NZ Warbirds

NZ Yak Formation

Aerobatic Team

 

The Yak-52 team was originally formed in the early 1980’s with two Yak-52’s doing displays at small air events.  This grew to four as more Yak-52’s came into the country.  The team currently comprises of nine aircraft; their signature move a nine-ship formation loop!

Less than half of the team are ex-military pilots with formation flying experience so it shows that most any civilian pilot can get up to the same level with the right training.

 

Doug BattenRed 1

Doug's aviation experience was gained firstly in East Africa where he flew various aircraft across many of the countries there delivering food, aid and medicine to remote towns and villages. He now is an Air NZ Boeing 787 Captain based in Auckland flying long haul routes. Doug flies his own Yak-52 and has been the team leader for the past 5 seasons. Doug is a current B Cat instructor and NZ Warbirds supervising instructor for formation and low level aerobatic display approvals.

Mark HelliwellRed 2

Mark started flying at age 16 at the Napier Aero Club in 1976 and gained his PPL at age 17. He joined the RNZAF in 1978 where he flew the DH104 Devon, BAC Strikemaster and A4 Skyhawk. In 1985 he joined Air NZ and is currently a Boeing 787 Captain. Mark has been with the team since 2007 and normally flys the grey Yak with the red nose and tail which is owned by the NZ Warbirds Association, of which he is the Operations Manager. He has accumulated over 23,000 flying hours in his 45 year flying career.

Kevin Jane Red 3

Kevin initially hailed from Stratford where he got interested in Yak flying and formation aerobatics after seeing two Yaks flown by Paul Hughan and Bryan Coppersmith dancing around the sky in the early 1980’s and became one of the founding members. Kevin is a business owner and now lives in Masterton. Kevin flys his own green and yellow Yak (ZK-KEV) and is an example that pilots of any licence and experience level can successfully become a good formation aerobatic pilot.

Bryan CoppersmithRed 4

Bryan (BJ) started his flying in the RNZAF and is a former Strikemaster and Skyhawk jet pilot before leaving in the early 1980’s. He has recently retired from Air NZ where he spent most of his career on international routes flying the 767, 747 and 777 aircraft. BJ is a founding team member flies the yellow and red Thames based Yak-52 (ZK-YNZ). He and Paul Hughan were the driving force behind the initial four ship team and he has had a hand in training most of the current members at some stage.

Paul HughanBlack 1

Huggy as he is known in the aviation fraternity, joined the RNZAF in 1982 as a University Officer Cadet graduating with a Bachelor of Physics prior to beginning his pilot’s course. He flew Strikemaster and Skyhawk jets and became an instructor in 1990 for CT-4B Airtrainer. He joined Air NZ in 1998 and currently flies the Boeing 787. Paul is a current B & D Cat instructor and is actively involved in NZ Warbirds as a supervising instructor for issuing type ratings, instructing in formation, formation aerobatics, low level aerobatics and display flying. He also flies various WW1 aircraft for The Vintage Aviator Ltd at Masterton.

Brett EmenyBlue 1

Brett is a well-known Taranaki flying entity who started gliding at age 15 in 1974. He soloed at 16 and has over 35 years’ experience as a commercial fixed wing and helicopter pilot. He owns a successful Agricultural helicopter and ground fertiliser spreading business that operates throughout New Zealand. Brett is a NZ Warbirds supervising instructor for low level aerobatics and formation training and has trained many pilots in formation aerobatics and display flying in both piston and jet aircraft.

Fay EmenyBlue 2

Fay is Brett’s daughter and is carrying on the Emeny tradition flying the blue and white Yak registration ZK-YAK and has been flying Yak-52s for over 15 years and has recently worked her way up to qualifying as a display pilot. She also co-drives in jet sprint boat racing with her husband Sean. Fay is one of only two civil female formation pilots currently flying displays in NZ, the other being Liz Needham in the Harvard Roaring Forties team. Fay debuted with the team at the Masterton Airshow in February 2021.

Peter VauseBlue 3

Peter is a retired Petroleum Engineer and lives in New Plymouth. He is a current PPL which he gained in 1971 and has multi engine and single pilot IFR ratings and over 2500 flying hours. He flies his own Yak, coloured black and white (ZK-PTE) and also owns and displays a T28 Trojan and an Aero Vodochody L39 Albatross. Pete is also a pilot for the Catalina syndicate. Peter demonstrates that pilots of any experience level can become a great formation aerobatic display pilot.

Mike HarveyBlue 4

Mike started flying at the New Plymouth Aero Club in 1986 and in 1994 joined Air Nelson where he finished up as a Bombadier Q300 Captain. In 2016 he transferred across to Air NZ initially flying the B777 on long-haul routes before also transferring recently to the B787. Mike normally flies another grey camouflaged Yak-52 with the registration 718 which is owned by a syndicate based in Tauranga. Mike is a current B Cat instructor, a NZ Warbirds supervising instructor, and has also recently opened a flying school at New Plymouth called Flightech.

  • Enjoyed watching the airshows. Never saw anything like that before! Would really recommend it and it's worth the ticket.

    sheemalshivani December 2022

  • Wow, thats an amzing day full of discovery and nature. Loved the cruise! You guys rock.

    Mike McVey Gisborne NZ

  • Lovely cafe with a great view of all the planes taking off. The museum guides are super friendly and my son absolutely loves coming here. Highly recommended.

    Dianechen10 February 2020

  • Fantastic opportunity to get up close to some of the icons of New Zealand’s aviation history - with the majority being flyable examples. Knowable guides to fill in any gaps in your own knowledge. Topped off by an amazing scale model collection.

    MarkR986 October 2020

  • Interesting guided visit around the War Birds Facility, get up close to the war planes. Beautiful display. Would suggest combine with a visit to the Auckland Botanical Gardens. A Great Auckland Day Out.

    Sandra S February 2020

  • Amazing collection of aircraft. Lovely staff and well worth the drive from Auckland .if lucky enough to be at the weekend, you may see the incredible aircraft flying.

    274peterr December 2022

@nz_warbirds

UPDATE FLY PAST CANCELLED - Sorry Folks 😔 Weather is not playing ball 😂 👋See you tomorrow at half time Auckland at @gomediastadium for @aucklandfc home match against the @newcastlejetsfc. A Harvard formation is planned to flyover at 5:55PM pending on weather and aircraft serviceability. ⚽️Match kick off is at 5:00PM. 📆Saturday 30th November 2025. ⏰5:55PM 📍Go Media Stadium (Mt Smart) The formation will be loitering near Whitford, Howick & Bucklands Beach areas before the run in so keep an eye out if you live in those areas. #keepemflying #aucklandfc
Theres 138 days till Warbirds on Parade and we have some good news. Tickets are now available through @iticketnz a great gift idea for Christmas🎄. Note iTicket is the only ticket distributor for Warbirds on Parade. Spread the word! #keepemflying #warbird #avgeek #aviator #aviationlovers #aerobatics #aviationphotography #pilot #photographer #instagood #airshow #show #onlyinnz #nz #newzealand #aotearoa #visitauckland #pioneer #purenz #IfYouSeekNZ
Clear skys at Ardmore this evening. Harvard 78 out on the apron after a successful fundraising event for the Totara Hospice. #keepemflying #northamericant6 #harvard #texan #t6 #newzealand #nzwarbirdsatardmore
ZK-TGN ‘rolling 21’ back in December 2020 during its first public display at Warbirds on Parade. 
This aircraft now resides at the Ashburton Aviation Museum but for a number of years resided at NZ Warbirds at Ardmore. It has been modified to have a 14-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R2000 rated at 1450 HP (not the 9-cylinder Wright R-1820 Cyclone typical for the type). 📸 Stuart Russell #keepemflying #warbird #avgeek #aviation #aviator #aviationlover #northamerican #trojan #aviationphotography #pilot #flying #flight #photographer #yak#instagood #onlyinnz #nz #newzealand #aotearoa #pioneer #purenz #IfYouSeekNZ
An image taken yesterday of the Harvard flypast over Auckland City to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Normandy Landings. 📸Rob New #DDay80 #keepemflying #warbird #avgeek #aviation #aviator #aviationlovers #harvard #northamerican #harvard #aviationphotography #pilot #flying #flight #photographer #yak#instagood #onlyinnz #nz #newzealand #aotearoa #pioneer #purenz #ifyouseeknz
We are super excited to share the ninth annual Tōtara Hospice Long Lunch Charity Gala event that is being hosted in The Warbirds Hangar 2. You will be indulged in a culinary journey showcasing flavours from Around the World. Your menu has been crafted with love and care by talented New Zealand chefs, including a stunning seafood dish from Executive Chef Nancye from Te Kaahu, a truly authentic taco from Chef Jean of Tacoteca and Michael Dearth from Baduzzi will be tantalising your tastebuds with dessert. Ganesh Raj is the MC, amongst other accolades he has been the recipient (for two years running) of Metro Magazine’s Restaurant Personality of the Year, as well as co-hosting the TV series Eat Well For Less and Cooks on Fire. They would love you to join them for a spectacular day of eating, drinking, dancing and philanthropy to make a difference in the lives of terminally ill patients and their whānau in our community. Sunday 23rd June 2024 11.30am till 5.00pm Warbirds Hangar Ardmore Airport Tickets are on sale now and include your coach transfers with Pavlovich Coachlines to and from the airport. We have several easy-to-reach collection points around Auckland in the CBD, Greenlane, Whitford (with a stop in Clevedon) and Manukau.
The calm before the show. Corsair 48 on the flight line of our recent Warbirds on Parade airshow on March 10th. It was a stunning sunrise 🌅 👍 📸 Brian Amerasinghe 📍Ardmore Airport #keepemflying #warbird #avgeek #aviation #aviator #aviationlovers #corsair #fg1d #voughtchance #aviationphotography #pilot #flying #flight #photographer #yak#instagood #onlyinnz #nz #newzealand #aotearoa #pioneer #purenz #IfYouSeekNZ
The Roaring Forties returning from the recent Classic Flyers Aero Day 2024 with Ardmore Airport in the distance. 📸 Paul Johnston #keepemflying #warbird #avgeek #aviation #aviator #aviationlovers #harvard #northamerican#aviationphotography #pilot #flying #flight #photographer #instagood #onlyinnz #nz #newzealand #aotearoa #pioneer #purenz #IfYouSeekNZ
CORSAIR FLYING TODAY! Corsair NZ5648 will be flying today (Sunday 14th) with takeoff at 1100am. Come down to NZ Warbirds at Ardmore and check it out. #keepemflying #warbird #avgeek #aviation #aviator #aviationlovers #corsair #fg1d #voughtchance #aviationphotography #pilot #flying #flight #photographer #instagood #onlyinnz #nz #newzealand #aotearoa #pioneer #purenz #ifyouseeknz
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AIRSHOW! Warbirds on Parade - Sunday 16 March 2025. For all of the latest developments - including what's on show - click here.
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