New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum facts for kids

The New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum was a cool place where you could learn about planes, especially old fighter planes. It was located at Wānaka Airport on New Zealand's South Island. The museum closed down in 2011. But don't worry! A new museum called Warbirds & Wheels opened in its place later that year. This new museum shows off military aircraft, classic cars, and motorcycles.

The museum was started by Sir Tim Wallis. It was built in a new building right at the Wānaka Airport. The museum first opened its doors in 1993. A retired pilot named Group Captain Colin Gray officially opened it. Its first manager, called a curator, was Ian Brodie. In 1996, the museum became one of the first aerospace museums to have a website. The museum also featured the Alpine Fighter Collection. This special collection focused on New Zealand's fighter planes from World War II. The museum received some of its funding from the Community Trust of Otago.

The Amazing Alpine Fighter Collection

The Alpine Fighter Collection was a group of old, special airplanes. These planes were kept at the New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum in Wānaka. Sir Tim Wallis, who was known for his helicopter and deer businesses, started this collection.

The collection began in 1984. Sir Tim bought a North American P-51 Mustang plane from someone in the US. This plane was painted in the colours of the RNZAF (Royal New Zealand Air Force). It got a lot of attention because it was the first flying World War II fighter plane seen in New Zealand for many years. This plane helped grow the "Warbird" movement in New Zealand during the 1980s and 1990s. The Warbird movement is all about restoring and flying old military aircraft.

The collection did something very special. They worked to find and fix up old Warbirds from countries that used to be part of the Soviet Union. This was after a time called "glasnost," when these countries became more open. They helped restore six Polikarpov I-16 planes and three Polikarpov I-153 planes so they could fly again. They also restored the first Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa to fly since the 1940s.

In 1988, the people behind the collection started the first Warbirds over Wanaka airshow. This show was created to display the amazing planes in the collection. About 14,000 people came to that first show! The collection still helps make the Warbirds over Wanaka Airshow happen every two years. In 2006, over 100,000 visitors came to see the show.

Over time, some planes from the collection were sold. Today, only one plane from the collection can still fly. It's a Hawker Hurricane Mk IIA. There is also a de Havilland Vampire FB5 and a copy of a Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a that are on display. These planes are "static," meaning they don't fly.

Some of the aircraft, like the Hawker Hurricane and the S.E.5a copy, were later moved to the new Warbirds & Wheels museum.

More to Explore

• Warbirds and Wheels, Wānaka
• Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum