Today we visited an amazing museum, the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre which has permanently on display the "Knights of the Sky" exhibition, featuring Sir Peter Jackson's own collection of WW1 aircraft, artefacts & memorabilia. The story of aviation in the Great War (1914-1918) is brought to life in magnificent sets created by Wingnut Films & Weta Workshop.
 |
| Etrich Taube (The Dove) |
 |
| DH-2, Pilots said it was like flying a witch's broom ( I thought it looked like a flying pram!) |
The display of memorabilia was incredible, it all had very informative labels and a lot came with their own stories of how they ended up in the collection. This is part of the Allied Display cases.
 |
| Wartime Posters |
 |
| Curtis Flying Boat |
Part of the Central Powers display cases, this one of particular interest to me, it was all about the Zeppelin Airships. We have been to the home of the Zeppelin; Friedrichshafen in Germany many times, visited the Zeppelin Museum & watched a lot of airships take off & land at the Friedrichshafen airport which was right beside the exhibition centre where we attended EuroBike for our bike shows.
Grid's Great Escape- (click to enlarge) |
| The British weren't very charitable to their pilots; no parachutes were handed out in case they took the soft option & wasted a valuable plane!! |
 |
| Grid's Great Escape |
 |
| Fokker Triplanes- including the most famous of all; The Red Baron |
 |
| Crash in the Snow- Nieuport 27 & Siemens Schuckert |
 |
| The Baron's last Flight |
 |
| Nieuport 24 |
In Flanders Field
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Shellie, when you back in the NI if your interested visit the Hood Aerodrome at Masterton and go through the hanger of the "Old Stick & Rudder Co" and see all the replicas of WW1 aircraft, some also owned by Sir Peter .
ReplyDeleteRobin
Thanks Robin, funnily enough we had friends that were visiting the Wairarapa the day before we got there & when I spoke to her on the phone her & her husband were going through the hanger as we spoke! Yes we will have to visit the next time we are up there. Thanks fro your comment, Cheers Shellie
Delete