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Flying from Ohakea to Christchurch on an airforce plane, to spend the day at the Air Force Museum in Wigram is an adventure I never deemed possible.
My day started bright and early with a drive from Ōtaki to the Ohakea Air Force Base. From there I met squadron leader Sean Willis and was introduced to LAC Aubin Moore who was my host for the day.
After a quick check in at the terminal and a health and safety briefing with the pilots, myself and Aubin boarded the plane. At our seats I was welcomed with the best airplane snacks and because I was located just behind the pilots I was able to admire the wonderful view throughout the flight to Christchurch.
The journey from Ohakea to Christchurch was full of airplane jargon I did not understand, but it was incredibly interesting to see what goes on between the pilots in the cockpit. After landing in Christchurch we were met with squadron leader Kate Blint who drove us to the Air Force Museum which is located on the Wigram Air Base which closed in 2009.
Following our arrival, we met with Simon Moody who is a research curator at the museum. He showed us many artefacts, maps and articles that weren’t on display. However my favourite thing to see was the old photographs and paintings that were stored carefully in the back rooms. Simon was also exceptionally helpful in my research on Carlyle Gray Everiss. He showed me old articles and images that allowed me to build a better picture on who Everiss was as a person.
After a quick lunch break we started our tour in the public part of the museum. The museum was packed with amazing airforce aircrafts and we even got a behind the scenes look at the restoration workshop which I thought was quite impressive.
The day ended with a quick flight back to Ohakea where my family was waiting to hear all about the fantastic day I had just had. I am incredibly grateful for this experience and would like to thank everyone involved who made this day possible.
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