What's on at Air Force Museum of New Zealand
Latest from the museum
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
Latest Exhibition
Victory!
It is 80 years since the end of the Second World War.
Our Victory exhibition, upstairs in the atrium, marks this significant milestone in world history, and the story of the RNZAF.
Victory includes images and memories of Victory in Europe (VE) Day and Victory over Japan (VJ) Day which have been sourced from photographs, letters, postcards and personal histories in our collection.
Victory includes insights into how Kiwis celebrated, and how they felt.
Many found it difficult to rejoice after so much loss and suffering.
You’re welcome to come along and learn all about the end of World War Two with us.
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.
Learn More
Update
Overseas visitor charge
A $15 entry charge was introduced for all international visitors to the Air Force Museum of New Zealand from 31 March 2025. Tickets available online or from our Welcome Desk on arrival.
The charge is required to cover rising costs and to contribute to our new $20 million extension to house the newest members of our collection – our historic Hercules and Orion aircraft.
Learn More
Our Aircraft
Explore AircraftMore to explore
URGENT CLARIFICATION: With air show season upon us, we’ve had a request from a (presumably) colour-blind reader to urgently clarify the difference between an RNZAF Black Falcon and an RNZAF Gold Falcon.
This confusion is not surprising as you can see from the picture. As well as sharing the Falcon name both machines are show ponies and crowd pleasers.
The first difference, and you will kick yourself once it is pointed out, is these Falcons are different colours.
The Black Falcon is a Beechcraft T-6C Texan II aircraft used as a trainer by day and an aerobatic display aircraft when it is air show time. At that point it becomes a Black Falcon.
The Gold Falcon is every bit an RNZAF icon as well. A 1981 Ford Falcon by day, this machine was painted gold to match TA-4K Skyhawk NZ6256 in time for the RNZAF’s 50th anniversary air show in 1987.
Aside from their colour, the second major difference between the Gold Falcon and the Black Falcon lies under their bonnets.
A Black Falcon is powered by a Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6A-68 turboprop, the little Beechcraft can get along at 586 km/h.
The Gold Falcon was powered by a Ford 3.3 litre straight-six engine, with 107 horses under the bonnet capable of propelling the gold flash at 160km/h with the jandal in the flat position.
The final difference is in their capacity. A Black Falcon is strictly a two-seater. The Gold Falcon, a generously proportioned Aussie, was legally a five-seater but had an unofficial capacity of 11 small air cadets or eight average-sized pilot officers for emergency airfield missions.
So there you have it. Thanks to our reader for the request. We hope this helps!
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And one is fuelled by LPG or CNG by the looks too
A MEDAL FOR BRUCE: Last week we hosted a very special event organised by the Greek Government to honour the wartime service of Bruce Rogers.
Back in 1943, young Bruce, from Ashburton, volunteered for Navy service. He trained in New Zealand and was posted to the Mediterranean aboard HMS Caledon, a light cruiser, as a signaller in 1944.
Greece had been occupied by German forces in 1941, and by 1944, Bruce and the Royal Navy were fighting to drive them back out. Greece was eventually liberated in October that year.
Fast forward some 36 years to 1980 and Bruce, safely back in New Zealand, read that the Greek Government was recognising the service of those who fought in the campaign.
Bruce wrote away for his special Greek Service Medal, but by the time he passed away in 1994, the paperwork was not quite complete.
Five years ago, his son-in-law Philip Redmond found the paperwork and got busy to complete the application.
And last week Bruce’s proud family were on hand for his special day. Colonel Kyriakos Kyriakakos, Greek Defence Attaché, presented Phillipa Redmond, Bruce’s daughter with her dad’s medal in a private ceremony at our museum.
At the presentation were Bruce’s daughters Phillipa and Nicola Chilton, grandson James Redmond, and son-in-law Philip Redmond.
Philippa said it was a proud day for her dad – and it was great to see his contribution recognised some 46 years after he started the process.
Colonel Kyriakakos was accompanied by his partner Vasileia Konou and the supported by Irini Kerdemelidis-Kiesanowski, Zakk Kerdemelidis-Kiesanowski, Stephen Smith, Eleni Ioannou and Andreas Kacofegitis from the Christchurch Greek community.
Colonel Kyriakakos is in New Zealand as defence attaché and was presenting medals in other centres.
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The Greeks never forget.
WOW Phillipa how special Thank you Philip for bringing this special reward and recognition to fruition.
Looks to have been a lovely ceremony. Well done Kyriakos and Vasileia.
Rip Soldier "
Awesome remembrance
Basileia konou
Awesome to a hero Bruce RIP thank you for your service lest we forget
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JUMBO NEWS: The Government’s decision to make RNZAF Base Ohakea available as a round-the-clock alternative runway for wide body aircraft has sent us rummaging through the photo collection.
Currently its use is restricted to 5am until 10.30pm daily when the control tower is staffed.
The Government is providing an additional $4.57 million in funding for Airways New Zealand to allow 24/7 staffing in case wide body aircraft need to divert.
The airlines are delighted because it adds extra flexibility to the way they operate international services.
Ohakea’s runway is 2,447m long and it has been used as an alternative runway for decades. Our pictures show it has hosted some unexpected jumbo-sized visitors over the years.
In October 1982 Pan American Airways Boeing 747 N733PA 'Clipper Pride of the Sea' landed after being diverted due to low fuel.
And in March 1997 United Airlines Boeing 747 diverted due to bad weather.
Ohakea dates back to 1937, when work started on what was the RNZAF’s new bomber base. It was opened in 1939.
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I appreciate the Air Force Museum of New Zealand embracing the word alternative in the face of the northern hemisphere driven ‘alternate’. 🙂👍
on an aeroclub trip, where we were invited to fly in, we were asked to land 'well in'.. lol. you could just about land a c152 across the runway its so huge.
2007, at least five heavies land at Ohakea on the same day, 777's plus. An Iroquois flew above with some stunning piccs from base photog resulting. But the biggest elephant in the room is that Ohakea is the only airbase/runway facility we can legally load, install or fit weapons and or munitions, due to the very tight civ/mil explos ives regulations for transportation, loading and storage in NZ. Therefore Ohakea has to remain military in every way to ensure we do not destroy the main reason Ohakea air base exists, from the past to its future.
Wouldnt the landing fees cover this?
I was living in Bulls when that PanAm plane came in - still remember how excited we were as kids - made a change from the usual Skyhawks, Hercs and Aussie F1-11s 🙂
Watched Air Force One land there early 1975 I think it was.
The galaxy that brought Clinton’s gear in for apec 1999 and took our M113’s to Aussie for INTERFET East Timor
Early steps toward another US airforce base, or is it for wide-body commercial aircraft only?
I was related to the Fairbrothers who owned th farm across the road from Ohakea he was my grandmother's brother her name was Mavis
Don't forget the Emirates A380 that landed there in 1997!!
There was a Singapore Airlines one there one Saturday in June 2014 as we drove down SH1 to the Kapiti Coast. We promised ourselves to get a pic of it on our return drive the next day but by then it had gone.
That's nearly $1900/hr for the extra 6.5 hrs each day, if that 4.5 million is an annual amount. Given the infrastructure is already in place it seems a tad bit high!
Are they passing the extra cost on to the airlines that land there? Meanwhile no funding for a tug for the Cook Strait ferries.
Adam Hay
wow--those controllers will be bored as--
Very interesting, and an excellent use of an already existing resource!
I was fortunate to be at Ohakea when the first ever 707 at Ohakea. It would have been around 1965 and was carrying the Autralian Prime Minister of the time (likely Whitlam)
I remember seeing a Singapore Airlines plane there not too many years ago - was a huge surprise
I was at Ohakea the day the PanAm 747 came in. When it departed the jet efflux from the outboard engines destroyed quite a lot of the frangible runway edge lights. And the cloud of dust from the runway edge was also pretty impressive.
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