Other stuff here includes some interesting cars, a helicopter, a glider, one of the strangest aircraft designs ever, and one of Warbirds over Wanaka's classic pyrotechnic displays!
The Auto Union replica was driven by Wanaka businessman Allan Dippie, and when given a bit of throttle it was very loud! According to Motorsport Solutions, it started with a customer giving them a model of the 1936 Auto Union and a 28L V12 Meteor tank engine used in the World War II Centurion. The project took 6 years to complete.
The EH-60A Blackhawk is owned by Kahu NZ Ltd, and arrived in Auckland in June 2019. The military version of the EH-60A is a variant of the UH-60A and was modified for electronic warfare.
The Schleicher ASH-25 Glider is a two-seater high performance open class glider manufactured by Alexander Schleicher (Germany) from 1986 until September 2008.
Schleicher ASH-25 Specs:
Crew: 2
Length: 8.97 m (29 ft 5 in)
Wingspan: 25.6 m (84 ft 0 in)
Height: 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in)
Wing area: 16.5 m2 (178 sq ft)
Aspect ratio: 39.8
Airfoil: root:HQ 17; tip:DU 84-132/V3
Empty weight: 478 kg (1,054 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 750 kg (1,653 lb)
Water ballast: 120 L (32 US gal; 26 imp gal)
Never exceed speed: 280 km/h (170 mph, 150 kn)
Maximum glide ratio: ca. 60:1
Rate of sink: 0.42 m/s (83 ft/min).
The commentator described the Transavia PL-12 Airtruk as "an airplane that only its mother could love" and it certainly has a unique design. When I said, "let's get a photo of the ugly-plane" everyone knew what I meant! It was designed by Luigi Pelerini, an Italian who moved to New Zealand in the 1950s, for agricultural use. The use of twin booms gave good access to the hopper, and in the elevated position the pilot had good visibility. This example (ZK-DMZ) is usually displayed at the Ashburton Aviation Museum, and has recently been returned to airworthy condition.
Use the controller to watch the explosions resulting from an "attack" on the airfield! This is a moderately large video and might take a few seconds to load.
The air show is well known for its pyrotechnics, and you can always be sure of a few explosions during the "airfield attacks" and other mock battles. The heat from this one was much appreciated by us suffering from the cold weather (the first time I have encountered bad weather in my 10 visits to the show).
Sources: Warbirds Over Wanaka 2026 Programme, Wikipedia, Motorsport Solutions web site, NZ Civil Aircraft web site.
My latest blog post: Think for Yourself: In the end, everything is just an opinion. Be skeptical, and think for yourself! (posted 2026-04-25).
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