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
Yesterday we gathered to farewell a long-serving volunteer guide, Hadyn Clarke, who passed away recently at the age of 93.
Hadyn fell in love with aviation watching the mighty flying boats gracefully take off and land at Mechanics Bay in Auckland.
He biked from his home in Penrose to Mangere at the weekends to go plane spotting, and he was there so often a pilot eventually took pity on him and took him up for a joyride.
When he wasn’t able to join the RNZAF, Hadyn bought a one-way ticket and headed off to the United Kingdom to join the RAF.
He started out as a mechanic, qualified in signalling and gunnery before becoming a pilot. He qualified for three Brevets.
Hadyn flew a whole lot of aircraft including Jet Provosts, Chipmunks, Vampires, Neptunes and Shackletons and served all over the world during his 20-years on active duty in the RAF.
Of all those aircraft there was one he truly loved – the four engine Avro which he referred to as the ‘Shack’ and once flew so low he almost collided with a breaching whale.
When he returned to New Zealand with his young family in the 1970s he became an instructor for Air New Zealand and later Malaysian Airlines.
After retiring to Christchurch he joined our volunteer team, showing thousands of visitors around our museum for an astonishing 27 years.
He was also a keen member of the Wigram model flying club and was here every Thursday and Sunday over all those years.
We’d like to say thanks to his wife Barbara, and the rest of his family, for sharing this lovely man with us for so many years.
Blue skies and tail winds Hadyn, we will miss you.
#raf #avroshackleton ... See MoreSee Less
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What a beautiful farewell for Dad.Some great stories & memories told.Thank you everyone for the love & aroha .. Fly High in that Shackleton Dad. ❤️❤️❤️✈️
Sounds like a life well lived , rest in peace.
A TRUE AVIATOR. RIP. ( from one who grew up on Hobsonville an Te Rapa Airforce Stations, and after University flew with TEAL as an ‘air hostess’) ✈️✈️
Many were turned down for local training only to go on and and forge a great career overseas. Well done .RIP
My deepest condolences to his family, thank you for your service 🙏🫡 🇬🇧 🇳🇿
RIP Sir.
Oh! I remember spending time with Hayden while visiting the museum. Arohanui to his whānau and friends. He was an absolute joy to talk to.
Blue Skies Sir and Thank you for your Service and Respect 🙏
Condolences to family and friends from the RNZAFA Canterbury branch thankyou very much for your service.RIP Sir
Respect Haydn You are a Legend🏅🛩️ Lest We Forget 🌺
A true gentleman with some great stories. He will be missed for sure. Condolences to family and friends.
A true gentleman. He'll be sorely missed out at the model field. 😔
Thoughts to Peter and all his family, I met Hadyn a lovely guy, what an amazing aviation career , RIP and fly high Hadyn.
Wonderful eulogy for a great aviator. Thanks for sharing.
Thankyou for sharing Haydens wonderful story❤️
RIP Hayden - condolences to our family.
He was an amazing volunteer So sad but thankful for all the years of service he gave 💙💙
🫡🫡🫡
Shane Seymour
Thank you for this wonderful man's history
Dr lgwe healing home
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YOU CAN'T PARK THERE MATE! No. 41 Squadron C-47 Dakota NZ3549 takes a dip in the Waitemata Harbour near RNZAF Station Whenuapai after a mechanical mishap in November 1950.
Thankfully, the three crew aboard were fine.
The crew was practicing single engine landings in NZ3549 when the remaining engine decided to give up as well, leaving limited parking options.
NZ3549 was written off.
Dakotas were the backbone of RNZAF transport operations with 49 - yes 49! - of the aircraft in service from 1943 until 1977.
📸Image from the Pat Ford personal collection 1988-176.#youcantparktheremateemate ... See MoreSee Less
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Is this the one where they were practicing one engine flight and accidentally feathered the other engine? (Red Henshaw was one of the firecrew that turned out, and his brother in law "punchy" Hunt was the crew member
That one crashed up by the Trigg road flats.
is this the one where the pilots were having a go at each other on top of tge fuse as witnessed by a local who rang the base and told them about the aircraft
Probably could have flown the next day
Does anyone remember the young pilot that tried to take a DC3 for a joy ride at whenuipei , must have been 1976 if memory serves me right , he hit the fire extingusher bottles with the prop and they went flying. Right outside the PTSU hanger . I heard he got sacked on the spot basically. I was working in the Battery Room at the time which was by the Jump Tower.
All it needed was a good hosing out😳
I’m pretty sure some of the remains of that aircraft are still there and can be seen at low tide?
Looks to be between herald Island and kauri Road
Back in the day, on such training flights, the copilots seat could be filled by another crew member, punchy wasn't an actual co pilot. About 20 years ago I was visiting a friend in Moore was (ex west auckland) and punchys son was visiting. I related the story which he was unaware of. He told his old man who demanded to know how he knew about it, ha ha , nz is a small place. Not only did I work with his brother in law who related the story to us later crash crew , but my father in law knew him from their early air force days and related the story to me also. Punchy ended up having a rural mail run in the far north. Watch out, your past can haunt you, even if the air force museum try to cover it up 😀
One story goes it had pow on board japs
Not quite correct. The accident file states that during a one engine asymmetric approach during night flying at Whenuapai, the pilot seeing that he was too low and slow asked the copilot to unseat her the stopped engine, unfortunately the copilot then feathered the goog engine. Post accident photos show both props in the feathered position.
Which one of the pilots became the new 'Housing Officer' ? :)
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❓MYSTERY OBJECT COMPETITION:❓ This week's competition is devilishly difficult.
What could these mystery objects be?
❓RNZAF swords?
❓❓Ceremonial jousting sticks?
Correctly identify these essential items and the aircraft they belong to and you will go in the draw to win an Air Force Museum of New Zealand roundel mug.
Made of NASA-approved ceramic material, they are round and have roundels.
Set in a light hue of white, they make the perfect vessel for dunking, or if you have other mugs, a gift for an unsuspecting relative.
Answers in the comments below or if you are feeling shy you can email communications@airforcemuseum.co.nz for a confidential service.
Good luc#mysteruyaircraftc#mysteryairfieldfield ... See MoreSee Less
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One of the many uses of the "tool" called a "dipstick"..... those that know will know!!
They're for killing vampires. The markings are a depth guage to ensure they've been impaled by the correct amount. Two different lengths were available depending on how "rotund" said vampire was. Made of purified silver, they were often painted over and disguised as a fuel Guage to fool unwitting apprentice vampires.
Fuel tank dip sticks. Very similar to the SAFE Air Bristol one I have on my wall, so I'll suggest these are B170 as well. The civilian version has a handle resplendent in the same red as the livery on the vertical stabiliser and nose, but that would be a complete no-no on the military stealth version of Filton's Finest.
The mighty(-sh) Airtourer also used a dipstick if I recall correctly.
Dipsticks for the inner and outer wing fuel tanks of the English Electric Canberra
Dipsticks for Bristol Freighter
Rigging pin gauges for setting control surfaces.
B170 Freighter fuel dip sticks
It's a gauge for cutting the crusts off the cucumber and Crème De Brie sandwiches.
Fuel dipsticks. I don't remember the Feighter having an inner and outer tank. I do remember one of our pilots losing it inside the tank one day.
They’re tank dips, no idea what from.
Fuel tank dipping sticks. Used to physicly measure fuel quantity per tank prior to start up (as every pilot ever taught learnt from the 1st flight?)
The fuel dipsticks belong Bristol freight
Wing fuel tank dip sticks. The numbers suggest use on the Bristol B170 Freighter Mk 31M. I used similar ones on the C-47 Dakota, since cockpit fuel gauges were notoriously unreliable
Fuel tank dip sticks suitably marked to allow for differing tank sizes.
Dipsticks. One for standard C152, other for 152 with touring tanks.
Calibrated fuel dip sticks and I’m guessing from the Dehavilland Dove
There's a bit missing! There should be a post sticking out of the hole in the middle of the cross piece. That post is what you then tossed the Quoits rings at to score the points written below.
Used these a few times in the 70’s. B170 Bristol Freighter wing tank fuel dip sticks.
Aircraft control position gauges/rigging boards. The two sliding indicators are used to measure or set the position/deflection of the control surfaces during maintenance or rigging. The handwritten numbers are the reference positions or measurements. The inner marking is the big clue: it distinguishes the inner control surface section from the outer section probably a flap or similar flight control. It’s tricky to positively identify the exact model of aircraft but probably something older.
I'm going to say 'fuel gauges' for ground crew but no idea which aircraft
Measure fuel
Inner thoughts and feelings gauges
B170 Fuel tank dipsticks
Fuel dip sticks. For the old B170.
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