‘Golden Age’ Air Race an International Affair

‘Golden Age’ Air Race an International Affair at Yealands Classic Fighters 2017

Art-deco styled aircraft from around the world take to New Zealand skies this Easter

Blenheim, NZ: One of the eagerly anticipated and arguably, most stylish races scheduled to take place at Yealands Classic Fighters is the ‘Golden Age’ Air Race. Amongst the art deco styled aircraft is a rare and tiny Comper Swift, one of just a handful of flyable survivors worldwide which has just been restored by JEM Aviation at Omaka and will be heading home to Sydney after the airshow. Coming all the way from Sweden will be a de Havilland Puss Moth, a plane type that was seen here prior to WWII however, there have been no NZ based survivors remaining in flyable condition since the 1950s.

Other art deco gems expected to appear are an Australian registered, Beech C-17B 'Staggerwing', a stunning polished metal Ryan STM, a Waco ‘Taperwing’ and a recently completed Chilton monoplane with a further possible art deco entrant from the USA. Another fresh restoration is a 1934 Fairchild F-24C8c which was imported as a wreck about eight years ago and meticulously restored by its Omaka based owner, Trevor Collins.

Graham Orphan, Yealands Classic Fighters Chairman says “We’re absolutely stoked with the range and variety of glamorous aircraft from the Golden Age that we’ve been able to bring together. It will be a totally unique assembly of stylish airborne exotica from an age long gone!”.

The 'Golden Age' of aviation is usually considered to be from the mid-1920s to the late 1930s and many of the aircraft of the era featured streamlining which became part of the art-deco styling typical of the day. In many cases, this style treatment went on to influence the motor cars, motor cycles, locomotives and even children’s prams, which embraced the tear-drop shapes of the 'spats' or 'wheel pants' used to streamline the aircraft of the day.

About Yealands Classic Fighters Omaka: Held every alternate Easter the airshow is the main fundraising event for the Omaka Aviation Heritage Museum, located in Blenheim, Marlborough NZ.

The next show is 14-16 April 2017 and tickets are available now at www.classicfighters.co.nz

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