Skyhawk exhibit brings in the crowds

Canterbury plane spotters can get up close and personal with one of the most well-known air force planes in the world - the McDonnell Douglas Skyhawk.

Aviation enthusiast and Ashburton Aviation Museum vice president Dennis Swaney said the museum display is unique in that there are no roped-off sections or displays.

"You can get under or next to the vast array of aircraft on display. As a museum we wanted to create this opportunity for people to be able to get really near the planes," Swaney said.

Thousands of people recently voted for their favourite aircraft among the Air Force Museum of NZ’s collection of 33 historic aircraft. Attracting less controversy than the Bird of the Century, public voting for the Air Force Museum of New Zealand’s inaugural Aircraft of the Year competition resulted in a win for the NZ4203 Lockheed P-3K2 Orion.

But the Skyhawk was hot on its tail. There was only 4 per cent difference between the top three – the two aircraft and a helicopter. The Orion finished with 19 per cent of the votes, the Skyhawk was close behind with 17 per cent, while it was the Bell UH-1H Iroquois coming in third with 15 per cent.

With the Skyhawk now at the Ashburton Aviation Museum, it has a complete set of planes flown previously by the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

"(The Skyhawk) is owned by the American air force and loaned to us by the Air Force Museum of New Zealand. It’s the only plane in our collection we don’t own," Swaney said.

"The US Air Force fly in every couple of years to look at it. We don’t touch or move it."

The museum’s Skyhawk is one of 14 that came to New Zealand in 1970 for $24.65 million, as replacements for Canberra bombers.

As a ship board-fighter, it has an arrestor hook, used by the RNZAF for landings on the secondary runway at Ohakea, saving wear on tyres and brakes and the parachute which was deployed on ordinary runways.

The Skyhawks only once fired a shot in anger. On March 30, 1975, two were sent to intercept a Taiwanese squid boat fishing inside New Zealand’s 12-mile exclusive economic zone which would not stop for the navy. Shots were fired across the bow and the boat stopped.

• Ashburton Aviation Museum at Ashburton Airport is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday from 1 to 3pm and Wednesday and Saturday from 9am to 3pm. The museum is available to hire for weddings, conferences, funerals and other events.

By Dellwyn Moylan