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We're getting a Hercules!
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Summer fun with us
Pop in today with the kids or grandkids and enjoy exploring New Zealand’s military aviation history with us. There’s plenty for the younger crowd to do with our Pop-Up library space, DropZone and Balloon Busters interactive games, behind-the-scenes tours, Captured! interactive, hunts and our Mosquito Mission simulator. There’s also our café on site.
We’re open each day (except Christmas Day) from 9.30am until 4.30pm and we have a HUGE free carpark. Campervans and caravans welcome!
New exhibiton: Insights
Insights
From delicate pastel and crayon sketches to the brutality of a crash-damaged German bomber engine, Insights offers a tantalising peek at the breadth and depth of our collection. Like many museums, space constraints mean that only a fraction of our one million or so objects can ever be on display. It is a collection containing stories more than 100 years in the making and a source of endless fascination for the team of people who work to catalogue, conserve and care for it.
Featured Exhibition
P-3 Orion
The exhibition includes a scale model of the aircraft dating back to 1968, and a 13-minute documentary featuring interviews with pilots and crew, and a yachtie rescued by the aircraft back in 1994.
P-3 Orion: The story of an extraordinary aircraft is not to be missed!
Our Aircraft
Explore AircraftMore to explore
Herc yeah!Historic arrival ✈️ C-130H Hercules will retire to the Air Force Museum in Wigram.
NZ7001, No.40 Squadron’s first Hercules, will soon make its final flight to its new home at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand in Christchurch.
After 60 years of service, 33,000 accident-free flying hours, and 20,000 landings, this legendary aircraft will be conserved before going on permanent display.
Stand by for more details and follow the Air Force Museum of New Zealand for special open days where you can see the Hercules up close before it moves into storage.
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When? How?
Will there be a press release when due to land I understand weather permitting but will there be a post even short notice to say she's on her way alot of people keen to see this once in lifetime opportunity
Will you advise of the timings, and will there be a veiwing area ?
Great stuff
I'm agree with Matt Simmonds comment. Please don't go all secret squirrel on us. Flight path and date/time will be nice. At least we can view it as it glides in?
Would be nice if you let ex or current Air Force staff in by the hangars to witness this .
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HOLDEN ON: Our recent feature of famous RNZAF Fords throughout the ages to support All Ford Day here at the museum has led to howls of protest* from the General Motors Holden community.
So, today, we present, in the interests of balance, the sweetest collection of Holdens ever to serve in the RNZAF.
Enjoy!
*Just one howl but it was loud and possibly the tip of a very large iceberg.
All Ford Day is on Sunday 16 February from 10am.
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The howl was probably the same noise as those front tire made when going around a corner, fully leaned over
Oh, come on - there were two of us howling... We just weren't on the same iceberg... Great to see balance achieved.
And bearly Holden together 😁
I sure bet those cars FLEW along the road!
No Austin Kimberley’s?
HOLDEN out... For the C130 to land at Wigram....
If it was a quiet day, you could hear them rusting. 😁😁
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HERCULES UPDATE: We've distributed this letter to our neighbours today from Chief of Air Force Air Vice-Marshal Darryn Webb. The full text to neighbours is below with possible questions and answers, plus contact details for any questions. Exciting news!
From: Chief of Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force
12 February 2025
Dear Neighbour
C-130 Hercules Delivery to Air Force Museum
We wanted to let you know in advance about an unusual aircraft movement planned for the coming weeks.
The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) is intending to land a C-130H Hercules transport aircraft on the grounds of the Air Force Museum between the hours of 8am and 8pm within the next month. The landing is weather dependent – so our apologies that we cannot be more exact about the timings.
Because this is an unusual event, RNZAF personnel will be out in the neighbourhood in the days ahead to talk to residents closest to the Air Force Museum who are near the flightpath, to explain what’s happening and answer any questions you may have. The aircraft will make its final touchdown here having concluded 60 years of service to New Zealand. It will then be prepared to go into storage prior to going on display in the future.
What to expect:
The Hercules will be flying in via a low approach over Corsair Drive. There will be very loud engine noise for a short amount of time as it flies over and goes into reverse thrust upon landing. While helicopters land regularly in your area, the sight and sound of such a large aircraft on a low approach to the grounds of the Air Force Museum will be unusual. Please do not be alarmed.
There is a chance the aircraft may fly over more than once to practise its approach and ensure conditions are correct for landing. Once the Hercules lands it will taxi to the hangars and shut down.
Is the airfield large enough?
The Air Force Museum sits on 37 hectares of New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) land and there is more than enough space to land safely. The runway and approach have been surveyed, and the clearances over properties and trees close to the perimeter are adequate for the landing – although it will appear very close for those near the airfield boundary. The RNZAF’s most experienced C-130(H) Hercules crew has been chosen to fly the aircraft and they have been well prepared for this activity.
The NZ Police and the Christchurch City Council have been consulted and full emergency contingency planning has been carried out.
Please get in touch with any concerns
If you have any questions or concerns at all, please do not hesitate to get in touch by emailing rnzaf_enquiries@nzdf.mil.nz
We have produced a list of possible questions and answers below but please take the chance to speak to our team when they are in your street.
Yours sincerely
D.R. WEBB
Air Vice-Marshal
Chief of Air Force
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the aircraft landing?
The C-130H Hercules is being delivered to the Air Force Museum for future static display. The arrival of the C-130H Hercules is a huge bonus for the museum and will be a popular visitor attraction. This aircraft is a piece of NZ aviation history and has served New Zealand for 60 years. The aircraft deserves to retire and to be conserved and displayed for the generations to come.
Is the airfield long enough?
Yes. There is more than enough room, with a margin of error built in, for a landing when the weather conditions are favourable.
The C-130H Hercules was designed to conduct short landings, including on grass runways. It is perfectly suited to landing at Wigram. This is the most effective way to get it to the museum. The C-130H Hercules has landed at Wigram throughout its career, this will make for an historic last flight.
Which way will the aircraft land?
The C-130H Hercules will approach from over the Corsair Rd end of the airfield and land in the direction of Symes Rd/Vickerys Rd end. It will then taxi towards, and park in front of the museum main hangars. This should take less than 10 minutes.
Do I need to leave my home?
No, there is no need to leave your home. You will likely hear a very loud noise as the aircraft flies over and there will be some vibration for a few seconds as it does so.
Will it do more than one approach?
The aircraft may need more than one approach to ensure conditions are right for landing. The RNZAF’s fleet of five C-130H Hercules have completed more than 100,000 landings safely over the past 60 years.
Airports have fire crews. Will there be a fire crew on site?
Yes. We have support from the Fire Service and Christchurch Airport.
When will the Hercules go on display?
Once the aircraft lands it will go through a process to remove its military equipment and fuel. The museum will then hold a series of open days similar to the ones held when our P-3K2 Orion arrived in 2024, there will also be an exhibition to tell the story of the aircraft. It cannot go on permanent display until a new exhibition space is built. The plans for this exhibition space are under way. ... See MoreSee Less
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Love this. This is exactly how NZ used to operate - getting stuff done and done well. Will be a spectacular occasion
Will there be ANY advance warning? I would love to see this (and I'm sure I'm not the only one!) Air Force Museum of New Zealand
Maybe you could set up some stands and charge admission, proceeds going to the new Hanger.....
Now that would be something to see
This is fantastic news as previously RNZAF had commented that it wasn’t likely!! Well done Great decision!! 🤔😆
'Aww Dad, can't we have one last STOL'...
Will it be maintained in flying condition or just go on static display?
I hope this takes place when I am down in Christchurch.. will you know a couple of days before the flight? or will it just happen on the day?
Do we know which one of NZ7001 through 7005?
A good reason for this happening is the cost of disassembly, road transport and put back together by 3rd party.... Need as much funds for new display areas for the future....
I’d love to see this !
It will happen on a fine day with a strong North Easterly blowing.
Would like to see it happen. I'm sure you'll record plenty of videos
Wigram Airforce Museum Can you please let us know a date or so, not just for me, but I'm sure others would love to get the day off from work please :)
Wow !!! Fantastic that the museum is getting one of these planes. Such a wonderful workhorse. They have done such awesome work over the years. Even more exciting that they are going to fly it in. The fact that they need such a small length of runway has been another reason they have been so successful over the years. Hope to see it arrive, was lucky enough to see the 3 planes flyover on their farewell flight and that was impressive
So beautiful seeing them flying over my country that I love. Thank you for doing that for us.
Awesome P.R. Thank you 💙
I’m sure we will sometime in the future - especially with Stephen
Kerryn Swain-Hay how good would it be to witness this up close
Brilliant and momentous it will be.
Melissa here’s hoping they can give us a rough day / time so we can take our little pilots 🤞
This is amazing news and a very appropriate end to an amazing work horse.
If only I still lived in ChCh I would love to have it fly low over my place, the noise is just one of the beautiful things about it
Would LOVE to see this!! 😍
Would love to watch this come in, wonder how to find out when it's going to happen
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URGENT CLARIFICATION: We are expecting a rush of car fanatics for All Ford Day this weekend with Mustangs on their minds, so we are moving swiftly to clarify the differences between the Ford Mustang and the North American Mustang to head off any unnecessary confusion.
As you can see from our picture the muscle car and the muscle aircraft could be easily confused, so here’s a handy guide to telling them apart at a glance.
Of course, the easiest way to tell the North American Mustang and the Ford Mustang apart is engine capacity. The North American Mustang was powered by a Packard V-1650 Merlin engine. The V-12 supercharged beast had a capacity of 27 litres and produced around 1300 horsepower.
The Ford Mustang has had a variety of engines of the years – and in the early 1970s the 351 cubic inch V8 reigned supreme. It had a tiny capacity of 5.75 litres and produced 266 horsepower, a little less than the North American pony.
While both have undeniably sleek designs, an easy way to differentiate them is by their air scoop arrangements. On the North American Mustang the scoop is on the anterior or underside to feed air to its belly radiator which causes the Mustang to make a distinctive whistling sound, caused by something called the Meredith Effect.
On the Ford Mustang the cooling arrangement consists of two ram air induction scoops on its nose cone, and there was no Meredith Effect whistling to be heard.
If you’ve got this far and still can’t tell them apart, count the wheels. The Ford Mustang has four non-retractable wheels and a spare, the North American Mustang has two retractable main wheels and a tail wheel to make a total of three.
This has been a public service announcement on behalf of the Air Force Museum. You’re welcome!
All Ford Day is on this Sunday 16 February from 10am until 2.30pm in our grounds, 45 Harvard Avenue, Wigram, Christchurch.
#extraordinaryaircraft #canterburymustangownersclub #fordmustang #urgentclarification ... See MoreSee Less
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I'm worried I'll be confused by the third kind of mustang...
Ahh, love the descriptive clarification 🤣 Hope.you all have a great day
And the North American engineers made the (common and industry-wide) mistake of fitting the oversized radiator fan outside the engine compartment, which is an obvious giveaway.
Still my favorite shot of mine at Ardmore warbirds air show
I will take the four-wheeled Mustang over the three-wheeled one anyday.....only because I don't have a private runway to park it, but I do have a drive way.......Love me a good Mustang!!!!
If anyone has a Dodge Dakota handy, it might be time to clear up any confusion between that and the DC-3.
I love these posts, so important to know the differences. keep yo the great work
You should also not forget the OTHER other single-engine mechanical Mustang, the US made Mooney M22! The Mooney Mustang can be readily identified by its single gull-wing door, in contrast to the 2-4 side-opening doors of the Ford Mustang or the canopy-opening of the P-51. The Mooney Mustang also possesses, unique in this grouping, a tricycle style landing gear with a nose wheel. As an owner of this rare Mustang, I often find it important to distinguish between my Mooney Mustang and the Ford Mustang, which both utilize a piston engine. Generally the distinction between the P-51 and the Mustang-22 can be ascertained immediately due to the 4 variable pitch propeller blades of the former and the 2 fixed propeller blades of the latter. www.planeandpilotmag.com/aircraft/brands/mooney/m22-mustang/mooney-m22-mustang-the-first-pressuri...
Its a Ford. Who cares lol. Only Mustang I like has 4 legs 😉
These clarifications are awesome, keep em coming
If you stopped parking them next to each other all the time people might be less confused.
...count the wheels!🤣
Nailed it yet again
Great promo guys!🤣
I've got one of the 4 wheeler versions, a 2016. The winged ones are a bit out of my budget
Guess you will be attending with one of your many Fords Buck Harrison ??
Rather have the plane mustang.
Found on Rubbish Dump. Fix or repair Daily. Etc
Jessie Gemmell
Paul Tully
Les Nelson
Cody Rodrigues
Stephen Morgan
Cole Roskruge
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