There is a tradition at Wanaka of having a mock battle and a massed flypast to end each show. They have a bit of fun with pyrotechnics and having the "attacking" aircraft eventually defeated by the "good guys".
Here you can see a few explosions as the attackers "bomb" the airfield, and there are aircraft from both sides flying in all directions. The Harvards often act as the attacking force, so they aren't too much opposition to Spitfires and Mustangs, but who can tell looking at this!
And here's a flypast of some classic World War II aircraft. From right to left: the Mosquito, a Spitfire, Steadfast (a modified Russian Yak 3), a Corsair, and two Mustangs.
Here's a movie of a couple of waves of attackers bombing the airfield. It's all done with a bit of humour, and the occasional lack of good timing by the pyrotechnics crew is all part of the fun.
Here's the flypast of the old World War II aircraft I listed above, along with a particularly impressive explosion as they fly over.
Source: Warbirds Over Wanaka Program.
I usually write a blog post about once a week. The latest post can be viewed here: Learning from Failure: I think there is a place for parties with views I find insane. (posted 2024-11-28 at 12:41:49). I do podcasts too!. You can listen to my latest podcast, here: OJB's Podcast 2024-08-22 Stirring Up Trouble: Let's just get every view out there and fairly debate them..
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