Chris, that is a much rarer Dragonfly, (only two flying in the world!) not a Rapide. Flown by Ryan Southam (DH90Dragonfly).

Yes, that is a genuine rotaty and a genuine propellor blade.

The Transavia Agtruk is positively pretty compared to the original design, the Bennett Airtruk however, which was designed and built by Bennetts Aviation at Palmerston North, NZ from old scrap Harvard parts. It was like the Transavia thing in layout (they bought the rights and tidied it up) but the Bennett’s design was radial engined. Sadly I don’t believe any exist today.

I am very much looking forward to next week, my first Wanaka airshow since 1993. Yay! I’m actually going.

Very nice photos Glenn, there are aircraft there I’d forgotten about and hope they’ll be there this time. I didn’t even know there was a Wessex operating in NZ too. Is it still here I wonder.

Did you know this Bristol Freighter being discussed is a genuine Vietnam War veteran from it’s service with No. 41 Squadron, RNZAF? I hope it returns to it’s military colours once in preservation to reflect this rather than some dull civil scheme.

It’s amazing how many hedges have apparently saved people from strafing. Most of the time we take them for granted.

Ian, for more on Arnold Ridley’s wartime exploits may I recommend my own article here
http://forum.planetalk.net/viewtopic.php?t=755&highlight=ridley

Dad’s Army actor Arnold Ridley was strafed in 1940 or early 1941 when he was walking along the road in his village of Caterham, on the way to the Savage Club. He had to throw himself into a ditch full of mud to avoid being hit. He later remarked that as it was a rare thing to be strafed at that time, when he arrived at the club no-one believed his story of how he got muddy.

In 1944 he was again a victim, this time of one of the first V1 flying bombs that exploded near him while he was in his garden, severely injuring him. After multiple wounds in WWI and WWII, plus these events it’s amazing he made it to 88 years old.

Well well, this is very interesting. The Turbo Fletcher prototype at Motat eh? The last I heard it was meant to be going to the Waikato Museum in Hamilton, which was after it was offered to the National Museum of Agriculture at Mystery Creek (a stone’s throw from Rukuhia where this was built) but they didn’t want it. Mystery Creek was totally appropriate for this aircraft, I don’t think Waikato Museum was. At least it’s not out of place at Motat as a third (?) choice.

I’m glad it is being looked after, but now I worry it will be stuck outside again (something Waikato Museum wouldn’t have done!) and once again deteriorate like before. James Aviation has done a nice job of restoration by the looks of it.

The bomber in the background is in fact an RB-34 Lexington, operated in New Zealand during the war by the RNZAF and called a Ventura in our service. The RB-34’s never operated in the Pacific campaign because they had the wrong radio gear and were not up to the standard of the later PV-1 Venturas used by the RNZAF in the campaign. These RB-34’s were used for training only, and some coastal patrol in NZ. This one spent most of its career at the Technical Training School in Nelson.