactments of battle scenes in the air and exhibits on the ground are integrated with the theme of the show, and include the Knights of the Sky Exhibition, and vintage military and civilian vehicles and equipment in set-piece events enacted by enthusiasts in the uniforms of the time.

The flavour of the show is set by the open cockpits of WWI - SE5As, Sopwith Camels, and Fokker Triplanes. On the other hand, famous names in civil aircraft manufacture between the wars including Ryan, Beechcraft, Stearman, and de Havilland, are always well represented, as are the aircraft of WWII.

The sight of a North American P-51 Mustang barreling down the runway about the leap skyward is something no air show should be without, and Omaka can be guaranteed to produce a Mustang or two, and other fighters of the time including the Supermarine Spitfire and Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk. Other WWII aircraft such as the PBY Catalina flying boat, and later aircraft including the Bristol Freighter, also feature in flying and static displays.

Aerobatics is always a significant part of the show, with teams of Harvards, Yak 52s, and Nanchang CJ-6As, as well as individual aerobatic aircraft, providing breath-taking displays to thrill kids young and old. 

Wings Over Wairarapa Air Show
Wings Over Wairarapa is held at Hood Aerodrome near Masterton, against the backdrop of Martinborough wine country. Held biennially over Wellington Anniversary Weekend in January, the show regularly attracts crowds in excess of 30,000.

Wings Over Wairarapa is centred around displays of classic military aircraft from WWI and WWII, but also encompasses a wide range of commercial and private aviation. 

Run by the New Zealand Sport and Vintage Aviation Society based in Masterton, the show traces its origins back to 1999, however the Wairarapa region in general, and Masterton in particular, has a considerable aviation history dating from the early 1900s.

Past shows have seen displays by classic WWI fighters, notably the Sopwith Camel, Bristol F2B, Avro 504K, Nieuport 24, and Fokker Triplane, often including that great thrill for boys old and young - the airfield attack.

Displays by WWII aircraft often include historic RNZAF aircraft such as the North American Harvard trainer, and early jet fighters including the Gloster Meteor, de Havilland Venom and Vampire, and the English Electric Canberra.

On the civilian side, the displays always feature a multitude of commercial aircraft including agricultural sprayers and droppers, gliders, helicopters, propeller and jet aerobatic teams and individual aircraft, as well as homebuilts, microlights, and gyrocopters.

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Motoring images from Flickr: Aircraft, Traffic Lights and Motorway.