This Easter weekend vintage planes fly over Wanaka for three days. These are the warbirds. Some are old, some have been rebuilt and some are copies of old planes like the Fokker D-8 flown by the Germans in World War 1. It was called ‘The Flying Razor’ because it could cut through the air so easily. It could dive and climb again more easily than other planes and was hard to see. It is also hard to fly today. Many planes flown in the Second World War are also part of the airshow at Wanaka this weekend.
There are also some more modern planes including a fly past by Air New Zealand’s 777, the triple 7. This aircraft is used to fly on the Auckland, Los Angeles, London route. It cannot land because Wanaka has only a small runway.
To celebrate 75 years of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), there will be a special display of aircraft that have flown over the years. There will also be an aerobatics show with planes flying together and performing tricks.
The airshow finishes with a mock aircraft battle.
‘Warbirds over Wanaka’ is held every two years. About 65,000 people are expected to attend. The weather today is sunny and warm.
Vocabulary
vintage – old and beautiful
razor – used by men for shaving the face; very sharp
aircraft means aeroplanes. it is a general word and includes all kinds of planes.
triple – three times; double is two times
aerobatics is like acrobatics (people in the gym jumping in the air etc) but here it is planes performing these tricks
mock – not real, pretend