To the surprise of many, Mr Taylor had no aviation background before agreeing to the job.
‘‘My idea of aviation was getting on an A320 and going somewhere warmer but I knew how important Warbirds Over Wānaka was for the local community even if you weren’t into planes,’’ he said.
Moving to the town in 2003, Mr Taylor and his wife bought Radio Wānaka which they ran for nine years before stepping down for a break.
Mr Taylor’s time at Warbirds started with a simple phone call from the chairman in late 2012 asking if he would be interested in the role.
Over his tenure Mr Taylor’s proudest moment was bringing the free display to the township.
‘‘With the show held out at the airport I thought the two might have gotten a little disconnected.
‘‘We brought it in as a way of thanking people of the town for allowing the town to be filled to the brim with plane spotters for a few days.
‘‘I didn’t want it to be anything more than a free community airshow where people can sit down on their lake front and enjoy a beautiful airshow for half an hour.’’
‘‘In 2020 the grandstands were all set up before we had to cancel. They stood there for three months before someone could take them down,’’ he said.
This year’s airshow came with a range of challenges including main acts pulling out and poor weather.
‘‘During the 2024 show we had cases of heat stroke and didn’t have enough sunscreen. This year we had cases of hypothermia and hundreds of litres of leftover sunscreen.’’
For an airshow that had run for 38 years, its essence had stayed the same, Mr Taylor said.
‘‘One thing I’ve regularly done is stand by the exits after the show listening to the conversations of people walking out and hearing how they were amazed by it.
‘‘That’s what I’m going to miss the most, seeing families have a fabulous day and still wearing the glow from watching the show.’’
Mr Taylor said he would return as a volunteer.
His last day as general manager will be the end of July when he hands over the controls to new general manager Mat Hellyer who starts on August 1.
