Spitfire to land in Whanganui

Aero clubs are a fundamental part of the fabric of aviation in New Zealand, and Whanganui Aero Club has a long and proud history.

Brendon Deere

A Supermarine Spitfire fighter plane with local connections will be landing at Whanganui Airport for the first time in 14 years at 1.30pm this Sunday.

Spitfire PV270’s arrival is part of the Whanganui Aero Club’s open day.

It was built at Castle Bromwich in England in 1943 and was first brought to New Zealand in 2001 after serving for the Royal Air Force (RAF) and air forces in Italy, Israel, and Burma.

An overhaul to restore it to flying condition was completed in 2009.

Owner Brendon Deere said it had done flyovers of Whanganui every year bar one on Anzac Day but logistics had prevented its landing here since 2009.

“It’s been over Whanganui every year, [and] twice last year, but this time we thought it was a good opportunity to get it out and put it on the ground for people to see it a bit closer.”

The plane also has a connection to Whanganui due to its paint scheme, he said. When it was restored, it was painted in a recreation of the colour scheme of the personal MK9 Spitfire flown by local fighter pilot Alan Deere.

Deere was born in Auckland but he and his family moved to Whanganui where he finished his schooling and worked for two years as a law clerk before applying for entry into the RAF.

He went on to fly in multiple battles including the evacuation of Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain, becoming the second highest-scoring New Zealand fighter pilot to serve in World War II, with 22 confirmed victories in aerial combat, 10 probable victories, and 18 damaged enemy fighters.

He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross twice and in 1945 was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). He was promoted to Air Commodore in 1964 before retiring from the RAF in 1967.

He died of cancer in 1995, aged 77. Brendon is Alan’s nephew and said he hoped bringing the plane to the city would draw people to see it and learn a little about Whanganui history.

Deere also wanted to attend the show to show support to the Aero Club, with which he had another personal connection — “I learned to fly there.”

Aside from this, he said, Whanganui has a long history of aviation, and the Aero Club was an important part of it.

“Aero clubs are a fundamental part of the fabric of aviation in New

Zealand, and Whanganui Aero Club has a long and proud history.

“[It] was one of the earliest aero clubs and one of the biggest, so it’s something that we need to be reminded of,” Deere said.

The club’s chief flight instructor, Jonathan Mauchline, said it meant a lot to the club to have the Spitfire come to town. “It really is quite fantastic having an aircraft of that calibre here.

“It’s the name of an aeroplane which really everyone knows and it’s really quite iconic, so to have it here on top of the other planes is going to be really quite fantastic,” he said.

The club expected a big turnout for the open day, with more planes coming this year than in previous years, Mauchline said.

“It’s been quite successful in previous years but this year we’re looking at having it bigger and better again,” he said.

More than 20 aircraft will be on display, and planes taking to the skies throughout the day.

Aside from the Spitfire, the De Havilland Venom will also be at the open day, and people can enter a raffle on the day to win a ride around Whanganui in a De Havilland Tiger Moth biplane.

But Deere made sure to note his Spitfire would give no air display; its display in Whanganui would be strictly static. He also said its appearance would be weather dependent.

The open day will run from 9am to 4pm on Sunday. Outside of the open day, the Royal New Zealand Air Force Black Falcons formation team will be putting on a display at Castlecliff Beach from 4.30pm on Sunday.