Hi all,
Last weekend was the big biennial show at Blenheim in NZ's South Island, home to the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre. I won't bore with photos of the Yaks, Spitfires and P-40s, instead I'll stick with this forum's bread and butter.
Cyclonic weather had dumped huge amounts of rain on the region over the prior fortnight so there was a lot of mud underfoot on the all-grass field - one of the commentators said it was their Somme re-enactment! This meant "gates open" was delayed by an hour, so I took that time to visit the AHC for the umpteenth time, this time wanting to take a closer look at some of the memorabilia (as well as newer aircraft I'd not seen).
Eddie Rickenbacker's "teddy bear suit" and, at bottom right, uniform tunic.
One of four Curtiss MFs still in existence, a fairly recent addition to the display. What a pretty aircraft! Paging WNW...you have one to use as a pattern, after all!
Crockery from the Dornier Do.X and, at lower left, items belonging to Ferdinand von Zeppelin. In the same cabinet were airframe parts from one or two Zeppelins.
Items belonging to Ernst Udet including, at centre, his replacement Blue Max. My jaw literally dropped when I saw it!
One of Hermann Goering's WW2 jackets and hats.
Appropriate given today's date: items belonging to Manfred von Richtofen, including a goblet given to him on the occasion of his being awarded the Pour le Merite.
I always enjoy seeing the Bellamy Pfalz. Trust me - there's a big smile on my face! They have a cinema screen above and behind, on which is projected the first dogfight scene from The Blue Max.
The original DH.4.
Next, the flyers on the field. Well...some of them!
