Warbirds flying high after 60 years
By IMOGEN NEALE - Papakura Courier
Last updated 05:00 06/01/2010
The collection of grand old military planes in the New Zealand Warbird Association's Ardmore hangar bears testimony to the adage that time heals all wounds.
Most of the planes hail from the World War Two era but with the end of the war came the end of the planes' purpose in life.
To many people the hulking giants became nothing more than a painful reminder of the horror the world had managed to survive.
Sixty years later people have a greater awareness of the role the military planes played in both peacekeeping and combat.
In New Zealand that's in large part because of the efforts of the Warbirds Association.
Established in 1978 the association is dedicated to the restoration, preservation and operation of service aircraft in flying condition.
President Gavin Trethewey says the association's unique on the international stage because it has a headquarters and a social facility and many of its members' planes are gathered together in hangars at Ardmore airfield.
And while some of those hangars might have closed doors or private signs hanging from their handles there's one the public are more than welcome to peruse.
The Warbirds visitor centre is home to a medley of planes - from T28 Trojan to the smaller scale Isaacs Fury.
Carefully packed into the hangar, the planes all have gleaming paint jobs that proudly display their service heritage.
In November the association celebrated the opening of a new library, briefing room and viewing platform in what used to be "a junk storage area" in the cavernous hangar.
"We thought the space should be better utilised - the vision is to get more people interested in the history," Mr Trethewey says.
The library is named after Trevor - better know as TT - Bland, the patron and founding president of the association, and its shelves are full of donated books, magazines and memorabilia.
At the library's opening Mr Trethewey called it "one of the most comprehensive aviation reference libraries in the country".
"We deal with lots of groups - from school kids to seniors. We've never had a facility to entertain them that was safe and comfortable."
He says they'd prefer not to have people on the floor "bashing their heads against aeroplanes".
The visitor centre is expected to be completed by early next year and the association is aiming to offer guided tours of the hangar with access to the library, viewing platform and display cabinets.
The hangar is located off Harvard Lane at the Ardmore airfield.
