Warbirds scholarship to make return
The Warbirds Over Wanaka Community Trust has announced the scholarship programme is to make a return for 2025, and Warbird aircraft engineers are eligible to apply alongside pilots.
Warbirds Over Wanaka general manager Ed Taylor said the scholarship programme had been put on hold since 2020 as Covid forced the cancellation of the 2020 and 2022 shows, but after a successful 2024 show, the scholarship programme was in a position to return.
One of the pilots who had benefited from the scholarship programme was Adam Butcher, who took part in the programme in 2017.
Mr Butcher had been flying since 1996, when he was 14 years old. It took him a while to save for his private pilot's licence, which he got in 2004.
Flying vintage aeroplanes was a dream of his, and after obtaining his licence, Mr Butcher flew 50 hours in a Tiger Moth biplane built in the 1940s.
After obtaining his commercial pilot's licence he flew from Queenstown, taking tourists on aerobatic, thrill-seeking rides in a Pitts Special biplane.
After moving to Australia in 2010, Mr Butcher continued to fly vintage aeroplanes; he flew Chinese and Soviet warbirds commercially from Adelaide until 2012.
On returning to New Zealand, Mr Butcher became the chief pilot for the Croydon Aviation Company, which operated vintage de Havilland aircraft from the 1930s and 1940s.
For seven and a-half years, while working remotely as the chief pilot for the Mandeville-based company, he flew sightseeing flights from Manapouri Airport.
In 2017 he was selected as the recipient of the Warbirds scholarship programme, which allowed him to get time flying historical aircraft.
The scholarship allowed him to obtain a type rating on a North American Harvard, a trainer aircraft from World War 2.
"The Harvard's always been the step up to go from all of the lighter aircraft, the Nanchangs and the Yaks and the, I suppose, Tiger Moths even as well"
Over two weeks Mr Butcher was instructed on how to fly the aircraft by John Lamont and Grant Bissett, who both flew the Harvard and other aircraft at the Warbirds Over Wanaka airshows.
"I'd say mentoring through the Warbird progression from them was as valuable as the scholarship amount itself."
The scholarship allowed him to fly seven hours in the aircraft, which was quite different from the types he had flown in the past.
"I really appreciated the coaching, mentoring, training [and] instructing that came with John Lamont as well — he's such a fixture with Warbirds Over Wanaka for his experience and knowledge."
After his experience on the Harvard, Mr Butcher hoped to eventually fly the Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk, a fighter that was flown by the Royal New Zealand Air Force in World War 2.
"I think we all have a shared passion of wanting to experience a bit of everything of that period, but yeah, the P-40 has always been a favourite for me. "
As a form of paying it forward, Mr Butcher purchased an aircraft of his own, a Pitts Special biplane, which he used to get his lower level display authorisation, and to lend to others to give them experience with flying classic aircraft.
"So I was very grateful for having the opportunity to fly somebody else's Harvard, and I wanted to make sure that I gave that opportunity to others to fly the Pitts."
Mr Butcher has also stepped up to better help run the airshow as an assistant display director.
Part of the role involves guiding the aircraft that would display, as well as providing briefings before the show starts to ensure it runs smoothly.
"Whether it's in the aeroplane or out, everybody holds a really important role to make sure the whole show is good for people coming to watch and ultimately educate them on what it is to fly Warbird aircraft and make sure the passion for that stays strong."
Last year, he sold his aircraft to construct a new hangar to house more aircraft.
"It's a step out of the cockpit for a moment, but it's a longer-term view of how best we support vintage aviation and make sure that there are homes for these aircraft when they're on the field," he said.
For the pilots and mechanics who would apply for this year's scholarship, it was really important to show they were genuine in their passion, he said, something he felt would come through in an application.
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