Taranaki aviator Brett Emeny dies
TARANAKI REPORTERS
Tributes from aviation enthusiasts throughout the country have been made after news renowned Taranaki jet racer, warbird pilot and classic plane enthusiast Brett Emeny has died.
Hundreds of people posted memories of seeing Emeny perform across New Zealand’s largest air shows, including Warbirds Over Wanaka.
‘‘The Warbirds Over Wanaka family has joined the wider New Zealand aviation community in expressing our great sorrow at the passing of one of this country’s most accomplished airshow display pilots Brett Emeny,’’ the organisation said in an online tribute.
‘‘Brett was a true hero of the New Zealand airshow industry and his flying prowess was the stuff legends were made of.’’
At the last Wanaka airshow held in 2018 Emeny flew four different types – the Vampire jet, the Trojan T-28, Catalina Flying Boat and was a key member of the world-class Yak-52 display team.
‘‘Brett has left us way too early, but his exploits will never be forgotten,’’ the post said.
The New Plymouth aviator and businessman was well known for hurtling through the skies above the city in his 1950s Vampire jet, or taking a more sedate approach in a painstakingly restored 1944 Catalina Flying Boat.
NZ Warbirds Association posted its condolences on Facebook late last Thursday night, saying Emeny had died at Waikato Hospital
from post-operative complications following heart surgery on the Tuesday.
‘‘Brett was one of New Zealand’s leading airshow display pilots having flown a vast array of warbirds including the P-51 Mustang, T-28 Trojan, Vampire, Catalina and of course the Yak-52 where he was a foundation member of the Yak-52 formation team which has displayed at New Zealand air shows since the early 2000s. Brett had recently established a two-ship formation team with Peter Vause flying T-28 Trojans,’’ the association posted.
Emeny was one of a group of enthusiasts who restored a 1944 PBY-5 Catalina at New Plymouth Airport, getting it back in the air at a cost of $350,000 and 10,000 man hours. It remains the only one of its kind in New Zealand and the only one in the southern hemisphere that can take passengers.
The massive plane is a regular and impressive sight in the skies of Taranaki, and at airshows around the country. In 2016, Emeny said the plane was not an easy craft to pilot.
‘‘You have to hand fly it. It’s real seat-of-the-pants flying. That’s probably what I like about it. To fly it well you have to really concentrate on what you are doing.’’
Emeny was also a keen jet racer, flying his Vampire jet at Warbirds Over Wanaka International Air Show at Easter 2021.
‘‘We’ll be going around corners at about 700kph, with a top speed of 800kph. You’re really moving,’’ he said.
An owner profile of Emeny on the Warbirds over Wanaka website published in 2021 said the Emeny name is synonymous with aviation in New Zealand.
‘‘Brett’s father Cliff Emeny was a WWII Mosquito fighter bomber pilot, older brother Craig owns Air Chathams while nephew Duane is CEO at Air Chathams. Brother John is a pilot while yet another brother Derek is an aviation accident assessor. Finally, Brett’s daughter Faye is a newly minted member of the Yak-52 aerobatic display team,’’ the profile reads.
When the 2022 Warbirds Over Wanaka show was cancelled due to concerns over Covid restrictions, Emeny was so disappointed he made the trip south and put on a short show in his 1953 Trojan T28.
He was part of a large group of North Islanders who flew in to Wanaka Airport. ‘‘We thought we would come down and catch up with everybody and should bring some notable aircraft with us, as we really wanted to support the show,’’ he told the Otago Daily Times.
Emeny started his aviation career in gliders, before moving into the helicopter industry.
As well as running a successful commercial business, Emeny was used extensively in rescue helicopter missions throughout the region before the Taranaki Community Rescue Helicopter Trust was set up.
He supplied the service with a 350B Squirrel known as the Lion Red Rescue Helicopter. ‘‘Brett put a lot of time and effort and money into running the service in the first six years,’’ former Taranaki Community Rescue Helicopter Trust manager Noel Watson said in 2007.
New Zealand Warbirds Association said there were tentative plans for a service for Emeny at New Plymouth Airport.