What's on at Air Force Museum of New Zealand
Latest from the museum
Latest Exhibition
Tall Tails
Our Tall Tails exhibition features the mounted tails of the C-130 Hercules and P-3 Orion, this new exhibition brings visitors closer to two extraordinary aircraft and the stories they carry. It also highlights the importance of finding a permanent home for them, as the Museum continues to fundraise through the Home for Heroes project.
Tall Tails is on display in our Thérèse Angelo Wing.
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Exhibition
The Mighty Hercules
The Mighty Hercules exhibition is on in the Cochrane Gallery upstairs in our atrium. Come and visit and learn all about this extraordinary aircraft.
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Support Us
Home for Heroes
Join us in building a forever home for New Zealand’s C-130 Hercules and P-3 Orion – icons of service.
For more than half a century, these legendary aircraft carried our nation’s courage across the world – in peace, crisis, and discovery. Now, they need a home worthy of their legacy, where their stories of service, innovation and humanity will continue to inspire.
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Birthday Parties
Mission: Best birthday ever
Zip up a flight suit, grab your dog tags, and dive into a fully hosted birthday “mission”. From air & sea adventures for preschoolers to rescue and cadet challenges for older children. Our Programmes team runs the activities, the children get awesome photo moments (and party bags), and you can add catering through our café.
Book a birthday party
Our Aircraft
Explore AircraftMore to explore
THE UTE OF THE SKY! If you haven't seen it, you've missed out!
Here's our tribute to the RNZAF's retired fleet of five C-130H (NZ) Hercules aircraft, playing now upstairs in our Mighty Hercules exhibition.
Enjoy. ... See MoreSee Less
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🚨RNZAF ROVER TO THE RESCUE🚨: When your De Havilland Vampire needs a tow, who are you going to call?
🚨RNZAF ROVER TO THE RESCUE🚨
A Taranaki Landy stepped up to tow Vampire NZ5710 at New Plymouth airport during No. 75 Squadron's Exercise Kea Claw in 1969.
RNZAF Rover to the Rescue is our tribute to all the photos in our archive featuring Land Rovers on the way to help out in some form or other.
These oil-dispensing marvels of British engineering and workmanship have been witnesses to a lot of history, and we think the world should know what these trusty green heroes d#RNZAFr#newplymouthairportrp#landroverrover ... See MoreSee Less
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We have this fine beast representing the community, more from the luxury emergency end of the Land Rover spectrum though.
I recall at Woodbourne in the late 70's we had to reposition an Andover on the tarmac. There were no tugs available, so my Sgt told me to go down to MT and sign out a Landrover. It didn't have any trouble moving the Andover, but it was a different story stopping it. The first time I hit the brakes the rear of the Landrover lifted 3 feet off the ground.
T11 mk 55 Vampire
My Audi did that better! Regular tug
Bring the Rover over.......
There isa Vampire here in New Plymouth- you know when it is flying usually in the summer.
I remember at the end of 1980 at Woodbourne watching the Base Commander getting carted around in an open top Landrover to judge the Bar competition. I think he was enjoying some of the free samples on offer at each bar.
Ah brings back so many memories about servicing those and the battles I had with them. Especially the cracker stacker ones. They had so much fun chasing shellfish out at the range. Salt water goes well with all the aluminium floor panels and mild Steel 7/16 bolts and nuts. Of how many axles snapped. Did you know the short axle was more expensive than the longer one.
Hmmm seems like yesterday...I was there for that exercise
I drove one, a soft top short wheeled base one from Ohakea to Kaitaia . Convoy lead. The Land Rover kept speeding up! Noisey trip.
Do you have any RNZAF Land Rovers in your collection? I recently saw the RAF have some preserved boats and other equipment
Ahhh, the old pull start...
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MURMANSK KIWI: Eighty-five years ago, in August 1941, a Kiwi aviator was at the forefront of a daring plan to help out the hard-pressed Soviet Union by sailing two fighter squadrons to Murmansk, under German noses.
In June 1941 German forces launched a surprise attack on the Soviet Union and were storming towards Moscow at an alarming pace.
Known as Operation Barbarossa, the attack meant Russia had now joined the Allied side of the struggle. Britain and the Soviet Union quickly signed the Anglo-Soviet Agreement, agreeing to fight together against the common enemy, and
Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill wanted to send help as fast as he could.
It was decided to send the RAF, and Petone-born Wing Commander Neville Ramsbottom-Isherwood was put in charge of 'Operation Benedict' to send Hurricanes to Murmansk.
All Neville and the team had to do was somehow transport 39 Hurricanes, spares, ground crews and pilots and sail them all the way to Russia without getting caught!
Two Hurricane Squadrons were assigned to the mission, and 15 aircraft were crated up and stored as cargo on board the SS Llanstephan Castle. Another 24 were sent aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Argus.
Two convoys set sail for Russia in August 1941, arriving safely in September.
The 24 aircraft aboard the Argus were flown off to Vaenga Airfield, and the crated aircraft were unloaded from the Llanstephan Castle and reassembled.
Within days they were flying aerial battles against the Luftwaffe. As the winter arrived, they settled in to train their Russian counterparts. By November they had handed over to the Soviets and left their Hurricanes behind.
The pilots of 151 Wing had shot down 14 aircraft by the time they had left.
Neville Ramsbottom Isherwood was awarded the Order of Lenin – the Soviet Union’s highest honour – along with Squadron Leaders AH Rook and AG Miller and Flight Sergeant Charlton Haw.
He was also awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross to go with the Air Force Cross he’d earned in 1940.
Neville went on to a career in the RAF after the war but was killed in a flying accident on 24 April 1950, aged 44.
📸Neville (with binoculars) at Vaenga Airfield with his Soviet counterparts. The Hurricanes at Vaenga.
#raf #murmansk #orderoflenin ... See MoreSee Less
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Been to Murmansk with a few Convoy veterans, been to Archangel as well. Was very cold at the time.
Z5252 - the very first Hurricane that was gifted to USSR was found in the lake recently and is on display “as found”.
Any information on the colour schemes, code colors and code / seriel number combination. I assume they are Mk1 Hurricanes.
I learnt something today. Thanks Air Force Museum of New Zealand
Fantastic story & very impressive that a kiwi was leading & flying the flag 👍🏽
Competent Kiwis everywhere in WWII including one of the most significant ( AVM Keith Park) who played a leading role in winning the Battle of Britain and thereby saving the country from Nazi invasion in September 1940.
Fleet Airarm pilots
NGA. Purakau
One of the veterans i was with was R.A.F. he got stationed at Murmansk since he was a radio operator. Think he spent three years there after the Hurricanes got delivered.
cool story
Legendary
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