Are any real fighters attending Classic Fighters?

Hi all,

If anyone wants to keep up to date with what’s happening at Omaka in the lead up to Classic Fighters Marlborough 2005 (Easter), you can join our regular email mailing list. There’s a link on this page:

http://www.classicfighters.co.nz/miscpages/news.htm

Over the next few weeks I will be able to add a lot more info to the site as various aircraft are confirmed for the show. I’ll also be adding more photos to many of the pages (some more of Alex’s great shots), and quite a few more video clips as well.

Check it out 🙂

Cheers,
Allan

Its not real

it looks to be a replica of some sort…umn nevermind

Don’t feel bad, the first time I saw it, I had run 200m before Karen realised I had gone. From a distance it looks real. It’s this type of prop that makes Classic Fighters different from other shows.

As for the WW1 tank. Until you stand on it, you wouldn’t know it’s not real.

I gotta get my ass to New Zealand one of these days – the other half would love this show (she likes WW1 stuff a lot).

hello Dave

thanks for the info, it looks extremely convincing! The paint finish & weathering etc. really make it; these guys should have been on the Spielberg projects…

cheers again

greg v

Greg, the WWI tank is a brilliant replica. Firbreglass, but you cannot tell by looking even close. It is apparently based on a bulldozer, and man when the guns go off they are awesome. They brought it up to Cambridge last year for Armistice Day, and it fired its guns next to a real Stuart tank firing its own. It made the Stewart look like a pip-squeak! The tank was built by Peter Jackson’s workshops.

well it had me fooled!

yes, looks like it would be an interesting drive! Is the WWI tank real? It is certainly great to see one going through its paces (sorry, should this be in “Tank Chat”…?).

cheers

greg v

It is a replica..but very nice and quite close to a real one visually, runs with a car motor and fires the main gun as well.

Dave

upon closer inspection

it looks to be a replica of some sort…umn nevermind

nice photos

but I would hate to have to pay for shipping on that Ausf D (or is it an early A?)

cheers

gregv

The second P-51 is ‘Dove of Peace’ , in the same issue you have just been reading about the Wallace.

Dave

Crikey, how the heck did I miss that. 😮 :confused: 😀 I’ve almost read that issue cover to cover!! Thanks Dave. Reading the article now.

Well, I am definitely going and like Wanaka last year, I shall take a heap of pics to post here. 🙂

TNZ

Dave

Classic Wings has no involvement with Classic Fighters this time around, apart for some promotional efforts.
The second P-51 is ‘Dove of Peace’ , in the same issue you have just been reading about the Wallace.

Dave

Firstly I want to point out I have not used the phrase “No real fighters”. I said “Any real fighters”. 🙂 And I have explained I was talking about replica vs real.

Secondly I fully agree with you that the replica WWI aircraft are very important in helping to keep the history alive, and that yes those aircraft replicate important types from history. But I wasn’t questioning that at all.

I merely asked if any real or any WWII fighters were booked. I now know there is some interesting stuff going along, thanks to DaveM2 and also the Classic Wings website man who has contacted me by email, and that it looks as if it were going to be a very exciting and interesting airshow that covers both World Wars.

I meant no disrespect to the Classic Fighters airshow and their efforts, nor to the history that they are attempting to recreate.

My personal preference is to see the powerful World War Two fighters. They are what attracts me to an airshow. They are simply stunning. Yes WWI replicas are nice too, and interesting, and I certainly don’t ignore them when i get a chance to see them, but my personal preference is for WWII all the way.

I fully respect your stance though Melvyn of trying to bring World War One aviation to the fore so more of us can learn about it. I’d love to see some photos of the Memorial Flight you worked on please. And maybe some interesting true WWI stories.We need more of it on this forum. I tried to get something going a few weeks back by posting about a series of articles I have about a New Zealander who flew in the RNAS during WWI in Greece and had many adventures, but not much interest was shown.

I hope that at the airshow the commentators will highlight the importance of the New Zealanders who served in WWI’s RFC, RAF and RNAS. Most Kiwis would think it were mainly a British vs German air war and not realise we were involved in the air. Some famous Kiwis in WWI aviation inclode Rhodes-Moorehouse VC, Caldwell and even Sir Keith Park.

Good luck to Classic Wings, I’ll get there if I possibly find a way to.

I see your point that there is a lot of history there, but I think you misunderstood my message.

Don’t get me wrong Dave, I am not about to jump on one of those pedantic bandwagons!

It was your title that came across wrong. The Historic Aviation thread has been thrashing the replic/rebuild/restoration thing to death lately and I really don’t want to dive into that but there is a tendency on this forum to concentrate on WW2 and forget everything that went before. The World War One period is very overlooked and a show that highlights that, with replicas or not, is very worthy and if that ignores World War Two then there might be a reason.

Personally I like the 1980’s and 1990’s-built “WWI” replicas, but I don’t find them anywhere near as exciting or interesting as genuine WWII fighters like the Spitfire and Mustang and Kittyhawk They are my real interest. I’d also love to see the Hurricane someday, which never ventures this far north, and the Corsair. I would not make the trip all the way down to Blenheim to see just replicas, that is what I meant.

But you should to understand what those guys went through. Would you fly into enemy territory and risk anti-aircraft fire in what amounted to an unstable Tiger Moth?

I started off being obessesed with World War Two aeroplanes and then got involved with the Memorial Flight in France. The more you look into World War One the more you see that the time was one of massive techological advance, the pilots were incredibly brave, the losses incredible and then many of those lessons were forgotten before WW2.

I know where you are coming from but “no real fighters” was not a good choice of words.

Besides, show me an original WW2 fighter!!!!!!!!!!!

Err, Melvyn, I meant ‘real’ as opposed to ‘replica’, which all the WWI fighters are.

I did not mean WWI fighters are not worthy. I have read a bit about WWI action lately actually. Particularly the exploits of Cambridge’s own well-known ace Keith ‘Grid’ Caldwell, who was an awesome WWI fighter pilot. I see oyur point that there is a lot of history there, but I think you misunderstood my message.

Personally I like the 1980’s and 1990’s-built “WWI” replicas, but I don’t find them anywhere near as exciting or interesting as genuine WWII fighters like the Spitfire and Mustang and Kittyhawk They are my real interest. I’d also love to see the Hurricane someday, which never ventures this far north, and the Corsair. I would not make the trip all the way down to Blenheim to see just replicas, that is what I meant.

Dave,

You are a nice guy but I have to take you to task over the phrase “No real fighters”

There are more WW1 fighters than you will see in most places and, if you read the accounts and research the history, you will find at least as much bravery and sacrifice as you would in World War Two and you will find at least as much, if not more, development in the period.

World War One is vastly overlooked by a lot of people and this should change.

Just for once forget WW2, which is rather thrashed to death in some people’s opinion, and look elsewhere. You might learn a lot (no offence intended but that also refers to a lot of people on this forum)

Go there, have fun. Learn about World War One.

Then learn some more.

In the end you will understand.

For example, did you know a SPAD XIII lands at 100mph, has no firewall and you sit on a pressurized fuel tank?

And people say the ‘109 was tricky!

Regards,

Melvyn

Thanks guys. Lovely photos Alex.

Dave, two P51D’s? Has the ex-AFC one not left NZ yet? Or is there a new one in the country? Has Ray Hanna imported his one?

Whose Harvards were those? I take it they were temporary schemes just fr the day? The Italian scheme looks nice.

Classic Fighters 2005

Hi All

Classic Fighters is a bit different from most airshows. It use’s ground theatre as one of it’s main draw cards. Right from the start, this airshow tried to be a bit different from all the rest. If all you want to see are merlins, then this is the wrong place to be. If what you want is to see lots of rare, interesting aircraft that interact with other aircraft and ground troops, tanks etc, then this is the place to came and be entertained.

Each airshow has a few surprises and this one will be no different. Where else can you see over 10 WW1 fighters, along with a mix of WW2 aircraft?

The web site will be updated as aircraft are confirmed. And yes there will be some WW2 fighters there. Anyone that has been to Classic Fighters never leaves disappointed because they went.

There are more photos at
http://www.warbirdsovernewzealand.com/cf2003/cf2003.htm

Alex

Dave

So far there are two P-40s and two P-51s (to be confirmed), probably a Yak-Ua and another on ‘restoration row’

Dave