• ‘Nose art’, the personalised, painted decoration of the nose section of an aircraft, has been a popular practice since the earliest days of aviation. During World War Two, the Americans, in particular, were renowned for making some extremely colourful nose art on their aircraft, including the popular depictions of attractive women of the day known as ‘pin-ups’. This practice was less common in the RNZAF, and in some cases, was even frowned upon. In honour of Valentine’s Day today, we have, however, uncovered a few photos in our archives which feature Kiwi pilots' nose art, bearing the names of women. Even though we don't have a lot of information about some of the images, we like to think these names were linked to someone special back home. One of the photos we can be sure about is one with Bruce de Vere, a decorated New Zealand Spitfire pilot who flew combat operations with Nos. 485 and 66 Squadrons. He named his aircraft for the woman who was to become his wife ”Joyce O”. #valentinesday #noseart #aviationheritage #fromourarchives #airforcemuseumnz #discover #engage #reflect #ww2
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    ‘Nose art’, the personalised, painted decoration of the nose section of an aircraft, has been a popular practice since the earliest days of aviation. During World War Two, the Americans, in particular, were renowned for making some extremely colourful nose art on their aircraft, including the popular depictions of attractive women of the day known as ‘pin-ups’. This practice was less common in the RNZAF, and in some cases, was even frowned upon. In honour of Valentine’s Day today, we have, however, uncovered a few photos in our archives which feature Kiwi pilots' nose art, bearing the names of women. Even though we don't have a lot of information about some of the images, we like to think these names were linked to someone special back home. One of the photos we can be sure about is one with Bruce de Vere, a decorated New Zealand Spitfire pilot who flew combat operations with Nos. 485 and 66 Squadrons. He named his aircraft for the woman who was to become his wife ”Joyce O”. #valentinesday #noseart #aviationheritage #fromourarchives #airforcemuseumnz #discover #engage #reflect #ww2
  • Inspired by World Radio Day today, we thought we’d turn the spotlight on some work that two of our volunteers have been doing with the radio equipment in our collection. We have several thousand radio and communications items, dating as far back as World War One. Most of these sit within a dedicated onsite store. For the past few years, technical volunteers Mike Harrison and Bob McLellan have been undertaking an inventory project within this store, systematically making their way through every item on every shelf, in every bay. They’re gathering all the information that our Collections team need to build comprehensive records of all the radio and communications items that we have. To do this, they have been filling out basic cataloguing templates by hand, recording vital information such as the accession number (an object’s unique identification number), manufacturer, model and serial numbers, dimensions, etc. They also photograph every item and attach a new accession number tag before placing it back in a new, well-recorded location. The next phase involves our collections technicians transferring the data and images onto our collection management system. Overall, this will significantly improve our understanding of what we have in this part of our collection, making it easier for us to locate suitable items for future display purposes, or for visiting researchers. #worldradioday #museumcollections #radio #communications #volunteers #museumvolunteers #aviationmuseum #airforceuseumnz #afmcollections
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    Inspired by World Radio Day today, we thought we’d turn the spotlight on some work that two of our volunteers have been doing with the radio equipment in our collection. We have several thousand radio and communications items, dating as far back as World War One. Most of these sit within a dedicated onsite store. For the past few years, technical volunteers Mike Harrison and Bob McLellan have been undertaking an inventory project within this store, systematically making their way through every item on every shelf, in every bay. They’re gathering all the information that our Collections team need to build comprehensive records of all the radio and communications items that we have. To do this, they have been filling out basic cataloguing templates by hand, recording vital information such as the accession number (an object’s unique identification number), manufacturer, model and serial numbers, dimensions, etc. They also photograph every item and attach a new accession number tag before placing it back in a new, well-recorded location. The next phase involves our collections technicians transferring the data and images onto our collection management system. Overall, this will significantly improve our understanding of what we have in this part of our collection, making it easier for us to locate suitable items for future display purposes, or for visiting researchers. #worldradioday #museumcollections #radio #communications #volunteers #museumvolunteers #aviationmuseum #airforceuseumnz #afmcollections
  • Hands up who enjoys a spot of colouring? What was once seen as purely a children's activity has become popular for adults in recent years, for its benefits in mindfulness and relaxation. This week, cultural institutions across the world are encouraging people to take inspiration from their collections, and sharing content on social media with the hashtag #colorourcollections. We are fortunate to have a talented illustrator on our team here @airforcemuseumnz who has produced our very own colouring book, inspired by aircraft and themes in our collection. Grab yourself a copy from our Shop, or purchase one online on our website. #colorourcollections #colouringinbook #adultcolouring #therapeutic
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    Hands up who enjoys a spot of colouring? What was once seen as purely a children's activity has become popular for adults in recent years, for its benefits in mindfulness and relaxation. This week, cultural institutions across the world are encouraging people to take inspiration from their collections, and sharing content on social media with the hashtag #colorourcollections. We are fortunate to have a talented illustrator on our team here @airforcemuseumnz who has produced our very own colouring book, inspired by aircraft and themes in our collection. Grab yourself a copy from our Shop, or purchase one online on our website. #colorourcollections #colouringinbook #adultcolouring #therapeutic
  • A big thank you to the generous person who left this in our donation box today! We were quite touched to see the personal message, and glad to see the support for our Catalina conservation project. Being a registered charity, we rely heavily on donations to care for our collection and carry out our other core work, so we are always grateful for any amount, no matter how large or small, that will help us towards that. #donation #thankyou #airforceuseumnz #aviationmuseum #museumcollection
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    A big thank you to the generous person who left this in our donation box today! We were quite touched to see the personal message, and glad to see the support for our Catalina conservation project. Being a registered charity, we rely heavily on donations to care for our collection and carry out our other core work, so we are always grateful for any amount, no matter how large or small, that will help us towards that. #donation #thankyou #airforceuseumnz #aviationmuseum #museumcollection
  • Yes, we are open on Waitangi Day! With a range of activities on offer, there is something for everyone at the Air Force Museum. Take control of our ‘Mosquito Flight Simulator’ or climb inside the Bristol Freighter during our free Behind the Scenes tour. Relax in our Contact Cafe (no surcharge) during your visit. For more information about what you can do at the Museum, head to our website: https://www.airforcemuseum.co.nz/whats-on/ #airforcemuseumnz #waitangiday #chchmustdo #nocafesurcharge #aviationmuseum #museumactivities #flightsimulator #behindthescenes
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    Yes, we are open on Waitangi Day! With a range of activities on offer, there is something for everyone at the Air Force Museum. Take control of our ‘Mosquito Flight Simulator’ or climb inside the Bristol Freighter during our free Behind the Scenes tour. Relax in our Contact Cafe (no surcharge) during your visit. For more information about what you can do at the Museum, head to our website: https://www.airforcemuseum.co.nz/whats-on/ #airforcemuseumnz #waitangiday #chchmustdo #nocafesurcharge #aviationmuseum #museumactivities #flightsimulator #behindthescenes