New Zealand Airshow Display Teams

Civil Display Teams

•  The New Zealand Warbirds Harvard Teams •  The Wanganui Aero Works Team •  Mustang and Venom Pair •  Chinese Checkers Nanchang Team •  The Yak 52 Team •  The Polikarpov Team •  The Fokker Triplane Team •  The Jetobatics Team

 

 

The New Zealand Warbirds Harvard Teams

As well known in airshow circles as the RNZAF's Red Checkers team are the various Harvard teams of the New Zealand Warbirds Association. Their Harvard displays began on a small scale but worked up over time to a full routine which emulated that of the Red Checkers during their Harvard days. Many of the pilots have previously flown with the RNZAF team, while others were or are purely civil pilots.

So first there was a two-ship team. It then became a three-ship, then a four-ship team, and eventually a five-ship display was worked up. They were known originally as The Warbirds Formation Aerobatic Team.

This main team, with a few member changes, took on the identity The Roaring Forties, the name being thought up by then Warbirds Secretary, the late 'Abe' Lincoln. The Roaring Forties referred both to the southern latitude lines of New Zealand, and more-so to the age of the pilots and the aircraft, both into their forties when the team formed.

Unlike the RNZAF Red Checkers team, the Roaring Forties displays have had to rely upon the availability of pilots who were mostly commercial flyers with airlines and the likes doing all the practices and displays in their spare time. So during a season the five-man team may have actually included many more different pilots as and when available.

Also for smaller events there was a separate team of three Harvards which was known as 'The Harvard Team' and later 'The A Team'.

So all these factors make it a challenge to attempt to document the teams accurately here, and unless I were to have the opportunity to access each and every pilot's logbook to notate every display date and venue of these teams, it's going to prove very difficult. So there are gaps, and there may well be some vagueness and perhaps inaccuracies here. If you can offer any firm facts to add to or correct the lists below, please contact me

Team member John Kelly however is able to clear up why for a short time the name The Roaring Forties was dropped, and then it returned to the team. he explains:

"Kerry Campbell was a member of the team at the time he was killed in the Fouga crash. The team at that time (known as the Roaring 40's) decided they would disband and move on to other aircraft, etc.

Frank Parker (a member of that team) decided that he would form a new team, originally training up Gavin Henderson and myself as 3 and 2 respectively before swapping us around. Frank also trained up Liz Needham who became 2 with Gavin moving to the solo slot.

During this time the team was known variously as the "Harvard Aerobatic Team" or "Warbirds Aerobatic Team" and other connotations depending upon the commentator.

That name was given by Frank as the original Roaring 40's was considered to be a five-ship team (of which we were 4) and Frank did not want to use the Roaring 40's name until he felt that we were performing to the standard of previous teams as a minimum.

I'm not sure when we were eventually again called the Roaring 40's but Brownie [Dave Brown] was introduced to the team as the soloist, Gavin stayed on for another couple of seasons before retiring and Rob Silich took his place.

We did a display at one of our open days as the "Harvard Aerobatic Team" and that evening were presented with our Roaring 40's patches by previous team members Gavin Trethewey and Peter Houghton, signalling their acceptance and approval.

From this time we are again the "Roaring 40's"

So there you have it... standards was the key!

Incidentally all the training Frank gave us was on his wing and 'try to hang on'. Gavin and I would nervously sit in the 2 and 3 slot waiting for the 'pull up' only to be left behind and looking at each other....its been quite humorous at times!

Since the current team was formed (and called the R40's) we have had a number of the old school filling in slots if someone is away. Peter Houghton, Gavin Trethewey and Gavin Henderson have all been back on a number of occasions and I always tell them there is no such thing as retirement in the R40's."

Here's a mini-menu to jump to the various stages of the Warbirds Association's Harvard teams.

The Warbirds Harvard Pair

The Warbirds Harvard Formation Aerobatic Team

The Roaring Forties

Above: An early shot of the Warbird Harvard Aerobatic Formation Team. Ernie Thompson is piloting NZ1066 (ZK-ENE) at the right of shot, B.J. Rhodes is flying NZ1098 (ZK-ENI) whilst Trevor Bland flies NZ1092 (ZK-WAR).

 

 

The Warbirds Harvard Pair

Display Dates	Venue	Pilots	Serial	Rego
15 Apr 1979 (Easter)	AACA Fly-in, Te Kowhai, Hamilton	Phil Hewett Ernie Thompson	NZ1075 NZ1066	ZK-ENI ZK-ENE
1979		Trevor Bland Ernie Thompson	NZ1092 NZ1066	ZK-WAR ZK-ENE
Notes: Ernie Thompson recalls the New Zealand Warbirds Association's first air display with Harvards on the civil register: "I was one of the pilots, the other was Phil Hewett, the then owner of NZ1075. At that stage Trevor Bland’s ZK-WAR was still at Wigram. I might mention that Max Clear was none too pleased when these “noisy beasts” invaded his tranquil little haven of microlights and homebuilts." Ernie also recalls the introduction of the Harvards into the New Zealand Warbirds Association: "The history according to the Warbirds website is that I was the first owner member with a warbird Chipmunk ZK-ARL. In fact there was an original member of Warbirds who actually got a Harvard from the stores board, those at Ardmore all having failed to win a bid. He is none other than Derek Williams of Tauranga with NZ1091, so his is the first Harvard on strength, but not at Ardmore. He still has it. Next came NZ1066 which Paul Leuch (not a Warbird member) bought from a successful group of Tauranga bidders. This was the first Harvard to fly at Ardmore since their sale to private owners. On December 1, 1978 Trevor Bland took me up for some circuits. Then Phil Hewett purchased NZ1075 from Don Reidpath who exported several to Australia. Whilst Phil was a great Ardmore personality he didn’t join Warbirds. An American company bought all the instructional airframes at Woodbourne. Trevor Bland arranged for me to buy INST175 which was NZ1082. It was complete in all aspects except the engine had been removed that was all they wanted the price was $1000, what a bargain with very low airframe hours. I was approached soon after by Paul Leuch who offered me NZ1066. I grabbed his offer at $13,000. Consequently I was the first Warbirds member to have a Harvard at Ardmore. I sold NZ1082 after owning for about three months to The Confederate Air Force at Dairy Flat. It is restored and airworthy now. Also NZ1099 was purchased by Charles Darby and beautifully restored years later. On Dec 23, 1978 I did 50 minutes in NZ1075 with Bryan Lockie who had taught me aerobatics in the Chipmunk. On December 27 I did my type rating in NZ1066 with Trevor Bland, with my total time on type of 3hrs 10mins. On May 19, 1979 I flew NZ1066 with Bruce Coulter as pax to Mercer and met up with Trevor Bland and Stan Smith in NZ1092/ ZK WAR as they ferried it to Ardmore. I had been operating off Ardmore for nearly five months by then."
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The Warbirds Harvard Formation Aerobatic Team

Display Dates	Venue	Pilots	Serial	Rego
17 Nov 1979 _______________	New Plymouth _______________________	Trevor Bland John Denton Ernie Thompson	NZ1092 NZ1098 NZ1066	ZK-WAR ZK-ENJ ZK-ENE
Notes: Ernie Thompson describes the type of displays done by the team whilst he flew with it: "These displays consisted a formation of three beginning with a series of loops in tight formation several low runs (50 feet) canopies to the crowd the solo would break away and do full show the remaining two would do line astern rolls and chandelles. The formation would group up and finish with low level buzz and break with the leader doing a looping break sometimes."
6 Jan 1980 26 Jan 1980 20 Apr 1980	Whitianga Te Kowhai Ardmore	Trevor Bland John Denton Ernie Thompson	NZ1092 NZ1098 NZ1066	ZK-WAR ZK-ENJ ZK-ENE
25 Jan 1981 7 Feb 1981 24 April 1981	Taupo Pauanui Rukuhia	Trevor Bland John Denton Ernie Thompson	NZ1092 NZ1098 NZ1066	ZK-WAR ZK-ENJ ZK-ENE
14 Feb 1982	Gisborne	Trevor Bland Brian Rhodes Ernie Thompson	NZ1092 NZ1098 NZ1066	ZK-WAR ZK-ENJ ZK-ENE
20 Feb 1982 27 Feb1982 5 Mar 1982	New Plymouth Thames Rukuhia	Trevor Bland John Denton Ernie Thompson	NZ1092 NZ1098 NZ1066	ZK-WAR ZK-ENJ ZK-ENE
12 Mar 1983 26 Mar 1983 19 Nov 1983	New Plymouth RNZAF Whenuapai Tokoroa	Trevor Bland Ross Ewing John Denton Ernie Thompson	NZ1092 NZ1078 NZ1098 NZ1066	ZK-WAR ZK-ENG ZK-ENJ ZK-ENE
3 Dec 1983	Kerikeri	Ernie Thompson Derek Williams Brian J. Rhodes	NZ1066 NZ1091 NZ1098	ZK-ENE ZK-ENC ZK-ENJ
Notes: Ross Ewing recalled: "The Warbirds Harvard Formation Aerobatic team (later The Roaring Forties) has its origins on at an airshow at Whenuapai when a team led by Ernie Thompson, with Ross Ewing, Trevor Bland and John Denton on his wing, put on a display. John Denton also performed solo aerobatic manoeuvres. None of the aircraft had smoke generators fitted and one aircraft did not have a radio." Ernie Thompson lead the team, and Ross Ewing flew at No. 2, with Trevor Bland at No. 3 and John Denton at No. 4 (and soloist).
7 Jan 1984	Tauranga Truck Show	Trevor Bland John Denton Ernie Thompson	NZ1092 NZ1098 NZ1066	ZK-WAR ZK-ENJ ZK-ENE
8 Jan 1984	Tauranga Six-ship formation Flyby then team aerobatics routine by Thompson, Bland, Denton and Ewing	Ernie Thompson Trevor Bland John Denton Ross Ewing Rodney Dahlberg Bamford	NZ1066 NZ1092 NZ1098 NZ1078 NZ1096 NZ1033	ZK-ENE ZK-WAR ZK-ENJ ZK-ENG ZK-END ZK-SGQ
29 Jan 1984	Masterton Flypast by six-ship followed by team aerobatics by Lanham, Thompson and Ewing	John Lanham Ernie Thompson Ross Ewing Derek Williams Brian Rhodes Rex Brereton	NZ1033 NZ1066 NZ1078 NZ1091 NZ1098 NZ1076	ZK-SGQ ZK-ENE ZK-ENG ZK-ENC ZK-ENJ ZK-ENB
18 Feb 1984	RNZAF Base Ohakea	Ernie Thompson John Lanham Poulton Keith Skilling John Denton	NZ1066 NZ1033 NZ1065 NZ1098 NZ1092	ZK-ENE ZK-SGQ ZK-ENF ZK-ENJ ZK-WAR
4 Mar 1985	Paraparaumu	Ernie Thompson John Denton Trevor Bland John Lanham	NZ1066 NZ1098 NZ1092 NZ1033	ZK-ENE ZK-ENJ ZK-WAR ZK-SGQ
25th of Jan 1987 1st April 1987 4-5 April 1987 11-12 April 1987	RNZAF Whenuapai RNZAF Wigram RNZAF Ohakea RNZAF Whenuapai	Ross Ewing Keith Skilling John Lamont John Denton (solo)	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
Notes: Ross Ewing recalls: "This team worked up in December 1986 and gave its first show at Whenuapai on 25 January. Then, in April 1987, it toured the country giving airshows in conjunction with the RNZAF's 50th Anniversary airshow celebrations. These displays were at Whenuapai, Ohakea and Christchurch. This team was known as the NZ Warbirds Association Harvard Formation Aerobatic Team, and the name "The Roaring Forties" did not come about until that team disbanded."   Above: The 1987 Harvard formation aerobatic team, seen here at an airshow at Whenuapai early in 1987. The four (left to right) are: Keith Skilling, Ross Ewing, John Denton and John Lamont. Ross Ewing led this team, and John Denton was the No.4 solo man. Photo kindly submitted by Ross Ewing Ross Ewing says, "This photo was taken during a display at Whenuapai in early 1987. Ross Ewing is leading in the yellow-coloured "Harvard 78" (ZK-ENG) and Keith Skilling and John Lamont are on his wing (not sure who's on which side). John Denton is behind and his aircraft "98" is sporting the small-sized chequers. The RNZAF went to larger-squared chequers, but I'm not sure when or why. Personally, I think the smaller ones looked better!" Ross Ewing Photo The reason of the change from smaller to larger chequers was two-fold, one the larger ones were easier to paint for the ground support staff, and two the larger chequers were easier to see form the ground by the audience.
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The Roaring Forties

Date	Venue	Pilot	Position	Rego
12 Mar 1988	Airshow '88, Dairy Flat	Keith Skilling John Denton John Lamont Robbie Booth Steve Taylor John Greenstreet	No. 1 No. ? No. ? No. ? No. ? No. ?	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
Notes: Ross Ewing recalls how the new team name of The Roaring Forties came about: "The name was dreamed up in the Warbirds bar one night by ex-RAF Avro Shackleton pilot "Abe" Lincoln. A new Harvard team led by Keith Skilling was established and in his team were Robbie Booth, John Lamont, and Steve Taylor, with John Peterson flying the 5th aircraft as solo display pilot. At around this time another new member of the team, John Greenstreet, was killed in a crash following a mid-air collision during a display practice over the team's home base of Ardmore, Auckland." John Greenstreet's accident occurred on the 25th of February 1990, in Harvard ZK-ENN (formerly NZ1025). John's brother Wayne Greenstreet has been in touch to say that John definitely performed several public airshow displays before his death.
4 Mar 1990 _ 14-16 Apr 1990 _	Warbirds Airshow, Ardmore Warbirds Over Wanaka Luggate, Wanaka	John Lamont Steve Taylor John Denton Jon Peterson Keith Skilling	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK-ENF ZK-ENG ZK-ENJ ZK-ENK ZK-WAR
Jan 1991 _ 1991	Walsh Memorial Flying School, Matamata North Shore Aero Club Open Day	John Lamont Steve Taylor Robbie Booth Jon Peterson Keith Skilling	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK-ENG ZK-ENF ZK-ENJ ZK-ENK ZK-WAR
October 1991 _	RAAF 70th Anniversary Airshow, Richmond	John Lamont Steve Taylor Robbie Booth Jon Peterson Keith Skilling	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	VH- VH- VH- VH- VH-
17-19 Apr 1992	Warbirds Over Wanaka	John Lamont Steve Taylor Robbie Booth Jon Peterson Keith Skilling	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
20 Jan 1993	Waikato Aero Club 60th Anniversary		No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
1994		John Lamont ? Robbie Booth ?	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
1-3 of April 1994 (Easter)	Warbirds Over Wanaka Luggate, Wanaka	John Lamont ? Ross Ewing ?	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
Notes: During the 1994 Wings Over Wanaka Airshow, Robbie Booth was not available to fly and so the No. 3 position in John Lamont's team. No. 3 was flown on both airshow days by Ross Ewing instead. Ross Ewing also flew that year a debut performance in a Cessna O-1 Birddog, having also previously flown the solo debut at Wanaka of a civilian 2-seat T-35 Vampire jet (1992), and later (1996) debuted a civilian Catalina PBY-5A flying boat
14-16 Apr 1995 _	Warbirds Fighter Meet, Hamilton	John Lamont Steve Taylor Gavin Trethewey John Peterson Keith Skilling	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
Notes: Gavin Trethewey Recalls: "I got involved in 1995.  The team then was 1. John Lamont, 2. Steve Taylor, 3. me, 4. John Peterson and 5. Keith Skilling. That team stayed intact for all major shows till end of 98.  For minor shows we put up a three man team of 1. me, 2. Bill West and 3. Peter Houghton."
5-7 April 1996	Warbirds Over Wanaka, Luggate, Wanaka	John Lamont Steve Taylor Gavin Trethewey John Peterson Keith Skilling	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
March 1997	Omaka Airshow	Trevor Bland Bill West Gavin Trethewey Peter Houghton	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
November 1997	Kerikeri Airshow	John Lamont Steve Taylor Gavin Trethewey John Peterson Keith Skilling	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
Notes: Gavin Trethewey recalls: "I've just been in discussion with Pete Houghton and our joint records show that we had quite a number of changes in the team due unavailability in 1997.  Omaka in March for instance was Bland/West/Self/Houghton, and Keri Keri in November was Lamont/Taylor/Self/Peterson/Skilling again. That team stayed intact till after Wanaka 98."
10-12 Apr 1998 (Easter)	Warbirds Over Wanaka, Luggate, Wanaka	John Lamont Steve Taylor Gavin Trethewey John Peterson Keith Skilling	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
----	--	Trevor Bland Bill West Peter Houghton Gavin Trethewey Keith Skilling or John Lamont	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5 or No. 5	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- _ _
Notes: During this year, the same team as that of later 1997 remained in place till after the Wanaka airshow. It then changed, and the fifth man for displays alternated between Keith Skilling and John Lamont based on their availability.
1999		Keith Skilling or Trevor Bland ? ? ? ?	No. 1 _or No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK- _ _ ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
Notes: Gavin Trethewey says that in: "1999 some changes were made.  Keith Skilling and Trevor Bland both did some leading.  I don't have enough detail but between us all we will find it and get it to you."
21 -24 Apr 2000	Warbirds Over Wanaka	Gavin Trethewey Kerry Campbell Peter Houghton Frank Parker John Petersen	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
Notes: Gavin Trethewey recalls: "A new team formed in 2000.  I led it with no 2. Kerry Campbell, 3. Peter Houghton, 4. Frank Parker and 5. John Peterson.   Jan 01 saw the new team with Kerry Campbell flying No. 2 and Frank Parker No. 4, with the number five man over the next three years either Peterson of Lanham. There are too many shows to tell you which of the No. 5s were performing at each one. Over the next four years we alternated the number 5 man from time to time - John Peterson, John Lanham and Keith Skilling all  doing the job from time to time."
13-15 Apr 2001	Classic Fighters, Omaka	Gavin Trethewey Kerry Campbell Peter Houghton Frank Parker See Below	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
Notes: Gavin Trethewey recalls: "...we alternated the number 5 man from time to time - John Peterson, John Lanham and Keith Skilling all  doing the job from time to time."
29-31 Mar 2002	Warbirds Over Wanaka	Gavin Trethewey Kerry Campbell Peter Houghton Frank Parker See Below	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
Notes: Gavin Trethewey recalls: "...we alternated the number 5 man from time to time - John Peterson, John Lanham and Keith Skilling all  doing the job from time to time."  Above: The 2002 Roaring Forties Harvard Team at Warbirds Over Wanaka. Left to right are: Frank Parker, Kerry Campbell, Gavin Trethewey, Peter Houghton and John Peterson. Photo kindly submitted by Gavin Trethewey
8-9 Mar 2003	Warbirds Airshow, Ardmore		No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
18-20 Apr 2003	Classic Fighters, Omaka	Gavin Trethewey Kerry Campbell Peter Houghton Frank Parker See Below	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
Notes: Gavin Trethewey recalls: "...we alternated the number 5 man from time to time - John Peterson, John Lanham and Keith Skilling all  doing the job from time to time."    Above: The 2003 Roaring Forties Harvard Team. Pictured are: Standing, left to right: Peter Houghton, Frank Parker, Gavin Trethewey and Kerry Campbell, with John Peterson kneeling. Photo kindly submitted by Gavin Trethewey   Above: The 2003 Roaring Forties Harvard Team with the 2003 Red Checkers team from the RNZAF, then lead by Jim Rankin. Photo kindly submitted by Gavin Trethewey
9-11 Apr 2004	Warbirds Over Wanaka	Gavin Trethewey Kerry Campbell Peter Houghton Frank Parker See Below	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
Notes: Gavin Trethewey recalls: "...we alternated the number 5 man from time to time - John Peterson, John Lanham and Keith Skilling all  doing the job from time to time. The team was reduced to four aircraft just before the Taupo show in March 2004 when Kerry Campbell was killed in the Fouga crash. Wanaka 2004 we flew with only 4 aircraft.  After that the team broke up and Frank Parker formed the current team which is led by Frank with No. 2. Liz Needham, No. 3, Gavin Henderson, No. 4, John Kelly, and No. 5 Rob Sillich.  Peter Houghton and myself have stood in on occasions when someone was unavailable."
25-27 Mar 2005 13th of Nov 2005	Classic Fighters, Omaka Armistice in Cambridge	Frank Parker Liz Needham Gavin Henderson John Kelly Rob Sillich	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
5th of Feb 2006 _ 14-16 Apr 2006 12th of Nov 2006	SportAvex Airshow Tauranga Warbirds Over Wanaka Armistice in Cambridge	Frank Parker Liz Needham Gavin Henderson John Kelly	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4	ZK-TVI ZK-ENF ZK-MJN ZK-JJA
3rd of Mar 2007 6-8 of Apr 2007	Whenuapai Open Day Classic Fighters, Omaka	Frank Parker Liz Needham Gavin Henderson John Kelly Rob Sillich	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
21-23 Mar 2008	Warbirds Over Wanaka	Frank Parker Liz Needham Gavin Henderson John Kelly Rob Sillich	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK-ENF ZK-TVI ZK- ZK- ZK-
10-12 Apr 2009	Classic Fighters, Omaka	Frank Parker Liz Needham Gavin Henderson John Kelly Rob Sillich	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
2-4 Apr 2010	Warbirds Over Wanaka	Frank Parker Liz Needham Gavin Henderson John Kelly Rob Sillich	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
22-24 Apr 2011	Classic Fighters, Omaka	Frank Parker Liz Needham Dave Brown John Kelly Rob Sillich	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK-ENF ZK-TVI ZK-MJN ZK-JJA ZK-ENG
31 Mar 2012 _ 6-8 Apr 2012 29 Sep 2012 _ 9 Dec 2012 _	RNZF 75th Anniversary Airshow, Ohakea Warbirds Over Wanaka Mosquito Spectacular, Ardmore Warbird Open Day, (Pearl Harbor) Ardmore	Frank Parker Liz Needham Dave Brown John Kelly Rob Sillich	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK-ENF ZK-TVI ZK-MJN ZK-JJA ZK-ENG
18-20 Jan 2013 _ 29-31 Mar 2013	Wings Over Wairarapa, Masterton Classic Fighters, Omaka	Frank Parker Liz Needham Dave Brown John Kelly Rob Sillich	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK-ENF ZK-TVI ZK-MJN ZK-JJA ZK-ENG
4 Jan 2014 _	Warbirds & Wheels, Whitianga	Frank Parker Liz Needham Dave Brown John Kelly Rob Sillich	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
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The Wanganui Aero Works Team

_10 Mar 1991 _	Waikato Airshow '91, Hamilton	Richmond Harding Mike Harding ?	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3	ZK- ZK- ZK-
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The Mustang and Venom Pair

_4 Mar 1990 _	Warbirds Airshow, Ardmore	Trevor Bland John Denton	No. 1 No. 2	ZK-VEN ZK-TAF
10 Mar 1991 _	Waikato Airshow '91, Hamilton	Trevor Bland John Denton	No. 1 No. 2	ZK-VEN ZK-TAF
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The Chinese Checkers CJ-6 Nanchang Team

_9-11 Apr 2004	Warbirds Over Wanaka	Graeme Frew Jason Hayes Steve Petersen Barry Stott ?	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK-FRU ZK-WOK ZK-STP ZK-CVI ZK-OII
2005
9 Dec 2006	Christmas Wings, Omaka	Tim Sullivan Dick Veale Graeme Frew Jay McIntyre Steve Petersen	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK-WOK ZK-JOS ZK-FRU ZK-JQS ZK-STP
6-8 Apr 2007	Classic Fighters, Omaka		No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5 No. 6	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
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The Yak 52 Team

_		Sir Kenneth Hayr Bill Rolfe Garth Hogan	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3	ZK- ZK- ZK-
29-31 Mar 2002	Warbirds Over Wanaka	Paul "Huggie" Hughan Garth Hogan Bill Rolfe Brian "BJ" Coppersmith	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
2004 2004 _ 9-11 Apr 2004	Taupo Airshow Wings Over Wairarapa, Masterton Warbirds Over Wanaka	Paul "Huggie" Hughan Brian "BJ" Coppersmith Brett Emeny Kevin Jane John "JP" Parker	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK- ZAY ZK-YNZ ZK-YAK ZK-YAC ZK-TYS
Notes: The Taupo Airshow was the team's first airshow and consisted of just two aircraft, flown by Paul Hughan and Brian Coppersmith, who were both ex-RNZAF pilots Brett Emeny joined the team after seeing the Taupo display and getting an invitation to join Kevin Jane then joined the team, followed by John Parker who became the soloist. All five were in the team by the Wings Over Wairarapa airshow. The same team flew at Wanaka in 2004 too. Doug Batten and John Street joined the team as groundcrew and ferry pilots for the Wanaka show but did not display there with the team
Easter 2005	Classic Fighters, Omaka	Paul "Huggie" Hughan Brian "BJ" Coppersmith Brett Emeny Kevin Jane John "JP" Parker	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK- ZAY ZK-YNZ ZK-YAK ZK-YAC ZK-TYS
Note: Following the Omaka airshow, Doug Batten, Rick Grant, John Street and Peter Vause joined the team as additional flyers, and the now nine-ship team began working up towards the Warbirds Over Wanaka airshow in 2006 with the larger team
5 February 2006 _ 14-16 April 2006 _ December 2006 _	SportAvex, Tauranga (Five ship) Warbirds Over Wanaka (Nine ship) Christmas Wings, Omaka (Five ship)	Paul "Huggie" Hughan Brian "BJ" Coppersmith Brett Emeny Kevin Jane John "JP" Parker Doug Batten Rick Grant John Street Peter Vause	No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5 No. 6 No. 7 No. 8 No. 9	ZK- ZAY ZK-YNZ ZK-YAK ZK-YAC ZK-TYS (s) ZK-YAQ ZK-KGB ZK-LIZ ZK-PTE
Note: Faye Emeny, daughter of Brett Emeny, began training with the team in late 2006 too, in ZK-YAK At Christmas Wings in December 2006, the Yak team did a formation flypast with the Harvard team. See some excellent photos of the Yak team at this event here
Easter 2007 _	Classic Fighters, Omaka (Seven Ship)		No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5 No. 6 No. 7	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
			No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
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The Polikarpov Fighter Display Team

10-12 Apr 1998 Easter	Warbirds Over Wanaka (Debut - Five Aircraft)	Mark Hanna Stu Goldspink Steve Taylor Keith Skilling Rex Dovey	'4' '9' '28' '34' '45'	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
Notes: Five aircraft flew at the Wanaka airshow in a display routine, but the Warbirds Over Wanaka 1998 official book lists eight different pilots as having flown at the show in these fighters. The three additional to those listed above are Ray Hanna, John Lamont (who apparently flew '9') and Tom Middleton. Perhaps some were only doing training or familiarisation flights that weekend? Or perhaps the team rotated pilots on alternate days? It may also be that pilots changed from the display team routine to the mass airfield attack routine, where the likes of Ray and Mark Hanna would have been flying other fighters? Does anyone know what the situation was for sure? Stu Goldspink says he flew Polikarpov ZK-JIN '9' once on Friday the 10th of April 1998, and twice each day on the 11th and 12th displaying at the airshow. The five aircraft used in 1998's airshow at Wanaka were marked The Engineering team for the Polikarpov Team at Wanaka for 1998 were Ray Mulqueen, Peter Brensell, Keith "Maddog" Dore, Matt Bailey, Geoff Morrison, Greg Parker, Greg Napper, Malcolm Brown, Ewan Fallow, Paul Jones and Dave Ives
21-24 Apr 2000	Warbirds Over Wanaka	Tom Middleton: Stu Goldspink: John Lanham: Keith Skilling Steve Taylor John Lamont John Petersen Rex Dovey	I-153 '16' I-153 '10' I-153 '75' I-16 I-16 I-16 I-16 I-16	ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
Note: Stu Goldspink says "I flew the I-153 "Chaika", and I-16 "Rata" at WOW 2000."
29-31 Mar 2002	Warbirds Over Wanaka	Stu Goldspink Stu Goldspink	I-16 '9' I-153 '75'	ZK- ZK-
9-11 Apr 2004	Warbirds Over Wanaka
11-16 Apr 2006	Warbirds Over Wanaka	John Lanham Stu Goldspink John Petersen	I-153 "75" I-153 '10' I-16
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The Fokker Triplane Formation Team

This team is not actually an aerobatic display team as such, but they have to be one of the world's most unique formation display teams. They consist of full sized accurate replica Fokker DR.1 Triplanes which take off in formation, fly in various formations together, and then they break off and do battle with other WWI types. Nowhere else in the world since 1918 have so many Fokker Triplanes been seen in the air. they're such a fantastic formation group they have to be mentioned here.

18-20 Apr 2003 _	Classic Fighters, Omaka	John Lanham Jim Rankin Pete Cochran Paul Hughan Gavin Trethewey		ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
Notes: This airshow was the debut of a stunning team of five Fokker Triplane replicas from the Omaka Collection. This was the first time so many of the type had flown together since 1918.
25-27 Mar 05	Classic Fighters, Omaka	John Lanham Gavin Trethewey Paul Hughan Jim Rankin Pete Cochran		ZK-FOK ZK- ZK- ZK- ZK-
5-8 April 07	Classic Fighters, Omaka	John Lanham Scott McKenzie Paul Hughan Frank Parker Gavin Trethewey Jerry Chisum Greg MacDonald		ZK-FOK ZK-JOC ZK-JOG ZK-FOC ZK-JOB ZK-FOT ZK-JOK
Notes: This year there were seven aircraft flown together. On the evening of Thursday the 5th of April, six Fokker Triplanes were seen together in the air for the first time since 1918. On the next morning, Friday 6th of April 2007, all seven took off and flew together for the first time. They did two routines per day plus photo flights over Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This year all seven aircraft were painted into accurate colour schemes of the famous Jasta 11 squadron, better known as Baron Manfred von Richtofen's Flying Circus, as they were on the 30th of April 1918. Above I have listed the actual pilots, then the German WWI pilots that they represented at the show, plus the ZK-register of the Fokker Triplane wearing that scheme. I have not yet put ZK's to all the planes, the remaining being ZK-JOC, JOG, and JOK The real pilot of the aircraft that Paul Hughan flew is unknown John Lanham, Paul Hughan, Frank Parker and Gavin Trethewey were all ex-RNZAF pilots, while Scott McKenzie is a current RNZAF pilot who also flew the RNZAF Historic Flight's Harvard NZ1015 at the airshow. Gavin Trethewey says about flying in the Fokker team: "It certainly is a unique experience flying a big formation in the Triplane. It is very unstable so is quite hard work.  Smooth air is needed to keep good positioning, and if a bump throws you out of position you can easily lose sight behind one of the wings of the aeroplane you are formating on. Makes formating in any of the heavier stuff seem easy." Thanks to Gavin Trethewey, Damon Edwards and Gavin Conroy their assistance with this Fokker Triplane team entry The following photos of the team were kindly supplied by Blenheim-based aviation photographer Gavin Conroy
2011	Classic Fighters, Omaka	John Lanham		ZK-FOK ZK-JOC ZK-JOG ZK-FOC ZK-JOB ZK-FOT ZK-JOK
2013	Classic Fighters, Omaka	John Lanham		ZK-FOK ZK-JOC ZK-JOG ZK-FOC ZK-JOB ZK-FOT ZK-JOK
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The Jetobatics Team

_18-20 Jan 2013	Wings Over Wairarapa, Masterton	John Lanham Frank Parker Peter Vause Brett Emeny Brian Currie Dave Brown	Aerostar L-39 Aerostar L-39 Aerostar L-39 DH115 Vampire DH115 Vampire BAC Strikemaster	ZK-TCS ZK-WLV ZK-VLK ZK-RVM ZK-VAM ZK-STR
Notes: This unique team formed for this airshow, and performed perfect six-ship formation loops followed by a tail chance and solo, pair and three-ship passes. This display demonstrated the huge skill of the pilots, keeping such precise formation in three different types of jet, particularly in high wind on the Friday. A marvel to watch.
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