A Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) formation, featuring the Biggin Hill Trust Spitfire, will conduct a flypast of lower North Island centres on Friday 16 June.

The flypast is in honour of the centenary of military aviation in New Zealand, which will be celebrated with a range of events at Wigram in Christchurch, the site of New Zealand’s first military air base, on the following day, Saturday 17 June.

The Spitfire will take off from Ohakea and fly as far south as Wellington before returning north.

RNZAF predecessor the New Zealand Permanent Air Force was established on 14 June 1923, and a week later the New Zealand Government purchased a large portion of Sockburn Airfield from Christchurch businessman and politician Sir Henry Wigram at a heavily subsidised price. The airfield was subsequently renamed Wigram in his honour.

The Spitfire, piloted by Squadron Leader Sean Perrett, will fly in formation with T-6C Texan II aircraft bound for Christchurch to take part in another flypast on Saturday, which will feature most of the aircraft currently flown by the RNZAF. The Texan is a familiar sight in the skies near RNZAF airfields, especially Ohakea where they are based, as the trainer aircraft in which all RNZAF pilots learn to fly.

Squadron Leader Perrett, who is flight commander of the Air Force Heritage Flight (AFHF), which operates the Spitfire and other heritage aircraft, said one of the primary purposes of the AFHF was to commemorate New Zealand’s military aviation heritage through displays of some of the legendary aircraft Kiwis have flown.

“The Spitfire is a classic and a well-known example of such an aircraft. Although the RNZAF itself never operated Spitfires, many Kiwis flew them in the Second World War, mainly in Royal Air Force squadrons.

“This is a great opportunity for the Flight to pay tribute to 100 years of military aviation in New Zealand, by displaying an iconic aircraft in which many New Zealanders did their bit, including some who were killed in Spitfire operations. They will be especially in our minds during Friday’s flight,” he said.

The Spitfire will pass over a number of former RNZAF establishments in the lower North Island during the sortie from Ohakea, to further acknowledge RNZAF history and the service of the people stationed around the country.

The destinations and approximate timings for the Friday flypast are as follows. Locations of current and former RNZAF establishments, or nearby centres, are in bold.

Ohakea 1430

Oroua Downs School 1433

Foxton 1435

Levin 1437

Speldhurst

(Kimberley) 1438

Ohau 1438

Manakau 1439

Otaki 1440

Waikanae 1443

Paraparaumu 1444

Paekakariki 1445

Pukerua Bay 1446

Porirua 1448

Tawa 1449

Johnsonville 1450

Wellington Airport 1452

Wellington CBD 1454

Texans alone:

Blenheim 1508

Woodbourne 1509

Spitfire alone:

Petone 1454

Trentham 1457

Te Marua 1458

Featherston 1501

Martinborough 1504

Greytown 1506

Carterton 1507

Masterton 1509

Eketahuna 1515

Pahiatua 1519

Woodville 1521

Ashhurst 1523

Feilding 1525

Marton 1528

Ohakea 1532

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