Ashburton Aviation Museum
Aviation museum in Ashburton, New Zealand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Ashburton Aviation Museum is located at Ashburton Aerodrome, a small airport 3.7 km (2.3 mi) to the east of Ashburton in the South Island of New Zealand.[2] There are two buildings housing a collection of around 40 aircraft. The museum is owned by the Ashburton Aviation Museum Society Trust.[1]
Ashburton Aviation Museum logo | |
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| Coordinates | 43°54′17″S 171°48′20″E |
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| Collections | Military and civilian aircraft |
| Owner | Ashburton Aviation Museum Society Trust[1] |
| Website | aviationmuseum |
Ashburton has a significant aviation history because the town was used as a training base for the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) during World War II, with 50 Tiger Moths based at the airfield.[3][4]
Governance
The first meeting to establish the Ashburton Aviation Museum Society was held in 1974.[5] The Ashburton Aviation Museum Society was incorporated in June 1986, and registered as a charity in New Zealand in 2008.[6] In February 2016, the organisational model was changed and the Ashburton Aviation Museum Society Trust was registered as a Charitable Trust.[7]
Collection
The first aircraft obtained for the collection was a former RNZAF training Harvard purchased in 1978. The aircraft was initially stored in a farm shed while volunteers raised funds and worked on the construction of a hangar on a site at the Ashburton airfield. The hangar was opened in April 1991. While the museum has many military aircraft in its collection, it also presents a history of civil aviation in the Canterbury Region.[5]
The collection includes the only British Aerospace Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR3 "Jump-jet" in the Southern Hemisphere,[8][9] and a former RNZAF Douglas Skyhawk.[10] This aircraft is on loan and as of 2024 was owned by the US Airforce. It was the only aircraft in the collection not owned by the museum.[11]
Another aircraft in the collection is a de Havilland Vampire that recorded only a few flying hours with the RNZAF. It was recovered from a children's playground at the Cave Tavern and was restored over several years.[12] The museum is also home to the Southern DC3 Trust's historic Douglas DC-3 airliner ZK-AMY, retired in 2014.[13][14][15][16] The museum collection also includes many model aircraft.[17]
The museum had 4500 adults and 3300 children visit during the year April 2022 to March 2023.[17]
Awards
In 2022, at the ANZ Business of the Year Awards for Ashburton District Council, the museum won the Excellence in Tourism award, and received a Highly Commended award in the Excellence in Not-for Profit category.[18]
Gallery
- Exhibits
de Havilland DH.104 Devon
Ashburton Aviation Museum
North American AT6D Harvard MK2A - NZ1012
Gloster Meteor F.3 - NZ 6001
Percival Provost P56
