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The Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10 Itself. Warbirds Over Wanaka Had a Merlin Powered 109 at the '92 Show But the Daimler-Benz Engine Gave This Aircraft, D-HDME, That Seal of Authenticity to the Marque. The Colour Scheme and Black and White Spinner Lent Itself to Being the Target of the Aircraft Photographer. The Engine Certainly Had a Crackle That Was Different to That of the Merlin. Like the Oscar, Fifty Years on and Spectators Saw Ghosts in Metal at WoW (Cpl Dan Mattison, RNZAF).
Warbirds Over Wanaka 1996 Colour Report
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Warbirds Over Wanaka 1996
The 1996 Warbirds Over Wanaka Airshow once again showed that the Kiwis can turn on one of the best flying events in the Southern Hemisphere. It is not the quantity but the quality of the aircraft types displayed coupled with the country itself and the people that make WoW the premier show that it is. Dave Prossor was there.
WoW in the dictionary means an exclamation of admiration, amazement. It is also a shortening of the title Warbirds Over Wanaka. Both rightly mean the same thing, the best warbird airshow seen in Australasia in recent years.
The Easter 1996 Warbirds Over Wanaka airshow held new and exciting attractions for the aviation enthusiast. This year new attractions included a genuine Messerschmitt Bf 109-G-10 powered by a Daimler-Benz engine, an Me 108 trainer, a Catalina, Russian Yak-3M fighter, Cessna A-37B Dragonfly, Grumman Avenger, Kittyhawk, Corsair, a visiting Grumman Albatross, no less than four DC-3/C-47s, two Mustangs, a DH.89 Rapide that did joyrides and the recently restored Nakajima Oscar that actually flew! Over three days of the event 65,000 people attended which is surprising considering that Wanaka is not adjacent to a major town or city. Oddly enough the Sunday had the best weather but spectator numbers were less than the day before. Over 200 light aircraft and 15 helicopters flew in to bolster visitor numbers. International visitors were on the increase since the last WoW, such is the spread of the fame of the show. Wanaka the airshow is more than just an aerial display as there are also a significant number of ground attractions to take in. In the New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum, Hawker Hurricane P3351 was visibly on the way back to flying again, the rebuild expected to be completed by the 1998 show. Also on display were the components of the tailplane of a WW2 Fw 190. This too is being rebuilt to fly again! For those who like military vehicles there were a number on display and enough retired fire wagons to equip a small city. There were over 70 tractors and traction engines on show plus a number of stationary engines. Dispersed around the spectator area were stalls and stands that sported homebuilts, aero engines, aircraft for sale, all manner of aviation memorabilia, clothing, artifacts and of course the obligatory tee shirt and ball cap stand. For the enthusiast the parked warbirds were situated in such a way that one could see and photograph them at close quarters. There was even a scheduled walk amongst the parked warbirds. Founder of the Alpine Fighter Collection (AFC) and instigator of the WoW show, Sir Tim Wallis, saw the show but from a short distance. Sir Tim was seriously injured in the crash of a Spitfire at Wanaka on January 2. While his doctors advised against him attending the show he made a brief visit and then took to enjoy the flying display from the comfort of a wheelchair in a tent chalet on the ridge overlooking the airfield. His wife Prue said that he is giving every sign that he will make a full recovery, which is good news indeed. On the Easter Monday an aircraft auction was held. Most aircraft put on the block were GA type aircraft but there were four that were of interest to the warbird sector. All these aircraft were passed in as not having reached the reserve required to change ownership. The aircraft were a Yak-50, An-2, T-6/Zero replica and Westland Scout helicopter. The American registered T-6/Zero has starred at previous WoW events but at the auction it was advised that the aircraft was being sold as it did not have the performance to match the other dogfight aircraft and that the AFC is looking at other things, presumably other aircraft. Two of the display pilots were father and son, Ray and Mark Hanna, who operate their Old Flying Machine Company in the UK. Ray, a New Zealander by birth, has spent most of his flying career in the UK but is now looking to retire in New Zealand. Ray and Mark flew a number of the high performance fighters in the show displaying the skills that they have acquired over a number of years. The afternoon flying display is an event not to be missed. There was a showing of the various aircraft types followed by the Battle for the Pacific, the South East Asian Conflict in the air and the Airfield Attack. The end of the day saw a massed airborne parade of the fighters present. Fantastic stuff. Probably the highlight of the day was the aerial duel between the Spitfire and the Bf 109, flown by Ray and Mark Hanna. Truly a spectacle to behold. The WoW airshow is more than just a spectacle, it is an experience. Where else could one see some of the types involved and at Wanaka they are flying. For anyone visiting New Zealand they can expect to enjoy the snow capped mountains, excellent tourist infrastructure, good roads, none of the crowds of say Europe or America and the locals are very friendly. The Warbirds Over Wanaka airshow is close to Australia but at the same time far enough away to enjoy the wait for the 1998 event. Below is a selection of the action seen at the 1996 Warbirds Over Wanaka airshow. Writer Dave Prossor was Tour Manager for the more than 40 Australians who travelled to the Warbirds Over Wanaka airshow with Torii Tours. David also writes the Warbirds column in Australian Aviation magazine.
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