Warbirds over Awatoto returns with 50 model aircraft this weekend

At least 50 model aircraft are expected at Warbirds over Awatoto on Saturday and Sunday as Napier kicks off an otherwise Art Deco Festival-driven fortnight of fascination with transport.

Magnificent men with their flying machines ahead of the annual Warbirds Over Awatoto model flying on the southern outskirts of Napier on Saturday and Sunday. (From left) John Sutherland, with the Faulk Wulf 190, club president Marty Hughes with the P51 Mustang and Phill Sharp, with the 156 Storch.

The transportation theme of the February 13-17 festival will include public rides on a steam train and an early-era railcar, the flyovers and aerobatics of the RNZAF Black Falcons T-6C Texans, flights by the De Havilland Dragon II, about 180 vintage and classic cars, including the unveiling of a New Zealand-built replica of the famed “lost” Jean Bugatti 1936 Bugatti Type 57S Atlantic Coupe, a coal-powered vintage traction engine and a soapbox derby.

There will also be three cruise ship visits, with a combined total of about 10,000 passengers, almost half of them aboard the Ovation of the Seas, contributing to the flow of the oldest form of transport of all, foot traffic.

The gathering of the flying models this weekend represents another milestone for Model Flying Hawke’s Bay around the second anniversary of the Cyclone and flood that all but destroyed the flying paddock and facilities off the Ravensdown end of Waitangi Rd.

Just days after the last aircraft was packed away in 2023, Cyclone Gabrielle struck with logs and floodwaters demolishing the structural facilities and the access road, but hundreds of hours of work saw the airfield back in use for Warbirds Over Awatoto last year.

Club president Marty Hughes says it’s New Zealand’s premier model air show, with pilots from around the country, with replicas of aircraft from the World Wars along with modern military aircraft and helicopters, although the endeavours haven’t yet stretched to the likes of the Rocket Lab projectiles now common to Hawke’s Bay skies from more than 50 launches since the first test in 2017.

Nevertheless, says Hughes, there are jets that sound like the real thing and hit speeds of 300km/h.

Gates at Awatoto will be open 10am-4pm on both days, and world-renowned world-renowned flyer and designer Frazer Briggs will be doing his lunchtime display on both days.

Fine weather is forecast for Napier at the weekend with temperatures up to 24C.

Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke’s Bay Today, and has almost 52 years of journalism experience, 41 of them in Hawke’s Bay, in news gathering, including breaking news, sports, local events, issues, and personalities.