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Photo: Gavin Conroy.
Photo: Gavin Conroy.
One of nine Polikarpov fighter aircraft (pictured) restored by Sir Tim Wallis in the 1990s will appear at the 2018 airshow.

Warbirds over Wanaka general manager Ed Taylor said organisers were working hard to secure several ''significant'' aircraft to mark the 30th year since the first show and Sir Tim's 80th birthday.

The Polikarpov was produced between 1934 and 1942 for the Soviet air force, Spanish republican air force and the Chinese nationalist air force. In 1991, Sir Tim and his chief engineer, Ray Mulqueen, found nine wrecks in Russia. In 1992, Sir Tim signed a contract to start rebuilding the planes in one of the original factories that produced the aircraft.

From 1998 to 2008, the Polikarpovs flew at Warbirds over Wanaka, but they were then sold to owners around the world. 

-By Kerrie Waterworth

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