There were 6 De Havilland Tiger Moths displayed this year, plus a Fox Moth. These were used by the Royal New Zealand Air Force as trainers during World War II.
The Tiger Moth ZK-ANL was built in England in 1939 and arrived in New Zealand in early 1940, where it served with the RNZAF primarily with No 1 Elementary Flying Training School at Taieri, throughout the war. After the war it received the designation ZK-ANL and joined the Hawkes Bay and East Coast Aero Club, then in 1960 it was converted for agricultural work as an aerial sprayer. It was used by private owners, then joined the Legend Aviation fleet in July 2023, being used for adventure aviation rides.
ZK-BFS also has a history as a trainer before being used for various civilian purposes. It was restored after being stored in a hangar in Central Otago since 1998, and is now known as "Queenie".
ZK-BMY is a 1942 De Havilland New Zealand DH-82A Tiger Moth. Here are some specs for this type:
Crew: 2
Engine: de Havilland Gipsy Major 1C
Power: 108 kW (145 hp)
Speed: 172 km/h (93 kts, 107 mph)
Service Ceiling: 4,450 m (14,600 ft)
Range: 443 km (239 NM, 275 miles)
Empty Weight: 506 kg (1,116 lbs)
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 828 kg (1.825 lbs)
Wing Span: 8,94 m (29 ft 4 in)
Wing Area: 22,2 m^2 (239 ft^2)
Length: 7,29 m (23 ft 11 in)
Height: 2,69 m (8 ft 10 in)
First Flight: 26/10/1931
Total Production: Over 8000
The de Havilland DH83 Fox Moth is a light transport biplane designed in the early 1930s. It was primarily used for passenger transport. A total of 155 were built. Here are some specs:
Crew: 1, Passenger Capacity: 3-4
Length: 25 ft 9 in (7.85 m)
Wingspan: 30 ft 10+5⁄8 in (9.41 m)
Height: 8 ft 9+1⁄2 in (2.68 m)
Wing area: 261.5 sq ft (24.29 m^2)
Empty weight: 1,071 lb (486 kg)
Maximum takeoff weight: 2,000 lb (907 kg)
Engine: de Havilland Gipsy III 4-cylinder air-cooled inverted in-line piston engine
power: 120 hp (89 kW)
Maximum speed: 106 mph (171 km/h, 92 kn)
Cruise speed: 91 mph (146 km/h, 79 kn)
Range: 425 mi (684 km, 369 nmi)
Service ceiling: 12,700 ft (3,900 m)
Rate of climb: 450 ft/min (2.3 m/s)
This shows a flyby of 5 Tigers, 1 Fox, and a Chipmunk! They proceed at a fairly leisurely pace, especially into the wind, making them a little bit easier to photograph than a fast jet, like the F16 at the last show!
Use the controller to watch the Tiger Moths, and friends, fly in formation down the runway. This is a moderately large video and might take a few seconds to load.
ZK-BER is another Tiger Moth, visting from Blenheim. It was built by de Havilland Australia for the Royal Air Force as DX801, then moved to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as A17-712, then became VH-BEX, before moving to New Zealand.
Sources: Warbirds Over Wanaka 2026 Programme, Legend Aviation web site, Flugzeuginfo web site, Wikipedia, Airport Data web site.
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