Air Force Museum of New Zealand

Air Force Museum of New Zealand

6 hours ago

REMEMBERING COLIN MARRIOTT, DFM: Margaret Austin, nee Marriott, dropped by to place a poppy next to the name of her uncle, Colin Marriott, who was killed when his Lancaster crashed on 12 May 1944.

Pilot Officer Marriott was only 20 years old and the captain of No. 626 Squadron Lancaster JB409/P2 when it took off just before midnight on 11 May for a raid on the Hasselt railway yards in Belgium.

Another Kiwi, navigator James Henry Barton, was aboard with five other crew.

A German night fighter tracked, attacked and shot down the Lancaster at 1am near
Krabbendijke, the Netherlands. The Lancaster hit a dike and exploded on impact, and no identifiable remains of the seven crew aboard could be recovered.

However, a battle-damaged axe was later recovered from the Lancaster and is on display in our Horizon to Horizon gallery.

Colin was born in Christchurch and was a laboratory technician at the Canterbury Seed Company before he headed away to war.

He’d completed 12 operations and earned the Distinguished Flying Medal before he was lost.

Flight Sergeant James Henry Barton was ā company clerk from Gore and was 21 years old when he died.

Margaret, who lives in North Canterbury, always makes a point of commemorating her uncle Colin when she calls in to our museum.
“We’ve got to remember them, we always remember them,’’ she says.

And she’s right.

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Air Force Museum of New Zealand

18 hours ago

CHARLES IN STEEL: Christchurch artist and engineer Michael Evenblij has immortalised our Lockheed C-130H Hercules NZ7001 in steel.

We knew our Hercules, affectionately known as Charles, was special, but this makes him even more special!

This one-off has a wingspan of 1m, is an extraordinarily heavy paperweight, and took Michael more hours than he cares to remember to craft out of 3mm thick steel.

It is definitely a one-off.

"I never ever want to make another one,'' he says.

It is for sale from our store. Email shop@airforcemuseum.co.nz for more details. ... See MoreSee Less

Air Force Museum of New Zealand

1 day ago

URGENT CLARIFICATION: It has come to our attention that some people may have been lying awake at night, their minds riddled with confusion about the differences between Loadmasters and Bushmasters.

So we’re stepping in to clear up any doubt.

The confusion is understandable of course.

As well as having similar sounding names, Loadmasters and Bushmasters come in shades of green, are each brutishly strong and capable operators and they form integral parts of the modern defence force.

Some would say they are the chunky backbone of the NZDF.

But there are some subtle differences between these solid machines in green – not necessarily apparent at first to the untrained eye, which set these superstars apart.

So, we’ve prepared a handy three-step guide to help you tell our doppelgangers apart.

The first, and probably most noticeable difference, is that Loadmasters are strictly two-wheel drive while Bushmasters are four-wheel-drives. They can both operate comfortably at low speed in low ratios, and Loadmasters are particularly nimble going up stairs, where Bushmasters may struggle.

And while we are in the propulsion department, we should address the biggest difference – fuelling.

Loadmasters are fuelled via a top flap known as a ‘cake hole’ and accept almost any type of solid or liquid fuel, ranging from pies to higher octane liquids. Bushmasters run on diesel.

Which brings us to the final difference – and you will kick yourself once it is pointed out – range.

Bushmasters have a limited range of 800km, based on their 319-litre fuel capacity and need to fuel at least once every three days or so, depending on the mission.

Loadmasters have a much greater range, but require fuelling at least three times a day, and sometimes at more frequent intervals, depending on the mission.

So, there you have it, another clarification no one wanted or needed.

Never confuse your Bushmasters and Loadmasters again.

You’re welcome.

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