
Guest: Grace Hills



Host: Dave Homewood



Recorded: 5th of September 2023



Published: 23rd of September 2023



Duration: 35 minutes, 26 seconds



Dave Homewood talks with Grace Hills in this episode to mark the annual international Girls In Aviation Day! 



Grace is an aircraft technician in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, and she is also a private pilot. She learned to fly at Ardmore and through the Walsh Memorial Scout Flying School at Matamata, and she undertook the RNZAF’s School To Skies programme that led to her current career.



Whilst working on modern helicopters in her day job, she has also enthusiastically become involved in historic aviation. She flies Tiger Moths and a Nanchang, and she has turned her hand to helping with the restorations of the John Smith Mosquito and John smith’s Tiger Moth at Omaka, and Brendon Deere’s North American P-51D Mustang at Ohakea.



Grace is also the secretary of the New Zealand Association of Women in Aviation.



Quick Links:



•  The Royal New Zealand Air Force



•  RNZAF School To Skies



•  Girls In Aviation Day



•  Girls In Aviation Day on Facebook



• New Zealand Association of Women in Aviation



• New Zealand Association of Women in Aviation on Facebook




Grace in the John Smith Tiger Moth, which runs and taxis but does not fly.





Grace in a Harvard.




Grace preparing the Nanchang for a flight.



Grace working on Bill Reid’s Avro Anson. 




Grace with the famous John Smith Mosquito at Omaka, which she helped to restore.


WONZ 284 – Grace Hills

Aviation

Games & Hobbies

Leisure


Guest: Roy Boston – de Havilland Apprentice and Engineer, and RNZAF Instructor



Host: Dave Homewood



Recorded: 26th of April 2024



Released:  30th of April 2024



Duration:  1 hour 34 minutes 45 seconds



In this episode Dave Homewood talks with 96-year-old Roy Boston, who was born and grew up in London, and became an apprentice at the de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited at Stag Lane Aerodrome, Edgeware. He ended up working in various roles testing engines and propellers that were being developed for aircraft for both de Havilland and for other companies. He was involved with all sorts of aeroplanes, and witnessed other projects under development including jet engines and turboprops. He also reveals some interesting stories and secrets about the company’s projects, an may well be the last living witness to some of those developments of the 1940s by de Havilland.



He talks about flying in all sorts of aeroplanes during test flying too, from Lancaster and Halifax bombers to the rarities like the Vickers Warwick and the de Havilland Hornet!



After leaving the company in 1950 he emigrated to New Zealand, to rejoin his family who’d moved here some years beforehand. He ended up working first as a civilian instructor on engines with the Royal New Zealand Air Force, and then was commissioned as a serving officer in the Education branch of the RNZAF.



These days Roy is a celebrated artist, and he also volunteers as a guide at the Aviation Heritage Centre at Omaka, Blenheim.



Quick Links:• Roy’s artworks• The Aviation Heritage Centre, Omaka



Thanks to: Huge thanks to Roy’s son Dean Boston for setting this interview up via Zoom, and sitting in to prompt facts when needed, and also thanks to Bevan Dewes and Lucy Newell for the use of their office to record this while I was staying with them.



The music heard in this episode is Wild Flower by Joakim Karud.



Above: Roy Boston on the day of the interview, aged 96 and sharp as a tack. (Dean Boston photo)



Above: Roy Boston at Dog3 ROC,1945. (Roy Boston collection)



Above: The Ghost Lancastrian. (Roy Boston collection)



Above: Roy carrying out the engine cylinder vibration test at full chat on the DHC-1 Chipmunk prototype. Note the ballast in the back seat as discussed, and also the Vickers Warwick bomber in the background. (Roy Boston collection)







Above: The Askania Hand Vibrograph 1.



Above: The de Havilland Goblin on the test bed. (Roy Boston collection)

WONZ 304 – Roy Boston


Guests: Larry Hill, Andrew White and Tony Hoskins



Host: Dave Homewood



Recorded: 6th of March 2024



Published: 24th of March 2024



Duration: 2 hours, 57 seconds



In this episode Dave Homewood marks the 80th Anniversary of The Great Escape by talking with Larry Hill, Andy White and Tony Hoskins.



The Great Escape is the name given to a breakout of Allied prisoners from the German POW camp Stalag Luft III, at Sagan, West Silesia in Germany, on the night of the 24th-25th of March 1944. A total of 76 prisoners, all members of the Royal Air Force and Allied Air Forces, managed to escape through a tunnel before the tunnel entrance was discovered by a German guard. Over the next few weeks 73 of the escapees were rounded up and recaptured after a massive manhunt. Three escaped. And of those recaptured, the Gestapo murdered 50 of the airmen, upon Hitler’s orders. Three New Zealanders were among the murdered airmen, and other Kiwis were involved in the escape. They’re all discussed here.



Andy and Tony give a great background to the prisoner of war camp and the escape. And Larry tells some stories of the New Zealanders involved that he knew personally.







Above: Larry Hill



Above: Tony Hoskins



Above: Andy White



Above: Porokoru Patapu “John” Pohe, RNZAF Great Escaper, and murdered by the Gestapo.



Above: Pilot Officer Arnold Christensen, RNZAF Great Escaper, and murdered by the Gestapo. From The Weekly News issue 25 November 1942, via the Air Force Museum of New Zealand.



Above: Squadron Leader John Edwin Ashley “Willy” Williams DFC, New Zealand-born Australian RAF Great Escaper, and murdered by the Gestapo.



Above: Image from the Edith Lyle personal album collection. “F/L Mick Shand.” No. 485 Squadron pilot Flight Lieutenant Michael Moray Shand DFC sitting in the cockpit of his Spitfire. Unknown location. Handwritten on the reverse of the print “F/L Shand DFC. 485 Sqd RNZAF. Who was lost on a Rhubarb over Holland, he was Flight Commander of B Flight. Fought through “the Battle of Britain” and had many great successes. He was lost in November 1943, but there may be a chance of him being a prisoner of war.” NB. Shand was involved in The Great Escape while interred in Stalag Luft 3. Image via the Air Force Museum of New Zealand.



Above: Squadron Leader Leonard Trent DFC, pilot with No. 487 Squadron. Taken before his Victoria Cross action. Enlargement from PR10415,

WONZ 303 – The Great Escape 80th Anniversary


Guest: Sarah Carr (nee Hanna)



Host: Dave Homewood



Recorded: 26th of July 2023



Published: 8th of March 2024



Duration: 1 hour 3 minutes, 5 seconds



In this episode of Wings Over Britain, Dave Homewood sat down with Sarah Carr of the Old Flying Machine Company, in her office at Duxford, Cambridgeshire. Sarah is the daughter of the legendary pilot, the late Ray Hanna, and sister of the late and equally revered pilot Mark Hanna. She talks in depth about how Ray and Mark both got into flying, display flying and film work. And she details her own experiences with aviation and with running the OFMC, which today operates only the one aeroplane, Spitfire IX MH434. Sarah also talks about her connection with New Zealand and how important that is to her.



Quick Links:.• The Old Flying Machine Company• Fans of the Old Flying Machine Company Facebook Group• Ray and Mark Hanna on the WONZ Forum







The famous OFMC Supermarine Spitfire LF. IXb Spitfire MH434.

































WONZ 302 – Wings Over Britain: OFMC’s Sarah Carr


Guest: Ed Taylor,  General Manager of Warbirds Over Wanaka 



Host: Dave Homewood



Recorded: 4th of March 2024



Released:  4th of March 2024



Duration:  45 minutes 17 seconds



In this episode Dave Homewood chats with Ed Taylor about the upcoming three-day Warbirds Over Wanaka airshow over Easter on March 29th, 30th and 31st. The airshow has an unprecedented line-up of warbirds and other awesome aeroplanes that are planned to display over the three day weekend.



These include de Havilland Mosquito NZ2308 (ZK-PWL) and North American P-51D Mustang NZ2423 (ZK-BHT) making their post-restoration debuts, plus the Wanaka debut of Yak 3Q “Steadfast”, the return of Corsair NZ5648 “Marie”, Brendon Deere’s Spitfire IX and Grumman Avenger “Plonky”, Bill Reid’s Anson, the Harvards, the Yak 52s, three T-28 Trojans, Strikemaster, Vampire, Lockheed 12a Electra Junior, and much more.



And of course there is the USAF F-16 Fighting Falcons, the C-17, USAF and RNZAF C-130s, the RNZAF’s Black Falcons team and the Air Force Heritage Flight, and the new Boeing P-8 Poseidon’s airshow debut, plus the four-ship L-39 jet team flown by the US Patriots pilots, and much more.



Quick Links:• GET TICKETS HERE• Warbirds Over Wanaka 2024 Website• Warbirds Over Wanaka on Facebook 





















Ed Taylor







The music heard in this episode is Wild Flower by Joakim Karud

WONZ 301 – Warbirds Over Wanaka 2024


Guest: Brendon Deere



Host: Dave Homewood



Recorded: 20th of February 2024



Published: 2nd of March 2024



Duration: 1 hour 11 minutes, 28 seconds



In this 300th episode in the Wings Over New Zealand Show series, Dave Homewood talks with Brendon Deere of the Biggin Hill Trust about the beautiful restoration on his ex-RNZAF North American P-51D Mustang NZ2423 (ZK-BHT).



The Mustang served with the Royal New Zealand Air Force from 1945 till 1957. NZ2423 arrived in New Zealand aboard the ship Dominion Park on the 27th of August 1945, and as the Japanese had surrendered while it was on the water the Air Force put it and the other 28 Mustangs into storage at Hobsonville. In February 1947 the cocooned Mustang fleet were barged from Hobsonville down to Clevedon and towed from there to RNZAF Station Ardmore, which had been a fighter base but was now under Care & Maintenance. The P-51D’s were put into storage in one of the hangars there.



Following a period of storage at Ardmore, most of the Mustangs were placed into service with the Territorial Air Force squadrons in 1952. But NZ2423 was readied for flight and then flown to Rukuhia for another period of storage, as a reserve aircraft.



NZ2423 finally entered operational service in with No. 2 (Wellington) Squadron of the Territorial Air Force, based at Ohakea, as a replacement on the 12th of July 1954. On the 25th of October 1955 it was then transferred to No. 42 Squadron and converted to tow target drogues for the Vampire pilots.



It was the last RNZAF Mustang to fly, when on the 30th of May 1957 it flew from Ohakea to Woodbourne and went back into storage. The Mustangs were put up for sale by tender and in May 1958 NZ2423 was sold to Bill Ruffell of Blenheim, who along with his friend Harry Rutledge had planned to use it to build a new powerboat using the engine and the cockpit and tail. The pair already had the famous hydroplane racing boat Tru-Jen. But their plans fizzled out and they sold the Mustang to John Smith of Mapua in 1964, who stored it in his famous shed till his death in 2019.



Brendon purchased the Mustang in 2020, and set about restoring it. It made its return to flight in November 2023. In this episode he tells the story of the Mustang’s history and talks about the restoration. He also details the current status of other aircraft in his collection, the Spitfire IX, the Avenger “Plonky” and his Harvard NZ1037.



The Mustang will make its airshow debut at the end of this month at Warbirds Over Wanaka, flown by S/Ldr Sean Perrett, alongside the Biggin Hill Trust’s Spitfire and Avenger.



Quick Links:• Biggin Hill Historic Aircraft Centre, RNZAF Ohakea • The long running Wings Over New Zealand Forum Mustang NZ2423 Thread



Above: Mustang NZ2423 over Ohakea. (Gavin Conroy photo)



Above: Brendon Deere with his Spitfire. (Brendon Deere photo)



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WONZ 284 – Grace Hills

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