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
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.
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TEAM LINCOLN: We had a great visit from the young men of the Men's Shed of Lincoln today - and they gave us a very thorough grilling.
The boys got busy museuming* from 10am starting with an A to V tour (Andover to Vildebeest) of our conservation centre and reserve collection, and had a good look at our display spaces and hangars as well.
As with all visitors they were told to ask as many questions as they liked, and they liked. We had a vote afterwards and they've scored a 10 on the curiosity scale**.
If you're a community group who'd love a behind-the-scenes tour and a front-of-the-scenes-tour as well don't hesitate to get in touch by emailing programmes@airforcemuseum.co.nz.
We can cater to any tour sizes and requirements and we've got Contact Cafe on site serving delicious coffees and the country's finest*** cheese scones.
*This is a made-up word which means looking at interesting aviation history.
**There is no such thing as a curiosity scale, but it sounds like #lincolnsmensshedc#museuming us.
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Awesome to see these men come through
If you happen to be in Whanganui this Friday 7 August, there are two fascinating pieces of RNZAF history going up for discussion.
Whanganui Regional Museum has made a RNZAF sheepskin and leather flying jacket, and sheepskin flying trousers the subject of its Outfit of the Month talk at 12.15pm.
The jacket was worn by Pilot Officer Peter Brown of Wellington, who survived a training flight crash near Whanganui from RNZAF Base Ohakea, in November 1955.
The sheepskin trousers were worn by Flight Lieutenant Garry Ramsey Craig of Whanganui, who was an air gunner during the Second World War.
The talk will be presented by Stephanie Wood, Kaihāpai Taonga/Curator, Fashion and Textiles at Whanganui Regional Museum.
Our thanks to Stephanie and #whanganuiregionalmuseum for telling these important RNZAF stories.
The museum is at 4 Watt Street, in the beautiful river city of Whanganui.
Time and date: Friday 7 August, 12.15pm
Where: Whanganui Regional Museum, 4 Watt Street.
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William Thomas
Many thanks to Emma Johnson and Simon Moody at Air Force Museum of New Zealand, who were instrumental in assisting with Stephanie's research for this presentation. We're looking forward to welcoming all for a fascinating look at RNZAF and NZ aviation history, and both Peter Brown’s and Garry Craig’s flying careers.