Air Force Museum of New Zealand

Air Force Museum of New Zealand

18 hours ago

Woop woop Christmas alert! Time for our hard-working collections team to take a break.
Our reading room will be closed to the public from Monday 11 December and will re-open on Monday 22 January 2024.
Our Registrar we will not be carrying out donation assessments over the same period, but you are welcome to get in touch and we will be carrying out assessments again after January 22.
However, the museum is open from 9.30am until 4.30pm each day over the holiday break, apart from Christmas Day. We are closed Christmas Day, back again on Boxing Day. ... See MoreSee Less

Air Force Museum of New Zealand

1 day ago

We recently posted about David Tudhope’s Pathfinder service with No. 139 Squadron.

His first tour was with Navigator Nick Carter while his second was with South African Johnny Day. He’d previously lost a leg while flying on Hampdens of No. 50 Squadron and was awarded a Bar to his DFC while flying as Navigator to David Tudhope with No. 139 Squadron. David, nearly half the age of Johnny, had the greatest admiration for this, his second, Navigator.

This photo shows David and Johnny beside the tail of their Mosquito at the end of their tour together. Of interest is the unusual aerial on the aircraft, believed to be a ‘Monica’ aerial. ‘Monica’ is the code word for a type of radar that was used to warn the crew of an aircraft in pursuit. This type of instrument was often censored out or was simply not visible in the angle of view.

David arrived in England from Canada on his 21st birthday and flew his final flight with No. 139 Squadron on his 23rd birthday. Johnny Day had a PhD in Science from Oxford University and after the War became a Professor of marine biology in Cape Town, South Africa.

📸: Air Force Museum of New Zealand, Ref ALB991972012 ... See MoreSee Less

Air Force Museum of New Zealand

2 days ago

High performance athletes sometimes need a little down time, so we were delighted to host 40 students from Westlake Boys High School for a bit of relaxation at our museum today.
Our fantastic education Officer Chris Davey gave them a guided tour, which also doubled as a mental warm up ahead of the New Zealand Secondary Schools Athletics champs in Christchurch.
As well as a look around our historic aircraft collection, Chris gave them a history of New Zealand military aviation.
They were a treat to show around - thanks @Westlake Boys High School ... See MoreSee Less

Air Force Museum of New Zealand

2 days ago

RNZAF romance alert! ❤️
Martin and Carol Rogers dropped by to visit our museum and take a trip down memory lane, including a special stop by the beautiful Bristol Freighter.
The Rogers romance goes like this:
Carol Rogers (nee Dickason) was a Registered Nurse and served in the RNZAF and New Zealand Army for four years as a nursing officer in the 1960s.
She was a Flight Lieutenant in the RNZAF with postings including Terendak in Malaysia, RNZAF Base Shelly Bay, and in 1968 she was posted to RNZAF Base Woodbourne. Martin enlisted in the RNZAF in the 1960s and went for pilot selection at RNZAF Base Wigram. While he did not get his wings, his RNZAF experience led to a career as an Air Traffic Controller.
Back in 1968 he was transferred to RNZAF Base Woodbourne, where he lived at the officer’s mess.
See the connection?
It was at the officer’s mess at Woodbourne where they fell in love and 55 years later, they’re still happily married!
They both look back fondly on their RNZAF service and loved their visit to our museum and the memories it rekindled. Carol flew on the mighty Bristol Freighter – and she still remembers the noise!
The Rogers are now retired to Taupo but made a stop at our museum and a night at the @Wigram Hotel, our former officer’s mess, a must-do on their South Island holiday. ❤️❤️❤️ ... See MoreSee Less