• Happy International Day of Friendship! We all know true friends don’t always have two legs! Kiwi fighter ace Flight Lieutenant John Gibson DFC poses with his four-legged friend on the wing of a Spitfire in England in early 1942. Gibson is credited with the destruction of 14½ enemy aircraft. He was shot down five times, crash-landed once and bailed out four times, twice into the English Channel. Find out more about International Day of Friendship on the United Nation’s website page: https://www.un.org/en/events/friendshipday/ #AirForceMuseumNZ #InternationalDayOfFriendship #MansBestFriend
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    Happy International Day of Friendship! We all know true friends don’t always have two legs! Kiwi fighter ace Flight Lieutenant John Gibson DFC poses with his four-legged friend on the wing of a Spitfire in England in early 1942. Gibson is credited with the destruction of 14½ enemy aircraft. He was shot down five times, crash-landed once and bailed out four times, twice into the English Channel. Find out more about International Day of Friendship on the United Nation’s website page: https://www.un.org/en/events/friendshipday/ #AirForceMuseumNZ #InternationalDayOfFriendship #MansBestFriend
  • Last in our RNZAF ‘Helicopter Heroes’ series is long-serving pilot, Ron Thacker. As Commanding Officer of No. 3 Squadron, pilot Ron Thacker was an ideal candidate to take the role of Introduction to Service Project Manager for both the A109 and NH90 helicopters. In that role, from 2006 until 2010, he was involved in a lot of international travel. Ron, who joined the RNAZF in 1979, was one of the first three pilots to fly our NH90s while in France, and the first Kiwi to fly an A109, when in Italy. Ron then began passing on his skills and knowledge as a Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) Simulation Flight Instructor for the A109 pilots of No. 3 Squadron. ⁠ ⁠ #AirForceMuseumNZ #RNZAFHelicopterHeroes #AirForceStories #Engage #Discover #Reflect ⁠
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    Last in our RNZAF ‘Helicopter Heroes’ series is long-serving pilot, Ron Thacker. As Commanding Officer of No. 3 Squadron, pilot Ron Thacker was an ideal candidate to take the role of Introduction to Service Project Manager for both the A109 and NH90 helicopters. In that role, from 2006 until 2010, he was involved in a lot of international travel. Ron, who joined the RNAZF in 1979, was one of the first three pilots to fly our NH90s while in France, and the first Kiwi to fly an A109, when in Italy. Ron then began passing on his skills and knowledge as a Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) Simulation Flight Instructor for the A109 pilots of No. 3 Squadron. ⁠ ⁠ #AirForceMuseumNZ #RNZAFHelicopterHeroes #AirForceStories #Engage #Discover #Reflect ⁠
  • New to our Museum Shop is the published memoirs of Tom Enright, a veteran New Zealand pilot from Central Otago. Tom joined the RNZAF in 1951, and on graduation, was recommended for a cadetship with the Royal Air Force College at Cranwell, England. His first 20 years flying was in a variety of military aircraft, including Vampires and Sunderlands, and he was a member of the famed RNZAF Vampire aerobatic team. He then spent the next 25 years as an airline pilot. His new book Many A Close Run Thing (Harper Collins NZ), is available now from our Shop. #NewToTheShop #ManyACloseRunThing #AviationBook #Memoir #RNZAF
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    New to our Museum Shop is the published memoirs of Tom Enright, a veteran New Zealand pilot from Central Otago. Tom joined the RNZAF in 1951, and on graduation, was recommended for a cadetship with the Royal Air Force College at Cranwell, England. His first 20 years flying was in a variety of military aircraft, including Vampires and Sunderlands, and he was a member of the famed RNZAF Vampire aerobatic team. He then spent the next 25 years as an airline pilot. His new book Many A Close Run Thing (Harper Collins NZ), is available now from our Shop. #NewToTheShop #ManyACloseRunThing #AviationBook #Memoir #RNZAF
  • Early on the morning of the 20 July, Flight Lieutenant Gavin Trethewey and his navigator, Flight Lieutenant Mike Hill of the Strike Support Unit took off from RNZAF Base Ohakea in an English Electric B.(I) Mk.12 Canberra. Their destination was Sydney, and their object was to collect and deliver moon landing footage and return it to New Zealand for broadcast. After watching the landings live on Australian television, the Kiwi crew collected the film and took off for home at top speed. They arrived back in New Zealand in a record-breaking time of just over two hours and twenty-five minutes. On arrival at Wellington, the film was whisked away with a police escort and just half an hour later, New Zealanders saw men walk on the moon for the first time on television. Pictured here is Flight Lieutenant Gavin Trethewey (left) and his Navigator (right) after exiting their aircraft. #Apollo50th #MoonLandings #rnzaf #CanberraAircraft #AirRecords 📷:Image credit: PR7849-9-69 ©RNZAF Official
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    Early on the morning of the 20 July, Flight Lieutenant Gavin Trethewey and his navigator, Flight Lieutenant Mike Hill of the Strike Support Unit took off from RNZAF Base Ohakea in an English Electric B.(I) Mk.12 Canberra. Their destination was Sydney, and their object was to collect and deliver moon landing footage and return it to New Zealand for broadcast. After watching the landings live on Australian television, the Kiwi crew collected the film and took off for home at top speed. They arrived back in New Zealand in a record-breaking time of just over two hours and twenty-five minutes. On arrival at Wellington, the film was whisked away with a police escort and just half an hour later, New Zealanders saw men walk on the moon for the first time on television. Pictured here is Flight Lieutenant Gavin Trethewey (left) and his Navigator (right) after exiting their aircraft. #Apollo50th #MoonLandings #rnzaf #CanberraAircraft #AirRecords 📷:Image credit: PR7849-9-69 ©RNZAF Official
  • The KidsFest crew enjoyed one ofour free Behind the Scenes tour during the week! These daily tours are a great way to discover more about our collection. Tours run at 11:00 am, 1:30 pm and 3 pm. Head to our Welcome Desk when you arrive for more information or check out our website: https://www.airforcemuseum.co.nz/whats-on/what-to-do/behind-the-scenes-tour/ #AirForceMuseumNZ #Free #BehindTheScenesTour #KidsFest #Crew #Discover #Engage #Reflect
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    The KidsFest crew enjoyed one ofour free Behind the Scenes tour during the week! These daily tours are a great way to discover more about our collection. Tours run at 11:00 am, 1:30 pm and 3 pm. Head to our Welcome Desk when you arrive for more information or check out our website: https://www.airforcemuseum.co.nz/whats-on/what-to-do/behind-the-scenes-tour/ #AirForceMuseumNZ #Free #BehindTheScenesTour #KidsFest #Crew #Discover #Engage #Reflect