New Zealand Classic Aircraft Restoration
A Description of Classic Aircraft Restoration in New Zealand
In recent years, classic aircraft restoration in New Zealand has expanded from a backyard hobby into an industry with an international focus.
The NZS.com New Zealand Classic Aircraft Restoration article contains information on aircraft restoration history and restorers in New Zealand.
The Beginnings
The classic aircraft restoration industry in New Zealand was born of backyard enthusiasm. With a burgeoning Kiwi interest in aircraft history, subsequent growth has been supported by formation of the Warbirds Association in 1978, Sir Tim Wallis' Alpine Fighter Collection in Wanaka, and the bi-annual 'Warbirds Over Wanaka' air shows, the industry has expanded hand-in-hand with the international growth in interest in classic aircraft.
Volume of work has increased to the point where some aircraft restorers are more or less able to specialise in specific types, for example, the Curtiss P-40, and de Havilland aircraft.
Competitive labour rates, combined with the New Zealand tradesman's ability to make-do with available materials, give the New Zealand restorer a clear international advantage in the field of classic aircraft restorations.
The Restorers
Replicore, located in Whangarei and established in 1989, has established a unique position in classic aircraft restoration with its one-off restoration and manufacture of classic aircraft radiator and oil cooler cores. All cores are manufactured according to original standards, or better if the current technology allows. Replicore's success stories include manufacture of radiators for replicas of the SE.5A and Fokker D7 of WWI fame, and radiators and oil cooler cores for Hawker Hurricane Mk2, Yakovlev, Curtiss P40, and P51 Mustang fighters of WWII.
Formed in 1997 from the assets of a previous aircraft restoration company, Pioneer Aero Restorations Limited is best known for its restorations of the WWII Curtiss P-40 fighter. The company's P-40 restorations have won commendations throughout the world, and notably, awards at the annual Oshkosh Airshow in the United States. Operating from its premises at Ardmore airport south of Auckland since 2001, Pioneer cooperates closely with Avspecs Limited in its P-40 work for a wide range of overseas customers.
Avspecs Limited, located at Ardmore next-door to Pioneer, was formed in 1997 and moved to Ardmore from Rotorua in 2000. The company has considerable expertise in a wide range of aircraft, and boasts restorations of, among others, a de Havilland Venom jet fighter, a Supermarine Spitfire, an Australian-manufactured F-86 Sabre, a Hawker Sea Fury, and a de Havilland Mosquito. The complete wooden airframe of the Mosquito was contracted to Mosquito Aircraft Restoration.
Not formally a company, Mosquito Aircraft Restoration is a group led by enthusiast Glyn Powell, dedicated to de Havilland Mosquito restoration and manufacture of related components. Glyn's build-your-own Mosquito project began almost 20 years ago, and now has an international profile. Construction of jigs for manufacture of the wooden flying surfaces and bulkheads, and building fuselage half-molds on which to form the wooden fuselage components, was a truly herculean task. The experience and facilities of Glyn and his small team ensure a rare existence in the international classic aircraft restoration business. The team has now built Mosquito fuselages and components for customers in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and the US.
Aero Technology Limited, better known simply as Aero Tech, is also located at Ardmore airport. Aero Tech's work covers an eclectic collection of aircraft including a Cessna A-37B Dragonfly from the Vietnam War era, now painted in Vietnamese Air Force colours. The company has also restored many of the parts from a rare Nakajima Hayabusa Ki43i for Sir Tim Wallis' Alpine Fighter Collection facility in Wanaka, and returned a Hawker Hunter FR.74, formerly of the Singaporean air force, to airworthy status.
The Vintage Aviator Limited is one of the few aviation consultants in the world focusing solely on restoration and manufacture of WWI aircraft. With facilities at Hood Aerodrome in Masterton, and in Wellington, the company employs the most up-to-date technology in the manufacture of classic aircraft, and is New Zealand Civil Aviation Administration-approved to the aviation industry equivalent of the ISO 9001 2000 standard.
The company has built replicas of, among others, the RE.8 for the Omaka Aviation Heritage Center in Marlbourough, the Sopwith Triplane, and the SE.5A. Not limited to building replica aircraft, the company also restores aircraft engines, and has recently restored to running condition a 160HP Beardmore engine for installation in a replica of the WWI Royal Flying Corps FE.2B observation aircraft.
The Croydon Aircraft Company Limited, located at the Old Mandeville airfield outside Gore in Otago is highly regarded internationally for its expertise in restoration and manufacture of de Havilland and other classic aircraft, and for its skills in fabric application and painting. The company has built a flying replica, with working replica engine, of an aircraft built in 1910 by Bert Pither, an early South Island inventor and DIY exponent. Croydon also has a collection of classic de Havilland aircraft available for flight training and scenic flights.
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Motoring images from Flickr: Hercules, Traffic Lights and Motorway.
